Maintenance service system and maintenance service processing method

Abstract

A maintenance service system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a contract memory unit that stores contract information indicating a contract to which customer information, item information, and recurring billing information are associated; an item management unit that manages spare item information to which the contract information is associated with spare items; a continuous billing unit that continuously charges customers based on the recurring billing information; an item selection unit that determines whether input information indicating a customer and an item is subject to the contract based on the spare item information, and if so, selects a spare item for the item as a replacement item; and an output unit that outputs information regarding the replacement item.

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] In infrastructure facilities such as power facilities, building facilities, and railway facilities, when the equipment stops due to an abnormality, the loss due to the stop of the infrastructure facilities tends to be large. For example, the equipment of the infrastructure facilities is not so-called mass-produced product, and there may be cases where parts for maintenance are not in stock, and it takes time to restore the equipment, so the loss may be large. In addition, if the service of the infrastructure facilities is stopped for a long period of time due to the failure of the equipment, it will cause inconvenience to many people and may also reduce trust. Technologies related to maintenance services for restoring infrastructure facilities are known, for example, as described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 below.

[0003] The reservation rights contract system of Patent Document 1 clearly indicates the period until the spare parts are delivered to a customer who has signed a contract for the prompt delivery of spare parts. The reservation rights contract system issues reservation rights for spare parts to a business operator to replace equipment included in a site operated by the business operator, and when it receives a request to replace the equipment from the business operator who has the reservation rights, it checks the stock of spare parts, and if the spare parts are not in stock, it obtains a delivery date for new spare parts from the manufacturer and calculates the period until the spare parts are delivered to the business operator's site.

[0004] The plant spare parts supply system described in Patent Document 2 divides plant owners into groups according to similar evaluation parameters that indicate the probability of failure of each part, determines a contract fee to be shared equally by plant owners belonging to the same group for the cost of manufacturing a specific spare part according to the number of plant owners, and publicly solicits participants. Meanwhile, the plant spare parts supply system collects accident information from accident-prone plants in an accident information collection system, makes the necessary arrangements for repairs, calculates the difference between the cost of manufacturing the spare parts and the burden of the owner of the accident-prone plant, charges the owner of the accident-prone plant for this difference, and refunds the difference in installments according to the number of plant owners who did not use the spare parts. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-191025 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2004-199303 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, the reservation right contract system described in Patent Document 1 issues reservation rights for spare parts to a business operator, but calculates the period until the spare parts are delivered to the business operator's site when the spare parts are not in stock, etc., so there is a possibility that losses will increase due to the infrastructure equipment being stopped during the period until the spare parts are delivered. Also, the spare parts supply system described in Patent Document 2 forms a group with multiple plant owners, and determines a contract fee for the costs required for the production of a specific spare part to be borne equally by plant owners belonging to the same group according to the number of plant owners, so there is a problem that when 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 reservation rights contract system described in Patent Document 1 targets main transformers managed by IPPs (independent power producers), and does not take into consideration the replacement of multiple types of parts. In addition, the technology described in Patent Document 2 forms groups in which evaluation parameters that represent the probability of damage, etc. of each part are similar, so if multiple types of parts are considered, the number of plant owners belonging to the group may be reduced, which causes a problem of further increasing the cost burden.

[0008] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a maintenance service system and a maintenance service processing method that prepares an inventory of parts for facilities, etc. for each customer and can quickly supply parts to the facilities, etc. in the event of an abnormality. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and one aspect of the present disclosure is a maintenance service system including: a contract memory unit that stores customer information indicating a customer, item information indicating an item of the customer, and contract information indicating a contract to which recurring billing information is associated; an item management unit that manages spare item information that associates the contract information with spare items, which are the items held according to the contract; a continuous billing unit that continuously charges the customer based on the recurring billing information; an item selection unit that determines whether input information indicating a customer and an item is subject to the contract based on the spare item information, and if it is subject to the contract, selects a spare item for the item as a replacement item; and an output unit that outputs information regarding the replacement item.

[0010] Another aspect of the present disclosure is a method for processing maintenance service, including the steps of: an information processing device storing customer information indicating a customer, item information indicating an item of the customer, and contract information indicating a contract with which recurring billing information is associated; a step by the information processing device managing spare item information in which the contract information is associated with spare items, which are the items held in accordance with the contract; a step by the information processing device continuously charging the customer based on the recurring billing information; a step by the information processing device determining whether input information indicating a customer and an item is subject to the contract based on the spare item information, and if it is subject to the contract, selecting a spare item for the item as a replacement item; and a step by the information processing device outputting information regarding the replacement item. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present disclosure, an inventory of parts for facilities can be prepared for each customer, and parts can be quickly supplied to the facility in the event of an abnormality. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a maintenance service system 1 according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a maintenance service according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an infrastructure facility 400 according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the terminal device 200 for creating input information in the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] 4 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a processing procedure in the maintenance service system 1 in the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a maintenance service system 1A in a second embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a processing procedure in a maintenance service system 1A in the second embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a maintenance service system 1B in a third embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a processing procedure in the maintenance service system 1 in the third embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a maintenance service system 1C in a fourth embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a processing procedure in a maintenance service system 1C in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 12] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a process for determining a recurring charging fee in a maintenance service system 1C in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 13] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of another process for determining a recurring charging fee in the maintenance service system 1C in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 14] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of another process for determining a recurring charging fee in the maintenance service system 1C in the fourth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

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

[0014] (First embodiment) 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a maintenance service system 1 in a first embodiment. The maintenance service system 1 includes, for example, a management device 100, a plurality of terminal devices 200, and a plurality of factory devices 300. In the following description, the plurality of terminal devices will be collectively referred to as "terminal devices 200", and the plurality of factory devices will be collectively referred to as "factory devices 300".

