Method for supporting inspection operations, system, program, recording medium, and server

Abstract

To improve the quality of communication with an inspection destination to facilitate inspection operations and improve the efficiency of operations to manage the inspection destination.SOLUTION: A management server 4 executes the steps of: regularly or irregularly acquiring customer information; extracting inspection destination information representing an inspection destination from the customer information on the basis of an extraction condition including the period of endurance or the end time of life of an apparatus owned by the inspection destination; distributing sales promotion information including time information representing the arrival of the period of endurance or the end time of life of the apparatus, to an inspection destination terminal 6 associated with the inspection destination; and generating reward information upon acquisition of inspection completion information representing the completion of inspection of the inspection destination from a management terminal 8, and distributing the reward information to the inspection destination terminal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a technology for assisting inspection operations of various gas appliances installed at gas suppliers such as LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas).

Background Art

[0002] Inspection and investigation of various gas appliances using LPG as fuel are security operations to ensure the safety of gas suppliers. This security operation covers a wide range, including initial inspection and adjustment at the start of gas supply, inspection of supply facilities such as when replacing containers, regular inspection of supply facilities, and regular inspection of consumption facilities. The lifespan of various gas appliances is limited, and it is necessary to replace gas appliances that have passed a certain period. Regarding the inspection of these gas appliances, it is known that a gas meter detects the usage time for each gas appliance and periodically transmits the usage time to a centralized monitoring device or a mobile terminal. When the centralized monitoring device or the mobile terminal exceeds the inspection time or replacement time of the gas appliance, it issues inspection and replacement instructions to a sales store or the like (for example, Patent Document 1). Regarding the management of gas appliances, it is known to obtain information in real time regarding the type of appliance and the cumulative time since installation, grasp the inspection time in advance, and notify gas operators or users when the integrated time exceeds the monitoring time (for example, Patent Document 2).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, the inspection work of various gas appliances at the gas supply source is carried out by gas utilities or appliance retailers. The inspection staff visits the gas supply source (i.e., the inspection target), and in order to achieve safe use, directly touches the gas appliances to conduct functional inspections and the like. For this reason, the presence of gas users at home is required for the inspection of gas appliances, and the inspection target must ensure the time required for the inspection. Even if the inspection is accepted at the inspection target, if the user is not at home on the inspection day, there is a problem that the inspection work cannot be carried out. Even if the inspection date is determined, depending on the circumstances of the inspection target, the inspection may not be possible, and if there is a lack of flexibility such as a change in the inspection date, there is a problem that the inspection work will be stagnated, such as a refusal to inspect. In order to improve the efficiency of such inspection work, it has been found that it is essential and beneficial in the inspection work to emphasize communication and dialogue with the inspection target to reach the inspection. Therefore, in view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to enrich communication with the inspection target to promote the inspection work and to improve the efficiency of the management work for the inspection target.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] To achieve the above object, according to one aspect of the inspection work support method of the present invention, a management server acquires customer information regularly or irregularly, and based on extraction conditions including the durability period or the life period of the equipment owned by the inspection target, extracts inspection target information representing the inspection target from the customer information, and distributes sales promotion information including time information representing the arrival of the durability period or the life period of the equipment to an inspection target terminal associated with the inspection target, and generates reward information when inspection end information representing the end of the inspection of the inspection target is acquired from a management terminal, and distributes this reward information to the inspection target terminal.

[0006] In this inspection work support method, the sales promotion information may include any one or two or more of the elapsed time since the installation of the equipment, defect information, and guidance information on the latest model.

[0007] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, according to one aspect of the inspection work system of the present invention, the system includes an inspection location terminal associated with inspection location information representing the inspection location, a management terminal associated with an administrator who manages the inspection location, and a management server that acquires customer information on a regular or irregular basis, extracts inspection location information representing the inspection location from the customer information based on extraction conditions including the useful life or end of life of equipment owned by the inspection location, distributes promotional information including timing information representing the arrival of the useful life or end of life of the equipment to the inspection location terminal, generates reward information upon acquisition of inspection end information representing the end of inspection of the inspection location from the management terminal, and distributes this reward information to the inspection location terminal.

[0008] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, according to one aspect of the program of the present invention, a computer program to be executed by a computer is provided, which causes the computer to execute the following functions: acquire customer information on a regular or irregular basis; extract inspection location information representing the inspection location from the customer information based on extraction conditions including the useful life or end of life of equipment owned by the inspection location; distribute promotional information including timing information indicating the arrival of the useful life or end of life of the equipment to an inspection location terminal associated with the inspection location; and generate reward information upon acquisition of inspection end information indicating the end of inspection at the inspection location from a management terminal, and distribute this reward information to the inspection location terminal. In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of a recording medium of the present invention is a recording medium storing the above program.

[0009] According to one aspect of the server of the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, there is provided a server associated with an inspection terminal associated with inspection destination information representing an inspection destination and a management terminal associated with an administrator who manages the inspection destination, the server obtaining customer information regularly or irregularly, extracting inspection destination information representing the inspection destination from the customer information based on extraction conditions including the durability period or the end-of-life period of the equipment owned by the inspection destination, delivering sales promotion information including time information representing the arrival of the durability period or the end-of-life period of the equipment to the inspection terminal associated with the inspection destination, generating reward information upon obtaining inspection end information representing the end of inspection of the inspection destination from the management terminal, and comprising a processing unit that delivers this reward information to the inspection terminal.

