Information processing device, information processing method, and program

Abstract

The present invention satisfies the needs of a user who rents a mobile terminal and desires to use the terminal for only a few hours per day.　A user terminal 2 is a mobile terminal driven by electric power from a battery, and has installed therein a dedicated application having at least a function of detecting the charge amounts for respective charging cycles and transmitting the amounts to a server 1. A charge amount acquisition unit 51 of the server 1 sequentially acquires, from the user terminal 2, the charge amounts for the respective charging cycles of the battery in the user terminal 2, and stores the charge amounts in a terminal history DB 61. A use fee determination unit 53 of the server 1 acquires, from the terminal history DB 61, the charge amounts in a prescribed period (e.g., one month) for the user terminal 2, and determines a use fee of the user terminal 2 for the prescribed period on the basis of the charge amounts in the prescribed period.

Description

Information processing device, information processing method, and program

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program.

[0002] Conventionally, methods for purchasing a mobile terminal (see, for example, Patent Document 1) include lump-sum purchase, installment contract, rental, and lease. Most current contracts are installment contracts and rental.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-201464

[0004] However, when conventional mobile terminals, including those described in Patent Document 1, are rented, the contract is monthly or yearly, and the price is the same regardless of the length of time the mobile terminal is used, which means that the need for use for only a few hours a day cannot be met.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and aims to satisfy the needs of users who rent mobile terminals and want to use them for only a few hours a day.

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, an information processing device according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises: a charge amount acquisition means for acquiring from a target device the charge amount of the battery of the target device that is powered by power from the battery for each charge; and a usage fee determination means for determining a usage fee for the target device for a predetermined period of time based on the charge amount for the target device for the predetermined period of time.

[0007] An information processing method and a program according to one aspect of the present invention are a method and a program corresponding to an information processing device according to one aspect of the present invention.

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to satisfy the needs of users who rent mobile terminals and want to use them for only a few hours a day.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overview of the service that can be realized by an information processing system to which a service provider server according to an embodiment of the information processing device of the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing system to which a server according to an embodiment of the information processing device of the present invention is applied. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the server in the information processing system of FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the server in FIG. 3 that constitutes the information processing system of FIG. 2. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the external configuration of a user terminal and a smartphone cover in a second embodiment of an information processing system to which a server according to an embodiment of the information processing device of the present invention is applied. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the smartphone cover and server in the information processing system of the second embodiment of FIG.

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] First, an overview of a service (hereinafter referred to as "this service") that can be realized by an information processing system (see FIG. 2 described later) to which a server according to an embodiment of the information processing device of the present invention is applied will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an overview of this service that can be realized by an information processing system to which a server according to an embodiment of the information processing device of the present invention is applied.

[0012] This service is provided to a user U who uses a battery-powered mobile terminal. The mobile terminal used by the user U will be referred to as a "user terminal 2" hereinafter.

[0013] When using the Service, User U operates dedicated application software (hereinafter referred to as the "dedicated app") that enables the use of the Service and that is installed on the user terminal 2. User U can also use the Service by accessing a dedicated website (hereinafter referred to as the "dedicated site") that enables the use of the Service and is displayed by the browser function of the user terminal 2. For the sake of convenience, when User U operates the user terminal 2, this will be understood to mean that User U uses the Service from the dedicated app, but the following explanation also applies to the case where the dedicated site is used.

[0014] In this service, a user U rents and uses a user terminal 2 on which a dedicated application is installed from a service provider S of this service.

[0015] Here, there are four methods for purchasing a mobile terminal: Method 1, which is a lump-sum purchase. Method 1 is adopted by carrier shops, e-commerce sites, mass retailers, etc. Method 2 is an installment contract. Method 2 is adopted by carrier shops. Method 3 is rental. Method 3 is adopted by carriers, carrier agencies, and rental companies. Method 4 is leasing. Method 4 is adopted by leasing companies. Most current contracts are Methods 2 and 3. In the case of the conventional rental method 3, the contract is monthly or yearly, so the price is the same regardless of the amount of time the mobile terminal is used. As a result, it does not meet the need for use for only a few hours a day. In adopting Method 3 rental, this service employs a new rental model in which charges are based on the amount of charge on the user terminal 2 in order to meet such needs.

