Business support device, business support method, and business support program

Abstract

To easily determine the presence / absence of automatic renewal of a maintenance contract by contracting party, to reduce burden on operators and support tasks such as inputting maintenance contract information.SOLUTION: A data generation unit refers to a memory unit that stores the presence / absence of automatic renewal of a maintenance contract for a predetermined period, by type of a maintenance target device and by contracting party, and generates contract data including an automatic renewal category indicating the presence / absence of the automatic renewal of the maintenance contract and a contract period. An output control unit outputs the generated contract data to an external device. Consequently, it is possible to easily determine the presence / absence of the automatic renewal of the maintenance contract by contracting party, to reduce burden on operators. It is also possible to support tasks such as inputting maintenance contract information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a business support device, a business support method, and a business support program.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent No. 6289586) discloses a maintenance inspection schedule optimization device that can optimize a maintenance inspection schedule by reflecting the lifespan of electrical components according to environmental conditions.

[0003] This maintenance inspection schedule optimization device has an environmental parameter acquisition unit that acquires environmental parameters related to the lifespan of electrical components mounted on an elevator control panel. The lifespan estimation unit estimates the lifespan of the electrical components using the environmental parameters acquired by the environmental parameter acquisition unit. Then, when the difference between the lifespan of the electrical components estimated by the lifespan estimation unit and the rated lifespan of the electrical components is greater than or equal to a first threshold value, the schedule update unit updates the working time and the work items of the maintenance inspection work including the inspection or replacement of the electrical components, and the maintenance inspection schedule determined thereby. Thereby, the maintenance inspection schedule can be optimized by reflecting the lifespan of the electrical components according to the environmental conditions.

[0004] Here, an elevator device, which is an example of equipment to be maintained, has an automatically renewed maintenance contract based on the "Building Standards Act" and the "Industrial Safety and Health Act". However, in the case of elevator devices of public offices, the maintenance contract is a one-year contract, and every year, the company that conducts the maintenance contract is determined by "bidding".

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] Thus, when some clients allow automatic renewal of maintenance contracts while others do not, operators at companies responsible for maintaining the equipment must determine whether or not the maintenance contract should be automatically renewed for each client, for example, when entering maintenance contract information. This presents a very cumbersome decision-making process.

[0007] This invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a business support device, a business support method, and a business support program that can reduce the burden on operators in determining whether or not to automatically renew maintenance contracts for each client, and that can support tasks such as inputting maintenance contract information. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objective, the business support device according to the present invention includes a data generation unit that references a storage unit that stores whether or not maintenance contracts are automatically renewed at predetermined intervals for each type of equipment to be maintained and each contracting party, and generates contract data including an automatic renewal category indicating whether or not the maintenance contract is automatically renewed and the contract period, and outputs the generated contract data to an external device. The system comprises an output control unit, a display control unit that, when displaying a contract input screen on the display unit for entering contracts including the automatic renewal category and contract period for each piece of equipment subject to maintenance, refers to a storage unit and displays a contract input screen that automatically enters the automatic renewal category corresponding to the entered type of equipment subject to maintenance and the contracting party, and an extraction unit that extracts contract data in which the automatic renewal category of the maintenance contract is set to "Yes". The data generation unit generates contract data in which the contract period of the extracted contract data is updated to the next contract period. The storage unit stores the automatic renewal stop date corresponding to the contract end date of the maintenance contract period for a given piece of equipment subject to maintenance. The data generation unit processes the contract data in which an automatic renewal stop date is set to change the contract end date of the contract period to the automatic renewal stop date, and generates contract data in which the automatic renewal category of the contract data in which an automatic renewal stop date is set is changed to "No" automatic renewal.