Effects of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, any of the following effects can be obtained. (1) In the inspection process, a) Obtaining customer information regularly or irregularly, b) Extracting inspection destination information representing the inspection destination from the customer information based on extraction conditions including the durability period or the end-of-life period of the equipment owned by the inspection destination, c) Delivering sales promotion information including time information representing the arrival of the durability period or the end-of-life period of the equipment to the inspection terminal associated with the inspection destination, d) Generating reward information upon obtaining inspection end information representing the end of inspection of the inspection destination from the management terminal, and delivering this reward information to the inspection terminal are included, and by mechanically performing these step-by-step processes, communication of intentions with the inspection destination can be established, management of the inspection destination from the opportunity of inspection to the end of inspection can be supported, and efficiency can be improved. (2) The communication ability of the inspection destination can be determined, which can be used for the opportunity of visit for inspection and the promotion of equipment sales.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] 〔First Embodiment〕 FIG. 1 shows an inspection work support process according to the first embodiment. The configuration shown in FIG. 1 is an example, and the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. This inspection work support process includes processes such as extraction of inspection destination information (S101), disclosure of inspection schedule information (S102), distribution of inspection schedule information (S103), acceptance of provisional reservation (S104), determination of inspection date (S105), distribution of visit notice information, etc. (S106), reception of change request information (S107), distribution of change information (S108), acquisition of inspection completion information (S109), distribution of reward information (S110), determination of outstanding inspections (S111), etc.

[0013] Extraction of inspection destination information (S101): The management server 4 extracts inspection destination information from customer information, which is an aggregate (database) of inspection destination information. The customer information is identification information representing users of the gas to be delivered. To extract inspection destination information from this customer information, for example, inspection periods, service life periods of owned equipment, etc. set for the inspection destination can be used as extraction conditions. Disclosure of inspection schedule information (S102): The management server 4 discloses the inspection destination information extracted from the customer information as inspection schedule information to the inspection reservation site. The inspection reservation site is, for example, a Web (World Wide Web) page accessible from the Internet. The inspection schedule information disclosed on this inspection reservation site includes information representing the inspection schedule, such as area information including the inspection destination and inspection date. Distribution of inspection schedule information (S103): The management server 4 distributes the inspection schedule information to the inspection terminal 6 in accordance with the disclosure to the inspection reservation site. Acceptance of provisional reservation (S104): The management server 4 receives access from the inspection terminal 6, which is the distribution destination of the inspection schedule information, to the inspection reservation site and can make a provisional reservation for an arbitrary inspection date.

[0014] Determination of inspection date (S105): The management server 4 creates a provisional reservation list, for example, and determines the inspection date for each inspection area. Distribution of visit notice information, etc. (S106): After the inspection date is determined, visit notice information is distributed to the inspection terminal 6, and at the same time, sales promotion information is distributed. This sales promotion information includes, for example, device information regarding the devices owned by the inspection destination and replacement devices. The distribution of this visit notice information and sales promotion information is performed regularly or irregularly after the inspection date is determined and until the day before the inspection date. Receiving change request information (S107): The management server 4 determines whether it has received change request information indicating a change in the inspection date from the inspection terminal 6 of the inspection destination for which the inspection date has been determined. Distribution of change information (S108): When the management server 4 receives change request information from the inspection terminal 6 (YES in S107), the management server 4 distributes the change information it has received to the inspection terminal 6. When the management server 4 has not received change request information from the inspection terminal 6 (NO in S107), it skips S108 and transitions to S109.

[0015] Obtaining inspection completion information (S109): The management server 4 obtains inspection completion information indicating the completion of the inspection from the management terminal 8 of the inspection destination. Distribution of reward information (S110): When the management server 4 obtains the inspection completion information (YES in S109), it generates reward information indicating a reward (for example, coupon granting information), and distributes this reward information to the corresponding inspection terminal 6. Determination of incomplete inspection (S111): If the management server 4 cannot obtain the inspection completion information (NO in S109), it determines that the inspection is incomplete (S111) and ends this process.

[0016] <Incomplete inspection process> This incomplete inspection process is the process when the inspector 14 visits the inspection destination and the inspection cannot be carried out due to absence, etc. Figure 2 shows the processing procedure of the incomplete inspection process. This incomplete inspection process includes processes such as determination of incomplete inspection (S201), search for inspection destination information (S202), and distribution of search result information (S203). Determination of inspection outstanding (S201): If the management server 4 cannot obtain the inspection completion information as described above (NO in S109), it determines that the inspection is outstanding. That is, in this determination of inspection outstanding, if the inspection completion information cannot be obtained, it is determined that the inspection is outstanding (YES in S201). Search for inspection destination information of inspection area (S202): If the management server 4 determines that the inspection is outstanding, it newly searches for inspection destination information from the inspection area to which the inspection destination of the outstanding inspection belongs. Distribution of search result information (S203): The management server 4 newly obtains the search result information of the inspection destination information and distributes this to the inspection destination terminal 6 and the management terminal 8. As a result, the inspector 14 who owns this management terminal 8 can receive the provided inspection destination information and perform an inspection on a new inspection destination associated with the inspection destination information.

[0017] <Time management and information distribution> (1) Inspection period The management server 4 manages the inspection period of the inspection destination that owns equipment etc. for which the inspection period has arrived, and publishes the inspection schedule information on the inspection reservation site. In addition, the management server 4 distributes the inspection schedule information to the inspection destination terminal 6 associated with the inspection destination information. (2) Reception period for provisional reservation The management server 4 manages the elapsed time from the time of distribution of the inspection schedule information, and sets a reception period for receiving a provisional reservation for the inspection on the day before the inspection date from the time of distribution of the inspection schedule information. The management server 4 receives a provisional reservation for the inspection from the inspection destination terminal 6 that has received the distribution of the inspection schedule information during this reception period. (3) Confirmation period for inspection date The management server 4 manages the elapsed time triggered by the reception of the provisional reservation, and determines the inspection date for each inspection area. (4) Distribution period for visit notice information When the management server 4 determines the inspection date, it distributes visit notice information to the corresponding inspection destination terminal 6. In addition, the management server 4 manages the elapsed time from the distribution of this visit notice information until the inspection date, and distributes visit notice information to the inspection destination terminal 6 regularly or irregularly within this time. When the inspection date is changed, the management server 4 manages the elapsed time until the changed inspection date, and within this time, it distributes visit notice information to the inspection terminal 6 regularly or irregularly. (5) Period for receiving change information such as inspection date After distributing the inspection notice information or visit notice information, the management server 4 manages the elapsed time until the inspection date, and receives change information such as the inspection date from the inspection terminal 6. When the inspection date is changed, the management server 4 manages the elapsed time until the changed inspection date, and similarly receives change information such as the inspection date from the inspection terminal 6. (6) Other timing of information generation The management server 4 generates information at a predetermined timing from the reception of information from the inspection terminal 6 or the management terminal 8, and distributes the information to the inspection terminal 6 or the management terminal 8.