[0015] The management device 100, the terminal device 200, and the factory device 300 each 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 a maintenance service. The maintenance service is a service in which spare items are prepared for a customer and the spare items are sold as replacement items in response to a customer's request. The spare items are equipment, devices, parts, etc. included in a facility operated by a customer, and are items that are in stock before an abnormality occurs. The replacement items are the spare items that are sold to a customer to restore a facility in which an abnormality has occurred. The process for realizing the maintenance service includes managing the inventory of spare parts based on the contract concluded with the customer, continuously charging the customer, and processing for the customer to purchase spare parts when an abnormality occurs. The terminal device 200 is an information processing device such as a smartphone owned by the customer who operates the facility. The factory device 300 is an information processing device operated by a person in charge of the factory that produces various items included in the facility. In the embodiment, the facility will be described as an infrastructure facility, but the present invention is not limited to this and can be applied to facilities other than infrastructure facilities.

[0017] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a maintenance service according to the first embodiment. In the embodiment, the customer enters into a contract that specifies 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 request. In Fig. 2, the upper part shows the flow from contract to delivery of the maintenance service in the first embodiment, and the lower part shows the flow from order to delivery of the goods not covered by the maintenance service contract. As shown in the upper part of FIG. 2, in the maintenance service of the first embodiment, when a contract is concluded at time t1, the factory performs a series of operations such as arranging materials, manufacturing, and inventorying for spare items related to the contract. Then, when an order for spare items related to the contract is received at time t2 in response to a request from a customer, the factory delivers the spare items related to the contract to the customer by time t3. On the other hand, as shown in the lower part of FIG. 2, when an order for items not covered by the contract is received at time t2, the factory arranges materials, manufactures the items, and delivers them at time t4. Note that, although the timing of the contract is before the material arrangement in the example shown in FIG. 2, the timing is not limited to this, and the timing of the contract may be during the material arrangement, before or during the manufacturing, or even before or during the inventory.

[0018] In this way, the maintenance service can have the factory create spare parts and secure inventory by continuously charging the customer a small amount during the contract period. When a problem occurs with the infrastructure facility, the customer can obtain the right (inventory usage right) to purchase the spare parts inventory preferentially. Specifically, the factory prepares an inventory of spare parts for the equipment, devices, and parts that make up the customer's infrastructure facility, and can provide the items necessary for prevention and recovery in a short period of time when an abnormality occurs in the infrastructure facility. This makes it possible to prevent the equipment of the infrastructure facility from stopping when an abnormality occurs in the infrastructure facility. Also, even if the equipment, devices, or parts of the infrastructure facility stop when an abnormality occurs in the infrastructure facility, recovery can be expedited. As a result, losses due to the stoppage of infrastructure services using the infrastructure facility can be reduced.

[0019] The management device 100 is, for example, an information processing device such as a server device that receives requests from the terminal device 200 and the factory device 300 and performs various processes. 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 device 300. The output unit 120 outputs various information to the terminal device 200 and the factory device 300.

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

[0022] The setting unit 132 performs processing for setting a recurring charging fee. The recurring charging fee is a fee that is to be paid by a customer on an ongoing basis during the validity of the contract that the customer has concluded.

[0023] The contract unit 134 acquires contract information based on the information acquired by the input unit 110. The contract unit 134 transmits contract conditions, such as the recurring charging fee and contract period, set by the setting unit 132 to the terminal device 200, and acquires consent information indicating consent to the contract conditions from the terminal device 200. In this way, the contract unit 134 acquires contract information including customer information, consent information, and contract conditions. A contract specifies the right to receive spare items during the contract period. Contract information is information indicating a contract to which customer information indicating a customer, item information indicating items related to the customer's equipment, and recurring billing information are associated. Contract identification information may be added to the contract information. The contract identification information is information that identifies a contract, and is, for example, a contract ID or a keyword.

[0024] The item management unit 136 performs a process of managing spare item information. The spare item information is information in which contract information, spare items held according to the contract, and the inventory status of the spare items are associated with each other. The inventory status of the spare items includes, for example, the production status of the spare items and the number of spare items held in stock. The item management unit 136 updates information such as the production status of the spare items and the number of spare items held in stock as the inventory status of the spare items. Furthermore, when there are multiple types of spare items for a customer and a contract, the item management unit 136 updates the inventory status for each spare item.

[0025] The recurring billing unit 138 performs processing for continuously charging the customer based on the recurring billing information. The recurring billing unit 138 performs processing for requesting the customer to pay the recurring bill at a timing preset by a contract, for example.

[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, selects a spare item for the item as a replacement. The item selection unit 140 accepts input information from the terminal device 200 via the input unit 110, for example, when an abnormality occurs 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 of recurring billing information, spare item information, and information on replacement items, and the timing of this information. The output control unit 142 controls the output of various types of information, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, which will be described later. The output control unit 142 also transmits content for outputting input information to the terminal device 200. The content for outputting input information is, for example, data for displaying a screen that allows the customer to select a spare item. The output unit 120 outputs information related to the replacement item. The information related to the replacement item is information for the customer to perform maintenance using the replacement item, such as the presence or absence of a replacement item, the product number, the item name, contact information of the person in charge, the storage location, etc. The output unit 120 may output the purchase price of the replacement item based on the purchase price information. The purchase price information is information that indicates the purchase price of the replacement item. This makes it possible to notify the customer of the cost of 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 for billing 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 configured with various information storage media, and may be a NAS (Network Attached Storage) device that the management device 100 can access via a communication network.

[0030] The contract storage unit 162 stores customer information, product information, and contract information. Customer information is information indicating a customer, such as name, contact information, and product delivery address. Product information is information indicating products related to the customer's facilities, equipment, devices, and parts. Products related to the customer's facilities, equipment, devices, and parts are products necessary to operate the facilities, such as devices, parts, and materials included in the facilities. Contract information is information indicating a contract with which recurring billing information is associated. Specifically, contract information is information indicating a contract with which customer information, product information, and recurring billing information are associated, for example. Contract information is information for each customer, for example.

