Service providing system and service providing method

Abstract

To suppress fraudulence to the lease of a household electric appliance.SOLUTION: One aspect of the present disclosure is a service providing system for providing a service including a lease of an electric appliance, the service providing system including a home appliance lease processing unit configured to register installation position information of a leased home appliance, a home appliance management unit configured to acquire device identification information and home appliance position information from the leased home appliance via a communication network, and a function restricting unit configured to restrict a function of the home appliance when a period during which the device identification information cannot be acquired by the home appliance management unit exceeds a reference, wherein the function restricting unit restricts the function of the home appliance when the installation position information and the home appliance position information do not match.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a service providing system and a service providing method. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, subscription services, which are used by paying a regular fee on a monthly or yearly basis, have been expanding. Subscription services are a business model in which users "use" a product for a certain period of time, rather than "own" it. Technologies relating to home appliances as products are known, as in Patent Document 1.

[0003] The service provision system described in Patent Document 1 is a service provision system that provides users with a service that combines the provision of home appliances and the periodic provision of coupon information that can be used when purchasing consumables corresponding to the home appliances, and is equipped with a provision means that provides users with a registration screen for registering to use the service, and a storage means that stores user information of users who have completed registration to use the service.Home appliances are delivered to users who have completed registration to use the service, and coupon information is periodically provided to users who have completed registration to use the service. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-15363 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In business models where home appliances are lent to users without transferring ownership, such as rental or leasing, the home appliances are handed over to users before payment is collected, so it is necessary to prevent fraudulent activities such as users not paying fees, theft of the home appliances, and users lending the home appliances to third parties.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made in light of the above circumstances, and aims to prevent fraudulent practices in leasing home appliances. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and one aspect of the present disclosure is a service provision system that provides services including leasing of home appliances, comprising: a home appliance leasing processing unit that registers installation location information of the leased home appliances; a home appliance management unit that acquires device identification information and home appliance location information from the leased home appliances via a communication network; and a function restriction unit that restricts the functions of the home appliances when a period of time during which the home appliance management unit is unable to acquire the device identification information exceeds a standard, wherein the function restriction unit restricts the functions of the home appliances when the installation location information and the home appliance location information do not match.

[0008] Another aspect of the present disclosure is a service provision system that provides services including leasing of home appliances, comprising: a home appliance management unit that acquires device identification information from the leased home appliances via a communication network; and a billing unit that periodically charges for the lease of the home appliances, wherein the billing unit issues a benefit for the service if the percentage of periods during which the home appliance management unit successfully acquires device identification information is equal to or greater than a standard for a specified billing period for the lease of the home appliance.

[0009] Another aspect of the present disclosure is a service provision method for providing a service of leasing home appliances, the service provision method comprising: a step in which a home appliance leasing processing unit registers installation location information of the leased home appliance; a step in which a home appliance management unit acquires device identification information and home appliance location information from the leased home appliance via a communication network; and a step in which a function restriction unit restricts the functions of the home appliance when a period during which the home appliance management unit is unable to acquire the device identification information exceeds a reference value, wherein the step of restricting the functions of the home appliance further includes a step of restricting the functions of the home appliance when the installation location information and the home appliance location information do not match.

[0010] Another aspect of the present disclosure is a service provision method for providing a service including leasing of a home appliance, the service provision method comprising the steps of: a home appliance management unit acquiring device identification information from the leased home appliance via a communication network; and a billing unit periodically charging for the lease of the home appliance, wherein the billing unit issues a benefit for the service if the proportion of periods during which the home appliance management unit successfully acquires device identification information is equal to or greater than a standard, relative to a specified billing period for the lease of the home appliance. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to prevent fraudulent practices in leasing home appliances. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a service providing system 1 according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a processing procedure in the service providing system 1 according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a position determination process of the service providing system 1 according to the second embodiment. [Figure 4]FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a processing procedure in the service providing system 1 according to the third embodiment. [Figure 5] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a position determination process of the service providing system 1 according to the third embodiment. [Figure 6] 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure in the service providing system 1 according to the fourth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] A service providing system and a service providing method to which the present invention is applied will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0014] (First embodiment) 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a service providing system 1 according to the first embodiment. The service providing system 1 includes a plurality of information processing devices that perform information processing for providing services. The services provided by the service providing system 1 include leasing services for home appliances and specific after-sales services. The specific after-sales services are, but are not limited to, after-sales services for the leased home appliances. The after-sales services for the home appliances may be services related to the maintenance and repair of the home appliances, such as cleaning services for the home appliances and replacement and maintenance services for consumables, or may be services in which housekeeping staff visit the residence of the customer (user of the housekeeping service) and perform housework using the home appliances on behalf of the customer.