[0018] <Inspection business support system 2> FIG. 3 shows the inspection business support system 2. The configuration shown in FIG. 3 is an example, and the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. In this inspection business support system 2, a management server 4, a plurality of inspection terminals 6, and a management terminal 8 are installed and linked by a wired connection or a wireless connection through a network 10. The management server 4 is installed for an administrator who manages equipment inspections, etc. for an inspection destination 12 selected from a plurality of customers of gas appliances that burn fuel gas. A computer with a communication function is used for this management server 4. This management server 4 supports inspection operations for gas appliances, inspection destinations 12, etc. Each inspection terminal 6 is an example of an information terminal associated with inspection destination information selected from customer information, and is installed at the inspection destination 12 to support inspection operations. Each inspection terminal 6 includes an information terminal such as a mobile terminal with a communication function. Each management terminal 8 is an example of an information terminal carried by an inspector 14 in charge of inspections. Each management terminal 8 includes an information terminal such as a mobile terminal with a communication function similar to the inspection terminal 6.

[0019] <Information Processing of Management Server 4> According to this inspection operation support system 2, regarding the inspection operation, the management server 4 can perform the support processing described in the above-mentioned processing procedure (Figure 1). The management server 4 extracts inspection destination information from customer information regularly or irregularly (S101), publishes inspection schedule information on an inspection reservation site published by the management server 4 on the Web (S102), and distributes the inspection schedule information to the corresponding inspection destination terminal 6 (S103). The inspection destination terminal 6 to which the inspection reservation information is distributed can access the inspection reservation site according to the intention of the inspection destination 12 and perform the acceptance of a provisional reservation (S104) based on the information processing with the management server 4. After the acceptance of this provisional reservation, the management server 4, for example, determines the inspection date for each inspection destination 12 in units of inspection areas (S105), and distributes visit notice information and the like to the inspection destination terminal 6 related to the inspection destination 12 for which the inspection date has been determined (S106). The management server 4 that has distributed the visit notice information can receive change request information from the inspection destination terminal 6 related to the inspection destination 12 for which the inspection date has been determined (S107). That is, if the inspection date has not been determined, there can be no change to the inspection date in the first place. For the inspection destination 12 for which the inspection date has been changed, change information is distributed to the inspection destination terminal 6 (S108). Then, it is determined whether the management server 4 has acquired inspection completion information from the management terminal 8 (S109). If the inspection completion information is acquired (YES in S109), reward information indicating a reward is generated, and this reward information is distributed to the inspection destination terminal 6 specified by the corresponding inspection destination information (S110), and this process ends. If the management server 4 does not acquire inspection completion information from the management terminal 8 (NO in S109), it determines that the inspection is incomplete (S111), and this process ends.

[0020] <Information Processing of Inspection Destination Terminal 6> The information processing of the inspection destination terminal 6 includes the following processing. a) The inspection destination terminal 6 receives the distribution of inspection schedule information from the management server 4. i) The inspection terminal 6 can access the inspection reservation site published by the management server 4 and receive the processing of provisional reservation of inspection from the management server 4. ii) After the inspection date is confirmed by the management server 4, the inspection terminal 6 receives the distribution of visit notice information and sales promotion information. iii) The inspection terminal 6 can send change request information including the change of the inspection date to the management server 4, and when the change request is accepted, it can receive the distribution of change information from the management server 4. iv) When the management server 4 obtains the inspection completion information from the management terminal 8, the inspection terminal 6 associated with the inspection destination information receives the distribution of reward information from the management server 4. v) Similarly, when the management server 4 that has obtained the inspection incomplete information searches for the inspection destination information in the inspection area, the inspection terminal 6 associated with the inspection destination information receives the distribution of the search result information.

[0021] <Information Processing of Management Terminal 8> The information processing of the management terminal 8 includes the following processes. i) When the inspection is incomplete, the management terminal 8 sends the inspection incomplete information to the management server 4. ii) When the management server 4 that has obtained the inspection incomplete information searches for the inspection destination information in the inspection area, the management terminal 8 receives the distribution of the search result information.

[0022] <Customer Information Database (DB) 18> This customer information DB18 stores the inspection destination information and various information of the inspection destination. Figure 4 shows an example of the customer information DB18. This customer information DB18 includes a plurality of customer information files 20-1, 20-2, ···, 20-N (hereinafter simply referred to as "customer information file 20") associated with the inspection destination information. Each customer information file 20 is set with a customer information section 22, an appliance information section 24, and an inspection history information section 26. In the customer information section 22, identification information for identifying each customer is stored. In this customer information section 22, a name section 22-1, an address section 22-2, and a terminal information section 22-3 are set. In the name section 22-1, a name for identifying the customer, for example, the representative's name, and identification information for identifying the inspection destination are stored. In the address section 22-2, location information such as the address of the inspection destination is stored. In the terminal information section 22-3, identification information of the inspection destination terminal 6 is stored. In the appliance information section 24, information for identifying the appliance is stored. In this appliance information section 24, a type section 24-1, a model name section 24-2, a consumption amount section 24-3, an installation date section 24-4, a warranty period section 24-5, and a connection pipe type section 24-6 are set. In the type section 24-1, the type of the appliance, for example, the type information such as an outdoor wall-mounted water heater, is stored. In the model name section 24-2, model information such as the manufacturer information and model number information of the appliance is stored. In the consumption amount section 24-3, consumption amount information representing the gas consumption is stored. In the installation date section 24-4, the installation date information of the appliance installed at the inspection destination is stored. In the warranty period section 24-5, the warranty period information of the appliance is stored. In the connection pipe type section 24-6, type information such as whether the connection pipe is metal or synthetic resin is stored. In the inspection history information section 26, various history information such as the inspection date of the inspection destination 12, the inspection person in charge 14, the inspection history of the appliance, and the abnormal information history are stored.