[0009] Furthermore, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objectives, the present invention Business support methods for business support devices The data generation step involves a data generation unit referencing a storage unit that stores whether or not maintenance contracts are automatically renewed at predetermined intervals, categorized by type of equipment to be maintained and by contracting party, and generating contract data that includes an automatic renewal category indicating whether or not the maintenance contract is automatically renewed and the contract period. The output control unit outputs the generated contract data to an external device. The system includes an output control step, a display control step in which the display control unit, when displaying a contract input screen on the display unit for entering contract information including the automatic renewal category and contract period for each maintenance target equipment, refers to the storage unit and displays a contract input screen that automatically enters the automatic renewal category corresponding to the entered maintenance target equipment type and contracting party, and an extraction step in which the extraction unit extracts contract data in which the automatic renewal category of the maintenance contract is set to "Yes", and in the data generation step, the system generates contract data in which the contract period of the extracted contract data is updated to the next contract period, and the storage unit stores the automatic renewal stop date corresponding to the contract end date of the maintenance contract period for a given maintenance target equipment, and in the data generation step, the system generates contract data in which the contract end date of the contract period of the contract data in which the automatic renewal stop date is set is changed to the automatic renewal stop date, and the automatic renewal category of the contract data in which the automatic renewal stop date is set is changed to "No" automatic renewal.

[0010] Furthermore, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objectives, the business support program according to the present invention includes a data generation unit that generates contract data including an automatic renewal category and contract period, which are used to generate contract data, for each type of equipment to be maintained and each contracting party, by referring to a storage unit that stores whether or not maintenance contracts are automatically renewed at predetermined intervals, and outputs the generated contract data to an external device. The output control unit, the display control unit which, when displaying a contract input screen on the display unit for entering contracts including the automatic renewal category and contract period for each piece of equipment subject to maintenance, refers to the storage unit and displays a contract input screen which automatically enters the automatic renewal category corresponding to the entered type of equipment subject to maintenance and the contracting party, and the extraction unit which functions as an extraction unit that extracts contract data in which the automatic renewal category of the maintenance contract is set to "Yes", generates contract data in which the contract period of the extracted contract data is updated to the next contract period, the storage unit stores the automatic renewal stop date corresponding to the contract end date of the maintenance contract period for a given piece of equipment subject to maintenance, and generates contract data in which the automatic renewal category of the contract data in which the automatic renewal stop date is set is changed to "No", and the data generation unit processes the contract data to change the contract end date of the contract period of the extracted contract data in which the automatic renewal stop date is set to the automatic renewal stop date, and processes the automatic renewal category of the contract data in which the automatic renewal stop date is set to "No", and generates contract data. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] This invention reduces the burden on operators in determining whether or not to automatically renew maintenance contracts for each client. Therefore, it can, for example, support tasks such as inputting maintenance contract information. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the business support device according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 shows an example of a variety master. [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows an example of an automatically updating matrix master. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows an example of a product master. [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows an example of an equipment master. [Figure 6] Figure 6 shows an example of a client master list. [Figure 7] Figure 7 shows the flow of registration for maintenance contracts for equipment subject to maintenance. [Figure 8] Figure 8 shows an example of the display of the recurring contract input screen. [Figure 9] Figure 9 shows another example of the recurring contract input screen. [Figure 10] Figure 10 shows an example of recurring contract data. [Figure 11] Figure 11 shows the contract renewal process. [Figure 12] Figure 12 shows an example of recurring contract data where the automatic renewal option is set to "Yes". [Figure 13] Figure 13 shows an example of periodic contract data updated to reflect the contract period and automatic renewal category corresponding to the automatic renewal stop date. [Figure 14] Figure 14 shows the flow of batch billing and revenue / expense forecasting. [Figure 15]FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of revenue and expenditure prediction data generated by the throughout prediction process.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] Hereinafter, a business support device according to an embodiment to which the present invention is applied will be described in detail based on the drawings. As an example, the business support device in the embodiment will be described as assisting the maintenance management business of maintenance target devices such as elevator devices, escalator devices, server devices, etc. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

[0014] (Overview) Maintenance contracts for elevator devices are usually automatically renewed due to the nature of the "Building Standards Law" and the "Industrial Safety and Health Law". However, in the case of elevator devices in public offices, the maintenance contract is a one-year contract, and every year, the company that conducts the maintenance contract through "tendering" is determined.

[0015] Among these public offices, there are also contract parties for which it is difficult to determine whether to automatically renew the maintenance contract, such as management organizations of public offices or the third sector. There is a risk that operators on the company side responsible for maintenance management may make incorrect registrations regarding maintenance contracts. In the case of elevator devices, a state where no maintenance contract has been concluded is a violation of the law. The third sector is an organizational body (corporation) established through joint investment by the government or local public entities (the first sector) and private companies (the second sector).

