Maintenance service system and method for processing maintenance services

Abstract

Set appropriate recurring charges to provide maintenance services for customer equipment. [Solution] One aspect of the present disclosure is a maintenance service system comprising: a setting unit that determines a recurring charge based on a contract that allows the customer to purchase an item, which is an item that is a device or part included in the customer's equipment, based on the risk of the item; an item management unit that manages spare item information indicating a spare item that is the item held in stock; and a recurring charge unit that continuously charges the recurring charge.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a maintenance service system and a method for processing maintenance services.

Background Art

[0002] In infrastructure facilities such as power facilities, building facilities, and railway facilities, when a device stops due to an abnormality, the losses caused by the stoppage of the infrastructure facilities tend to increase. For example, the devices of infrastructure facilities are not so-called mass-produced products, and there may be no spare parts inventory for maintenance. Since it takes time to restore the device, the losses may expand. In addition, when the service provided by the infrastructure facilities stops for a long time due to a device failure, it will cause inconvenience to many people and there is a risk of a decrease in trust. As technologies related to maintenance services for restoring infrastructure facilities, for example, those described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 below are known.

[0003] The fee setting system of Patent Document 1 describes that in a remote emergency device that operates during an elevator entrapment accident, a lending service is provided to the building side on a monthly basis, and the monthly fee is set as the price obtained by dividing the cost of the device and other costs by the contract monthly amount.

[0004] The spare part supply system for a plant described in Patent Document 2 divides plant owners into groups for each group with similar evaluation parameters such as the probability of breakage of each part to form groups, and determines a contract amount in which the cost required for manufacturing etc. of a specific spare part is equally burdened by the plant owners belonging to the same group according to the number of people, and recruits participants. On the other hand, the spare part supply system for a plant aggregates accident information from the accident-occurring plant in an accident information aggregation system to make necessary arrangements for repair, calculates the difference between the cost required for manufacturing etc. of the spare part and the burden amount of the owner of the accident-occurring plant, and claims this difference to the owner of the accident-occurring plant, and divides and refunds the difference to the owners of the remaining plants that did not use the spare part according to the number.

Prior Art Documents

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2002-29675 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2004-199303 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] However, while the pricing system described in Patent Document 1 describes a monthly fee for a remote emergency device that operates in the event of an elevator entrapment accident, it does not mention the fee for restoring the remote emergency device when it malfunctions and becomes inoperable. Therefore, even if the technology described in Patent Document 1 is applied to maintenance services for restoring infrastructure equipment, it is not possible to avoid the interruption of services provided by the infrastructure equipment. Furthermore, the spare parts supply system described in Patent Document 2 involves multiple plant owners forming a group and determining a contract fee in which the costs required for the manufacture of specific spare parts are equally shared among the plant owners belonging to the same group according to the number of members. This presents a problem in that if the number of plant owners belonging to the same group is small, the cost burden per person becomes large.

[0007] Furthermore, depending on the damage to the plant equipment, it may be necessary to replace multiple types of parts. However, the pricing system described in Patent Document 1 is for remote emergency devices and does not take into account the replacement of multiple types of parts. In addition, the technology described in Patent Document 2 forms groups of similar evaluation parameters that represent the probability of failure of each part, so if multiple types of parts are considered, the number of plant owners belonging to the group may decrease, which could lead to an even greater cost burden.

[0008] This disclosure is made in view of these circumstances and aims to provide a maintenance service system and a method for processing maintenance services that can appropriately set ongoing charges for providing maintenance services for customer equipment. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] This disclosure is made to solve the problems described above, and one aspect of this disclosure is a maintenance service system comprising: a setting unit that determines a recurring charge based on a contract to hold an item as inventory, based on the risk of the item, for an item that is

[0010] Another aspect of the present disclosure is a method for processing maintenance services, which includes the steps of: determining a recurring charge under a contract to hold an item as inventory, based on the risk of the item, for an item that is a customer's equipment or an item that is a device or part included in said equipment; managing spare item information indicating a spare item that is the item held as inventory; and continuously charging the recurring charge. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to this disclosure, it is possible to appropriately set up ongoing charges to provide maintenance services for customer equipment. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing an example of a maintenance service system 1 in the first embodiment. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example of maintenance service in the first embodiment. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of infrastructure facility 400 in the first embodiment. [Figure 4] It is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the terminal device 200 to create input information in the first embodiment. [Figure 5] It is a sequence diagram showing an example of a processing procedure in the maintenance service system 1 in the first embodiment. [Figure 6] It is a diagram showing an example of the maintenance service system 1A in the second embodiment. [Figure 7] It is a sequence diagram showing an example of a processing procedure in the maintenance service system 1A in the second embodiment. [Figure 8] It is a diagram showing an example of the maintenance service system 1B in the third embodiment. [Figure 9] It is a sequence diagram showing an example of a processing procedure in the maintenance service system 1 in the third embodiment. [Figure 10] It is a diagram showing an example of the maintenance service system 1C in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 11] It is a sequence diagram showing an example of a processing procedure in the maintenance service system 1C in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 12] It is a flowchart showing an example of a process for determining a recurring charge in the maintenance service system 1C in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 13] It is a flowchart showing an example of another process for determining a recurring charge in the maintenance service system 1C in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 14] It is a flowchart showing an example of another process for determining a recurring charge in the maintenance service system 1C in the fourth embodiment.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] Hereinafter, a maintenance service system to which the present invention is applied and a method for processing a maintenance service will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0014] (First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a maintenance service system 1 in the first embodiment. The maintenance service system 1 includes, for example, a management device 100, a plurality of terminal devices 200, and a plurality of manufacturing plant devices 300. In the following description, when collectively referring to a plurality of terminal devices, it is described as "terminal device 200", and when collectively referring to a plurality of manufacturing plant devices, it is described as "manufacturing plant device 300".

[0015] The management device 100, the terminal device 200, and the manufacturing plant device 300 have a communication interface (not shown) such as a NIC (Network Interface Card) or a wireless communication module for connecting to a communication network NW such as the Internet. The communication network NW may include, for example, a general-purpose network such as the Internet, and a private network such as local 5G or WiFi (registered trademark).

[0016] In the embodiment, the management device 100 performs various processes for realizing the maintenance service. The maintenance service is a service that prepares spare items for customers and sells the spare items as replacement items in response to customer requests. The spare items are facilities, devices, parts, etc. included in the facilities operated by customers, and are items stocked before an abnormality occurs. The replacement item is an item sold to the customer among the spare items in order to restore the facility where an abnormality has occurred. The processes for realizing the maintenance service include managing the inventory of spare items based on the contracts concluded by customers, continuously charging customers, and processing for customers to purchase spare items when an abnormality occurs. The terminal device 200 is an information processing device such as a smartphone held by a customer who operates a facility. The manufacturing plant device 300 is an information processing device operated by a person in charge of a manufacturing plant that manufactures various items included in a facility. In the embodiment, an infrastructure facility is described as the facility, but it is not limited thereto, and it is also applicable to facilities other than infrastructure facilities.