[0015] The home appliances in the embodiments are home appliances installed in a user's residence, such as kitchen appliances such as a refrigerator, a range grill (microwave oven), or a cooking heater, household appliances such as a vacuum cleaner or a washing machine, air conditioning equipment such as an air conditioner or a ventilator fan, lighting equipment, video equipment, etc. The home appliances may be home appliances that can be carried by the user, but are not limited to this, and may also be home appliances that are fixedly installed in a house by an installer, such as a built-in air conditioner or a water heater.

[0016] The service providing system 1 includes, for example, a business management server device 100, a customer management server device 200 and a database unit 210, an equipment management server device 300 and a number of home appliances 310, a billing server device 400, a user terminal device 500, an insurance company terminal device 510, a leasing company terminal device 520, an installation company terminal device 530, and a cleaning company terminal device 540. Each of the business management server device 100, customer management server device 200, database unit 210, device management server device 300, multiple home appliances 310, billing server device 400, user terminal device 500, insurance company terminal device 510, leasing company terminal device 520, installation company terminal device 530, and cleaning company terminal device 540 has a communication interface (not shown) such as a network interface card (NIC) or a wireless communication module for connecting to a communication network. The communication network may include, for example, a general-purpose network such as the Internet, and a private network such as local 5G or Wi-Fi (registered trademark).

[0017] The business management server device 100 is an information processing device such as a server device that performs information processing for providing leasing services and after-sales services via a communication network. The business management server device 100 includes, for example, a home appliance leasing processing unit 110, a benefit issuing unit 120, and an after-sales service processing unit 130. The home appliance leasing processing unit 110, the benefit issuing unit 120, and the after-sales service processing unit 130 are realized by a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing programs stored in a program memory.

[0018] The home appliance leasing processing unit 110 performs various processes related to leasing of the home appliance 310. For example, the home appliance leasing processing unit 110 distributes content data related to leasing of the home appliance 310, accepts an application for leasing of the home appliance 310 from the user terminal device 500, and performs a series of processes for establishing a lease contract. The home appliance leasing processing unit 110 registers installation location information of the leased home appliance 310. For example, when accepting an application for leasing the home appliance 310, the home appliance leasing processing unit 110 acquires installation location information from the user terminal device 500 indicating the address where the user will install the home appliance 310.

[0019] The benefit issuing unit 120 issues a benefit such as a coupon that can be used for a home appliance leasing service or a specific after-sales service, on the condition that billing has been performed by the billing unit 402. The benefit issuing unit 120 transmits benefit information for the home appliance leasing service or the specific after-sales service to the user terminal device 500. Note that, although a coupon is issued in the embodiment, this is not limited thereto, and a benefit such as a coupon or a small gift may also be given. Furthermore, the benefit information may be read as coupon information when the benefit is a coupon.

[0020] After-sales service processing unit 130 performs various processes related to specific after-sales service for home appliance 310. For example, after-sales service processing unit 130 distributes content data related to specific after-sales service for home appliance 310, accepts an application for use of specific after-sales service for home appliance 310 from user terminal device 500, and performs a series of processes for implementing the specific after-sales service.

[0021] In addition, the home appliance leasing processing unit 110 and the after-sales service processing unit 130 may be systems that can independently provide home appliance leasing services and after-sales services in cooperation with the customer management server device 200, the billing server device 400, the user terminal device 500, etc., or the bonus issuing unit 120 may link these services to form an integrated service provision system as shown in Figure 1 that combines home appliance leasing and after-sales service.

[0022] The customer management server device 200 is an information processing device such as a server device that processes information to manage customers who provide leasing services and after-sales services via a communication network. The customer management server device 200 includes, for example, a member registration unit 202 and an information management unit 204. The member registration unit 202 and the information management unit 204 are realized, for example, by a CPU processor executing a program stored in a program memory.

[0023] Member registration unit 202 acquires customer information 212 about members who are customers receiving leasing services and after-sales service, and stores the information in database unit 210. Customer information 212 includes, for example, name, address, location of use of home appliance 310, and address information of user terminal device 500. Member registration unit 202 acquires customer information 212 about customers receiving leasing services from home appliance leasing processing unit 110. Member registration unit 202 acquires customer information 212 about customers receiving after-sales service from after-sales service processing unit 130. Note that member registration unit 202 may integrate customer information 212 about the same person acquired from home appliance leasing processing unit 110 and member registration unit 202, and store the integrated information in database unit 210.

[0024] Information management unit 204 acquires home appliance information 214 and stores it in database unit 210. Home appliance information 214 includes device identification information of home appliance 310 to be leased, information for communicating with home appliance 310, installation location information of home appliance 310, and after-sales service provision history information. Device identification information is information for identifying home appliance 310, such as product number information of home appliance 310 and ID information of home appliance 310. Installation location information of home appliance 310 is, for example, user address information, use location information declared by the user when applying for a lease, installation location information, etc.