[0023] <Inspection destination information DB 28> In this inspection destination information DB 28, the inspection destination information extracted from the customer information DB 18 and various information of the inspection destination are stored. Figure 5 shows an example of the inspection destination information DB 28. This inspection destination information DB 28 includes a plurality of inspection destination files 30-1, 30-2, ···, 30-N (hereinafter simply referred to as "inspection destination file 30") associated with the inspection destination information. In each inspection destination file 30, an inspection destination information section 32, an inspection destination terminal information section 33, a used equipment information section 34, a reception classification information section 36, an instruction content information section 38, a scheduled visit information section 40, a business information section 42, an instruction date information section 44, a corresponding person information section 46, a status information section 48, a classification information section 50, and a history information section 52 are set. In the inspection destination information section 32, the name, address, terminal information, etc. of the customer corresponding to the inspection destination 12 obtained from the customer information section 22 (name section 22-1, address section 22-2, terminal information section 22-3) of the customer information DB 18 are stored. In the inspection destination terminal information section 33, identification information including the address information of the inspection destination terminal 6 associated with the inspection destination information extracted from the customer information is stored.

[0024] In the used equipment information section 34, information for specifying the used equipment obtained from the used equipment information section 24 (type section 24-1, model name section 24-2, consumption section 24-3, installation date section 24-4, warranty period section 24-5, connection pipe type section 24-6) of the customer information DB 18 is stored. In the reception classification information section 36, reception classification information received from the inspection destination terminal 6, for example, classification information such as inspection, is stored. In the instruction content information section 38, information representing instruction contents such as inspection date reservation is stored. In the scheduled visit information section 40, scheduled information such as the visit date and visit time, which are the scheduled inspection dates, is stored. In the business information section 42, contact information such as the representative is absent but a cohabitant will respond regarding the situation of the inspection destination is stored. In the instruction date information section 44, time information instructed to the inspection destination is stored. In the corresponding person information section 46, identification information for specifying the inspector is stored. In the status information section 48, status information such as inspection completion, instruction, and suspension is stored. In the classification information section 50, information regarding the issuance classification of the inspection information sheet is stored. In the history information section 52, reception information such as the reception date, time information such as the reception time, and person-in-charge information representing the receiver are stored.

[0025] <Effect of the First Embodiment> According to this first embodiment, any of the following effects can be obtained. (1) By mediating a series of information processes, the inspection work can be promoted and efficiently supported. (2) In the support of this inspection operation, it includes extraction of inspection destination information representing the inspection destination from customer information, disclosure of inspection schedule information to the inspection reservation site, acceptance of tentative inspection reservations upon receiving access from the inspection terminal to the inspection reservation site, distribution of inspection notice information including the confirmed inspection date for each inspection area, distribution of visit notice information regularly or irregularly from this distribution until the day before the inspection, and distribution of reward information based on the inspection completion information, and can mechanically perform step-by-step support processing. Thereby, communication of intentions between the inspection destination and the administrator, that is, the management server, can be established, the processing from the opportunity of inspection to the end can be supported, and it can contribute to the efficiency improvement of the inspection operation. (3) It is possible to determine the communication ability of the inspection destination and also utilize the history information from the opportunity of inspection to the end of inspection for promoting the sales of the equipment. (4) In the support of this inspection operation, for information exchange including information distribution, communication services such as SNS (Social Networking Service), for example, LINE (registered trademark) can be utilized.

[0026] 〔Second Embodiment〕 FIG. 6 shows an inspection operation support system 2 according to the second embodiment. The configuration shown in FIG. 6 is an example, and the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. In FIG. 6, the common parts with FIG. 3 are given common reference numerals. This inspection operation support system 2 utilizes a computer as a support means and realizes aspects of supporting the management of the inspection operation by administrators such as gas utilities and sales managers through information processing, aspects of supporting the inspection operation of the inspection personnel, and aspects of supporting the inspection destination that receives the inspection. The inspection operation support system 2 of this embodiment includes a gas management system 54, a network system 56, and a plurality of inspection terminals 6. The gas management system 54 is a computer system belonging to administrators such as gas operators and gas supply administrators, and includes a management server 4 and a management terminal 8. A customer information source 58, a customer device information source 60, and a history information source 62 are associated with the management server 4. The customer information source 58 includes an information source of customer information that is the extraction target of the inspection destination information described above. The customer device information source 60 includes devices owned by customers, that is, device information associated with the inspection destination information. The history information source 62 stores history information regarding the devices at the inspection destinations, such as inspections, failures, and repairs. The management terminal 8 realizes the functions of an information acquisition unit and an information presentation unit for the management server 4, and acquires and presents various information such as inspection information. The network system 56 is a system that undertakes public information communication through a computer equipped with a communication function. The network system 56 is provided with a management server 63. Similar to the management terminal 8, the inspection terminal 6 realizes the functions of an information acquisition unit and an information presentation unit, and acquires and presents various information such as inspection information.