[0017] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the maintenance service in the first embodiment. In this embodiment, the customer enters into a contract that grants them the right to receive spare parts during the contract period. This contract includes continuous billing during the contract period and priority purchase of spare parts according to the customer's requests. In Figure 2, the upper section shows the flow from contract to delivery of maintenance services in the first embodiment, and the lower section shows the flow from order to delivery of items not covered by the maintenance service contract. As shown in the upper part of Figure 2, in the maintenance service of the first embodiment, when a contract is concluded at time t1, the manufacturing plant performs a series of tasks such as material procurement, manufacturing, and inventory for the spare items covered by the contract. Then, when the manufacturing plant receives an order for the spare items covered by the contract in response to a customer request at time t2, it delivers the spare items covered by the contract to the customer by time t3. On the other hand, as shown in the lower part of Figure 2, for items not covered by the contract, when an order is received at time t2, the manufacturing plant procures materials, manufactures the items, and delivers them at time t4. In the example shown in Figure 2, the timing of the contract is before material procurement, but it is not limited to this, and the timing of the contract may be during material procurement, before or during manufacturing, or even before or during inventory.

[0018] In this way, maintenance services allow for the creation and maintenance of spare parts by having manufacturers produce them and securing inventory by continuously charging customers a small amount during the contract period. Customers gain the right to preferentially purchase inventory of spare parts (inventory usage rights) when infrastructure facility troubles occur. Specifically, manufacturers maintain inventory of spare parts for the equipment, devices, and parts that make up the customer's infrastructure facility, and can provide the necessary items for prevention and recovery in a short period of time when an infrastructure facility malfunctions. This prevents the equipment of the infrastructure facility from shutting down when an infrastructure facility malfunctions. Furthermore, even if the equipment, devices, or parts of the infrastructure facility shut down when an infrastructure facility malfunctions, recovery can be expedited. As a result, losses due to the interruption of infrastructure services using the infrastructure facility can be reduced.

[0019] The management device 100 is an information processing device such as a server that receives requests from terminal devices 200 and factory devices 300 and performs various processing. The management device 100 includes, for example, an input unit 110, an output unit 120, a control unit 130, and a storage unit 160.

[0020] The input unit 110 receives various information from the terminal device 200 and the factory equipment 300. The output unit 120 outputs various information to the terminal device 200 and the factory equipment 300.

[0021] The control unit 130 includes, for example, a setting unit 132, a contract unit 134, an item management unit 136, a recurring billing unit 138, an item selection unit 140, an output control unit 142, and an exchange billing unit 144. The setting unit 132, the contract unit 134, the item management unit 136, the recurring billing unit 138, the item selection unit 140, the output control unit 142, and the exchange billing unit 144 are functional units that are realized by a processor, such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), executing a program stored in program memory.

[0022] The configuration unit 132 performs the process of setting the recurring billing fee. The recurring billing fee is the fee that the customer continuously pays during the period in which the contract entered into by the customer is valid.

[0023] The contract unit 134 acquires contract information based on the information obtained by the input unit 110. The contract unit 134 transmits contract conditions such as the recurring billing fee and contract period set by the setting unit 132 to the terminal device 200, and obtains acceptance information from the terminal device 200 indicating acceptance of the contract conditions. As a result, the contract unit 134 acquires contract information including customer information, acceptance information, and contract conditions. The contract stipulates the right to receive spare goods during the contract period. Contract information includes customer information identifying the customer, item information indicating items related to the customer's equipment, and information indicating the contract associated with recurring billing information. Contract information may be supplemented with contract identification information. Contract identification information is information that identifies the contract, such as a contract ID or keyword.

[0024] The inventory management unit 136 performs processing to manage spare item information. Spare item information is information that associates contract information, spare items which are items held in accordance with the contract, and the inventory status of the spare items. The inventory status of spare items includes, for example, the production status of the spare items and the number of spare items in stock. The inventory management unit 136 updates information such as the production status of the spare items and the number of spare items in stock as the inventory status of the spare items. In addition, if there are multiple types of spare items for a customer and contract, the inventory management unit 136 updates the inventory status for each type of spare item.

[0025] The recurring billing unit 138 processes recurring charges to the customer based on the recurring billing information. For example, the recurring billing unit 138 processes billing to request recurring charges from the customer at a time predetermined by the contract.

[0026] The item selection unit 140 determines whether the input information indicating the customer and the item is subject to the contract based on the spare item information, and if it is subject to the contract, it selects a spare item for the item as a replacement. The item selection unit 140 also receives input information from the terminal device 200 via the input unit 110, for example, in the event of an abnormality in an infrastructure facility.

[0027] The output control unit 142 controls the operation of outputting information by the output unit 120. The output control unit 142 controls, for example, the output destination and timing of information regarding recurring billing information, spare item information, and replacement item information. The output control unit 142 also controls the output of various types of information, as shown in Figure 5, which will be described later. Furthermore, the output control unit 142 transmits content to the terminal device 200 to cause it to output input information. The content for causing input information to output is, for example, data to display a screen for the customer to select spare items. The output unit 120 outputs information regarding replacement parts. This information includes whether replacement parts are available, part numbers, item names, contact information of the person in charge, storage locations, etc., which are necessary for the customer to perform maintenance using the replacement parts. The output unit 120 may output the purchase price of the replacement item based on the purchase cost information. The purchase cost information is information representing the purchase price of the replacement item. This allows the customer to be notified of the cost incurred when purchasing the replacement item.

[0028] The replacement billing unit 144 generates billing information for the customer based on the purchase price of the replacement item. Here, the spare item information may include purchase cost information representing the purchase price of the replacement item. The replacement billing unit 144 generates billing information that charges the purchase price of the replacement item represented by the purchase cost information. The billing information is transmitted to the terminal device 200 by the output unit 120 and the output control unit 142. The output unit 120 may output the purchase price of the replacement item based on the purchase cost information.

[0029] The storage unit 160 includes, for example, a contract storage unit 162, a recurring billing storage unit 164, and a purchase cost storage unit 166. The storage unit 160 is, for example, an information storage device composed of various information storage media, and may be a NAS (Network Attached Storage) device accessible by the management device 100 via a communication network.

[0030] The contract storage unit 162 stores customer information, item information, and contract information. Customer information is information that identifies a customer, such as their name, contact information, and item delivery address. Item information is information that identifies items related to the customer's facilities, equipment, devices, and parts. Items related to the customer's facilities, equipment, devices, and parts are items necessary for operating the facilities, such as devices, parts, and components included in the facilities. Contract information is information that identifies contracts associated with recurring billing information. Specifically, contract information is, for example, information that identifies contracts associated with customer information, item information, and recurring billing information. Contract information is, for example, information for each customer.

[0031] The recurring billing storage unit 164 stores customer information, recurring billing information, and the payment status of recurring bills in association with each other. The purchase cost storage unit 166 stores customer information, information on the purchase cost of spare items, and the payment status of the purchase costs in association with each other. If a customer has contracted for multiple types of spare items, it is desirable for the recurring billing storage unit 164 to store recurring billing information and payment status for each type of spare item, and for the purchase cost storage unit 166 to store purchase cost information and payment status for each type of spare item.