[0025] The information management unit 204 acquires lease information 216 indicating lease contracts and after-sales service information 218 indicating after-sales service contracts, and stores them in the database unit 210. The lease information 216 includes, for example, lease contract information such as the lease period, billing timing, and periodic billing amount, billing history information, insurance contract information, etc. The after-sales service information 218 includes, for example, information such as the recommended timing for after-sales service, after-sales service coupon information, and after-sales service fees.

[0026] The device management server device 300 is an information processing device such as a server device that performs information processing for managing home appliances 310 leased via a communication network. The device management server device 300 includes, for example, a home appliance registration unit 302, a home appliance management unit 304, and a function restriction unit 306. The home appliance registration unit 302, the home appliance management unit 304, and the function restriction unit 306 are realized, for example, by a processor in a CPU executing a program stored in a program memory.

[0027] Home appliance registration unit 302 performs processing for registering home appliance information of leased home appliance 310. For example, when a leasing company purchases home appliance 310, home appliance registration unit 302 provides content for product registration to leasing company terminal device 520, and registers home appliance information 214 transmitted from leasing company terminal device 520. In addition, home appliance registration unit 302 acquires home appliance information 214 of leased home appliance 310 when home appliance 310 is leased. This allows device management server device 300 to communicate with each of leased home appliances 310.

[0028] Home appliance management unit 304 manages leased home appliances 310. Home appliance management unit 304 acquires device identification information and home appliance location information from leased home appliances 310 via the communication network by communicating with each of home appliances 310. Home appliance management unit 304 succeeds in acquiring the device identification information if leased home appliance 310 is normally connected to the communication network, and fails to acquire the device identification information if leased home appliance 310 is not normally connected to the communication network. The home appliance management unit 304 may also acquire information such as malfunctions of the home appliance 310 and the usage history of the home appliance 310, and store the information as part of the home appliance information 214. The home appliance location information of the home appliance 310 may be location information acquired by the user terminal device 500 that is communicatively connected to the home appliance 310. In this case, when the operating states of the home appliance 310 and the user terminal device 500 are active within the home network including the home appliance 310 and the user terminal device 500, the home appliance identification information and the home appliance location information are transmitted from the home appliance 310 or the user terminal device 500 to the home appliance management unit 304.

[0029] Function restriction unit 306 restricts the functions of home appliance 310 when the period during which home appliance management unit 304 is unable to acquire device identification information (the period during which acquisition of device identification information has failed) exceeds a criterion. The criterion for the period during which device identification information cannot be acquired is, for example, a period set in a lease contract, a period set by an insurance company or a leasing company, a period set based on the frequency of use of home appliance 310, or a period set according to the type of home appliance 310. The function restriction unit 306 restricts the functions of the home appliance 310 when the installation location information registered by the home appliance leasing processing unit 110 does not match the home appliance location information acquired by the home appliance management unit 304. For example, the function restriction unit 306 restricts the functions of the home appliance 310 when the distance between the location of the home appliance 310 and the installation location information exceeds a threshold. Note that the installation location information and the home appliance location information do not need to match exactly, but only need to be within a predetermined distance. Restricting a function means stopping or restricting a main function of the home appliance 310. For example, if the home appliance 310 is an air conditioner, the function restriction unit 306 stops the air conditioning function or limits the temperature that can be set during cooling to a minimum of 30°C, for example, without stopping communication functions other than the air conditioning function. When the function of home appliance 310 is restricted because the period during which home appliance management unit 304 is unable to acquire device identification information exceeds a reference value, function restriction unit 306 acquires the device identification information, and releases the restricted function restriction of home appliance 310 in accordance with a match between the installation location information and the home appliance location information. Note that the function restriction of home appliance 310 may be released when the period during which the installation location information and the home appliance location information match exceeds a reference value.

[0030] In addition, when the function restriction unit 306 restricts the functions of the home appliance 310, the function restriction unit 306 may cause the home appliance 310 to output a voice or display text indicating that "the period during which device identification information could not be acquired has exceeded a standard" or "the location of the home appliance 310 differs from the registered installation location information."

[0031] Billing server device 400 is a server device that performs billing for leases and after-sales services. Billing server device 400 includes, for example, a billing unit 402. Billing unit 402 is realized, for example, by a CPU processor executing a program stored in a program memory. Charging unit 402 periodically charges for the lease of home appliance 310. Charging unit 402 may also perform charging processing for an after-sales service fee when providing after-sales service to home appliance 310. Charging unit 402 may also periodically charge a service fee that combines the lease of home appliance 310 and a specific after-sales service fee.