[0027] <Hardware of Management Server 4> FIG. 7 shows an example of the hardware of the management server 4. This management server 4 is a computer equipped with a communication function, and includes a processor 64, a storage unit 66, an information input / output unit (I / O) 68, a communication unit 70, and a timer 71. The processor 64 is an example of a processing unit that executes an OS (Operating System) and an inspection operation support program in the storage unit 66. The storage unit 66 is an example of a storage medium composed of storage elements such as a ROM (Read-Only Memory) and a RAM (Random-Access Memory), and stores various programs such as an inspection operation support program. I / O 68 outputs and acquires various information under the control of the processor 64. The timer 71 is used for generating and managing the above-described inspection period, provisional reservation acceptance period, inspection date confirmation period, visit notice information distribution period, change information acceptance period such as inspection dates, other information, and the timing of generating these information. This timer 71 may be configured by hardware or may be configured to perform time management by software. The communication unit 70 transmits and receives various information under the control of the processor 64 through wired or wireless connections to various information devices and the network system 56. Although not shown, the management server 63 in the network system 56 may be provided with the same hardware as the management server 4.

[0028] <Hardware of the management terminal 8> FIG. 8 shows an example of the hardware of the management terminal 8. This management terminal 8 is a computer having a communication function, and like the management server 4, includes a processor 72, a storage unit 74, an I / O 76, a communication unit 78, an information input unit 80, and an information presentation unit 82. The processor 72 is an example of a processing unit that executes the OS and the inspection work support program in the storage unit 74. The storage unit 74 is an example of a storage medium composed of storage elements such as ROM and RAM, and stores various programs such as the inspection work support program. The I / O 76 outputs and acquires various information under the control of the processor 72. The communication unit 78 transmits and receives various information under the control of the processor 72 through wired or wireless connections to various information devices and the network system 56. The information input unit 80 is an example of an information acquisition unit, and acquires information under the control of the processor 72 using, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a barcode reader, a touch panel unit, etc. The information presentation unit 82 is composed of an information presentation device such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), for example, and presents information under the control of the processor 72. In this embodiment, the management terminal 8 realizes the functions of the information acquisition unit and the information presentation unit with respect to the management server 4.

[0029] <Hardware of the inspection terminal 6> Figure 9 shows the hardware of the inspection terminal 6. This inspection terminal 6 is a computer equipped with a communication function similar to the management terminal 8, and includes a processor 84, a storage unit 86, an I / O 88, a communication unit 90, an information input unit 92, and an information presentation unit 94. The processor 84 is an example of a processing unit that executes the OS and the inspection business support program in the storage unit 86. The storage unit 86 is an example of a storage medium composed of storage elements such as ROM and RAM, and stores various programs such as the inspection business support program. The I / O 88 outputs and acquires various information under the control of the processor 84. The communication unit 90 transmits and receives various information under the control of the processor 84 through wired or wireless connections with various information devices and the network system 56.

[0030] <Registration process of customer information> Figure 10 shows the registration process of customer information. This registration process constitutes a part of the support process for the inspection business. The management server 4 and the management terminal 8 are used in this registration process of customer information. To register customer information, the management terminal 8 and the management server 4 are linked, and a registration request for customer information is sent from the management terminal 8 to the management server 4 (S301). Upon receiving this registration request, after the authentication process, the management server 4 presents a registration screen image to the management terminal 8 that sent the registration request (S302). As a result, the registration screen image is displayed on the management terminal 8 (S303). If customer information is input according to the guide information of the registration screen image, the management terminal 8 acquires the customer information and transmits it to the management server 4 (S304), and at the same time the management server 4 acquires this customer information (S305). The management server 4 registers and stores the acquired customer information in the customer information DB 18 (S306). Regarding this customer information DB 18, upon receiving a browsing request from the management terminal 8 (S307), the management server 4 presents customer information including individual or multiple customers to the management terminal 8 (S308). The customer information displayed on the management terminal 8 can be used for supporting the inspection business and information update (S309).

[0031] <Support Processing for Inspection Operations> FIG. 11 shows a support process for inspection operations (hereinafter simply referred to as "support process"). In this support process, a management server 4, an inspection terminal 6, and a management terminal 8 are used. The management server 4 extracts inspection destination information from the customer information DB 18 according to certain extraction conditions (S401). For the extracted inspection destination information, the inspection schedule information is published on the inspection reservation site (S402). The management server 4 distributes the inspection schedule information to the inspection terminal 6 of the extracted inspection destination (S403). From the inspection terminal 6 related to the inspection destination that has received the distribution of this inspection schedule information, an application for a provisional reservation can be made to the management server 4 (S404). The management server 4 accepts the provisional reservation for the inspection destination 12 that has made the application for the provisional reservation (S405), and generates provisional reservation list information. The management server 4 determines the inspection date for each inspection area (S406). Triggered by the determination of this inspection date, visit notice information and sales promotion information are distributed to the inspection terminal 6 and the management terminal 8 (S407).

[0032] The distribution of the visit notice information is carried out within a certain time interval from the distribution date of the inspection schedule information to the inspection date. Within this certain time interval, the inspection date can be changed. The management server 4 shifts to the monitoring mode for change request information at a predetermined period (S408), and receives change request information including a change in the inspection date transmitted from the inspection terminal 6 (S409). The management server 4 determines whether it has received the change request information (S410). If it has received the change request information (YES in S410), it distributes the change information to the inspection terminal 6 and the management terminal 8 (S411). After the end of the monitoring mode for the change request information, the management server 4 shifts to the monitoring mode for inspection end information. The inspection end information is an inspection end notification transmitted from the management terminal 8 to the management server 4 at the end of the inspection. In this monitoring mode, the management server 4 receives the inspection end information from the management terminal 8 (S413).