[0032] The terminal device 200 is an information processing device such as a smartphone or personal computer owned by the customer. The terminal device 200 includes, for example, a terminal input unit 202, a terminal output unit 204, a terminal control unit 206, and a terminal storage unit 208. The terminal input unit 202 is a device such as a touch sensor. The terminal output unit 204 is a display device such as a display. The terminal control unit 206 is a processor such as a built-in CPU that executes programs. The terminal storage unit 208 is a memory that stores various types of information.

[0033] The factory equipment 300 is an information processing device such as a smartphone or personal computer owned by a person in charge at the factory. The factory equipment 300 includes, for example, a reception unit 302 and a production management unit 304. The reception unit 302 receives production requests for goods from the management device 100. The Production Management Department 304 manages information regarding the status of orders for goods, information regarding material procurement, information regarding production status, and information regarding inventory status. Information regarding the status of orders for goods includes, for example, information showing the customer, the type and quantity of goods ordered. Information regarding material procurement includes, for example, information showing the type and quantity of materials needed to produce the ordered goods, and the number of materials obtained. Information regarding production status includes, for example, status information such as not yet produced, in production, or completed, as well as information showing progress such as the start date of production and the completion date of production. Information regarding inventory status includes information showing the number of items in stock and the location of the stock.

[0034] Figure 3 shows an example of the infrastructure facility 400 in the first embodiment. The infrastructure facility 400 may, for example, include multiple pieces of equipment, each piece of equipment may include multiple devices, and each device may include multiple parts. For example, in a power grid system, it may include multiple power generation equipment, multiple transformers, and parts included in each transformer. Furthermore, the infrastructure facility may include multiple types of equipment, multiple types of devices, and multiple types of parts. Note that the equipment, devices, and parts included in the infrastructure facility will vary depending on the customer. Therefore, each customer may contract for multiple types of equipment as spare parts, multiple types of devices as spare parts, and multiple types of parts as spare parts. Note that the infrastructure facility in this embodiment is a facility that constitutes a power grid, but is not limited to this, and may include facilities such as gas, water, railways, roads, and buildings. The equipment in this embodiment may be equipment included in facilities such as gas, water, railways, and roads, or it may be building equipment such as elevators.

[0035] Figure 4 shows an example of a screen displayed on the terminal device 200 to create input information in the first embodiment. The management device 100 receives a request to select a replacement part via the input unit 110, for example, when an abnormality occurs in an infrastructure facility. In response to the received request, the management device 100 transmits content data to the terminal device 200 for selecting a replacement part. Based on the content data, the terminal device 200 displays a screen, for example, as shown in Figure 4.

[0036] The display screen shown in Figure 4 includes images that show, for example, the type of facility, the type of equipment, the type of device, and the type of part. The display screen shown in Figure 4 has radio buttons for selecting the type of facility, the type of equipment, the type of device, and the type of part, respectively. The terminal device 200 receives customer input and inputs that the type of facility, equipment, device, and parts have been selected. The terminal device 200 transmits input information indicating the customer and the selected type of facility, equipment, device, and parts to the management device 100. The terminal device 200 may also include the quantity corresponding to the selected type of facility, equipment, device, and parts in the input information.

[0037] Figure 5 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the processing procedure in the maintenance service system 1 in the first embodiment. First, under normal circumstances, the terminal device 200 transmits contract information S10 to the management device 100. The management device 100 may acquire contract information S10 depending on the customer's operation. The setting unit 132 sets the recurring billing fee, and the contract unit 134 acquires the contract information S10. Under normal circumstances, there are no abnormalities in the customer's infrastructure facilities. The management device 100 stores the contract information S10 in the storage unit 160. The output unit 120 outputs a manufacturing request S12 to the manufacturing equipment 300 based on the contract information S10.

[0038] The manufacturing plant apparatus 300 receives a manufacturing request S12 via the reception unit 302. Manufacturing and inventory management of goods are carried out in the manufacturing plant. When spare items are manufactured, the manufacturing management unit 304 transmits information S14 regarding the inventory status of the spare items to the management device 100. This allows the management device 100 to update the inventory status of the spare items via the goods management unit 136.

[0039] The recurring billing unit 138 processes the recurring billing information to continuously charge the customer and transmits the recurring billing information S16 to the terminal device 200. This allows the terminal device 200 to make the customer aware of the recurring billing information.

[0040] In the event of an infrastructure malfunction, the terminal device 200 receives customer input and transmits input information S18 indicating the customer and the item to the management device 100. The input information S18 corresponds to an order request for the item to the management device 100 and the manufacturing plant device 300. Upon receiving the input information, the management device 100 obtains information S20 regarding the inventory status of spare items from the manufacturing plant device 300. The item management unit 136 updates information such as the manufacturing status of the spare items and the number of spare items in stock based on the inventory status information S20.

[0041] The item selection unit 140 determines whether the input information is subject to the contract based on the spare item information, and if it is subject to the contract, it selects a spare item for the item as a replacement. The output unit 120 transmits information S22 indicating the selected replacement to the terminal device 200.

[0042] The terminal device 200 displays information S22 indicating the replacement item and prompts the customer to purchase the replacement item. Upon receiving the customer's request to purchase the replacement item, the terminal device 200 sends a delivery request S24 for the replacement item to the management device 100. The input unit 110 receives the delivery request S24 from the terminal device 200, and the output unit 120 sends a delivery request S26 to the factory equipment 300 in response to the delivery request S24. As a result, the factory equipment 300 accepts the delivery request S26, and the factory staff can ship the replacement item.

[0043] The replacement billing unit 144 transmits purchase billing information S28 to the terminal device 200. Upon receiving the purchase billing information S28, the terminal device 200 presents the customer with the purchase price of the replacement item.

[0044] The following processes may be performed in the processing procedure described above. The item selection unit 140 may use customer information as input information and select replacement items or candidate replacement items based on spare item information. For example, if the customer included in the input information matches the customer included in the spare item information, the item selection unit 140 may determine that the customer has the right to select a spare item as a replacement. If the type of facility, type of equipment, type of device, and type of part included in the input information matches the type of spare item included in the spare item information, the item selection unit 140 may select the matching spare item as a replacement. The item selection unit 140 may propose spare items as replacement candidates. For example, if a customer has ordered multiple spare items, the item selection unit 140 may extract information indicating candidates for spare items that are covered by the contract among the spare items corresponding to the customer, and transmit information indicating the candidates for spare items to the terminal device 200. For example, if there are multiple spare items that correspond to the type of spare item selected by the customer, the item selection unit 140 may extract information indicating candidates for multiple such spare items, and transmit information indicating the candidates for spare items to the terminal device 200.