[0031] The recurring billing storage unit 164 stores customer information, recurring billing information, the payment status of the recurring billing, and the like, in association with each other. The purchase cost storage unit 166 stores customer information, spare item purchase cost information, the payment status of the purchase cost, etc., in association with each other. When a customer has contracted for multiple types of spare items, it is preferable that the recurring billing storage unit 164 stores the recurring billing information and the payment status for each type of spare item, and it is preferable that the purchase cost storage unit 166 stores the purchase cost information and the payment status for each type of spare item.

[0032] The terminal device 200 is an information processing device owned by a customer, such as a smartphone, a personal computer, etc. 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 that executes a program such as an internal CPU. The terminal storage unit 208 is a memory that stores various types of information.

[0033] The factory device 300 is an information processing device such as a smartphone or a personal computer owned by a person in charge of the factory. The factory device 300 includes, for example, a reception unit 302 and a production management unit 304. The receiving unit 302 receives a production request from the management device 100 to produce an article. The production management unit 304 manages information related to the order status of an item, information related to the material procurement status, information related to the production status, and information related to the inventory status. Information related to the order status of an item is, for example, information indicating the customer and the type and quantity of the ordered item. Information related to the material procurement status is, for example, information indicating the type and quantity of materials required to produce the type and quantity of the ordered item, the number of items obtained, etc. Information related to the production status is, for example, status information such as not produced, in production, and produced, and information indicating progress such as when production will start and when production will be completed. Information related to the inventory status is information indicating the number of items in stock, the location of the items in stock, etc.

[0034] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of an infrastructure facility 400 according to the first embodiment. The infrastructure facility 400 may include, for example, a plurality of facilities, a plurality of devices in each of the plurality of facilities, and a plurality of parts in each of the plurality of devices. For example, in a power system, the infrastructure facility includes a plurality of power generation facilities, a plurality of transforming devices, and parts included in each transforming device. The infrastructure facility includes a plurality of types of facilities, a plurality of types of devices, and a plurality of types of parts. The facilities, devices, and parts included in the infrastructure facility differ depending on the customer. Therefore, for each customer, a plurality of types of facilities may be contracted as spare items, a plurality of types of devices may be contracted as spare items, and a plurality of types of parts may be contracted as spare items. The infrastructure facility in the embodiment is a facility constituting a power system, but is not limited thereto, and may be a facility for gas, water, railway, road, building, etc. The facility in the embodiment may be a facility included in a facility for gas, water, railway, road, etc., or may be a building facility such as an elevator.

[0035] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the terminal device 200 for creating input information in the first embodiment. For example, when an abnormality occurs in an infrastructure facility, the management device 100 receives a request to select a replacement item via the input unit 110. In response to the received request, the management device 100 transmits content data for allowing the terminal device 200 to select a replacement item. The terminal device 200 displays a screen such as that shown in FIG. 4 based on the content data.

[0036] The display screen shown in Fig. 4 includes images showing, for example, the type of facility, the type of equipment, the type of device, and the type of part. Radio buttons are arranged on the display screen shown in Fig. 4 to allow the user to select each of the type of facility, the type of equipment, the type of device, and the type of part. The terminal device 200 receives an operation from a customer and inputs that the facility type, equipment type, device type, and part type have been selected. The terminal device 200 transmits input information indicating the customer and the selected facility type, equipment type, device type, and part type to the management device 100. The terminal device 200 may also include the numbers corresponding to the selected facility type, equipment type, device type, and part type in the input information.

[0037] FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a processing procedure in the maintenance service system 1 in the first embodiment. First, the terminal device 200 transmits contract information S10 to the management device 100 in normal times. The management device 100 may acquire the contract information S10 in response to an operation by the customer. A recurring billing fee is set by the setting unit 132, and the contract unit 134 acquires the contract information S10. In normal times, no abnormality occurs in the customer's infrastructure facilities. The management device 100 stores the contract information S10 in the memory unit 160. The output unit 120 outputs a production request S12 to the factory device 300 based on the contract information S10.

[0038] The factory device 300 receives a production request S12 through the reception unit 302. In the factory, work such as production and inventory of items is carried out. When a spare item is produced, the production management unit 304 transmits information S14 relating to the inventory status of the spare item to the management device 100. This enables the management device 100 to update the inventory status of the spare item through the item management unit 136.

[0039] The recurring billing unit 138 performs processing to continuously charge the customer based on the recurring billing information, and transmits the recurring billing information S16 to the terminal device 200. This enables the terminal device 200 to make the customer aware of the recurring billing information.

[0040] When an abnormality occurs in the infrastructure facility, the terminal device 200 accepts an operation from a customer 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 for the management device 100 and the factory device 300. In response to accepting the input information, the management device 100 acquires information S20 relating to the inventory status of spare items from the factory device 300. The item management unit 136 updates information such as the production status of spare items and the number of spare items in stock based on the information S20 on the inventory status.

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

[0042] The terminal device 200 displays information S22 indicating the replacement item, and prompts the customer to perform an operation to purchase the replacement item. In response to receiving the operation to purchase the replacement item, the terminal device 200 transmits a delivery request S24 for the replacement item to the management device 100. The input unit 110 acquires the delivery request S24 from the terminal device 200, and the output unit 120 transmits a delivery request S26 to the factory device 300 in response to the delivery request S24. This allows the factory device 300 to receive the delivery request S26, and the person in charge at the factory to ship the replacement item.