[0032] The user terminal device 500 is an information processing terminal such as a smartphone operated by a user. The user in this embodiment is a customer of a leasing service and a specific after-sales service. The insurance company terminal device 510 is an information processing terminal operated by a person in charge of the insurance company. The insurance company terminal device 510 transmits insurance contract information for the leased home appliance 310 to the business management server device 100. The business management server device 100 transmits the insurance contract information to the customer management server device 200, and stores it in the database unit 210 as part of the lease information 216.

[0033] The leasing company terminal device 520 is an information processing terminal operated by a person in charge of the leasing company. The leasing company terminal device 520 transmits lease contract information for the leased home appliance 310 to the business management server device 100. The business management server device 100 transmits the lease contract information to the customer management server device 200, and stores it in the database unit 210 as part of the lease information 216.

[0034] The installation company terminal device 530 is an information processing terminal operated by a person in charge of the installation company. The installation company terminal device 530 transmits information including home appliance information, installation position information, an installation completion report, an operation check report, etc., about the leased home appliance 310 to the business management server device 100. The installation position information may be GPS position information calculated by the installation company terminal device 530, or may be address information, or may be information indicating a location within the home. The business management server device 100 transmits the home appliance information and installation position information to the customer management server device 200, and stores them in the database unit 210 as part of the home appliance information 214.

[0035] The cleaning company terminal device 540 is an information processing terminal operated by a cleaning company employee. The cleaning company terminal device 540 acquires information such as home appliance information 214 and the date and time of cleaning work to be performed as after-sales service. The cleaning company terminal device 540 transmits information including home appliance information, a cleaning completion report, and an operation check report as a result of the after-sales service to the business management server device 100. The business management server device 100 transmits the information acquired from the cleaning company terminal device 540 to the customer management server device 200 and stores it in the database unit 210 as part of after-sales service information 218.

[0036] Note that the multiple devices and multiple functional units of the service providing system 1 shown in Figure 1 are not limited to the form shown in Figure 1, and the multiple devices and multiple functional units may be aggregated or distributed in another form.

[0037] FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a processing procedure in the service providing system 1 according to the first embodiment. First, the home appliance leasing processing unit 110 accepts a lease application S10 from the user terminal device 500, specifying the type of home appliance 310. The lease application S10 includes user information such as the user's address. In response to accepting the lease application S10, the home appliance leasing processing unit 110 transmits lease contract information S12 to the user terminal device 500. In response to receiving information indicating acceptance from the user terminal device 500, the home appliance leasing processing unit 110 concludes a lease contract for the home appliance 310. The home appliance leasing processing unit 110 transmits the concluded lease contract information S12 and user information to the customer management server device 200, and stores them in the database unit 210 as customer information 212, home appliance information 214, and lease information 216. In this way, the home appliance leasing processing unit 110 registers installation location information for the leased home appliance 310. The lease contract may be concluded when the home appliance 310 arrives at the user's home or when it is installed.

[0038] Home appliance leasing processing unit 110 transmits periodic billing information S14 from billing unit 402 to user terminal device 500 when the billing timing arrives. Periodic billing information S14 is information notifying the user of the fee to be charged periodically for leasing home appliance 310. Billing unit 402 performs billing processing to transfer the lease fee from the user to the leasing company. Home appliance leasing processing unit 110 outputs periodic billing information S16 to device management server device 300 upon completion of billing processing. The lease fee may be paid by the user to the leasing company, or the user may pay it to a third party and pass it on to the leasing company. Alternatively, periodic billing information S14 may be information notifying the fee to be charged periodically for a service fee that combines the lease of home appliance 310 and a specific after-sales service fee. Billing unit 402 may perform billing processing to transfer the service fee from the user to a third party that provides the entire service, and the third party may pass the lease fee included as part of the service fee to the leasing company.

[0039] Upon receiving periodic billing information S16, home appliance management unit 304 transmits function restriction release information S18 to home appliance 310. This allows home appliance 310 to operate its main function. The home appliance 310 transmits the device identification information and the location information S22 to the home appliance management unit 304. The home appliance 310 may transmit the device identification information and the location information S22 periodically, or may transmit the device identification information and the location information S22 when an operating condition is met. The operating condition may be, for example, that the power is turned on, that the usage period has reached a certain level, or that a user operation has been received.