[0045] The item selection unit 140 may select spare items based on contract information that identifies a contract stored in the contract storage unit 162 or contract information obtained from the terminal device 200, instead of input information based on customer operations. For example, in the event of an abnormality in an infrastructure facility, the item selection unit 140 may acquire contract identification information transmitted from the terminal device 200 to the management device 100 via the input unit 110 and acquire the acquired contract identification information as input information. The item selection unit 140 then selects spare items based on the customer or spare items associated with the contract identification information. The item selection unit 140 determines, for example, that if the customer associated with the contract identification information matches the customer included in the spare item information, that customer has the right to select the spare item as a replacement. The item selection unit 140 also determines, for example, that if the spare item associated with the contract identification information matches the type of spare item included in the spare item information, it selects the matching spare item.

[0046] The terminal device 200 may read a code such as a two-dimensional code attached to equipment or an item, generate item identification information indicating the equipment, device, or part based on the code, and transmit it to the management device 100. When the item selection unit 140 acquires item identification information, it determines whether the equipment, device, or part indicated by the item identification information matches the item information or spare item information included in the contract information. If the item selection unit 140 determines that the item indicated by the item identification information is a spare item, the output unit 120 outputs information to the terminal device 200 indicating that the item indicated by the item identification information is subject to the contract. If the item selection unit 140 determines that the item indicated by the item identification information is included in the item information but is not a spare item, the output unit 120 outputs information to the terminal device 200 indicating that the equipment or item indicated by the item identification information is not subject to the contract.

[0047] As described above, the maintenance service system 1 of the first embodiment can store customer information, item information, and contract information, manage spare item information associated with contract information and spare items, and continuously charge customers based on recurring billing information. The maintenance service system 1 can determine whether input information indicating a customer and an item is subject to a contract based on the spare item information, and if it is subject to a contract, it can select a spare item for the item as a replacement and output information regarding the replacement item.

[0048] As a result, the maintenance service system 1 can prepare spare parts for a customer's infrastructure facilities in stock before any malfunction occurs. Furthermore, when a malfunction occurs in a customer's infrastructure facilities, the maintenance service system 1 can select a replacement part based on the input information. Consequently, customers can have spare parts for their infrastructure facilities stocked individually and receive a rapid supply of spare parts to their infrastructure facilities in the event of a malfunction. In addition, the manufacturer can receive recurring revenue for stocking spare parts for customers' infrastructure facilities.

[0049] Contract information may include contracts that associate the customer, facility, equipment included in the facility, devices included in the facility, items included in the device, and recurring billing information. Spare item information is information that the customer's facilities, equipment, devices, or parts are designated as spare items. Customer facilities include, for example, power plants, transmission and distribution facilities, factories, and buildings. The item selection unit 140 determines whether the input information, which further includes information indicating the customer's facilities, is subject to the contract based on the spare item information. If it is subject to the contract, it selects a spare item for that item as a replacement. In this embodiment, the contract in the contract information defines the right to receive spare items during the contract period.

[0050] Furthermore, contract information may be information indicating contracts associated with recurring billing information for each customer, equipment, device, or part or combination of part included in the device. Spare parts information is information in which equipment, devices, or parts or combinations of parts included in the device are set as spare parts. The item selection unit 140 determines whether a component included in the input information is subject to the contract based on the spare item information, and if it is subject to the contract, it selects the component as a replacement part.

[0051] Furthermore, contract information may be information indicating a contract associated with customers, equipment, devices, parts, and recurring billing information. Examples of equipment include generators, transformers, switches, air conditioning systems, and elevators. Spare parts information is information that describes equipment or parts of equipment that have been designated as spare parts. The item selection unit 140 determines whether the input information, which further includes information indicating the device, is subject to the contract based on the spare item information, and if it is subject to the contract, it selects a spare item for the item as a replacement.

[0052] (Second Embodiment) The second embodiment will be described below. The same reference numerals will be used for parts identical to those in the first embodiment. Figure 6 shows an example of the maintenance service system 1A in the second embodiment. The maintenance service system 1A of the second embodiment comprises one or more inventory facility devices 500. The inventory facility device 500 is an information processing device such as a smartphone or personal computer operated by the person in charge of the inventory facility. The inventory facility device 500 comprises an inventory management unit 502. The inventory management unit 502 is a functional unit realized by a CPU executing a program. In addition to the maintenance service system 1 of the first embodiment, the maintenance service system 1A of the second embodiment comprises a deadline calculation unit 146, a management unit 148, a shipping arrangement unit 150, and an inventory storage unit 168. The inventory management unit 502 manages information for identifying spare items brought into the inventory facility, for example.

[0053] In the maintenance service system 1A of the second embodiment, the item management unit 136 of the control unit 130A manages spare item information, which is associated with spare items, which are items held in accordance with the contract, and storage location information indicating the storage location of the spare items. The storage location information is, for example, information indicating the location of the inventory facility where the spare items are stored as inventory. The storage location information is stored in association with spare items based on information for identifying spare items transmitted from, for example, the inventory facility device 500. The output unit 120 outputs the storage location information based on the spare item information of the replacement item. The storage unit 160A includes an inventory storage unit 168 that stores storage location information indicating the storage location of spare items for each customer and spare item.

[0054] Figure 7 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the processing procedure in the maintenance service system 1A in the second embodiment. When the manufacturing plant device 300 receives a manufacturing request S12 from the reception unit 302, the manufacturing plant carries out tasks such as manufacturing and inventory management of the goods, and the manufactured goods are transported to the inventory facility. The manufacturing plant device 300 updates the spare item information by associating storage location information indicating the location of the inventory facility with the spare item, and outputs information for identifying the spare item and an inventory request S30 to the inventory facility device 500. The inventory facility device 500 receives the inventory request S30 from the manufacturing plant device 300 and registers information for identifying the spare item. In addition, the manufacturing management unit 304 transmits information S14 regarding the inventory status, such as the storage location of the spare item, to the management device 100. As a result, the management device 100 can update the storage location information of the spare item via the item management unit 136.

[0055] In the event of an abnormality in the infrastructure facility, the terminal device 200 receives customer operations and transmits input information S18 indicating the customer and the item to the management device 100. The management device 100 transmits input information S18 to the manufacturing plant device 300, and the manufacturing plant device 300 may transmit information S32 to the inventory facility device 500 to inquire about the inventory of goods. The inventory facility device 500 sends a response S34 to the manufacturing plant device 300 indicating whether or not the item being inquired about is in stock. As a result, the management device 100 obtains information S20 regarding the inventory status of spare goods from the manufacturing plant device 300. Based on the inventory status information S20, the goods management unit 136 updates information such as the manufacturing status of spare goods, the number of spare goods in stock, and the location of the spare goods in stock.

[0056] The item selection unit 140 determines whether the input information is subject to the contract based on the spare item information, and if it is subject to the contract, it selects a spare item for the item as a replacement. The output unit 120 transmits information indicating the selected replacement item and storage location information S36 where the replacement item is stored to the terminal device 200.