[0016] However, in the case of elevator devices in public offices where the maintenance contract is determined through "tendering" every year, if the maintenance contract is accidentally automatically renewed, it may have an adverse impact on operations due to incorrect billing, etc., or the prediction accuracy of revenue and expenditure may decrease. Therefore, it is necessary for the administrator to make an accurate judgment.

[0017] Therefore, the business support device of this embodiment includes a category in the contract master indicating whether the equipment is maintained by a general company or by a government agency (government agency category). In addition, a matrix is ​​set up to indicate whether or not the maintenance contract is automatically renewed, based on the product (equipment) related to the equipment to be maintained and the government agency category (automatic renewal matrix master 12: see Figure 3).

[0018] Then, when registering a maintenance contract, etc., the system refers to the automatic renewal matrix master 12 based on the contracting party and product type to automatically determine whether the equipment to be maintained is equipment subject to automatic renewal of the maintenance contract or equipment subject to automatic renewal of the maintenance contract, and sets the automatic renewal category to "Yes" or "No".

[0019] Furthermore, if the equipment subject to maintenance is an elevator or escalator, and the automatic update category is set to "Yes," this automatic update category cannot be changed.

[0020] Furthermore, for products (equipment) with a set automatic renewal stop date, the automatic renewal status will be set to "None" when the contract is renewed for the final contract period.

[0021] This will help ensure compliance with laws and regulations for customers with maintenance contracts. It will also help prevent incorrect billing.

[0022] (Hardware configuration) As shown in Figure 1, the business support device 1 of this embodiment includes a storage unit 2, a control unit 3, a communication interface unit 4, and an input / output interface unit 5. An input device 6 and an output device 7 are connected to the input / output interface unit 5. The output device 7 may be a display unit such as a monitor device (including a home television), a printing device, or a speaker device. The input device 6 may be a keyboard device, a mouse device, a microphone device, or a monitor device that works in cooperation with a mouse device to realize a pointing device function. The communication interface unit 4 is connected to a network such as a wide-area network like the Internet or a private network like a LAN (Local Area Network).

[0023] For the storage unit 2, a storage device such as ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), HDD (Hard Disk Drive), or SSD (Solid State Drive) can be used. The storage unit 2 stores a business support program that assists in inputting maintenance contract information for the equipment to be maintained. The storage unit 2 also stores the following: product master 11, automatic update matrix master 12, product master 13, equipment master 14, and contract master 15, which will be described later. In addition, the storage unit 2 stores periodic contract data and revenue and expenditure forecast data, etc.

[0024] As shown in Figure 2, the product master 11 is composed of associations between the model code and product name of the equipment to be maintained.

[0025] The automatic renewal matrix master 12 is configured such that each product code is associated with a government agency classification, as shown in Figure 3. The government agency classification indicates whether the equipment subject to maintenance for that product type is subject to maintenance for a product type for which automatic renewal of the maintenance contract is performed. In the example in Figure 3, among the equipment subject to maintenance for the product type "elevator or escalator" with model code "HIN1", the equipment subject to maintenance for general companies has automatic renewal of the maintenance contract set to "1: Yes", while the equipment subject to maintenance for government agencies has automatic renewal of the maintenance contract set to "0: No".

[0026] Furthermore, in the example in Figure 3, among the maintenance target equipment of the "building cleaning equipment or building monitoring equipment" type with model code "HIN2", the maintenance contract automatic renewal is set to "0: None" for maintenance target equipment of general companies, and the maintenance contract automatic renewal is also set to "0: None" for maintenance target equipment of government agencies.

[0027] Furthermore, in the example in Figure 3, among the maintenance target equipment of the "monitoring system" type with model code "HIN3", the maintenance target equipment of general companies has automatic maintenance contract renewal set to "1: Yes", while the maintenance target equipment of government agencies has automatic maintenance contract renewal set to "0: No".

[0028] As shown in Figure 4, the product master 13 is structured by associating the above-mentioned product codes with product names and product codes for items such as elevator equipment, escalator equipment, and server equipment. In the example in Figure 4, the "elevator equipment" with product code "HIN1" is assigned the product code "SH001". The "escalator equipment" with product code "HIN1" is assigned the product code "SH002", and the "server equipment" with product code "HIN3" is assigned the product code "SH003".