[0040] The home appliance management unit 304 acquires the device identification information and the location information S22. The function restriction unit 306 can determine whether the period during which the home appliance management unit 304 was unable to acquire the device identification information exceeds a reference value. The function restriction unit 306 also determines whether to restrict the functions of the home appliance 310 because the installation location information registered by the home appliance leasing processing unit 110 does not match the location information S22 (home appliance location information) acquired by the home appliance management unit 304. When it is determined that the home appliance 310 should not be restricted, the function restriction unit 306 does not transmit function restriction information to the home appliance 310. Assume that home appliance management unit 304 determines that a situation has occurred in which communication between home appliance 310 and device management server device 300 is disabled, and that the period during which home appliance management unit 304 has been unable to acquire device identification information has exceeded a reference period. In this case, function restriction unit 306 transmits function restriction information S24 to home appliance 310. When the home appliance management unit 304 acquires the device identification information and the location information S22 from the home appliance 310, the home appliance management unit 304 transmits the function restriction release information S18 to the home appliance 310. For example, when the home appliance 310 is taken outside the residence beyond the allowable range of movement, the home appliance management unit 304 acquires device identification information and location information S22# from the home appliance 310, and if it determines that the functions of the home appliance 310 should be restricted when the installation location information registered by the home appliance leasing processing unit 110 does not match the location information S22#, it transmits function restriction information S26.

[0041] According to the service providing system 1 of the first embodiment, installation location information of the leased home appliance 310 is registered, device identification information and home appliance location information are acquired from the leased home appliance 310 via a communication network, and if the registered installation location information does not match the acquired home appliance location information, the function of the home appliance 310 is restricted. As a result, the service providing system 1 can prevent fraudulent leases of home appliances, such as when the leased home appliance 310 is not used by the user who signed the lease contract. Furthermore, according to the service providing system 1, if a period during which device identification information cannot be acquired from the home appliance 310 exceeds a certain period, the function of the home appliance 310 can be restricted, thereby further preventing fraudulent acts such as the theft or resale of the leased home appliance 310.

[0042] According to the service providing system 1, when the function of the home appliance 310 is restricted because the period during which device identification information cannot be obtained from the home appliance 310 exceeds a reference value, the device identification information can be obtained from the home appliance 310, and the restriction on the restricted function of the home appliance can be lifted if the installation location information matches the home appliance location information.

[0043] (Second embodiment) FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a position determination process of the service providing system 1 according to the second embodiment. When the home appliance management unit 304 acquires the device identification information and the location information S22 (step ST100), it determines whether the home appliance 310 is a stationary home appliance 310 based on the device identification information (step ST102).

[0044] If the home appliance 310 is a stationary home appliance 310 (step ST102: YES), the home appliance management unit 304 determines whether the home appliance 310 has been removed from its installation location based on the location information (step ST104). The home appliance management unit 304 may determine that the home appliance 310 has been removed from its installation location, for example, when communication with the home appliance 310 is interrupted, when a sensor built into the home appliance 310 detects that the home appliance 310 has been removed from its installation location, or when a position sensor of the home appliance 310 detects that the home appliance 310 has moved from its installation location. If the home appliance management unit 304 determines that the home appliance 310 has not been removed from its installation location (step ST104: NO), the home appliance management unit 304 ends the processing of this flowchart. If the home appliance 310 has been removed from its installation location (step ST104: YES), the function restriction unit 306 restricts the functions of the home appliance 310 (step ST108). When detecting that home appliance 310 has moved from its installed location using a position sensor, a threshold value may be set to determine whether or not the home appliance has moved, since fluctuations due to the accuracy of the sensor may be considered.

[0045] If the home appliance 310 is not a stationary home appliance 310 but a home appliance that the user can carry (step ST102: NO), the home appliance management unit 304 determines whether the home appliance 310 has moved beyond the allowable movement range based on the location information (step ST106). The allowable movement range is a range set using a threshold from the user's address registered in the database unit 210. The allowable movement range is a range that includes the user's address and in which it is possible to determine that the home appliance 310 has been taken out of the residence. If the home appliance management unit 304 has not determined that the home appliance 310 has moved beyond the allowable movement range (step ST106: NO), the processing of this flowchart ends. If the home appliance management unit 304 has determined that the home appliance 310 has moved beyond the allowable movement range (step ST106: YES), the function restriction unit 306 restricts the functions of the home appliance 310 (step ST108).

[0046] As described above, according to the service providing system 1 of the second embodiment, when the home appliance 310 is a home appliance that is fixedly installed in a house by an installation company, the installation location of the home appliance is registered as installation location information, and the functions of the home appliance 310 can be restricted on the condition that the home appliance is removed from the installation location. In this way, the service providing system 1 can prevent fraudulent removal of the leased home appliance 310. Furthermore, according to the service providing system 1 of the second embodiment, if the home appliance 310 is portable by the user, the functions of the home appliance 310 can be restricted on the condition that the home appliance 310 has traveled beyond an allowable range including the user's address. As a result, the service providing system 1 can prevent fraudulent theft or lending of the leased home appliance 310.