[0033] If the management server 4 receives the inspection completion information (YES in S414), it generates reward information and distributes this reward information to the inspection destination terminal 6 associated with the inspection destination information related to the inspection completion (S415). If the inspection destination terminal 6 that has received this distribution responds to the questionnaire, it can further obtain reward information representing a reward (S416). If the management server 4 does not receive the inspection completion information (NO in S414), it determines that the inspection is incomplete (S417) and searches for the inspection destination information of the inspection area to which the inspection destination with the incomplete inspection belongs or the inspection area adjacent to the inspection destination (S418). The management server 4 distributes this search result information to the management terminal 8 (S419) to assist in the management of reinspection.

[0034] <Effects of the Second Embodiment> (1) Through a series of information processing, effects similar to those of the first embodiment, such as the promotion and efficient support of inspection operations, can be obtained. (2) It is possible to determine the communication ability with the inspection destination 12, provide sales promotion information, and provide reward information for questionnaire responses.

Example

[0035] This example shows an example of the distribution information screen to the management server 4 and the inspection destination terminal 6 for the first and second embodiments. In the support of this inspection operation, for information exchange including information distribution, as described above, a communication service such as LINE (registered trademark) of SNS is utilized.

[0036] <Customer Information Registration Screen Video 100> FIG. 12 shows the customer information registration screen video 100. This registration screen video 100 is an example of the presentation of customer information, is presented on the information presentation unit 82 of the management terminal 8, and is used when registering customer information. This registration screen video 100 includes a title section 102, an identification information section 104, a registration information section 106, and an inspection management information section 108. Title information representing the customer information registration screen is presented in the title section 102. The identification information section 104 stores and presents identification information such as codes and names for identifying customers. The registration information section 106 stores and presents not only the registered person-in-charge information but also date and time information such as the information update date and registration date. The inspection management information section 108 stores and presents related information of the gas equipment to be used, such as inspection destination information, equipment information, facility information, and family information of the inspection destination, for identifying the inspection destination.

[0037] <Inspection schedule information> Figures 13, 14, and 15 show the extraction screen images of the inspection schedule information presented on the information presentation section 82 of the management terminal 8. This extraction screen image can be used when extracting the inspection schedule information from the customer information. Each extraction screen image includes an extraction condition screen image 110-1, a target customer screen image 110-2, and a print specification screen image 110-3. In addition to the title section 112, which is a common part, the extraction condition screen image 110-1, the target customer screen image 110-2, and the print specification screen image 110-3 include an extraction condition section 114, a target customer section 116, a print specification section 117, etc., which are tabs for displaying each screen image. The title section 112 presents title information representing the inspection schedule information. As shown in Figure 13, the extraction condition screen image 110-1 includes an inspection schedule information section 118, a target inspection classification information section 120, and an early inspection information section 122. The target inspection classification information section 120 presents information such as supply inspection and consumption survey as target inspection classification information, and extraction condition information is presented together with check boxes 123-1, 123-2, 123-3, 123-4, 123-5.

[0038] On the target customer screen image 110-2 (Figure 14), extraction conditions such as business operator, business office, valve opening / closing classification, supply form, applicable laws and regulations, and inspection person in charge can be set. This target customer includes a customer extraction information box 125, and the extracted customer information is presented. In the printing specified screen image 110-3 (Figure 15), the inspection responsible person 14 can select the printing target information from the inspection schedule information transitioned from the extraction condition screen image 110-1 or the target customer screen image 110-2.

[0039] <Inspection schedule notification image 124> Figure 16 shows the inspection schedule notification image 124 which is an example of the inspection schedule notification information. This inspection schedule notification image 124 is the notification information distributed from the management server 4 to the inspection terminal 6. This inspection schedule notification image 124 includes a membership site icon 126, a homepage icon 128, etc. For example, when checking the membership site icon 126, the customer can be redirected to the membership sites of the gas utility companies and sales managers registered by the customer. As shown in Figure 16, the inspection schedule notification image 124 presents, following the greeting text, the scheduled visit date and time information 130-1, the scheduled inspection time 130-2, the inspection significance message 130-3, etc.

[0040] <Visit notice screen image 136> Figure 17 shows the visit notice screen image 136 as the visit notice information before distribution. This visit notice screen image 136 is the presentation screen image before distribution on the management terminal 8 on the management server 4 side and is an example of the visit notice information distributed to the inspection terminal 6. This visit notice screen image 136 is presented on the information presentation unit 82. This visit notice screen image 136 includes an inspection destination information section 138, a reception information section 140, an appliance information section 142, and an inspection management information section 144 which are examples of customer information. The inspection destination information section 138 includes a name section 138-1 and an address section 138-2. The name section 138-1 stores and presents the personal information identifying the inspection destination, and the address section 138-2 stores and presents the location information of the visit destination. The reception information section 140 stores and presents the reception date and time information, identification information such as the receptionist and the sales representative, etc.

[0041] In the equipment information section 142, inspection equipment information such as type, model name, gas consumption, installation date, warranty period, connection pipe type, gas cock type, etc. is stored and presented as the usage equipment information of the inspection target. In the inspection management information section 144, inspection management information is stored, including a reception classification information section 145, a schedule management section 146, a business memo information section 148, an instruction deadline information section 150, a corresponding person information section 152, a completion classification information section 154, an issue classification information section 156, etc. In the reception classification information section 145, reception information categories are stored and presented. The schedule management section 146 includes an instruction content section 146-1 and a visit schedule information section 146-2 as schedule management information. In the instruction content section 146-1, information related to the inspection date such as inspection date reservation is stored and presented. In the visit schedule information section 146-2, detailed information on the visit date and time is stored and presented.

[0042] In the business memo information section 148, attention information related to the inspection work is stored and presented. In this example, situation information such as "due to both parents being at work and absent, a cohabiting relative will handle it" for the inspection target is stored and presented. In the instruction deadline information section 150, deadline information indicating the inspection date is stored and presented. In the corresponding person information section 152, information on the inspection person in charge of the inspection work is stored and presented. In the completion classification information section 154, the status information of the inspection work, such as completed, instructed, on hold, etc., is stored and presented in terms of such classifications. In the issue classification information section 156, classification information such as none, yes, issued, etc. is stored and presented as the issue classification of the inspection information sheet.