[0029] As shown in Figure 5, the equipment master 14 is configured by associating the management number and automatic update stop date with the product code and product name mentioned above. The automatic update stop date is the date corresponding to the last day of the maintenance contract. In the example in Figure 5, for the "Server device" with product code "SH003", the date "December 31, 2024" is set as the automatic update stop date.

[0030] As shown in Figure 6, the client master 15 is structured by associating each client's client code, client name, and the aforementioned government agency classification. In the example in Figure 6, "○○ Corporation" with client code "T001" is assigned the government agency classification "0: General," indicating that it is a general company that can automatically renew its maintenance contract. In contrast, "△△ Corporation" with client code "T002" is assigned the government agency classification "1: Government Agency," indicating that it is a government agency that cannot automatically renew its maintenance contract.

[0031] (Functional configuration of business support equipment) Next, the control unit 3 executes the business support program stored in the memory unit 2, and functions as a data generation unit 21, output control unit 22, extraction unit 23, and display control unit 24, as shown in Figure 1.

[0032] The data generation unit 21 refers to a storage unit (automatic renewal matrix master 12 in Figure 3) that stores whether or not maintenance contracts are automatically renewed at predetermined intervals, for each type of equipment subject to maintenance and each contracting party, and generates contract data (see Figure 10) that includes an automatic renewal category indicating whether or not the maintenance contract is automatically renewed and the contract period.

[0033] The output control unit 22 outputs the generated contract data to an external device. Specifically, if the external device is a display unit, the output control unit 22 supplies the contract data to the display unit and controls the display. If the external device is a printer, the output control unit 22 supplies the contract data to the printer and prints it out. If the external device is a speaker, the output control unit 22 supplies the contract data to the speaker and obtains audio output for the contract data.

[0034] The extraction unit 23 extracts contract data where the automatic renewal of the maintenance contract is set to "Yes" in the automatic renewal category. The data generation unit generates contract data by updating the contract period of the extracted contract data to the next contract period (see Figure 12).

[0035] Furthermore, the storage unit 2 stores the automatic renewal stop date, which corresponds to the contract end date of the maintenance contract period, for a predetermined piece of equipment subject to maintenance (the automatic renewal stop date in the equipment master 14 in Figure 5). The data generation unit 21 processes the contract data extracted by the extraction unit 23, changing the contract end date of the contract period for contract data for which an automatic renewal stop date is set to the automatic renewal stop date, and also changes the automatic renewal category of contract data for which an automatic renewal stop date is set to "no automatic renewal" to generate contract data (see Figure 13).

[0036] When the display control unit 24 displays a contract input screen on the display unit for entering contract information, including the automatic renewal category and contract period for each piece of equipment subject to maintenance (see Figures 8 and 9), it refers to the storage unit (automatic renewal matrix master 12 in Figure 3 and contract master 15 in Figure 6) and displays a contract input screen that automatically enters the automatic renewal category corresponding to the entered type of equipment subject to maintenance and the contract (see Figures 8 and 9).

[0037] Furthermore, the display control unit 24, by referring to the storage unit (the automatic update matrix master 12 in Figure 3 and the contract master 15 in Figure 6), displays the contract input screen as entered with the automatic update status disabled if the presence or absence of automatic renewal for the maintenance contract corresponding to the type of equipment to be maintained and the contracting party entered via the contract input screen (see Figures 8 and 9) is "Yes" (see Figure 9).

[0038] Furthermore, the storage unit 2 stores the purchase / sale category and purchase or sales amount corresponding to each piece of equipment subject to maintenance, for each past and future accounting date. The data generation unit 21 generates profit and loss forecast data showing the profit and loss for each accounting date based on the purchase / sale category and purchase or sales amount for each accounting date. The output control unit outputs the generated profit and loss forecast data to an external device (see Figure 15).

[0039] In this case, the data generation unit 21 generates revenue and expenditure forecast data for the period up to the automatic update stop date for maintenance target equipment for which an automatic update stop date has been set.

[0040] (Maintenance contract registration process for equipment subject to maintenance) Figure 7 shows the flow of the maintenance contract registration operation for equipment to be maintained in the business support device 1 of the embodiment. As shown in Figure 7, before a maintenance contract is concluded, a business negotiation takes place between the company that manages the maintenance of the equipment to be maintained and the company (a general company or government agency) that entrusts the maintenance of the equipment to be maintained.