[0057] The terminal device 200 displays information indicating the replacement item and storage location information S36 where the replacement item is stored, prompting the customer to purchase the replacement item. At this time, the terminal device 200 displays storage location information for spare items, allowing the customer to select a replacement item considering factors such as the distance to the exchange location and transportation time. According to such a maintenance service system 1A, the location of spare parts storage can be shown to the customer, and arrangements can be made for the delivery of replacement parts.

[0058] The control unit 130A of the maintenance service system 1A may include a deadline calculation unit 146, a management unit 148, and a shipping arrangement unit 150.

[0059] The contract information may include a delivery guarantee period indicating the time until the replacement product is delivered. The output unit 120 may output the delivery guarantee period or information based on the delivery guarantee period. Information based on the delivery guarantee period is, for example, information indicating the number of days until delivery, calculated from the date of payment of the purchase cost.

[0060] The deadline calculation unit 146 uses the purchase payment date obtained as input information as the starting date and calculates the shipping deadline from the number of days until delivery from the starting date. The output unit 120 outputs the shipping deadline for the replacement item.

[0061] The spare parts information may include the notification address of the supplier of the spare parts. For example, the notification address of the supplier of the spare parts may be the address information of the factory equipment 300 corresponding to the factory that manufactured the spare parts, or the address information of the inventory facility equipment 500 corresponding to the inventory location where the spare parts are stored. The output unit 120 outputs information about the replacement parts and information indicating the delivery guarantee period or delivery guarantee period to the notification address of the supplier. This allows the person in charge at the factory or inventory facility to be notified of the delivery guarantee period or delivery guarantee period for the replacement parts.

[0062] The contract information may include a warranty period indicating the time until the replacement item is replaced. The output unit 120 outputs the warranty period or information based on the warranty period to the terminal device 200. The information based on the warranty period is information indicating the replacement deadline. The replacement deadline is determined, for example, by the number of days from the date of payment of the replacement cost.

[0063] The expiration date calculation unit 146 may calculate the replacement expiration date based on the input start date and the replacement warranty period. The output unit 120 outputs the replacement expiration date for the replacement item.

[0064] The spare item information may include notification recipient information indicating the recipient of the notification. The output unit 120 outputs information about the replacement item to the notification recipient based on the notification recipient information. The notification recipients may be, for example, the customer, the facility manager of the infrastructure facility, the maintenance company that performs the replacement work, the storage location of the replacement item, the system manager, or the sales representative. The information about the replacement item may include, for example, information identifying the replacement item, information identifying the facility, equipment, device, or part, the delivery guarantee period, the scheduled or status of shipment, and the expected recovery date.

[0065] The management unit 148 performs the process of managing the shipment of replacement parts. The process of managing the shipment of replacement parts includes registering and updating information indicating the shipment status, such as the customer, notification recipient, type of spare part, number of spare parts, request date, scheduled shipment date, shipment date, delivery status, and delivery date. Notification recipients include the customer, the person in charge at the customer's facility (power plant, factory, building), or the contractor that repairs the equipment, and the customer's person in charge. The output unit 120 outputs information indicating the shipment status of the replacement parts to the notification recipients.

[0066] The spare parts information may include shipping information indicating the destination and origin of the spare parts. The destination may be the customer, the location of the infrastructure facility, the maintenance provider, or an individually designated destination. The shipping arrangement unit 150 arranges for the shipment of replacement parts to the origin based on the contract information and shipping information. For example, the shipping arrangement unit 150 outputs a request to the spare parts origin to ship the spare parts as stipulated in the contract, and outputs the shipping status of the spare parts to the spare parts destination. The contract information may include a delivery guarantee period indicating the deadline for providing replacement goods. The shipping arrangement unit 150 outputs the delivery guarantee period or information based on the said delivery guarantee period.

[0067] The shipping arrangement unit 150 may output information indicating that the spare items are subject to the contract and priority information indicating that they should be delivered preferentially when arranging the shipment of spare items. The shipping arrangement unit 150 may include information indicating that the spare items are subject to recurring billing in the information requesting the spare item supplier to ship the spare items. This allows the management device 100 to make the supplier aware that the items should be delivered immediately. The shipping arrangement unit 150 may also include information indicating that the spare items are subject to recurring billing in the information sent to the spare item destination. This allows the management device 100 to make the destination aware that the spare items subject to the contract are being shipped.

[0068] (Third embodiment) The third embodiment will be described below. The same reference numerals will be used for parts identical to those in the embodiments described above. Figure 8 shows an example of the maintenance service system 1B in the third embodiment. In the maintenance service system 1B, the output unit 120B comprises a first output unit 122 and a second output unit 124.

[0069] Figure 9 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a processing procedure in the maintenance service system 1 in the third embodiment. The first output unit 122 determines whether an item is subject to a contract based on the reserve item information, based on the input customer and item information S40, and outputs the item and the item information S42 indicating that it is subject to a contract if it is subject to a contract. For example, in normal operation, the first output unit 122 outputs information indicating that an item is subject to recurring billing in response to customer and item information transmitted from the terminal device 200. This allows customers to check which items are subject to recurring billing. In addition, the person in charge at the manufacturing plant can output customer and item information to the management device 100 and check the inventory of items subject to recurring billing output from the first output unit 122.

[0070] The item selection unit 140 of the control unit 130B, for example in the event of an abnormality, determines whether an item is subject to the contract based on the backup item information, using the input customer and item information S18, and selects the item as a replacement if it is subject to the contract. The second output unit 124 outputs replacement item information S22 relating to the replacement item selected by the item selection unit 140. As a result, the maintenance service system 1B can, for example, output information indicating spare items subject to recurring billing during normal times, and output information indicating replacement items in the event of an abnormality.

[0071] The first output unit 122 may output recurring billing information based on contract information for the input customer information. The recurring billing information may include, for example, monthly fees, contract start and end dates, contract period, usage period, billing history, and billing address.

[0072] Furthermore, the first output unit 122 may output item information indicating the items covered by the contract based on the contract information in response to the input customer information. The item information may be a list of the parts covered by the contract, and the information corresponding to each item may be the item name, the type of item, and the target device in the infrastructure facility.

[0073] Furthermore, the first output unit 122 may output information regarding spare items based on the spare item information in response to the input customer information. The information regarding spare items may include information such as the name of the item, the date of manufacture, the target device, the storage location, and the date the item was put into storage, for items that are the subject of the contract and have already been manufactured at the factory.

[0074] Furthermore, the contract information may be associated with the customer, the customer's facilities, equipment, equipment parts, and recurring billing information, and the first output unit 122 may output information indicating whether the facilities, equipment, parts, and each part are subject to the contract, in relation to the input customer information.

[0075] Furthermore, the contract information is associated with the customer, the customer's facility, the goods related to the customer's facility, and the recurring billing information. The first output unit 122 may output the recurring billing information and the goods subject to the contract based on the contract information for the input facility information.

[0076] Furthermore, the first output unit 122 may output item information indicating the items covered by the contract for the equipment within the facility, based on the contract information, in response to the input information indicating the facility.

[0077] Furthermore, the first output unit 122 may output information regarding spare items for equipment within a facility based on the spare item information, in response to the input information indicating the facility.