[0047] (Third embodiment) FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a processing procedure in the service providing system 1 according to the third embodiment. The service providing system 1 of the third embodiment acquires user location information indicating the user's location, and restricts the functions of the home appliance 310 if the distance between the user location indicated by the user location information and the installation location of the home appliance 310 is not within the usable distance of the home appliance 310.

[0048] First, the home appliance leasing processing unit 110 accepts a lease application S10 from the user terminal device 500, specifying the type of home appliance 310. The lease application S10 includes user information such as the user's address. In response to accepting the lease application S10, the home appliance leasing processing unit 110 transmits lease contract information S12 to the user terminal device 500. In response to receiving information indicating acceptance from the user terminal device 500, the home appliance leasing processing unit 110 concludes a lease contract for the home appliance 310. The home appliance leasing processing unit 110 transmits the concluded lease contract information S12 and user information to the customer management server device 200, and stores them in the database unit 210 as customer information 212, home appliance information 214, and lease information 216. In this way, the home appliance leasing processing unit 110 registers installation location information for the leased home appliance 310. The lease contract may be concluded when the home appliance 310 arrives at the user's home or when it is installed.

[0049] The home appliance leasing processing unit 110 transmits periodic billing information S14 to the user terminal device 500 when the billing timing arrives from the billing unit 402. The periodic billing information S14 is information notifying the user of the fee to be charged periodically for leasing the home appliance 310. The billing unit 402 performs a billing process in which the user transfers the lease fee to the leasing company. The home appliance leasing processing unit 110 outputs periodic billing information S16 to the device management server device 300 upon completion of the billing process. The lease fee may be paid by the user to the leasing company, or may be paid by the user to a third party and then passed on to the leasing company.

[0050] Upon receiving periodic billing information S16, home appliance management unit 304 transmits function restriction release information S18 to home appliance 310. This allows home appliance 310 to operate its main function. The device management server device 300 acquires user location information S20. The user location information S20 is, for example, user location information acquired by the home appliance leasing processing unit 110 from the user terminal device 500. The home appliance management unit 304 also acquires device identification information and location information S22 from the home appliance 310. If the distance between the user position indicated by the user position information S20 and the installation location of the home appliance 310 is not within the usable distance of the home appliance 310, the function restriction information S24 is transmitted to the home appliance 310. Based on the user's location information S20, device identification information, and location information S23 acquired thereafter, the function restriction unit 306 transmits function restriction release information S18 to the home appliance 310 when the distance between the user location indicated by the user location information and the installation location of the home appliance 310 indicated by the device identification information and location information S23 becomes within the usable distance of the home appliance 310. Furthermore, also in the third embodiment, the function restriction unit 306 may transmit function restriction information S26 to the home appliance 310 when it determines that the period during which the home appliance management unit 304 has been unable to acquire device identification information has exceeded a reference value.

[0051] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a position determination process of the service providing system 1 according to the third embodiment. Home appliance management unit 304 determines whether or not user location information S20 has been acquired from user terminal device 500 (step ST200), and waits if user location information S20 has not been acquired (step ST200: NO). When home appliance management unit 304 has acquired user location information S20 (step ST200: YES), home appliance management unit 304 determines whether or not location information S22 of home appliance 310 has been acquired (step ST202).

[0052] When the home appliance management unit 304 acquires the user's location information S20 (step ST200: YES) and acquires the location information S22 of the home appliance 310 (step ST202: YES), the function restriction unit 306 determines whether the location of the home appliance 310 and the user's location match (step ST206). At this time, the function restriction unit 306 may determine that the location of the home appliance 310 and the user's location match when the distance between the user's location and the location of the home appliance 310 is within the usable distance of the home appliance 310. Furthermore, the function restriction unit 306 may determine that the location of the home appliance 310 and the user's location do not match when a period of time during which the location of the home appliance 310 and the user's location are different continues. When the location of the home appliance 310 and the user's location do not match (step ST206: NO), the function restriction unit 306 restricts the function of the home appliance 310 (step ST208).

[0053] If the home appliance management unit 304 does not acquire the location information S22 of the home appliance 310 (step ST202: NO), the function restriction unit 306 judges whether or not the determination period has elapsed (step ST204). If the period during which the location information S22 of the home appliance 310 is not acquired has not exceeded the determination period, the function restriction unit 306 waits (step ST204: NO). If the period during which the location information S22 of the home appliance 310 is not acquired has exceeded the determination period (step ST204: YES), the function restriction unit 306 restricts the function of the home appliance 310 (step ST208).

[0054] When the location of home appliance 310 and the location of the user match (step ST206: YES), function restriction unit 306 releases the restriction on the functions of home appliance 310 (step ST210). Note that the restriction on the functions of home appliance 310 may be released when the period during which the location of home appliance 310 and the location of the user match exceeds a reference value.

