Server

Abstract

To provide a server that can realize a point system that makes a user want to contract a service.SOLUTION: According to the present invention, a server includes a control unit and a storage unit. The storage unit stores contract information, history information and point information. The contract information indicates a service use period in which a user can use a service. The history information indicates a history related to service uses by the user. The point information indicates points owned by the user. The control unit increases the points owned by the user in the case where there is not a period when the user cannot use the service during at least a portion of the period of service use period with reference to the contract information and the history information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a server. [Background technology]

[0002] A known example of a conventional invention relating to a server is an information processing device described in Patent Document 1. This information processing device has a point granting unit that grants points to a player who plays a game playable through a terminal together with other players, the points being usable when using services at service providing locations other than the game, and a point storage unit that stores the points granted to the player. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2024-12538 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, there is a demand for providing a points system that will encourage users to subscribe to a service.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a server that can realize a points system that makes users want to sign up for a service. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The first form is The server includes a control unit and a storage unit, the storage unit stores contract information, history information, and point information; The contract information indicates a service usage period during which the user can use the service, the history information indicates a history of the user's use of the service; the point information indicates points held by the user, the control unit refers to the contract information and the history information, and if there is no period during at least a part of the service usage period during which the user is unable to use the service, increases the points held by the user. It is a server.

[0007] The first form is The service is SaaS (Software as a Service), The server according to the first aspect. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to realize a points system that makes users want to sign up. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of the system 1. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the user terminal 10. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the server 100. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a warranty period table. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a history table. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a points table. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a flowchart executed by the control unit 102 of the server 100. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a flowchart executed by the control unit 102 of the server 100. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a flowchart executed by the control unit 102 of the server 100. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a contract period table. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a history table. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a flowchart executed by the control unit 102 of the server 100f. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] (Embodiment) [System 1 Configuration] A system 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] First, the overall configuration of the system 1 will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is an explanatory diagram of the system 1. Fig. 2 is a block diagram of the user terminal 10. Fig. 3 is a block diagram of the server 100.

[0012] 1 includes a user terminal 10 and a server 100. The user terminal 10 and the server 100 can communicate with each other via a communication network. The network may be the Internet, an intranet, or the like.

[0013] The user terminal 10 is an information processing device used by a user US1. The user terminal 10 is, for example, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a personal computer. As shown in FIG. 2, the user terminal 10 includes a control unit 12, a storage unit 14, a network interface 16, a graphics processing unit 18, a display 20, an operation unit 26, and a touch panel 28.

[0014] The storage unit 14 stores programs and data and is, for example, a combination of a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), and a storage (for example, a flash memory or a hard disk).

[0015] The programs include, for example, the following programs: ·OS (Operating System) programs ·Application programs that process information (e.g., web browsers or target apps described below)

[0016] The data includes, for example, the following data: · Databases referenced in information processing · Data obtained by executing information processing (i.e., the results of executing information processing)

[0017] The control unit 12 executes the programs stored in the storage unit 14 to realize the functions of the user terminal 10. The control unit 12 is, for example, at least one of the following: ·CPU(Central Processing Unit) ·GPU(Graphic Processing Unit) ·ASIC(Application Specific Integrated Circuit) ·FPGA(Field Programmable Array)

[0018] The network interface 16 controls communication between the user terminal 10 and an external device, which is a server 100.

[0019] The graphics processing unit 18 displays an image on the display 20 based on the image data generated by the control unit 12. The display 20 is a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display.

[0020] The operation unit 26 generates an operation signal based on an operation by the user US1 on the touch panel 28, and outputs the operation signal to the control unit 12.

[0021] The server 100 is a web server that stores web page data. As shown in FIG. 3, the server 100 includes a control unit 102, a storage unit 104, and a network interface 106.

[0022] The storage unit 104 stores programs and data and is, for example, a combination of a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), and a storage (for example, a flash memory or a hard disk).