[0078] Furthermore, the first output unit 122 may output information indicating whether or not each piece of equipment within the facility is covered by a contract, based on the contract information or spare item information, in response to the input facility information. At this time, the item selection unit 140 determines whether or not the input facility information is included in the item information in the contract information, or whether or not the input facility information is included in the spare items in the spare item information.

[0079] Furthermore, the contract information is associated with the customer, the items related to the customer's equipment, and the recurring billing information. The first output unit 122 may output the recurring billing information and item information indicating the items covered by the contract, based on the contract information, for the input information indicating the equipment.

[0080] Furthermore, the first output unit 122 may output item information indicating the items covered by the contract for the equipment, based on the contract information, in response to the input information indicating the equipment.

[0081] Furthermore, the first output unit 122 may output information regarding spare parts for the equipment based on the spare parts information in response to the input information indicating the equipment.

[0082] Furthermore, the first output unit 122 may output information indicating whether or not each component of the input equipment is subject to a contract, based on contract information or spare parts information. At this time, the parts selection unit 140 determines whether or not the input equipment information is included in the parts information in the contract information, or whether or not the input equipment information is included in the spare parts information.

[0083] (Fourth embodiment) The fourth embodiment will be described below. The same reference numerals will be used for parts identical to those in the embodiments described above. Figure 10 shows an example of the maintenance service system 1C in the fourth embodiment. In the fourth embodiment, the control unit 130C includes, for example, a setting unit 132C, an item management unit 136, and a recurring billing unit 138. The configuration unit 132C determines the recurring charges under the contract for holding the goods as inventory for the customer's equipment, based on at least one of the following: risk (failure rate), purchase price, and contract period. The risk for the goods is, for example, the failure rate during a standard service life.

[0084] The setting unit 132C sets the recurring charge higher for items with a high failure rate and lower for items with a low failure rate. The setting unit 132C sets the recurring charge higher for items with a high purchase price and lower for items with a low purchase price. The setting unit 132C sets the recurring charge lower for items with a long contract period and higher for items with a short contract period. The setting unit 132C may determine the recurring charge based on all of the risk, purchase price, and contract period, or it may determine the recurring charge based on a combination of two of the risk, purchase price, and contract period. Furthermore, the setting unit 132C may determine the recurring charge by multiplying the risk, purchase price, and contract period by different weighting coefficients depending on the importance of the risk, purchase price, and contract period. Furthermore, the setting unit 132C may set the recurring billing fee lower the higher the failure rate (replacement frequency). This allows for securing more contracts for items with high failure rates, thereby improving inventory turnover (number of units sold).

[0085] If there are multiple types of spare items for a customer, the setting unit 132C may determine a recurring charge for each type of spare item. The setting unit 132C determines the recurring charge for each spare item based on the risk, purchase price, and contract period for each type of spare item, and determines the total recurring charge for each customer as the sum of the recurring charges for multiple spare items.

[0086] The inventory management unit 136 processes information on spare items, which are items held as inventory. The recurring billing unit 138 processes the recurring billing charges determined by the setting unit 132C to be charged continuously.

[0087] The configuration unit 132C may calculate the contract period based on the recurring billing fee. The configuration unit 132C may calculate the recurring billing fee for each spare item based on the risk, purchase price, and contract period for each type of spare item, and transmit information indicating the calculated recurring billing fee to the terminal device 200. The configuration unit 132C calculates the contract period based on the information obtained from the terminal device 200 that changes the recurring billing fee. This allows the configuration unit 132C to consider the contract period when the recurring billing fee is adjusted by the customer.

[0088] Figure 11 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the processing procedure in the maintenance service system 1C in the fourth embodiment. First, the terminal device 200 transmits contract information S10# to the management device 100 during normal operation. The contract information S10# includes, for example, information indicating the items related to the equipment of the customer subject to the contract, and information indicating the contract period. The management device 100 stores the contract information S10# in the storage unit 160A. The configuration unit 132C determines the recurring charge based on the contract for holding goods as inventory, based on at least one of the risks and purchase price of the goods covered by the contract, and the contract period. The recurring charge unit 138 processes the recurring charge to the customer based on the recurring charge information indicating the determined recurring charge, and transmits the recurring charge information S16 to the terminal device 200. This allows the terminal device 200 to make the customer aware of the recurring charge information.

[0089] The output unit 120 outputs a manufacturing request S12 to the manufacturing plant device 300 based on the contract information S10. The manufacturing plant device 300 receives the manufacturing request S12 via the reception unit 302. At the manufacturing plant, tasks such as manufacturing and inventory management of goods are carried out. When spare goods are manufactured, the manufacturing management unit 304 transmits information S14 regarding the inventory status of spare goods to the management device 100. This allows the management device 100 to update the inventory status of spare goods via the goods management unit 136.

[0090] In the event of an infrastructure malfunction, the terminal device 200 receives customer input and transmits input information S18 indicating the customer and the item to the management device 100. The input information S18 corresponds to an order request for the item to the management device 100 and the manufacturing plant device 300. Upon receiving the input information, the management device 100 obtains information S20 regarding the inventory status of spare items from the manufacturing plant device 300. The item management unit 136 updates information such as the manufacturing status of the spare items and the number of spare items in stock based on the inventory status information S20.

[0091] The item selection unit 140 determines whether the input information is subject to the contract based on the spare item information, and if it is subject to the contract, it selects a spare item for the item as a replacement. The output unit 120 transmits information S22 indicating the selected replacement to the terminal device 200.

[0092] The terminal device 200 displays information S22 indicating the replacement item and prompts the customer to purchase the replacement item. Upon receiving the customer's request to purchase the replacement item, the terminal device 200 sends a delivery request S24 for the replacement item to the management device 100. The input unit 110 receives the delivery request S24 from the terminal device 200, and the output unit 120 sends a delivery request S26 to the factory equipment 300 in response to the delivery request S24. As a result, the factory equipment 300 accepts the delivery request S26, and the factory staff can ship the replacement item.

[0093] The replacement billing unit 144 transmits purchase billing information S28 to the terminal device 200. Upon receiving the purchase billing information S28, the terminal device 200 presents the customer with the purchase price of the replacement item.

[0094] Figure 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the process for determining the recurring billing fee in the maintenance service system 1C in the fourth embodiment. First, the setting unit 132C acquires, for example, customer information, equipment information including information on one or more items, and contract information including contract period information (step ST100). Next, the setting unit 132C calculates the risk of the contracted goods based on the equipment information (step ST102). Next, the setting unit 132C determines the recurring charge based on at least one of the following: the risk, the purchase price of the contracted goods, and the contract period (step ST104).

[0095] The configuration unit 132C may determine the recurring charge based on the number of customers who have contracts for spare goods. The configuration unit 132C determines the recurring charge based on at least one of the following: risk, purchase price of the contracted goods, and contract period, and the number of customers. The configuration unit 132C determines a lower recurring charge the more customers who have contracts for spare goods, and a higher recurring charge the fewer customers there are.