[0041] On the other hand, operators of companies that manage the maintenance of the equipment subject to maintenance pre-configure the various information mentioned above in the product type master 11 shown in Figure 2, the automatic update matrix master 12 shown in Figure 3, the product master 13 shown in Figure 4, the equipment master 14 shown in Figure 5, and the client master 15 shown in Figure 6.

[0042] If both parties reach an agreement through negotiations, a maintenance contract for the equipment to be maintained is concluded. The operator of the company responsible for the maintenance management of the equipment to be maintained inputs maintenance contract information corresponding to the concluded maintenance contract. Specifically, when it is time to register this maintenance contract information, the operator specifies the display of the periodic contract input screen via the input device 6. When this specification operation is performed, the display control unit 24 displays the periodic contract input screen, as illustrated in Figure 8, via the output device 7.

[0043] The operator enters the contract number, contract date, contract period, client code, product (equipment) code, and management number on this recurring contract input screen. The display control unit 24 refers to the client master 15 shown in Figure 6 based on the entered client code and detects the government agency category of the entered client. The display control unit 24 also refers to the product master 13 shown in Figure 4 based on the entered product (equipment) code and detects the product code corresponding to the entered client's product (equipment) code.

[0044] Furthermore, the display control unit 24 refers to the automatic update matrix master 12 shown in Figure 3, based on the government agency classification detected from the contracting party master 15 shown in Figure 6 and the product code detected from the product master 13 shown in Figure 4, and detects the government agency classification corresponding to the contracted product and contracting party. If the government agency classification detected from the automatic update matrix master 12 is a government agency classification where automatic renewal of the maintenance contract is "none", the display control unit 24 displays "Automatic renewal classification "0" None" on the periodic contract input screen, as shown in Figure 8.

[0045] In response to this, if the government agency classification detected from the automatic update matrix master 12 is a government agency classification that enables automatic renewal of maintenance contracts, the display control unit 24 displays "Automatic update classification '1' enabled" on the periodic contract input screen, as shown in Figure 9. At this time, if the product type is "Elevator or escalator equipment" and the contracting government agency classification is "0: General", the display control unit 24 maintains the display "Automatic update classification '1' enabled" in an unchangeable state (maintaining a state that the operator cannot change).

[0046] The business support device 1 of this embodiment can automatically determine the correct automatic renewal category for each client based on each master 11 to 15 and input it into the periodic contract input screen.

[0047] When maintenance contract information is entered into the periodic contract input screen in this manner, the data generation unit 21 generates periodic contract data, including the periodic contract number, sub-number, contract date, contract period, customer code, product (equipment) code, management number, and automatic renewal classification, based on the input content of the periodic contract input screen, as shown in Figure 10, and stores it in the storage unit 2. The example in Figure 10 shows that for a customer with customer code "T001", the automatic renewal classification for the maintenance contract is "1: Yes", and for a customer with customer code "T002", the automatic renewal classification for the maintenance contract is "0: No".

[0048] This type of recurring contract data is output to a ledger. As shown in Figure 7, it is then used for circulation and approval by superiors.

[0049] (Contract renewal process for maintenance contracts for equipment covered by maintenance) Figure 11 is a diagram showing the flow of contract renewal operations for maintenance equipment in the business support device 1 of the embodiment. When it is time for contract renewal, the operator specifies the extraction process for contract renewal targets via the input device 6. Once this specification is made, the extraction unit 23 extracts the periodic contract data shown in Figure 10 in which the automatic renewal category is "1: Yes". The extracted periodic contract data in which the automatic renewal category is "1: Yes" is shown in Figure 12.

[0050] When the data generation unit 21 extracts periodic contract data where the automatic renewal category is "1: Yes", it refers to the equipment master 14 as shown in Figure 13(a) and detects periodic contract data from the extracted periodic contract data for which an automatic renewal stop date has been set. In the example in Figure 13(a), the automatic renewal stop date of "December 31, 2024" is set for the server device with product code "SH003".