[0043] <Visit notice screen video 158> Figure 18 shows the visit notice screen video 158 presented on the inspection terminal 6. This visit notice screen video 158 is an example of the visit notice information distributed from the management server 4 to the inspection terminal 6.

[0044] This visit notice screen video 158 is information distributed from the management server 4 regularly or irregularly. This visit notice screen video 158 includes a distribution date information section 160, an inspection notice information section 162, etc. Delivery date information is stored in and presented by the delivery date information section 160. The visit notice screen video 158 shown in FIG. 18 indicates that the information was delivered on May 13 (Monday). For example, if the "visit notice information" is delivered at 17:55 on May 13 (Monday), when the current date and time is the same as the delivery date on the corresponding inspection terminal 6, 160 will display "Today". If the current date and time is May 14, the display on the delivery date information section 160 will change to "Yesterday". On the other hand, if the current date and time is May 15, the delivery date information section 160 will display "5 / 13 (Monday)". From the notice information presented in the inspection notice information section 162, it can be inferred that the "visit notice information" was delivered before the visit date. Also, even if the inspection notice information section 162 presents "May 20, 2019" when the date and time are not displayed on the inspection terminal 6, the delivery date information section 160 will present the delivery date and time "5 / 13 (Monday)" as real-time information.

[0045] In the inspection notice information section 162, as an example of inspection notice information, a) The inspection notice information has been delivered several times b) The inspection date has arrived c) Its scheduled date and time d) Inspection time e) Request for someone to attend the inspection etc. are stored and presented.

[0046] <Sales promotion screen video 164> FIG. 19 shows the sales promotion screen video 164 before delivery. This sales promotion screen video 164 is an example of sales promotion information and is the presentation screen video before delivery presented on the management terminal 8 on the management server 4 side. This sales promotion screen video 164 is presented on the information presentation section 82 of the management terminal 8 as an information presentation section on the management server 4 side. This sales promotion screen video 164 includes, in addition to the title section 166, an extraction condition section 168 for presenting extraction conditions and the target customers to be extracted, a target customer section 170, etc.

[0047] In the title section 166, for example, "Sales Promotion" is presented as title information representing sales promotion information. In the extraction condition section 168, as extraction condition information, business operator information 168-1, business office information 168-2, management department information 168-3, salesperson information 168-4, supply form information 168-5, household classification information 168-6, household division information 168-7, family size information 168-8, number of rooms information 168-9, and appliance information 168-10 are set. These extraction conditions are conformity information for efficiently conducting sales promotion. In the appliance information 168-10, identification information regarding appliances such as appliance information, installation date information, warranty period information, and manufacturing number is stored as extraction conditions. The selection information of appliances that match these identification information is provided.

[0048] <Sales Promotion Screen Video 172> Figure 20 shows the sales promotion screen video 172 distributed to the inspection terminal 6. This sales promotion screen video 172 is screen video information regularly or irregularly distributed from the management server 4 to the inspection terminal 6. This sales promotion screen video 172 includes a sales promotion information section 174. In this sales promotion information section 174, as an example of sales promotion information, a) The life stage of the equipment at the inspection target b) The risk of malfunction c) The advantages of replacement equipment d) Request for consideration etc. are stored and presented. In addition, in the catchphrase section 176, merit information of the provided equipment etc. is presented.

[0049] <Questionnaire Response Screen Video 178> Figure 21 shows the questionnaire response screen video 178. This questionnaire response screen video 178 is an example of questionnaire response information distributed to the inspection terminal 6 that has responded to the questionnaire request distributed from the management server 4 to the inspection terminal 6. This questionnaire response screen video 178 includes a questionnaire response information section 180. In this questionnaire response information section 180, as an example of questionnaire response information, a) Thanks for the questionnaire b) Inquiry about inconvenience of the equipment in use c) Merits of the replacement equipment d) Request for consideration etc. are stored and presented. In addition, in the catchphrase section 182, merit information of the provided equipment etc. is presented.

[0050] <Effects of the embodiment> According to the above embodiment, it is possible to efficiently perform registration of customer information, extraction of inspection schedule information, provision of inspection schedule notification information, provision of visit notice information, provision of sales promotion information, provision of reward information for questionnaire information, etc., and it is possible to quickly perform the communication of will between the business operator and the inspection destination through the mediation of information processing, which can contribute to the promotion and efficiency of the inspection work.

[0051] [Other embodiments] In the above embodiment or the above example, although the use of a communication service such as LINE (registered trademark) of SNS is presented for information exchange including information distribution, this is just an example, and the present invention is not limited to these. In the above embodiment, reward information may be generated based on the response to the questionnaire information distributed from the management server 4 to the inspection terminal 6, and the reward information may be distributed to the inspection terminal 6 related to the questionnaire response. As described above, the most preferred embodiments of the present invention etc. have been described. The present invention is not limited to the above description. Based on the gist of the invention described in the claims or disclosed in the form for carrying out the invention, various modifications and changes are possible for those skilled in the art. Needless to say, such modifications and changes are included in the scope of the present invention.

Industrial applicability

[0052] According to the present invention, in addition to processing such as extraction of inspection destination information from customer information, inspection request by an inspection terminal and a management server, provisional reservation of inspection, and determination of inspection date, processing such as inspection completion and inspection incompletion by a management terminal and a management server can be performed by information processing, and promotion and efficiency improvement of inspection by information processing and communication can be realized.