[0096] Figure 13 is a flowchart showing an example of another process for determining the recurring billing fee in the maintenance service system 1C in the fourth embodiment. First, the setting unit 132C acquires, for example, customer information, equipment information including information on one or more items, and contract information including contract period information (step ST200). Here, the items related to the customer's equipment include at least one type of item out of several types.

[0097] Next, the setting unit 132C calculates the risk of the contracted goods based on the equipment information (step ST202). The setting unit 132C calculates the risk for each type of contracted goods. For example, if the risk is set in stages according to the type of goods, equipment, or facilities, the setting unit 132 determines the risk according to the type of goods, equipment, or facilities.

[0098] Next, the setting unit 132C sets the contract period for each type of item based on the risk calculated for each type of item subject to the contract (step ST204). The setting unit 132C may set a shorter contract period for high-risk item types and a longer contract period for low-risk item types, based on the contract period information included in the contract information. Next, the setting unit 132C determines the recurring charge based on at least one of the following: the risk for each type of goods covered by the contract, the purchase price for each type of goods covered by the contract, and the contract period for each type of goods covered by the contract (step ST206).

[0099] Next, the setting unit 132C determines the recurring charges that include multiple types of items included in the equipment information (step ST208). The setting unit 132C determines the recurring charges by summing the recurring charges for each type of item subject to the contract.

[0100] Figure 14 is a flowchart showing an example of another process for determining the recurring billing fee in the maintenance service system 1C in the fourth embodiment. First, the setting unit 132C acquires contract information, including, for example, customer information, information on one or more items, and contract period information (step ST300). Next, the setting unit 132C calculates the risk of the contracted goods based on the goods information (step ST302). Next, the setting unit 132C aggregates the number of customers who have contracts corresponding to the goods (step ST304).

[0101] Next, the setting unit 132C determines the number of spare items based on the number of customers and the risk for each item (step ST306). The setting unit 132 increases the number of spare items the more customers there are. The setting unit 132 also increases the number of spare items the higher the risk. Next, the setting unit 132C calculates the spare item cost (step ST308) based on the number of spare items and the purchase price of the spare items determined in step ST306. The spare item cost is the cost necessary to maintain the determined number of spare items, including, for example, manufacturing costs and inventory costs. Next, the setting unit 132C determines the recurring charge based on the spare item cost and the number of customers calculated in step ST308 (step ST310). The setting unit 132C determines the recurring charge for each customer, for example, by dividing the spare item cost by the number of customers. In addition, if the number of items contracted differs for each customer, the setting unit 132 determines the recurring charge according to the number of items contracted for each customer.

[0102] Next, the setting unit 132C acquires environmental information for the contracted goods (step ST312). The setting unit 132C acquires environmental information for the goods based on the location information of the customer's infrastructure facilities from the terminal device 200, for example. For example, if infrastructure facilities are installed near the sea, the failure rate will be higher than infrastructure facilities installed far from the sea. If infrastructure facilities are installed in areas with high temperatures, the failure rate will be higher than infrastructure facilities installed in areas with low temperatures. If infrastructure facilities are installed in mountainous areas or other locations where maintenance services (such as visual inspections) cannot be performed regularly, the failure rate will be higher than infrastructure facilities where maintenance services are performed regularly. The setting unit 132C updates the recurring billing fee as determined in step ST310, so that the higher the failure rate of the goods for the infrastructure facilities due to the environment, the higher the recurring billing fee (step ST314). The setting unit 132C does not need to update the recurring billing fee based on environmental information for goods whose failure rate does not increase due to the environment.

[0103] The configuration unit 132C acquires information indicating the usage status of maintenance services for the customer's facilities or equipment (step ST316). Information indicating the usage status of maintenance services may include, for example, the inspection history of infrastructure facilities and the history of periodic parts replacement at infrastructure facilities. The usage status of maintenance services may include confirmation that payment of recurring charges for spare parts has already been made. The configuration unit 132C discounts the recurring charges for equipment based on the customer's use of maintenance services for the equipment (step ST318). If the customer is using maintenance services, the configuration unit 132C updates the recurring charges for new spare parts to be lower. The configuration unit 132C also acquires the inspection history and parts replacement history of each customer's infrastructure facilities, and if the customer is using maintenance services based on the inspection history and parts replacement history, the failure rate of the infrastructure facilities decreases, so the configuration unit 132C updates the recurring charges to be lower.

[0104] As described above, according to the maintenance service system 1C of the fourth embodiment, a recurring charge can be determined for items related to the customer's equipment based on at least one of the risk, purchase price, and contract period, spare item information indicating spare items can be managed, and the recurring charge can be continuously billed. According to this maintenance service system 1C, a recurring charge can be appropriately set to provide maintenance services for the customer's equipment.

[0105] Although various embodiments and modifications have been described, they are merely examples and not limiting. For example, one embodiment or modification, or a part of one embodiment or modification, may be combined with one or more other embodiments or modifications to realize one aspect of the present invention.