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

[0044] In the above-mentioned processing procedure, the following processing may be performed. The item selection unit 140 may use customer information as input information and select a replacement item or a candidate replacement item for the input information based on spare item information. For example, when a customer included in the input information matches a customer included in the spare item information, the item selection unit 140 determines that the customer has the right to select a spare item as a replacement item. When 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 item. The item selection unit 140 may suggest spare items as candidates for replacement items. For example, when a customer has a plurality of spare items manufactured, the item selection unit 140 may extract information indicating candidates for spare items that are the subject of a contract from among the spare items corresponding to the customer, and transmit the information indicating the candidates for spare items to the terminal device 200. For example, when there are a plurality of 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 the corresponding plurality of spare items, and transmit the 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 identifying a contract stored in the contract storage unit 162 or contract information acquired from the terminal device 200, instead of input information based on a customer's operation. For example, when an abnormality occurs in an infrastructure facility, the item selection unit 140 may acquire, via the input unit 110, contract identification information transmitted from the terminal device 200 to the management device 100, and use the acquired contract identification information as input information. The item selection unit 140 selects spare items based on the customer or spare items associated with the contract identification information. For example, when a customer associated with the contract identification information matches a customer included in the spare item information, the item selection unit 140 determines that the customer has the right to select a spare item as a replacement. For example, when a spare item associated with the contract identification information matches a type of spare item included in the spare item information, the item selection unit 140 selects the matching spare item.

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

[0047] As described above, the maintenance service system 1 of the first embodiment stores customer information, item information, and contract information, manages spare item information in which the contract information is associated with spare items, and can continuously charge the customer based on the recurring billing information. The maintenance service system 1 determines whether input information indicating a customer and an item is subject to the contract based on the spare item information, and if it is subject to the contract, selects a spare item for the item as a replacement item and outputs information regarding the replacement item.

[0048] As a result, the maintenance service system 1 can prepare spare items for the customer's infrastructure facilities as inventory before an abnormality occurs in the customer's infrastructure facilities. Furthermore, the maintenance service system 1 can select spare items as replacement items based on input information when an abnormality occurs in the customer's infrastructure facilities. As a result, the customer can prepare an inventory of spare items for the infrastructure facilities for each customer, and can quickly supply the spare items to the infrastructure facilities when an abnormality occurs. Furthermore, the manufacturing plant can receive a continuous fee for preparing spare items for the customer's infrastructure facilities as inventory.

[0049] The contract information may indicate a contract associated with a customer, a facility, equipment included in the facility, devices included in the facility, items included in the devices, and recurring billing information. Spare item information is information in which a customer's facility, equipment, devices, or parts are set as spare items. Examples of customer facilities include power plants, power transmission and distribution facilities, factories, and buildings. The product selection unit 140 judges whether the input information further includes information indicating the customer's facility based on the spare product information, and if the input information is subject to the contract, selects a spare product for the product as a replacement product. Note that the contract in the contract information in the embodiment specifies the right to receive the spare product during the contract period.

[0050] The contract information may be information indicating a contract in which recurring billing information is associated with each of a customer, a facility, an apparatus, a part included in the apparatus, or a combination of parts. The spare item information is information in which a facility, an apparatus, a part included in the apparatus, or a combination of parts is set as a spare item. The item selection unit 140 determines whether or not the part included in the input information is covered by the contract based on the spare item information, and if it is covered by the contract, selects that part as a replacement item.

[0051] The contract information may be information indicating a contract in which a customer, a facility, a device, a part, and recurring billing information are associated. Examples of the device as the facility include a generator, a transformer, a switchgear, an air conditioner, and an elevator. The spare item information is information in which the device as the facility or the item of the device is set as a spare item. The item selection unit 140 determines whether the input information further includes information indicating the device in question, based on the spare item information, whether the device is subject to the contract, and if so, selects a spare item for the device in question as a replacement item.

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

[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 in which spare items, which are items held according to a contract, are associated with storage location information indicating the storage location of the spare items. The storage location information is, for example, information indicating the location of an inventory facility where the spare items are stored as inventory. The storage location information is stored in association with the spare items based on, for example, information for identifying the spare items transmitted from 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 a storage location of a spare item for each customer and spare item.

[0054] FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a processing procedure in the maintenance service system 1A in the second embodiment. When the factory device 300 receives the production request S12 through the reception unit 302, the factory performs operations such as production and inventory of the item, and the produced item is transported to the inventory facility. The factory device 300 updates the spare item information by associating the spare item with storage location information indicating the location of the inventory facility, and outputs information for identifying the spare item and an inventory request S30 to the inventory facility device 500. The inventory facility device 500 obtains the inventory request S30 from the factory device 300, and registers the information for identifying the spare item. The production management unit 304 also transmits information S14 on the inventory status, such as the storage location of the spare item, to the management device 100. This allows the management device 100 to update the storage location information of the spare item through the item management unit 136.

[0055] When an abnormality occurs in the infrastructure facility, the terminal device 200 accepts an operation from a customer and transmits to the management device 100 input information S18 indicating the customer and the item. The management device 100 may transmit input information S18 to the factory device 300, which may then transmit information S32 inquiring about the inventory of the item to the inventory facility device 500. The inventory facility device 500 transmits a response S34 to the factory device 300 indicating whether the item being inquired about is in stock. In this way, the management device 100 obtains information S20 about the inventory status of spare items from the factory device 300. The item management unit 136 updates information such as the production status of spare items, the number of spare items in stock, and the inventory location of spare items based on the information S20 about the inventory status.

[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, selects a spare item for the item as a replacement item. 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, and prompts the customer to purchase the replacement item. At this time, the terminal device 200 displays the storage location information of the spare item, allowing the customer to select the replacement item while taking into consideration the distance to the replacement location, transportation time, etc. According to such a maintenance service system 1A, it is possible to indicate to a customer the storage location of spare items and arrange for the delivery of replacement items.

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

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

[0061] The spare item information may include a notification destination of the shipper of the spare item. The notification destination of the shipper of the spare item is, for example, address information of the factory device 300 corresponding to the factory that produced the spare item, and address information of the inventory facility device 500 corresponding to the inventory location where the spare item is stored. The output unit 120 outputs information about the replacement item and information indicating the delivery guarantee period or the delivery guarantee period to the notification destination of the shipper. This makes it possible to notify the person in charge of the factory or the inventory facility of the delivery guarantee period or the delivery guarantee period for the replacement item.