[0051] Therefore, as shown in Figure 13(b), the data generation unit 21 changes the contract end date of the server equipment's regular contract data with product code "SH003" to "December 31, 2024," which is the set automatic renewal stop date. In addition, as shown in Figure 13(b), the data generation unit 21 also changes the automatic renewal status of the server equipment's regular contract data with product code "SH003" to "0: None," indicating that the maintenance contract will not be automatically renewed. This makes it possible to clearly indicate the equipment subject to maintenance and the contract period for which the maintenance contract is ending.

[0052] The extracted and modified periodic contract data is then reviewed and circulated by a supervisor, etc., before being stored (registered) in storage unit 2. This automatically renews the maintenance contracts for the equipment being maintained. Furthermore, since maintenance contracts for customers with an automatic renewal category of "1: Yes" can be automatically renewed, compliance with laws and regulations by customers who have concluded maintenance contracts can be ensured.

[0053] (Batch billing and revenue / expense forecasting) Next, as shown in Figure 14, this recurring contract data is used for billing as a daily task. That is, the operator creates an invoice based on the recurring contract data extracted as described above, where the automatic renewal category is "1: Yes," and processes the billing for maintenance contract fees for each client. Recurring contract data where the automatic renewal category is "0: No," such as for government agencies, is not extracted. Therefore, it is possible to prevent erroneous billing by sending invoices to government agencies and other entities where the automatic renewal category is "0: No."

[0054] Furthermore, when the operator performs the revenue and expenditure forecast shown in Figure 14, they specify the display of revenue and expenditure forecast data via the input device 6. The storage unit 2 stores the purchase and sales category and the purchase amount or sales amount corresponding to each piece of equipment to be maintained, for each past and future accounting date. The data generation unit 21 generates revenue and expenditure forecast data showing the profit and loss for each accounting date based on the purchase and sales category and the purchase amount or sales amount for each accounting date. The output control unit 22 or the display control unit 24 outputs the generated revenue and expenditure forecast data to an external device (output device 7).

[0055] Figure 15 shows an example of revenue and expenditure forecast data. As shown in Figure 15, the revenue and expenditure forecast data consists of product (equipment) code, management number, recording date, data category, amount, and profit / loss. The data category indicates the category of purchase or sales, such as equipment purchase, equipment sales, maintenance sales, and maintenance purchases. The amount is the amount of this purchase or sales.

[0056] In other words, the example in Figure 15 shows that although the cost of purchasing equipment amounted to "5 million yen," resulting in a profit / loss of "-5 million yen," the equipment sales amounted to "4.9 million yen," thus resulting in a profit / loss of "-100,000 yen." Furthermore, the example in Figure 15 shows that after the equipment sales of "4.9 million yen," there were maintenance sales of "200,000 yen," resulting in a profit / loss of "+100,000 yen."

[0057] Here, the data generation unit 21 generates revenue and expenditure forecast data for the period up to the automatic renewal stop date for the maintenance target equipment for which the automatic renewal stop date described above has been set (see Figure 13). For example, if the product (equipment) code is "PJ0002" and the last day of the maintenance contract period (= automatic renewal stop date) is set to "December 31, 2024", the data generation unit 21 will generate revenue and expenditure forecast data up to "December 31, 2024". This prevents the inconvenience of generating revenue and expenditure forecast data outside the maintenance contract period and allows the operator to be aware of the last day of the maintenance contract period.

[0058] (Effects of the embodiment) As is clear from the above description, the business support device 1 of the embodiment can prevent inconveniences that would burden the operator by determining whether or not to automatically renew the maintenance contract for each client. For this reason, it can support tasks such as inputting maintenance contract information.

[0059] Furthermore, it enables compliance with laws and regulations by customers who have maintenance contracts, and allows for accurate determination of whether or not maintenance contracts are automatically renewed for each client, thereby preventing incorrect billing.

[0060] [Contribution to the United Nations-led Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)] This embodiment can contribute to improving operational efficiency and promoting appropriate management decisions by companies, thereby contributing to SDG Goals 8 and 9.

[0061] Furthermore, this embodiment can contribute to reducing waste and promoting paperless and digital processes, thereby contributing to SDGs Goals 12, 13, and 15.

[0062] Furthermore, this embodiment can contribute to strengthening control and governance, thereby enabling contributions to SDG Goal 16.

[0063] [Other embodiments] In addition to the embodiments described above, the present invention may be implemented in various different embodiments within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims.