[0023] The control unit 102 executes the programs stored in the storage unit 104 to realize the functions of the server 100. The control unit 102 is, for example, at least one of the following: ·CPU(Central Processing Unit) ·GPU(Graphic Processing Unit) ·ASIC(Application Specific Integrated Circuit) ·FPGA(Field Programmable Array)

[0024] The network interface 106 controls communication between the server 100 and an external device, which is a user terminal 10.

[0025] [System 1 operation] Next, the operation of the system 1 will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 4 is a warranty period table. Fig. 5 is a history table. Fig. 6 is a points table. Figs. 7 to 9 are flowcharts executed by the control unit 102 of the server 100.

[0026] Server 100 stores information about repair services for electrical appliances purchased by user US1. The electrical appliance repair service is a service in which the manufacturer repairs the electrical appliance free of charge if a malfunction occurs in the electrical appliance during the warranty period when user US1 purchases the appliance. Therefore, storage unit 104 of server 100 stores a warranty period table (contract information) shown in FIG. 4, a history table (history information) shown in FIG. 5, and a points table (point information) shown in FIG. 6.

[0027] The warranty period table (contract information) shown in FIG. 4 indicates the warranty period (service usage period) during which user US1 can use the service. In this embodiment, the warranty period table indicates the relationship between user IDs and warranty periods. The history table (history information) shown in FIG. 5 indicates the history of user US1's use of the service. In this embodiment, the history table indicates the relationship between user IDs and repair history. The points table (point information) shown in FIG. 6 indicates the points held by user US1. In this embodiment, the points table indicates the relationship between user IDs and points. Points have monetary value. Therefore, points may be exchangeable for cash, may be used by the user as a service usage fee, or may be exchangeable for goods.

[0028] First, the first operation will be described with reference to FIG. 7. In the first operation, the server 100 registers information about the user US1 who purchased the electrical product in the warranty period table shown in FIG. 4. More specifically, the user US1 registers the purchase of the electrical product by operating the touch panel 28 of the user terminal 10. In response to the operation by the user US1, the control unit 12 of the user terminal 10 generates warranty information indicating the user ID of the user US1 and the warranty period of the electronic product. The control unit 12 of the user terminal 10 then transmits the warranty information to the server 100 via the network interface 16.

[0029] The network interface 116 of the server 100 receives the warranty information and outputs the warranty information to the control unit 112. As a result, the control unit 112 of the server 100 acquires the warranty information (step S1).

[0030] Next, the control unit 112 of the server 100 obtains the warranty table shown in Fig. 4 from the storage unit 114. Then, the control unit 112 of the server 100 records the user ID and warranty period indicated by the warranty information in the warranty table (step S2). In this embodiment, the control unit 112 of the server 100 registers the user US1 in the user ID field and registers Jan. 3, 2023 to Jan. 2, 2025 in the warranty period field. With the above operations, the first operation is completed.

[0031] Next, the second operation will be described with reference to FIG. 8. In the second operation, the server 100 registers information about the use of the electrical appliance repair service in the history table shown in FIG. 5. More specifically, the user US1 applies for the electrical appliance repair service by operating the touch panel 28 of the user terminal 10. In response to the operation by the user US1, the control unit 12 of the user terminal 10 generates repair information indicating the user ID. The control unit 12 of the user terminal 10 then transmits the repair information to the server 100 via the network interface 16. In parallel with this operation, the user US1 mails the electrical appliance to the manufacturer.

[0032] The network interface 116 of the server 100 receives the repair information and outputs the repair information to the control unit 112. As a result, the control unit 112 of the server 100 acquires the repair information (step S11).

[0033] Next, the control unit 112 of the server 100 obtains the history table shown in FIG. 5 from the storage unit 114. Then, the control unit 112 of the server 100 records the user ID and date indicated by the repair information in the history table (step S12). In this embodiment, the control unit 112 of the server 100 registers the user US1 in the user ID field and registers November 3, 2023 in the warranty period field. With the above operations, the second operation is completed.