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

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

[0064] The spare item information may include notification destination information indicating the notification destination. The output unit 120 outputs information about the replacement item to the notification destination based on the notification destination information. The notification destination may be, for example, a customer, a facility staff member of an infrastructure facility, a maintenance company that performs the replacement work, a storage location of the replacement item, a system staff member, or a sales staff member. The information about the replacement item may be, for example, information identifying the replacement item, information identifying a facility, equipment, device, or part, a delivery guarantee period, a shipping schedule or shipping status, and a recovery forecast.

[0065] The management unit 148 performs a process for managing the shipment of replacement items. The process for managing the shipment of replacement items is a process for registering and updating information indicating the shipping status, such as the customer, notification destination, type of spare item, number of spare items, request date, scheduled shipping date, shipping date, delivery status, and delivery date. The notification destinations include the customer, a person in charge at the customer's facility (power plant, factory, building), a contractor who repairs the equipment, and a person in charge at the customer. The output unit 120 outputs information indicating the shipping status of the replacement item to the notification destination.

[0066] The spare item information may include shipping information indicating the shipping destination and shipping origin of the spare item. The shipping destination may be a customer, the location of an infrastructure facility, a maintenance company, an individually designated shipping destination, etc. The shipping arrangement unit 150 arranges for the shipping of a replacement item to the shipping origin based on the contract information and the shipping information. For example, the shipping arrangement unit 150 outputs a request to ship the spare item under the contract to the shipping origin of the spare item, and outputs the shipping status of the spare item to the shipping destination of the spare item. The contract information may include a delivery guarantee period indicating a time limit for providing a replacement product. The shipping arrangement unit 150 outputs the delivery guarantee period or information based on the delivery guarantee period.

[0067] When arranging the shipment of the spare item, the shipment arrangement unit 150 may output information indicating that the spare item is subject to a contract and priority information indicating that the spare item should be delivered with priority. The shipment arrangement unit 150 may include information indicating that the spare item is subject to a recurring charge in the information used to request the spare item's shipper to ship the spare item. This allows the management device 100 to make the shipper aware that the item should be delivered immediately. The shipment arrangement unit 150 may include information indicating that the spare item is subject to a recurring charge in the shipping destination of the spare item. This allows the management device 100 to make the shipping destination aware that a spare item subject to a contract will be shipped.

[0068] (Third embodiment) The third embodiment will be described below, with the same reference numerals being used to designate the same parts as in the above-described embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a maintenance service system 1B in the third embodiment. In the maintenance service system 1B, the output section 120B includes a first output section 122 and a second output section .

[0069] FIG. 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 the item is the subject of the contract based on the spare item information for the input information S40 indicating the customer and item, and if it is the subject of the contract, outputs the target item information S42 indicating that the item is the subject of the contract. For example, in normal times, the first output unit 122 outputs information indicating the item that is the subject of the recurring charge for the information indicating the customer and item transmitted from the terminal device 200. This allows the customer to confirm the item that is the subject of the recurring charge. Also, the person in charge at the factory can output the information indicating the customer and item to the management device 100 and confirm the inventory of the item that is the subject of the recurring charge output from the first output unit 122.

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

[0071] The first output unit 122 may output recurring billing information based on the contract information for the input information indicating the customer. The recurring billing information may include information such as the monthly fee, contract start date and end date, contract period, usage period, billing record, and billing destination.

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

[0073] Furthermore, the first output unit 122 may output information on spare parts based on the spare part information in response to the input information indicating the customer. The information on spare parts may include information on the name of the contracted part that has already been manufactured at the factory, the manufacturing date, the target device, the storage location, the storage start date, and the like.

[0074] In addition, 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 for the information indicating the input customer.

[0075] In addition, the contract information is associated with the customer, the customer's facility, items related to the customer's facility, and recurring billing information, and the first output unit 122 may output the recurring billing information and item information indicating the items that are the subject of the contract based on the contract information for the information indicating the input facility.

[0076] Furthermore, the first output unit 122 may output, in response to the input information indicating the facility, product information indicating the target product of the contract for the equipment within the facility, based on the contract information.

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

[0078] The first output unit 122 may output information indicating whether each piece of equipment in the facility includes an item that is the subject of a contract based on the contract information or the spare item information for the input information indicating the facility. At this time, the item selection unit 140 determines whether the information indicating the input facility is included in the item information in the contract information, or whether the information indicating the input facility is included in the spare items in the spare item information.

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

[0080] Furthermore, the first output unit 122 may output, in response to the input information indicating the facility, product information indicating the target product of the contract for the facility, based on the contract information.

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

[0082] Furthermore, the first output unit 122 may output information indicating whether each part of the input equipment is covered by a contract based on the contract information or the spare item information. At this time, the item selection unit 140 determines whether the information indicating the input equipment is included in the item information in the contract information, or whether the information indicating the input equipment is included in the spare items in the spare item information.

[0083] (Fourth embodiment) The fourth embodiment will be described below, with the same reference numerals being used to designate the same parts as in the above-described embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a maintenance service system 1C in the fourth embodiment. The control unit 130C in the fourth embodiment includes a setting unit 132C, an item management unit 136, and a continuous billing unit 138, for example. The setting unit 132C determines a recurring charge based on a contract for holding an item as inventory, based on at least one of the risk (failure rate), purchase price, and contract period, for an item related to a customer's equipment. The risk for an item is, for example, the failure rate during a reference usage period.