[0064] For example, among the processes described in the embodiments, all or part of the processes described as being performed automatically can be performed manually, or all or part of the processes described as being performed manually can be performed automatically by known methods.

[0065] Furthermore, the processing procedures, control procedures, specific names, information including parameters such as registration data and search conditions for each process, screen examples, and database configuration shown in this specification and in the drawings may be changed at will unless otherwise specified.

[0066] Furthermore, with respect to the business support device 1, each component shown in the diagram is a functional concept and does not necessarily need to be physically configured as shown.

[0067] For example, the processing functions of the business support device 1, particularly the control unit 3 and each processing function performed by the control unit 3, may be implemented in whole or in any part by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a program interpreted and executed by the CPU, or they may be implemented as wired logic hardware. The program is recorded on a non-temporary computer-readable recording medium containing programmed instructions for causing the information processing device to execute the processing described in this embodiment, and is mechanically read by the business support device 1 as needed. That is, a storage unit such as ROM or HDD records a computer program that, in cooperation with the OS, gives instructions to the CPU and performs various processing. This computer program is executed by being loaded into RAM and, in cooperation with the CPU, constitutes the control unit 3.

[0068] Furthermore, the business support program for this business support device 1 may be stored on another server device connected to the business support device 1 via any network, and it is possible to download all or part of it as needed.

[0069] Furthermore, the business support program for executing the processing described in this embodiment may be stored on a non-temporary computer-readable recording medium, or it may be configured as a program product. Here, "recording medium" includes any "portable physical medium" such as memory cards, USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory, SD (Secure Digital) cards, flexible disks, magneto-optical disks, ROMs, EPROMs (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), EEPROMs (Registered Trademark) (Electrically Erasable and Programmable Read Only Memory), CD-ROMs (Compact Disk Read Only Memory), MOs (Magneto-Optical Disks), DVDs (Digital Versatile Disks), and Blu-ray (Registered Trademark) Discs.

[0070] Furthermore, "program" refers to a data processing method described in any language or writing method, regardless of its format, such as source code or binary code. Note that "program" is not necessarily limited to a single, monolithic structure; it also includes distributed structures consisting of multiple modules or libraries, and those that work in cooperation with other programs, such as an operating system, to achieve their functions. Regarding the specific configuration and reading procedure for reading the recording medium in the business support device 1 shown in the embodiment, as well as the installation procedure after reading, well-known configurations and procedures can be used.

[0071] The storage unit 2 is a storage means such as memory devices like RAM and ROM, fixed disk devices like hard disks, flexible disks, and optical disks, and stores various programs, tables, databases, and web page files used for various processes and website provision.

[0072] Furthermore, the business support device 1 may be composed of a known personal computer device or an information processing device such as a workstation, or it may be composed of an information processing device to which any peripheral device is connected. In addition, the information processing device may be implemented by implementing software (including programs or data, etc.) that realizes the processing described in this embodiment.

[0073] Furthermore, the specific forms of distribution and integration of the devices are not limited to those shown in the illustration, and all or part of them can be configured by functionally or physically distributing and integrating them in any unit according to various additions or functional loads. In other words, the embodiments described above may be implemented in any combination, or the embodiments may be implemented selectively. [Industrial applicability]

[0074] This invention can support the operations of companies and other businesses that perform maintenance on equipment subject to maintenance, and whose maintenance contracts are automatically renewed depending on the type of equipment or product being serviced or the client. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0075] 1 Business support equipment 2 Storage section 3. Control Unit 4. Communication Interface Section 5 Input / Output Interface Section 6 Input devices 7 Output device 11 Variety Master 12 Automatically updating matrix master 13. Product Master 14. Equipment Master 15. Client Master 21 Data Generation Unit 22 Output control unit 23 Extraction part 24 Display Control Unit