Explanation of Signs

[0053] 2 Inspection Business Support System 4 Management Server 6 Inspection Terminal 8 Management Terminal 10 Network 12 Inspection Destination 14 Inspection Person in Charge 18 Customer Information DB 20, 20-1, 20-2, ···, 20-N Customer Information Files 22 Customer Information Department 22-1 Name Department 22-2 Address Department 22-3 Terminal Information Department 24 Used Equipment Information Department 24-1 Type Department 24-2 Model Name Department 24-3 Consumption Quantity Department 24-4 Installation Date Department 24-5 Warranty Period Department 24-6 Connection Pipe Type Department 26 Inspection History Information Department 28 Inspection Destination Information DB 30, 30-1, 30-2, ···, 30-N Inspection Destination Files 32 Inspection Destination Information Department 33 Inspection Terminal Information Department 34 Used Equipment Information Department 36 Reception Classification Information Department 38 Instruction Content Information Department 40 Scheduled Visit Information Department 42 Business Information Department 44 Instruction Date Information Department 46 Person in Charge of Correspondence Information Department 48 Status Information Department 50 Classification Information Section 52 History Information Section 54 Gas Management System 56 Network System 58 Customer Information Source 60 Customer Equipment Information Source 62 History Information Source 63 Management Server 64, 72, 84 Processor 66, 74, 86 Memory Section 68, 76, 88 I / O 70, 78, 90 Communication Section 71 Timer 80, 92 Information Input Section 82, 94 Information Presentation Section 100 Registration Screen Image 102, 112, 166 Title Section 104 Identification Information Section 106 Registration Information Section 108 Inspection Management Information Section 110-1 Extraction Condition Screen Image 110-2 Target Customer Screen Image 110-3 Printing Specification Screen Image 114 Extraction Condition Section 116 Target Customer Section 117 Printing Specification Section 118 Inspection Schedule Information Section 120 Target Inspection Classification Information Section 122 Advance Inspection Information Section 123-1, 123-2, 123-3, 123-4, 123-5 Checkbox 124 Inspection Schedule Notification Image 125 Customer Extraction Information Box 126 Member Site Icon 128 Homepage Icon 130-1 Scheduled Visit Date and Time Information 130-2 Inspection Schedule Time 130-3 Significance of Inspection Message 136 Visit Notice Screen Image 138-1 Name Section 138-2 Address Section 138 Inspection Location Information Section 140 Reception Information Section 142 Equipment Information Section 144 Inspection Management Information Section 145 Reception Classification Information Section 146 Schedule Management Section 146-1 Instruction Content Section 146-2 Scheduled Visit Information Section 148 Business Memo Information Section 150 Instruction Date Information Section 152 Responsible Person Information Section 154 Completion Classification Information Section 156 Issuance Classification Information Section 158 Visit Notice Screen Video 160 Distribution Date Information Section 162 Inspection Notice Information Section 164, 172 Sales Promotion Screen Video 168 Extraction Condition Section 168-1 Business Operator Information 168-2 Business Office Information 168-3 Management Department Information 168-4 Salesperson Information 168-5 Supply Form Information 168-6 Household Classification Information 168-7 Household Type Information 168-8 Number of Family Members Information 168-9 Number of Rooms Information 168-10 Equipment in Use Information 170 Target Customer Section 174 Sales Promotion Information Section 176, 182 Catchphrase Section 178 Questionnaire Response Screen Video 180 Questionnaire Response Information Section

Claims

1. A management server performs the steps of: periodically or aperiodically acquiring customer information; extracting inspection destination information representing the inspection destination from the customer information based on extraction conditions including the service life or end-of-life period of equipment owned by the inspection destination; distributing sales promotion information including timing information indicating the arrival of the service life or end-of-life period of the equipment to an inspection destination terminal associated with the inspection destination; generating reward information upon obtaining inspection completion information representing the completion of inspection of the inspection destination from a management terminal, and distributing this reward information to the inspection destination terminal; A method for supporting an inspection service, characterized by executing the above steps.

2. The sales promotion information according to claim 1, characterized by including any one or more of the elapsed time since the installation of the equipment, defect information, and information on the latest model.

3. An inspection destination terminal associated with inspection destination information representing the inspection destination; A management terminal associated with an administrator who manages the inspection destination; A management server that periodically or aperiodically acquires customer information, extracts inspection destination information representing the inspection destination from the customer information based on extraction conditions including the service life or end-of-life period of equipment owned by the inspection destination, distributes sales promotion information including timing information indicating the arrival of the service life or end-of-life period of the equipment to the inspection destination terminal, generates reward information upon obtaining inspection completion information representing the completion of inspection of the inspection destination from the management terminal, and distributes this reward information to the inspection destination terminal; An inspection service support system, characterized by including the above components.

4. A computer program for execution by a computer, the program causing the computer to perform the steps of: periodically or aperiodically acquiring customer information; extracting inspection destination information representing the inspection destination from the customer information based on extraction conditions including the service life or end-of-life period of equipment owned by the inspection destination; distributing sales promotion information including timing information indicating the arrival of the service life or end-of-life period of the equipment to an inspection destination terminal associated with the inspection destination; generating reward information upon obtaining inspection completion information representing the completion of inspection of the inspection destination from a management terminal, and distributing this reward information to the inspection destination terminal. A program for causing the computer to execute the above steps.

5. A recording medium, characterized by storing the program according to claim 4.

6. A server associated with an inspection terminal associated with inspection destination information representing an inspection destination and a management terminal associated with an administrator who manages the inspection destination, acquires customer information periodically or irregularly, extracts inspection destination information representing the inspection destination from the customer information based on extraction conditions including the durability period or life time of the equipment owned by the inspection destination, distributes sales promotion information including time information indicating the arrival of the durability period or the life time of the equipment to the inspection terminal, generates reward information upon obtaining inspection completion information representing the completion of inspection of the inspection destination from the management terminal, and is characterized by comprising a processing unit that distributes this reward information to the inspection terminal.

Images