[0034] Next, the third operation will be described with reference to FIG. 9. In the third operation, the server 100 awards points to the user US1 if the user US1 does not use the repair service for the electrical product during the warranty period. The control unit 112 of the server 100 determines whether the warranty period for the user US1 has expired by referring to the warranty table (contract information) shown in FIG. 4 (step S21). In this embodiment, the control unit 112 of the server 100 determines whether January 2, 2025 has passed. If the warranty period for the user US1 has expired, the process proceeds to step S22. If the warranty period for the user US1 has not expired, the process returns to step S21.

[0035] When the warranty period for user US1 has expired, the control unit 112 of the server 100 refers to the history table (history information) shown in FIG. 5 to determine whether the user US1 has used the electrical appliance repair service (step S22). In this embodiment, the control unit 112 of the server 100 determines whether a user ID and a date are recorded in the history table shown in FIG. 5. If the user ID and a date are not recorded, the user US1 has not used the electrical appliance repair service, and the process proceeds to step S23. If the user ID and a date are recorded, the user US1 has used the electrical appliance repair service, and the process proceeds to step S24.

[0036] If the user US1 uses the repair service (service) for the electrical product during the warranty period (service usage period), the control unit 112 of the server 100 does not increase the points held by the user US1 in the points table shown in Fig. 6. After this, this process ends.

[0037] If user US1 does not use the repair service (service) for the electrical appliance during the warranty period (service usage period), control unit 112 of server 100 increases the points held by user US1 in the points table shown in FIG. 6. For example, control unit 112 of server 100 increases the points held by user US1 by 1,000 points. The above operation completes the third operation. As a result, user US1 can use the points to use a paid repair service for the electrical appliance or to purchase a new electrical appliance.

[0038] [effect] The server 100 can realize a points system that encourages the user US1 to sign up for a service. More specifically, if the user US1 does not use the repair service for the electrical appliance during the warranty period, the control unit 112 of the server 100 increases the points held by the user US1 in the points table shown in FIG. 6. In this way, the server 100 does not award points to the user US1 for using the service, but rather awards points to the user US1 for not using the service. This allows the user US1 to earn points even if he or she does not use the service despite signing a contract to use the service. Therefore, the user US1 is less likely to feel that he or she has lost out. This encourages the user US1 to sign up for the service. In this embodiment, the user US1 is motivated to purchase the electrical appliance from the manufacturer.

[0039] Furthermore, since the manufacturer does not have to provide repair services for the electrical appliance, the manufacturer does not have to bear the repair costs. Therefore, even if the manufacturer awards points to user US1 equivalent to an amount lower than the repair costs, the manufacturer is unlikely to incur a loss. Therefore, the manufacturer can motivate users to purchase electrical appliances at a lower cost.

[0040] Furthermore, the fact that user US1 purchased the electrical appliance is recorded, so that if a recall occurs for the electrical appliance, the manufacturer can easily contact user US1.

[0041] (First Modification) The following describes a server 100a according to the first modification. The server 100a differs from the server 100 in that the service it provides is a maintenance service for automobiles.

[0042] More specifically, the automobile maintenance service is a service in which the manufacturer repairs the automobile free of charge if a breakdown occurs during the warranty period when the automobile is purchased by the user US1. However, periodic inspections are not included in the automobile maintenance service in this case.

[0043] (Second Modification) The following describes the server 100b according to the second modification. The server 100b differs from the server 100 in that the service provided by the server 100b is the payment of insurance money.

[0044] The insurance payment service is a service in which, when user US1 subscribes to life insurance, accident insurance, or the like, an insurance company pays insurance money to user US1 if an event for insurance payment occurs during the coverage period. Therefore, server 100b provides a column for insurance coverage period instead of the column for coverage period in the coverage period table shown in Fig. 4. A column for insurance payment history is provided instead of the column for repair history in the history table shown in Fig. 5.