Claims

1. A data generation unit refers to a storage unit that stores whether or not maintenance contracts are automatically renewed at predetermined intervals for each type of equipment subject to maintenance and for each contracting party, and generates contract data including an automatic renewal category indicating whether or not the maintenance contract is automatically renewed and the contract period. An output control unit that outputs the generated contract data to an external device, When displaying a contract input screen on the display unit for entering the contract including the automatic renewal category and contract period for each of the aforementioned maintenance target devices, the display control unit refers to the storage unit and displays the contract input screen with the automatic renewal category corresponding to the entered maintenance target device type and contracting party entered automatically. The system includes an extraction unit that extracts contract data in which the automatic renewal of the maintenance contract is set to "Yes" in the automatic renewal category, The data generation unit generates contract data in which the contract period of the extracted contract data is updated to the next contract period. The aforementioned storage unit stores the automatic renewal stop date corresponding to the contract end date of the maintenance contract period for a predetermined piece of equipment subject to maintenance. The data generation unit processes the extracted contract data, changing the contract end date of the contract period for contract data for which the automatic renewal stop date is set to the automatic renewal stop date, and also processes the automatic renewal category of contract data for which the automatic renewal stop date is set to "no automatic renewal" to generate contract data. A business support device characterized by the following.

2. The display control unit, by referring to the storage unit, displays the contract input screen as it was entered with the automatic renewal status disabled, if the type of equipment to be maintained and the contracting party entered via the contract input screen are "Yes" and the automatic renewal status is "Yes". The business support device according to claim 1, characterized by the following:

3. The aforementioned storage unit stores the purchase / sale category and the purchase amount or sales amount corresponding to each of the equipment subject to maintenance, for each past and future accounting date. The data generation unit generates profit and loss forecast data for each accounting day, based on the purchase and sales categories and purchase or sales amounts for each accounting day. The output control unit outputs the generated revenue and expenditure forecast data to the external device. The business support device according to claim 2, characterized by the following:

4. The data generation unit generates the revenue and expenditure forecast data for the period up to the automatic update stop date for maintenance target equipment for which an automatic update stop date has been set. The business support device according to claim 3, characterized by the following:

5. A data generation step involves a data generation unit referencing a storage unit that stores whether or not maintenance contracts are automatically renewed at predetermined intervals, categorized by type of equipment subject to maintenance and by contracting party, and generating contract data that includes an automatic renewal category indicating whether or not the maintenance contract is automatically renewed and the contract period. The output control unit performs an output control step of outputting the generated contract data to an external device, The display control unit, when displaying a contract input screen on the display unit for entering the contract including the automatic renewal category and contract period for each of the equipment to be maintained, refers to the storage unit and displays the contract input screen with the automatic renewal category corresponding to the entered equipment to be maintained automatically entered. The extraction unit includes an extraction step of extracting contract data in which the automatic renewal category for the maintenance contract is set to "Yes", In the data generation step, the contract period of the extracted contract data is updated to the next contract period to generate contract data. The aforementioned storage unit stores the automatic renewal stop date corresponding to the contract end date of the maintenance contract period for a predetermined piece of equipment subject to maintenance. In the data generation step, the contract end date of the contract period for contract data for which an automatic renewal stop date is set is changed to the automatic renewal stop date, and the automatic renewal category of contract data for which an automatic renewal stop date is set is changed to "no automatic renewal" to generate contract data. A business support method for a business support device characterized by the following.

6. Computers, A data generation unit refers to a storage unit that stores whether or not maintenance contracts are automatically renewed at predetermined intervals for each type of equipment subject to maintenance and for each contracting party, and generates contract data including an automatic renewal category indicating whether or not the maintenance contract is automatically renewed and the contract period. An output control unit that outputs the generated contract data to an external device, When displaying a contract input screen on the display unit for entering the contract including the automatic renewal category and contract period for each of the aforementioned maintenance target devices, the display control unit refers to the storage unit and displays the contract input screen with the automatic renewal category corresponding to the entered maintenance target device type and contracting party entered automatically. This unit functions as an extraction unit that extracts contract data in which the automatic renewal of the maintenance contract is set to "Yes" in the automatic renewal category. The data generation unit generates contract data in which the contract period of the extracted contract data is updated to the next contract period. The aforementioned storage unit stores the automatic renewal stop date corresponding to the contract end date of the maintenance contract period for a predetermined piece of equipment subject to maintenance. The data generation unit processes the extracted contract data, changing the contract end date of the contract period for contract data for which the automatic renewal stop date is set to the automatic renewal stop date, and also processes the automatic renewal category of contract data for which the automatic renewal stop date is set to "no automatic renewal" to generate contract data. A business support program characterized by the following:

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