[0016] 1, the dedicated application of the user terminal 2 sequentially acquires charging information from the OS of the user terminal 2 and provides it to the server 1 managed by the service provider S. Here, the charging information includes (1) the current maximum battery capacity, (2) charging date and time, (3) charging time, (4) number of times charged, (5) charging amount, and (6) remaining battery capacity % at the start and end of charging.

[0017] 1, the dedicated application of the user terminal 2 sequentially acquires terminal usage information from the OS of the user terminal 2 and provides it to the server 1 managed by the service provider S. Here, the terminal usage information includes (7) touch panel ON time and (8) application operation time.

[0018] The server 1 calculates a usage fee (basic fee + charging fee) according to the amount of charging for a predetermined period (e.g., one month) based on the charging information successively transmitted from the user terminal 2, and bills the user U for the fee every month. Alternatively, the server 1 calculates a usage fee (basic fee + terminal usage fee) according to the amount of terminal usage (time or amount derived from the touch panel ON time and application operation time) for a predetermined period (e.g., one month) based on the terminal usage information successively transmitted from the user terminal 2, and bills the user U for the fee every month. Alternatively, the server 1 calculates a usage fee (basic fee + charging fee + terminal usage fee) according to the amount of charging for a predetermined period (e.g., one month) and the amount of terminal usage (time or amount derived from the touch panel ON time and application operation time) for a predetermined period (e.g., one month) based on the charging information and terminal usage information successively transmitted from the user terminal 2, and bills the user U for the fee every month.

[0019] Next, the configuration of an information processing system that realizes the provision of the above-described service, i.e., an information processing system to which a server according to an embodiment of the information processing device of the present invention is applied, will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing system to which a server according to an embodiment of the information processing device of the present invention is applied.

[0020] 2 is configured to include a server 1 and a user terminal 2. The server 1 and the user terminal 2 are connected to each other via a network such as the Internet.

[0021] The server 1 is an information processing device managed by a service provider S of this service (FIG. 1). The server 1 communicates with a user terminal 2 as needed and executes various processes for realizing this service.

[0022] The user terminal 2 is a mobile terminal operated by the user U, and is configured as a smartphone, tablet, etc. A dedicated app for using this service is installed on the user terminal 2.

[0023] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a server in the information processing system shown in FIG.

[0024] The server 1 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, a bus 14, an input / output interface 15, an input unit 16, an output unit 17, a memory unit 18, a communication unit 19, and a drive 20.

[0025] The CPU 11 executes various processes according to programs recorded in the ROM 12 or programs loaded from the storage unit 18 into the RAM 13. The RAM 13 also stores data and the like necessary for the CPU 11 to execute various processes.

[0026] The CPU 11, ROM 12, and RAM 13 are interconnected via a bus 14. An input / output interface 15 is also connected to this bus 14. An input unit 16, an output unit 17, a storage unit 18, a communication unit 19, and a drive 20 are connected to the input / output interface 15.

[0027] The input unit 16 is configured with, for example, a keyboard and is used to input various types of information. The output unit 17 is configured with a display such as an LCD, a speaker, and the like and outputs various types of information as images and sounds. The storage unit 18 is configured with, for example, a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) and the like and stores various types of data. The communication unit 19 communicates with other devices (for example, the user terminal 2 in FIG. 2) via a network N including the Internet.

[0028] Removable media 31, such as a magnetic disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, or semiconductor memory, is appropriately attached to the drive 20. Programs read from the removable media 31 by the drive 20 are installed in the storage unit 18 as needed. The removable media 31 can also store various data stored in the storage unit 18 in the same way as the storage unit 18.