[0045] The user US1 can use the points as part of the insurance premium for the next year and thereafter. That is, the control unit 112 of the server 100 subtracts the amount equivalent to the points from the service fee for the user US1.

[0046] The server 100b gives points to the user US1 as a reward for not filing an insurance claim, which encourages the user US1 to avoid occurrence of an event that requires payment of insurance in order to obtain points.

[0047] In addition, the number of insurance claims will decrease, allowing insurance companies to offer services at lower premiums.

[0048] (Third Modification) The following describes a server 100c according to the third modification. The server 100c differs from the server 100 in that the service it provides is a support service for SaaS (Software as a Service).

[0049] A support service for SaaS is a response to an inquiry about how to use the SaaS. User US1 may make an inquiry using a support ticket issued by the SaaS operating company. Therefore, the server 100c has a column for the SaaS support period instead of the warranty period column in the warranty period table shown in FIG. 4. A column for support history is provided instead of the repair history column in the history table shown in FIG. 5.

[0050] User US1 can earn points if he does not use support. Therefore, user US1 will research how to use the SaaS without using the support service. As a result, user US1 will gain in-depth knowledge about how to use the SaaS. In addition, because the number of inquiries will decrease, the SaaS operating company will be able to reduce the costs required to respond to inquiries.

[0051] (Fourth Modification) The following describes a server 100d according to the fourth modification. The server 100d differs from the server 100c in that it is a computer support service.

[0052] Computer support services are responses to inquiries about how to use a computer. Therefore, in server 100c, a column for computer support period is provided instead of the column for warranty period in the warranty period table shown in Fig. 4. A column for support history is provided instead of the column for repair history in the history table shown in Fig. 5.

[0053] User US1 can earn points if he does not use the support service. Therefore, user US1 will research how to use a computer without using the support service. As a result, user US1 will gain in-depth knowledge about how to use a computer. In addition, because the number of inquiries will decrease, the manufacturer will be able to reduce the costs required to respond to inquiries.

[0054] (Fifth Modification) The following describes a server 100e according to the fifth modified example. The server 100e differs from the server 100c in that it provides a security service.

[0055] The security service is a service in which a security company dispatches a security guard if a problem occurs during the contract period. If there is no need to dispatch a security guard during the contract period, the server 100e awards points to the user US1. Therefore, the server 100d provides a column for the contract period instead of the column for the warranty period in the warranty period table shown in FIG. 4. The server 100d provides a column for the dispatch history instead of the column for the repair history in the history table shown in FIG. 5.

[0056] User US1 can earn points if security guards are not dispatched. Therefore, user US1 will take measures to prevent crime in order to reduce the frequency of security guard dispatches. As a result, user US1's awareness of crime prevention will improve.

[0057] (Sixth Modification) The following describes a server 100f according to a sixth modification. The server 100f differs from the server 100c in that the control unit 112 of the server 100f increases the points held by the user if there is no period during the service usage period during which the user cannot use the service. The service is SaaS.

[0058] Fig. 10 is a contract period table, Fig. 11 is a history table, and Fig. 12 is a flowchart executed by the control unit 102 of the server 100f.

[0059] The server 100 stores information related to the provision of SaaS services. The storage unit 104 of the server 100 stores a contract period table (contract information) shown in Fig. 10, a history table (history information) shown in Fig. 11, and a points table (point information) shown in Fig. 6.

[0060] The contract period table (contract information) shown in FIG. 10 indicates the contract period (service usage period) during which user US1 can use the service. In this embodiment, the contract period table indicates the relationship between user IDs and contract periods. The history table (history information) shown in FIG. 11 indicates the history of user US1's use of the service. In this embodiment, the history table indicates the relationship between user IDs and unavailable periods. An unavailable period is a period during which the user was unable to use the SaaS due to a problem with the SaaS operating company. An example of a problem with the SaaS operating company is a server going down. The points table (point information) shown in FIG. 6 indicates the points held by user US1. In this embodiment, the points table indicates the relationship between user IDs and points. Points have monetary value.