[0084] The setting unit 132C sets the recurring charging fee higher for an item with a higher failure rate, and sets the recurring charging fee lower for an item with a lower failure rate. The setting unit 132C sets the recurring charging fee higher for an item with a higher purchase price, and sets the recurring charging fee lower for an item with a lower purchase price. The setting unit 132C sets the recurring charging fee lower for an item with a longer contract period, and sets the recurring charging fee higher for an item with a shorter contract period. The setting unit 132C may determine the recurring charging fee based on all of the risk, purchase fee, and contract period, or may determine the recurring charging fee based on a combination of two of the risk, purchase fee, and contract period. Furthermore, the setting unit 132C may determine the recurring charging fee by multiplying the risk, purchase fee, and contract period by different weighting coefficients depending on the importance of the risk, purchase fee, and contract period. The setting unit 132C may set the recurring charge lower as the failure rate (replacement frequency) increases. This allows more contracts to be acquired for items with high failure rates, improving the inventory turnover rate (number of items sold).

[0085] When 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 type of spare item based on the risk, purchase price, and contract period of each type of spare item, and determines the total of the recurring charges for the multiple spare items as the recurring charge for each customer.

[0086] The item management unit 136 performs a process of managing spare item information indicating spare items that are items held as inventory. The continuous charging unit 138 performs a process of continuously charging the continuous charging fee determined by the setting unit 132C.

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

[0088] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a processing procedure in the maintenance service system 1C in the fourth embodiment. First, terminal device 200 transmits contract information S10# to management device 100 in normal times. Contract information S10# includes, for example, information indicating an item related to the customer's equipment that is the subject of the contract, and information indicating the contract period. Management device 100 stores contract information S10# in storage unit 160A. The setting unit 132C determines a recurring charging fee based on a contract for holding an item as inventory, based on at least one of the risk and purchase price of the item that is the subject of the contract, and the contract period. The recurring charging unit 138 performs processing for continuously charging the customer based on recurring charging information indicating the determined recurring charging fee, and transmits the recurring charging information S16 to the terminal device 200. This enables the terminal device 200 to make the customer aware of the recurring charging information.

[0089] The output unit 120 outputs a production request S12 to the factory device 300 based on the contract information S10. The factory device 300 receives the production request S12 via the reception unit 302. At the factory, work such as production and inventory of items is carried out. When a spare item is produced, the production management unit 304 transmits information S14 relating to the inventory status of the spare item to the management device 100. This allows the management device 100 to update the inventory status of the spare item via the item management unit 136.

[0090] When an abnormality occurs in the infrastructure facility, the terminal device 200 accepts an operation from a customer 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 for the management device 100 and the factory device 300. In response to accepting the input information, the management device 100 acquires information S20 relating to the inventory status of spare items from the factory device 300. The item management unit 136 updates information such as the production status of spare items and the number of spare items in stock based on the information S20 on the inventory status.

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

[0092] The terminal device 200 displays information S22 indicating the replacement item, and prompts the customer to perform an operation to purchase the replacement item. In response to receiving the operation to purchase the replacement item, the terminal device 200 transmits a delivery request S24 for the replacement item to the management device 100. The input unit 110 acquires the delivery request S24 from the terminal device 200, and the output unit 120 transmits a delivery request S26 to the factory device 300 in response to the delivery request S24. This allows the factory device 300 to receive the delivery request S26, and the person in charge at the factory to ship the replacement item.

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

[0094] FIG. 12 is a flow chart showing an example of a process for determining a recurring charging fee in the maintenance service system 1C in the fourth embodiment. First, the setting unit 132C acquires, for example, customer information, facility information including one or more pieces of product information, and contract information including contract period information (step ST100). Next, the setting unit 132C calculates the risk of the item that is the subject of the contract based on the facility information (step ST102). Next, the setting unit 132C determines a recurring charging fee based on at least one of the risk, the purchase price of the product that is the subject of the contract, and the contract period (step ST104).

[0095] The setting unit 132C may determine the recurring charging fee based on the number of customers who have a contract corresponding to the spare item. The setting unit 132C determines the recurring charging fee based on at least one of the risk, the purchase price of the item subject to the contract, and the contract period, and the number of customers. The setting unit 132C determines a lower recurring charging fee as the number of customers who have a contract corresponding to the spare item increases, and determines a higher recurring charging fee as the number of customers decreases.

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

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

[0098] Next, the setting unit 132C sets a contract period for each type of product based on the risk calculated for each type of product that is the subject of the contract (step ST204). The setting unit 132C may set a short contract period for a type of product with high risk based on contract period information included in the contract information, and may set a long contract period for a type of product with low risk. Next, the setting unit 132C determines a recurring charge based on at least one of the risk for each type of contracted item, the purchase price for each type of contracted item, and the contract period for each type of contracted item (step ST206).

[0099] Next, the setting unit 132C determines a recurring charging fee including the multiple types of items included in the facility information (step ST208). The setting unit 132C determines the recurring charging fee by summing up the recurring charging fees for each type of item that is the subject of the contract.

[0100] FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an example of another process for determining a recurring charging fee in the maintenance service system 1C in the fourth embodiment. First, the setting unit 132C acquires contract information including, for example, customer information, one or more pieces of product information, and contract period information (step ST300). Next, the setting unit 132C calculates the risk of the contracted item based on the item information (step ST302). Next, the setting unit 132C counts the number of customers who have a contract corresponding to the item (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 as the number of customers increases. The setting unit 132 increases the number of spare items as the risk increases. Next, the setting unit 132C calculates a spare item cost according to the number of spare items determined in step ST306 and the purchase price of the spare items (step ST308). The spare item cost is a cost necessary to maintain the spare items of the determined number of spare items, including, for example, a manufacturing cost and an inventory cost. Next, the setting unit 132C determines a recurring charging fee based on the spare item cost calculated in step ST308 and the number of customers (step ST310). The setting unit 132C determines a recurring charging fee for each customer, for example, by dividing the spare item cost by the number of customers. In addition, when the number of items contracted for each customer is different, the setting unit 132 determines a recurring charging fee according to the number of items contracted for each customer.