[0029] Although not shown, the user terminal 2 in Fig. 2 can also have a configuration basically similar to the hardware configuration shown in Fig. 3. Therefore, a description of the hardware configuration of the user terminal 2 will be omitted. In the user terminal 2, a part of the input unit 16 and a part of the output unit 17 form a touch panel.

[0030] Various processes for providing the present service of FIG. 1 can be executed by cooperation of the various hardware and software constituting the information processing system of FIG. 2 including the server 1 and user terminal 2 of FIG. 3.

[0031] FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the server of FIG. 3 in the information processing system of FIG.

[0032] 4, a charging amount obtaining unit 51, a terminal usage amount obtaining unit 52, and a usage fee determining unit 53 function in the CPU 11 of the server 1. A terminal history DB 61 and a user DB 62 are provided in one area of ​​the storage unit 18.

[0033] The user terminal 2 is a mobile terminal that is powered by power from a battery and has a touch panel, and has a dedicated application installed thereon that has at least the function of detecting the amount of charge per charge and transmitting the detected amount to the server 1.

[0034] The charge amount acquisition unit 51 of the server 1 successively acquires the charge amount for each charge to the battery in the user terminal 2 from the user terminal 2 and stores the amount in the terminal history DB 61 .

[0035] The terminal usage amount acquisition unit 52 of the server 1 sequentially acquires the usage amount of the user terminal 2 (time or amount derived from the touch panel ON time or application operation time) from the user terminal 2 and stores it in the terminal history DB 61. The device history DB 61 sequentially accumulates the charge amount and usage amount for each charge acquired from the user terminal 2. The information in the terminal history DB 61 is read out by the usage fee determination unit 53 as necessary.

[0036] The usage fee determination unit 53 of the server 1 acquires the amount of charge for the user terminal 2 for a predetermined period (e.g., one month) from the device history DB 61, and determines the usage fee for the user terminal 2 for the predetermined period based on the amount of charge for the predetermined period. Specifically, for example, the usage fee determination unit 53 determines the usage fee for the user terminal 2 for the predetermined period by adding a fee that varies depending on the amount of charge for the predetermined period to the basic usage fee for the predetermined period (e.g., one month). Note that various information related to the user terminal 2 and the user U, such as the basic usage fee for the predetermined period, is stored in the user DB 62. Alternatively, the usage fee determination unit 53 of the server 1 acquires the terminal usage amount (time or amount derived from the touch panel ON time or app operation time) for the user terminal 2 for a predetermined period (e.g., one month) from the device history DB 61, and determines the usage fee for the user terminal 2 for the predetermined period based on the terminal usage amount for the predetermined period. Alternatively, the usage fee determination unit 53 of the server 1 acquires the amount of charge and the amount of terminal usage (time or amount derived from the touch panel ON time and application operation time) for the user terminal 2 for a predetermined period (for example, one month) from the device history DB 61, and determines the usage fee for the user terminal 2 for the predetermined period based on the amount of charge and the amount of terminal usage for the predetermined period. The usage fee for the user terminal 2 for the predetermined period determined in this way by the usage fee determination unit 53 is charged to the user U as a rental fee for each predetermined period.

[0037] Next, a second embodiment of an information processing system to which a server of an information processing device according to an embodiment of the information processing device of the present invention is applied will be described with reference to Figures 5 and 6. Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of the external configuration of a user terminal and a smartphone cover in the second embodiment of the information processing system to which a server according to an embodiment of the information processing device of the present invention is applied. Figure 6 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the smartphone cover and the server in the information processing system according to the second embodiment of Figure 5.

[0038] In the above embodiment, an example of a server 1 and a user terminal 2 was described as an example of a device that determines the usage fee (amount to be charged) for a user terminal 2 for a specified period based on the amount of charge and usage of the user terminal 2 obtained from the user terminal 2. However, this second embodiment further includes a protective case 6 for a smartphone (hereinafter referred to as a "smartphone cover 6"), as shown in Figure 5.