[0055] According to the service providing system 1 of the third embodiment, it is possible to restrict the functions of the home appliance 310 when the distance between the user's location and the installation location of the home appliance 310 is not within the usable distance of the home appliance 310. For example, when the home appliance 310 used in a home is not within the usable distance of the user's location, it is possible to restrict the functions of the home appliance 310. As a result, the service providing system 1 can prevent theft or lending of the leased home appliance 310.

[0056] (Fourth embodiment) Service providing system 1 in the fourth embodiment includes billing unit 402 that periodically charges for leasing home appliance 310, and benefit issuing unit 120 that issues a benefit for leasing home appliance 310 on the condition that the ratio of the connection period of home appliance 310 to the billing period for leasing home appliance 310 is equal to or greater than a standard. Note that billing unit 402 may reduce the amount of the charge based on the acceptance of an application for use of the benefit. Furthermore, service providing system 1 in the fourth embodiment may include billing unit 402 that periodically charges for leasing home appliance 310, and may issue a benefit for the service if the ratio of the period during which home appliance management unit 304 successfully acquires device identification information is equal to or greater than a reference value for a predetermined billing period for leasing home appliance 310. The ratio of the period during which home appliance 310 is connected to the communication network for the predetermined billing period is calculated based on the device identification information acquired by home appliance management unit 304. Service providing system 1 may accumulate communication history information including the time of acquisition of the device identification information, calculate the period during which home appliance 310 is connected to the communication network from the accumulated communication history information, and calculate the ratio of the calculated period during which home appliance 310 is connected to the communication network for the predetermined billing period. Moreover, the service providing system 1 of the fourth embodiment includes an after-sales service processing unit 130 that accepts an application for use of a specific after-sales service for the home appliance 310 from the user terminal device 500, and a benefit issuing unit 120 that issues a coupon for the specific after-sales service on the condition that the ratio of the connection period of the home appliance 310 to the communication network of the billing period for the lease of the home appliance 310 is equal to or greater than a standard. In this service providing system 1, the after-sales service processing unit 130 transmits coupon information for the specific after-sales service to the user terminal device 500, and accepts an application for use of the specific after-sales service and the coupon from the user terminal device 500.

[0057] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure in the service providing system 1 according to the fourth embodiment. Benefit issuance unit 120 first determines whether or not the billing timing has arrived (step ST300). If the billing timing has not arrived, benefit issuance unit 120 waits (step ST300: NO). If the billing timing has arrived (step ST300: YES), benefit issuance unit 120 determines whether or not the proportion of the period during which home appliance 310 has been connected to the communication network, based on the device identification information acquired by home appliance management unit 304, is equal to or greater than a reference value (step ST302). Benefit issuance unit 120 makes the determination in step ST302 based on communication history information between device management server device 300 and home appliance 310, obtained from home appliance management unit 304. The communication history information is, for example, information including the device identification information acquired by home appliance management unit 304 and the time the device identification information was acquired. The reference value for acquiring the device identification information may be, for example, the proportion of the time during which home appliance 310 has been connected to the communication network per day, or the number of connections per period such as one day, one week, or one month.

[0058] If the ratio of the period during which home appliance 310 is connected to the communication network is equal to or greater than the reference value (step ST302: YES), benefit issuing unit 120 issues a coupon for leasing home appliance 310, thereby granting a benefit (step ST306). The benefit may be a discount coupon for reducing the amount charged for the lease fee, a coupon usable for a specific after-sales service (e.g., a discount coupon, a free coupon, or an option coupon), or an item such as a free gift. Benefit issuing unit 120 transmits coupon information indicating the granted benefit to user terminal apparatus 500 corresponding to home appliance 310 (step ST308). At this time, benefit issuing unit 120 may transmit billing information indicating the billing fee after the discount due to the benefit and the coupon information.

[0059] When the percentage of the period during which home appliance 310 is connected to the communication network is not equal to or greater than the reference value (step ST302: NO), benefit issuing unit 120 transmits billing information to user terminal apparatus 500 corresponding to home appliance 310 (step ST304). At this time, benefit issuing unit 120 may transmit information advising that a benefit will be provided for the lease fee and a specific after-sales service when the percentage of the period during which home appliance 310 is connected to the communication network is equal to or greater than the reference value.

[0060] The benefit issuing unit 120 applies a benefit in response to receiving an application for use of the specific after-sales service from the user terminal device 500, and provides a discount for the specific after-sales service (step ST310).