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

[0103] The setting unit 132C acquires information indicating the usage status of the maintenance service for the customer's facility or equipment (step ST316). The information indicating the usage status of the maintenance service is, for example, an inspection history of the infrastructure facility, a periodic parts replacement history in the infrastructure facility, etc. The usage status of the maintenance service may include the fact that the payment of the recurring charge for the spare item has already been confirmed. The setting unit 132C performs discount processing on the recurring charges for the items of the facility or equipment of the customer based on the usage status of the maintenance service of the facility or equipment (step ST318). When the customer is using the maintenance service, the setting unit 132C updates the recurring charges for the new spare items to be lower. In addition, the setting unit 132C acquires the inspection history and part replacement history of the infrastructure facility for each customer, and when the maintenance service is used according to the inspection history and part replacement history, the failure rate of the infrastructure facility decreases, so the setting unit 132C updates the recurring charges to be lower.

[0104] As described above, the maintenance service system 1C of the fourth embodiment determines a recurring charge for items related to the customer's equipment based on at least one of the risk, purchase price, and contract period, manages spare item information indicating spare items, and continuously charges the recurring charge. This maintenance service system 1C can appropriately set a recurring charge for providing maintenance service for the customer's equipment.

[0105] Although each embodiment and each variant have been described, these are merely examples and are not intended to be limiting. For example, any of the embodiments or variants, or a part of each embodiment or a part of each variant, may be combined with one or more other embodiments or one or more other variants to realize one aspect of the present invention.

[0106] Hereinafter, various aspects of the present disclosure can be described as follows. (Appendix 1) a contract storage unit that stores contract information indicating a contract associated with a customer, an item related to the customer's equipment, and recurring billing information; an item management unit that manages spare item information in which spare items, which are the items held according to the contract, are associated with storage locations of the spare items; a continuous charging unit that performs continuous charging based on the continuous charging information; a product selection unit that determines whether input information indicating an input customer and a product is subject to the contract based on the spare product information, and selects a spare product for the product as a replacement product if the product is subject to the contract; an output unit that outputs the replacement item and the storage location information indicating the storage location of the replacement item based on the spare item information of the replacement item; A maintenance service system comprising: (Appendix 2) The contract information includes a delivery guarantee period indicating a period until the replacement product is delivered, The output unit outputs the delivery guarantee period or information based on the delivery guarantee period. (Appendix 1) A maintenance service system as described in the above. (Appendix 3) a deadline calculation unit that calculates a shipping deadline based on the input starting date and the delivery guarantee period; The output unit outputs the shipping deadline for the replacement product. (Appendix 2) A maintenance service system as described in the above. (Appendix 4) The spare item information includes a notification destination of a shipper of the spare item, The output unit outputs information about the replacement product and the delivery guarantee period or information based on the delivery guarantee period to a notification destination of the shipping source. (Appendix 2) Maintenance service system. (Appendix 5) The contract information includes a replacement warranty period indicating a period until the replacement product is replaced, The output unit outputs the replacement warranty period or information based on the replacement warranty period. (Appendix 1) Maintenance service system. (Appendix 6) A deadline calculation unit is provided for calculating a replacement deadline based on the input starting date and the replacement warranty period, The output unit outputs the replacement deadline date for the replacement item. (Appendix 5) A maintenance service system as described in the above. (Appendix 7) The spare item information includes a notification destination, The output unit outputs information regarding the replacement item to the notification destination based on the notification destination information. (Appendix 1) A maintenance service system as described in the above. (Appendix 8) A management unit for managing shipment of the replacement product, The notification destinations include the customer, a person in charge at the customer's facility, or a contractor that repairs the equipment, and a person in charge at the customer; The output unit outputs information indicating a shipping status of the replacement product to the notification destination. (Appendix 7) A maintenance service system as described in the above. (Appendix 9) The spare item information includes shipping information indicating a shipping destination and a shipping origin of the spare item, a shipping arrangement unit that arranges shipping of the replacement product to the shipper based on the contract information and the shipping information; The contract information includes a delivery guarantee period indicating a deadline for providing the replacement product; The shipping arrangement unit outputs the delivery guarantee period or information based on the delivery guarantee period. (Appendix 1) A maintenance service system as described in the above. (Appendix 10) A maintenance service system as described in (Appendix 9), wherein the shipping arrangement unit outputs, when arranging the shipping, information indicating that the item is subject to the contract and priority information indicating that the item should be delivered with priority. (Appendix 11) a contract storage unit that stores contract information indicating a contract associated with a customer, an item related to the customer's equipment, and recurring billing information; an item management unit that manages spare item information in which the contract information is associated with spare items that are the items held in accordance with the contract; a continuous charging unit that performs continuous charging based on the continuous charging information; a first output unit that determines whether or not an item is subject to the contract based on the spare item information, for the input information indicating a customer and an item, and outputs information indicating that the item is subject to the contract if the item is subject to the contract; a product selection unit that determines whether or not the product is subject to the contract based on the spare product information for the input information indicating the customer and the product, and selects the product as a replacement product if the product is subject to the contract; A second output unit that outputs replacement item information regarding the replacement item; A maintenance service system comprising: (Appendix 12) The maintenance service system according to (Supplementary Note 11), wherein the first output unit outputs the recurring billing information based on the contract information for the input information indicating the customer. (Appendix 13) The maintenance service system according to claim 12, wherein the first output unit outputs, in response to the input information indicating the customer, item information indicating the item that is the subject of the contract based on the contract information. (Appendix 14) The maintenance service system according to (Supplementary Note 12), wherein the first output unit outputs information about spare parts based on the spare part information in response to the input information indicating the customer. (Appendix 15) The contract information is associated with a customer, a customer's facility, equipment, equipment parts, and recurring billing information; The maintenance service system described in (Appendix 12), wherein the first output unit outputs, in response to input information indicating a customer, information indicating facilities, equipment, parts, and whether each part is covered by the contract. (Appendix 16) The contract information is associated with a customer, a customer's facility, an item related to the customer's equipment, and recurring billing information; The maintenance service system of claim 11, wherein the first output unit outputs, based on the contract information, the billing information and item information indicating the items covered by the contract in response to the input information indicating the facility. (Appendix 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 equipment within the facility based on the contract information in response to the input information indicating the facility. (Appendix 18) The maintenance service system according to claim 16, wherein the first output unit outputs information regarding spare parts for equipment in the facility based on the spare part information in response to the input information indicating the facility. (Appendix 19) The maintenance service system described in (Appendix 16), wherein the first output unit outputs, in response to the input information indicating a facility, information indicating whether or not each piece of equipment in the facility includes an item that is the subject of the contract, based on the contract information or the spare item information. (Appendix 20) The contract information is associated with a customer, an item 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 recurring billing information and item information indicating the items covered by the contract in response to the input information indicating the equipment. (Appendix 21) The maintenance service system described in (Appendix 20), wherein the first output unit outputs, in response to the input information indicating the equipment, item information indicating the items covered by the contract for the equipment based on the contract information. (Appendix 22) The maintenance service system according to claim 20, wherein the first output unit outputs information about spare parts for the input equipment based on the spare part information, in response to the input information indicating the equipment. (Appendix 23) The maintenance service system according to claim 20, wherein the first output unit outputs, in response to the input information indicating equipment, information indicating whether each part of the equipment is covered by the contract based on the contract information or the spare item information. [Explanation of symbols]