[0039] That is, in this second embodiment, when the user terminal 2 is, for example, a smartphone, a smartphone cover 6 is detachably attached to the user terminal 2 as a smartphone, as shown in Fig. 5. Multiple sensors are embedded in the smartphone cover 6, such as an acceleration sensor 42 that operates by vibration power generation, a temperature sensor 43, a GPS sensor 44, and other sensors 45. Alternatively, multiple sensors may be embedded in a sticker and then attached to the user terminal 2 or the smartphone cover 6.

[0040] When the user terminal 2 falls while the smartphone cover 6 or sticker is attached to the user terminal 2, the acceleration sensor 42 detects the fall of the user terminal 2, communicates wirelessly with the user terminal 2 via Bluetooth (registered trademark) or the like, and notifies the user terminal 2 of the fall detection. When an abnormal temperature condition (so-called smartphone heatstroke, smartphone hypothermia, etc.) occurs while the smartphone cover 6 or sticker is attached to the user terminal 2, the temperature sensor 43 detects the abnormal temperature condition of the user terminal 2, communicates wirelessly with the user terminal 2 via Bluetooth (registered trademark) or the like, and notifies the user terminal 2 of the abnormal temperature condition. When the user terminal 2 is lost while the smartphone cover 6 or sticker is attached to the user terminal 2, the GPS sensor 44 detects that the user terminal 2 is lost from its current location, communicates wirelessly with the user terminal 2 via Bluetooth (registered trademark) or the like, and notifies the user terminal 2 or a predetermined terminal set as a notification destination of the loss condition. When the user terminal 2 enters a predetermined state with the smartphone cover 6 or sticker attached to the user terminal 2, the other sensor 45 detects the predetermined state and communicates wirelessly with the user terminal 2 via Bluetooth (registered trademark) or the like to notify the user terminal 2 of the predetermined state. The user terminal 2 manages various states such as the notified fall detection and notifies (notifies) the user.

[0041] In this embodiment, management of various notified conditions such as fall detection and notification (notification) to the user are provided as functions of dedicated application software (hereinafter referred to as the "dedicated app") that enables use of this service and is installed in the user terminal 2. However, this function may also be exercised by accessing a dedicated website (hereinafter referred to as the "dedicated site") displayed by the browser function of the user terminal 2.

[0042] The smartphone cover 6 includes a control device 41 in addition to the sensors shown in FIG. 5 (the acceleration sensor 2, the temperature sensor 3, the GPS sensor 4, the other sensors 5, etc.).

[0043] 6 , the control device 41 is disposed in a smartphone cover 6 that can be attached to the user terminal 2, and is a dedicated device that can be attached and detached to the user terminal 2. The control device 41 executes control to transmit detection results detected by each of the multiple sensors 42 to 45 to the server 1 via Bluetooth communication with the user terminal 2, for example, via Bluetooth (a predetermined wireless method). Specifically, the control device 41 is notified of the charge amount (remaining charge amount, etc.) and usage amount (time or amount) of the user terminal 2 through communication between the control device 41 and the user terminal 2, and the control device 41 has a function to transmit the notified information to the server 1. In other words, it can be said that the control device 41 has at least a function to acquire the charge amount and usage amount of the user terminal 2 and transmit them to the server 1.

[0044] The control device 41 has the same hardware as the server 1 shown in Fig. 3. To distinguish it from the hardware configuration of the server 1, the hardware configuration of the control device 41 will be referred to as a CPU 11S, a communication unit 19S, etc., hereinafter, and the hardware configuration of the server 1 will be denoted with a U after the reference numeral. Specifically, the hardware configuration will be referred to as a CPU 11U, a communication unit 19U, a storage unit 18U, etc.

[0045] The CPU 11S of the control device 41 functions as a charge amount acquisition unit 71 and a terminal usage amount acquisition unit 72 when executing processing.