[0061] Next, the operation of the server 100f will be described with reference to Fig. 12. The control unit 112 of the server 100 refers to the contract period table (contract information) shown in Fig. 10 to determine whether the contract period of the user US1 has expired (step S31). In this embodiment, the control unit 112 of the server 100 determines whether January 2, 2025 has passed. If the contract period of the user US1 has expired, the process proceeds to step S32. If the contract period of the user US1 has not expired, the process returns to step S31.

[0062] When the contract period of user US1 has expired, the control unit 112 of the server 100 refers to the history table (history information) shown in FIG. 11 to determine whether there was a period during which the user was unable to use the SaaS (step S32). In this embodiment, the control unit 112 of the server 100 determines whether a user ID and a date are recorded in the history table shown in FIG. 11. If the user ID and a date are not recorded, there was no period during which the user was unable to use the SaaS (the user was able to use the SaaS throughout the entire contract period), and the process proceeds to step S33. If the user ID and a date are recorded, there was a period during which the user was unable to use the SaaS, and the process proceeds to step S34.

[0063] If there is a period during the contract period (service usage period) during which the user US1 cannot use the service, the control unit 112 of the server 100f does not increase the points held by the user US1 (step S34), after which the process ends.

[0064] If there is no period during the contract period (service usage period) during which user US1 cannot use the service, the control unit 112 of the server 100f increases the points held by user US1 (step S33). The control unit 112 of the server 100f increases the points held by user US1 by, for example, 1,000 points. After this, this process ends. This allows user US1 to renew his or her contract for the SaaS using the points.

[0065] When an unavailable period occurs, the SaaS operating company must perform system recovery work. This incurs costs for system recovery. In other words, if there is no unavailable period, the SaaS operating company does not need to bear the costs for system recovery. Therefore, the SaaS operating company passes on the profits from not incurring the costs for system recovery to user US1. As a result, user US1 is willing to use the SaaS because he or she can use high-quality SaaS at a low cost. In other words, user US1 is motivated to sign up for the service.

[0066] (Other embodiments) The server according to the present invention is not limited to the servers 100, 100a to 100f, and can be modified within the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, the configurations of the servers 100, 100a to 100f may be combined in any manner.

[0067] The control unit 112 of the servers 100, 100a to 100e may increase the points given to the user US1 if the user US1 does not use the service during a part of the service usage period. For example, if the service usage period is one year, the part of the service usage period is one month of the service usage period.

[0068] The control unit 112 of the server 100, 100a to 100e may increase the points held by the user US1 if the amount of service usage by the user US1 during at least a portion of the service usage period is less than a predetermined amount. The amount of usage may be, for example, the number of times or the amount of time. For example, the control unit 112 of the server 100c may increase the points held by the user US1 if the amount of time that the user US1 uses the service during the support period is less than 30 minutes. The control unit 112 of the server 100, 100a to 100e may also change the amount of point increase depending on the amount of usage.

[0069] The control unit 112 of the servers 100, 100a to 100e may increase the points given to the user US1 if there is no period during the service usage period during which the user US1 cannot use the service. For example, if the service usage period is one year, the portion of the service usage period is one month of the service usage period. [Explanation of symbols]

[0070] 1: System 10: User terminal 12: Control unit 14: Storage part 16: Network interface 18: Graphics processing unit 20: Display 26:Operation unit 28: Touch panel 100, 100a to 100f: Server 102: Control unit 104: Storage section 106: Network interface 112: Control unit 114: Storage section 116: Network interface

Claims

1. The server includes a control unit and a storage unit, the storage unit stores contract information, history information, and point information; The contract information indicates a service usage period during which the user can use the service, the history information indicates a history of the user's use of the service; the point information indicates points held by the user, the control unit refers to the contract information and the history information, and if there is no period during at least a part of the service usage period during which the user is unable to use the service, increases the points held by the user. server.

2. The service is SaaS (Software as a Service), The server of claim 1 .

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