[0107] 1, 1A, 1B, 1C... Maintenance service system, 100... Management device, 110... Input section, 120, 120B... Output section, 122... First output section, 124... Second output section, 130, 130A, 130B, 130C... Control section, 132, 132C... Setting section, 134... Contract section, 136, 136A, 136C... Item management section, 138, 138C... Continuous billing section, 140... Item selection section, 142... Output control section, 144... Exchange billing section, 146... Deadline Calculation unit, 148... management unit, 150... shipping arrangement unit, 160, 160A... storage unit, 162... contract storage unit, 164... continuous billing storage unit, 166... ​​purchase cost storage unit, 168... inventory storage unit, 200... terminal device, 202... terminal input unit, 204... terminal output unit, 206... terminal control unit, 208... terminal storage unit, 300... factory device, 302... reception unit, 304... production management unit, 400... infrastructure facility, 500... inventory facility device, 502... inventory management unit

Claims

1. a contract storage unit that stores customer information indicating a customer, product information indicating a product of the customer, and contract information indicating a contract to which recurring billing information is associated; an item management unit that manages spare item information in which the contract information is associated with spare items that are the items held in accordance with the contract; a recurring billing unit for continuously billing the customer based on the recurring billing information; a product selection unit that determines whether input information indicating a customer and a product is subject to the contract based on the spare product information, and selects a spare product for the product as a replacement product if the product is subject to the contract; an output unit that outputs information regarding the replacement product; A maintenance service system comprising:

2. The contract provides for the right to receive the spare goods during the contract period; the contract information indicates the contract associated with the customer, the customer's facility, the customer's equipment, and recurring billing information; the item selection unit determines whether the input information further includes information indicating the facility, based on the spare item information, is subject to the contract, and if the input information is subject to the contract, selects a spare item for the item as a replacement item. The maintenance service system according to claim 1 .

3. The contract provides for the right to receive the spare goods during the contract period; The contract information indicates the contract with which recurring billing information is associated for each customer, each equipment part, or each combination of parts, The item selection unit determines whether or not a part included in the input information is subject to the contract based on the spare item information, and if the part is subject to the contract, selects the part as the replacement item. The maintenance service system according to claim 1 .

4. The contract provides for the right to receive the spare goods during the contract period; The contract information indicates the contract in which a customer, a device as a facility, an item of the device, and recurring billing information are associated, the item selection unit determines whether the input information further includes information indicating the device, based on the spare item information, is subject to the contract, and if the device is subject to the contract, selects a spare item for the device as a replacement item. The maintenance service system according to claim 1 .

5. the product selection unit uses the customer as the input information, and selects the replacement product or the candidate replacement product based on the spare product information for the input information; The maintenance service system according to claim 1 .

6. The contract provides for the right to receive the spare goods during the contract period; The item selection unit selects the replacement item or the candidate for the replacement item based on the spare item information for contract identification information that identifies the contract. The maintenance service system according to claim 1 .

7. The spare item information includes purchase cost information representing a purchase price of the replacement item, The output unit outputs a purchase price of the replacement item based on the purchase cost information. The maintenance service system according to claim 1 .

8. The spare item information includes purchase cost information representing a purchase price of the replacement item, 2. The maintenance service system according to claim 1, further comprising an exchange billing unit that generates billing information for said customer based on a purchase price of said replacement item.

9. a terminal that reads a code attached to the item and generates item identification information of the item based on the code; The maintenance service system according to claim 1 , wherein the output unit outputs to the terminal information indicating whether or not the equipment or item indicated by the item identification information is covered by the contract based on the item identification information and the contract information or the spare item information.

10. the item management unit manages spare item information in which spare items, which are the items held in accordance with the contract, are associated with storage location information indicating a storage location of the spare items; The output unit outputs the replacement item and the storage location information indicating a storage location of the replacement item based on spare item information of the replacement item. The maintenance service system according to claim 1 .

11. The output unit is a first output unit that determines whether or not an item is subject to the contract based on the spare item information for the input information indicating a customer and an item, and outputs information indicating that the item is subject to the contract if the item is subject to the contract; A second output unit that outputs information about the replacement item; The maintenance service system according to claim 1 .

12. an information processing device storing customer information indicating a customer, product information indicating a product of the customer, and contract information indicating a contract to which recurring billing information is associated; managing spare item information in which the contract information and spare items held in accordance with the contract are associated with each other by the information processing device; the information processing device continuously charges the customer based on the recurring charging information; the information processing device determines whether or not input information indicating a customer and an item is subject to the contract based on the spare item information, and if the item is subject to the contract, selects a spare item for the item as a replacement item; a step of outputting information regarding the replacement item by the information processing device; How maintenance services are handled, including:

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