[0106] The various aspects of this disclosure may be described below as follows. (Note 1) A contract storage unit that stores contract information indicating a contract associated with a customer, goods related to the customer's equipment, and recurring billing information, A spare item management department manages spare item information associated with the spare item, which is the item held in accordance with the aforementioned contract, and the storage location of the spare item. Based on the recurring billing information, the recurring billing section will continue to charge, An item selection unit determines, based on the spare item information, whether the input information indicating the customer and the item is subject to the contract, and if it is subject to the contract, selects a spare item for the item as a replacement item. Based on the spare item information of the replacement item, an output unit outputs the replacement item and the storage location information representing the storage location of the replacement item, A maintenance service system equipped with the following features. (Note 2) The aforementioned contract information includes a delivery guarantee period indicating the time until the replacement product is delivered. The output unit outputs the delivery guarantee period or information based on the delivery guarantee period. The maintenance service system described in (Appendix 1). (Note 3) The system includes a deadline calculation unit that calculates the shipping deadline based on the entered start date and the delivery guarantee period. The output unit outputs the shipping deadline for the replacement product. The maintenance service system described in (Appendix 2). (Note 4) The spare item information includes the contact information of the supplier of the spare item. The output unit outputs information regarding the replacement product and the delivery guarantee period or information based on the delivery guarantee period to the recipient of notification from the shipping source. (Note 2) Maintenance service system. (Note 5) The aforementioned contract information includes a warranty period indicating the time until the replacement item is replaced. The output unit outputs the warranty period or information based on the warranty period. (Note 1) Maintenance service system. (Note 6) The system includes a deadline calculation unit that calculates the replacement deadline based on the input start date and the aforementioned replacement guarantee period. The output unit outputs the replacement deadline date for the replacement item. The maintenance service system described in (Appendix 5). (Note 7) The aforementioned spare item information includes the recipient of notification. The output unit outputs information regarding the replacement product to the recipient based on the recipient information. The maintenance service system described in (Appendix 1). (Note 8) The system includes a management unit for managing the shipment of the aforementioned replacement parts, The recipients of the notification include the customer, the person in charge of the customer's facility, or the contractor who repairs the equipment, and the person in charge of the customer. The output unit outputs information indicating the shipping status of the replacement product to the notification recipient. The maintenance service system described in (Appendix 7). (Note 9) The spare item information includes shipping information indicating the destination and origin of the spare item. The system includes a shipping arrangement unit that arranges for the shipment of the replacement product to the supplier based on the contract information and the shipping information. The aforementioned contract information includes a delivery guarantee period indicating the timeframe for providing the replacement product. The aforementioned shipping arrangement unit outputs the delivery guarantee period or information based on the delivery guarantee period. The maintenance service system described in (Appendix 1). (Note 10) The aforementioned shipping arrangement unit outputs information indicating that the item is subject to the contract and priority information indicating that it should be delivered preferentially, as described in (Appendix 9) of the maintenance service system. (Note 11) A contract storage unit that stores contract information indicating a contract associated with a customer, goods related to the customer's equipment, and recurring billing information, A goods management unit manages spare goods information which is associated with the aforementioned contract information and the aforementioned spare goods which are the aforementioned items held in accordance with the aforementioned contract, Based on the recurring billing information, the recurring billing section will continue to charge, A first output unit that, based on the input customer and item information, determines whether an item is subject to the contract based on the backup item information, and outputs the item and information indicating that it is subject to the contract if it is subject to the contract. An item selection unit that, based on the information indicating the customer and the item that has been entered, determines whether the item is subject to the contract based on the spare item information, and if it is subject to the contract, selects the item as a replacement item. A second output unit that outputs replacement information regarding the aforementioned replacement item, A maintenance service system equipped with the following features. (Note 12) The maintenance service system described in (Appendix 11), wherein the first output unit outputs the recurring billing information based on the contract information for the input customer information. (Note 13) The maintenance service system described in (Appendix 12), wherein the first output unit outputs item information indicating the items subject to the contract based on the contract information in response to the input customer information. (Note 14) The maintenance service system described in (Appendix 12), wherein the first output unit outputs information relating to spare items based on the spare item information in response to the input customer information. (Note 15) The aforementioned contract information is associated with the customer, the customer's facilities, equipment, equipment parts, and recurring billing information. The maintenance service system described in (Appendix 12), wherein the first output unit outputs information indicating whether or not a facility, equipment, part, and each part are subject to the contract, in response to the input customer information. (Note 16) The aforementioned contract information is associated with the customer, the customer's facilities, items related to the customer's equipment, and recurring billing information. The maintenance service system (see Appendix 11) wherein the first output unit outputs, based on the contract information, the billing information and item information indicating the items subject to the contract, in response to the input facility information. (Note 17) The maintenance service system described in (Appendix 16), wherein the first output unit outputs item information indicating the items covered by the contract for the equipment within the facility, based on the contract information, in response to the input information indicating the facility. (Note 18) The maintenance service system described in (Appendix 16), wherein the first output unit outputs information regarding spare items for equipment within a facility based on the spare item information, in response to the input information indicating the facility. (Note 19) The first output unit outputs information indicating whether or not each piece of equipment within the facility includes the items covered by the contract, based on the contract information or the spare item information, in response to the input facility information. The maintenance service system described in (Appendix 16). (Note 20) The aforementioned contract information is associated with the customer, items related to the customer's equipment, and recurring billing information. The maintenance service system described in (Appendix 11), wherein the first output unit outputs, based on the contract information, the continuous billing information and item information indicating the items subject to the contract, in response to the input information indicating the equipment. (Note 21) The maintenance service system described in (Appendix 20), wherein the first output unit outputs item information indicating the items covered by the contract for the equipment, based on the contract information, in response to the input information indicating the equipment. (Note 22) The maintenance service system described in (Appendix 20), wherein the first output unit outputs information relating to spare parts for the equipment based on the spare parts information in response to the input information indicating the equipment. (Note 23) The maintenance service system described in (Appendix 20), wherein the first output unit outputs information indicating whether or not each component of the equipment is subject to the contract, based on the contract information or the spare parts information, in response to the input information indicating the equipment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0107] 1, 1A, 1B, 1C…Maintenance service system, 100…Management device, 110…Input unit, 120, 120B…Output unit, 122…First output unit, 124…Second output unit, 130, 130A, 130B, 130C…Control unit, 132, 132C…Setting unit, 134…Contract unit, 136, 136C…Item management unit, 138, 138C…Continuous billing unit, 140…Item selection unit, 142…Output control unit, 144…Exchange billing unit, 146…Expiration date calculation Departments: 148...Management Department, 150...Shipping Arrangement Department, 160, 160A...Storage Department, 162...Contract Storage Department, 164...Recurring Billing Storage Department, 166...Purchase Cost Storage Department, 168...Inventory Storage Department, 200...Terminal Devices, 202...Terminal Input Department, 204...Terminal Output Department, 206...Terminal Control Unit, 208...Terminal Storage Department, 300...Manufacturing Plant Devices, 302...Reception Department, 304...Manufacturing Management Department, 400...Infrastructure Facilities, 500...Inventory Facility Devices, 502...Inventory Management Department

Claims

1. A setting unit that determines a recurring charge based on a contract that allows the customer to purchase an item that is part of the customer's equipment or a device or component included in said equipment, based on the risk of said item, The goods management department manages spare goods information, which indicates the spare goods that are held as inventory, A recurring billing unit that continuously charges the aforementioned recurring fee, A maintenance service system equipped with the following features.

2. If the aforementioned article is of multiple types, The maintenance service system according to claim 1, wherein the setting unit determines a recurring charge based on the risk for each type of item.

3. The maintenance service system according to claim 1, wherein the setting unit determines the recurring billing fee based on the number of customers who have contracts corresponding to the spare items.

4. The maintenance service system according to claim 1, wherein the setting unit determines the number of spare items according to the risk for each item and the number of customers who have a contract corresponding to the spare items, calculates the spare item cost according to the number of spare items and the purchase price of the spare items, and determines the recurring charge based on the spare item cost and the number of customers.

5. The maintenance service system according to claim 1, wherein the setting unit determines the contract period based on the recurring billing fee.

6. The maintenance service system according to claim 1, wherein the setting unit determines the recurring charge for the spare items related to the equipment based on the usage status of the maintenance service for the equipment.

7. The maintenance service system according to claim 1, wherein the setting unit determines the recurring charge for the spare items related to the equipment based on environmental information indicating the environment of the equipment.

8. The maintenance service system according to claim 1, wherein the setting unit sets the recurring billing fee higher the higher the risk.

9. The maintenance service system according to claim 1, wherein the setting unit sets the recurring billing fee lower the higher the risk.

10. The management device determines a recurring charge based on a contract that allows the customer to purchase an item that is part of the customer's equipment or equipment or component included in said equipment, based on the risk of said item. The management device manages spare item information indicating the spare items that are held as inventory, The management device performs the step of continuously charging the recurring billing fee, A method for handling maintenance services, including [specific details omitted].

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