[0061] According to the service providing system 1 in the fourth embodiment, a coupon for leasing the home appliance 310 can be issued and the billing amount can be reduced based on the acceptance of an application to use the coupon, on the condition that the ratio of the connection period of the home appliance 310 to the communication network to the billing period in the lease of the home appliance 310 is equal to or greater than a standard. This allows the service providing system 1 to motivate the user to connect the home appliance 310 to the communication network.

[0062] Furthermore, according to the service providing system 1 of the fourth embodiment, a special benefit for a specific after-sales service is issued on the condition that the ratio of the period during which the home appliance 310 is connected to the communication network to the billing period in the lease of the home appliance 310 is equal to or greater than a standard, which can provide motivation for connecting the home appliance 310 to the communication network and further encourage application for the specific after-sales service.

[0063] Although each embodiment and variant has been described, these are merely examples and are not intended to be limiting. For example, one aspect of the present invention may be realized by combining any of the embodiments or variants, or a part of each embodiment or a part of each variant, with one or more other embodiments or one or more other variants. [Explanation of symbols]

[0064] 1...service providing system, 100...business management server device, 110...home appliance leasing processing unit, 120...benefit issuing unit, 130...after-sales service processing unit, 200...customer management server device, 202...member registration unit, 204...information management unit, 210...database unit, 212...customer information, 214...home appliance information, 216...lease information, 218...after-sales service information, 300...device management server device, 302...home appliance registration unit, 304...home appliance management unit, 306...function restriction unit, 310...home appliance, 400...billing server device, 402...billing unit, 500...user terminal device, 510...insurance company terminal device, 520...leasing company terminal device, 530...installation company terminal device, 540...cleaning company terminal device

Claims

1. In a service provision system that provides services including leasing of home appliances, a home appliance leasing processing unit that registers installation location information of the leased home appliance; a home appliance management unit that acquires device identification information and home appliance location information from the leased home appliance via a communication network; a function restriction unit that restricts a function of the home appliance when a period during which the home appliance management unit is unable to acquire the device identification information exceeds a reference period; The function restriction unit restricts the function of the home appliance when the installation location information and the home appliance location information do not match.

2. The service providing system according to claim 1, wherein the function restriction unit acquires the device identification information from the home appliance management unit, and when the installation location information matches the home appliance location information, lifts the restriction on the restricted functions of the home appliance.

3. the home appliance is a home appliance that is fixedly installed in a house by an installation company, The service providing system according to claim 1 , wherein the home appliance leasing processing unit registers an installation location of the home appliance as the installation location information.

4. the home appliance is a user-portable home appliance, The home appliance leasing processing unit registers the address of the user as installation location information of the home appliance, The service providing system according to claim 1 , wherein the function restricting unit restricts a function of the home appliance when the home appliance location information exceeds a predetermined allowable range of movement that includes the address.

5. The home appliance leasing processing unit acquires user location information indicating a location of the user, 3. The service providing system according to claim 1, wherein the function restricting unit restricts the function of the home appliance when a distance between the user location information and the home appliance location information does not become within a predetermined distance for a predetermined time.

6. In a service provision system that provides services including leasing of home appliances, a home appliance management unit that acquires device identification information from the leased home appliance via a communication network; a billing unit that periodically bills for the lease of the home appliance, a privilege issuing unit that issues a privilege for the service when a ratio of a period during which the home appliance management unit has successfully acquired device identification information to a predetermined charging period for leasing the home appliance is equal to or greater than a reference value; Service delivery system.

7. the service includes providing a specific after-sales service for the home appliance; an after-sales service processing unit that accepts an application for the specific after-sales service from a user terminal device; the after-sales service processing unit transmits, as the benefit, benefit information for the specific after-sales service to the user terminal device; accepting an application for the specific after-sales service and the benefit from the user terminal device; The service providing system according to claim 6 .

8. The benefit is a reduction in the billing amount for the predetermined billing period, The service providing system according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the charging unit reduces the amount of the charge for the predetermined charging period.

9. A service providing method for providing a service of leasing home appliances, A step in which a home appliance leasing processing unit registers installation location information of the leased home appliance; a home appliance management unit acquiring device identification information and home appliance location information from the leased home appliance via a communication network; a step of restricting a function of the home appliance when a period during which the home appliance management unit is unable to acquire the device identification information exceeds a reference period, When the installation location information and the home appliance location information do not match, the step of restricting the function of the home appliance includes: The service providing method further includes the step of restricting a function of the home appliance.

10. In a service provision method for providing a service including leasing of home appliances, a home appliance management unit acquiring device identification information from the leased home appliance via a communication network; a step of a billing unit periodically billing for the lease of the home appliance; A service providing method in which the charging unit issues a benefit for the service if the percentage of the period during which the home appliance management unit successfully obtains device identification information is above a standard for a specified charging period for the lease of the home appliance.

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