[0046] The charge amount acquisition unit 71 has at least a function of acquiring the charge amount of the user terminal 2 and transmitting the acquired charge amount to the server 1. The charge amount acquisition unit 71 acquires the current (current) remaining charge amount of the user terminal 2 through periodic communication with the user terminal 2 (e.g., communication at intervals of 5 or 10 minutes).

[0047] The terminal usage acquisition unit 72 acquires the usage amount of the user terminal 2 via the control device 41, which has at least the function of acquiring the usage amount of the user terminal 2 and transmitting it to the server 1. The terminal usage acquisition unit 72 acquires the current (current time) usage amount of the user terminal 2 by regular communication with the user terminal 2 (for example, communication at intervals of 5 or 10 minutes).

[0048] The control device 41, which includes the charge amount acquisition unit 71 and the terminal usage amount acquisition unit 72, executes control to transmit information acquired from the user terminal 2 through Bluetooth communication with the user terminal 2 and detection results detected by each of the plurality of sensors 2 to 5 to the server 1 via, for example, Bluetooth (a predetermined wireless method). Note that the wireless method may be, in addition to Bluetooth, for example, a wireless LAN, and any wireless method will suffice.

[0049] As in this example, when the server 1 acquires information about the user terminal 2 through the smartphone cover 6 attached to the user terminal 2, the charge amount acquisition unit 51 of the server 1 acquires the charge amount of the user terminal 2 through the control device 41 that has at least the function of acquiring the charge amount of the user terminal 2 and transmitting it to the server 1. Similarly, when the server 1 acquires information about the user terminal 2 through the smartphone cover 6, the terminal usage amount acquisition unit 52 of the server 1 acquires the usage amount of the user terminal 2 through the control device 41 that has at least the function of acquiring the usage amount of the user terminal 2 and transmitting it to the server 1.

[0050] The operation of this information processing system will be explained below using specific examples. In the first example, as the battery of the user terminal 2 deteriorates, the server 1 calculates a charge amount based on the increase in the charge amount from the remaining charge of the user terminal 2 and the charging time, and bills the user.

[0051] In the first example, the remaining charge of the user terminal 2 is sequentially acquired by the server 1 as follows: For example, a remaining charge of 50% is acquired at 22:00 on November 22, 2024. Then, a remaining charge of 20% is acquired at 23:00 on November 22, 2024. At this point, charging begins, and at 23:30 on November 22, 2024, a remaining charge of 100% is acquired. At this point, charging ends, and the remaining charge increases from 20% to 100%, resulting in an 80% charge. In this case, the server 1 adds up the increase in the remaining charge from the lowest remaining charge of 20% to 80%, calculates the charging charge by multiplying the charging amount (%) by 10 yen (for example, a provisional value), and bills the user (customer).

[0052] In the second example, server 1 predicts battery degradation based on the SOH value, which indicates the battery's degradation level, predicting a higher battery bill and recommending a battery replacement to the customer. Suppose the battery's remaining charge is currently, say, 80% and drops to 70% in one hour. At this time, say, 5:30 PM, the remaining charge is 70%, and the battery is charged from 5:30 PM. Charging from 70% to 100% represents a 30% charge difference. This charge amount is added to the cumulative charge amount already calculated, resulting in a monthly charge of 200% or 1500% x 1% x 10 yen. For example, this month, the battery was charged to 2000% after 2000 hours of use. Next month, the battery was charged to 300%. Since 3000% is obviously a higher charge amount, the bill amount will be higher. If the battery is charged to 3000% or 2000%, the 3000% charge is considered to be contributing to battery degradation. Generally, if a battery is charged to 100% 500 times, the SOH value, which indicates the battery's degradation level, will drop from 100% to 80% after 500 charges. SOH, an abbreviation for State of Health, is an index of battery health and degradation. It is the ratio of the full charge capacity (Ah) at the time of degradation to the initial full charge capacity (Ah) of 100%. For example, an SOH of 50% means that even when fully charged, the battery will only have half the initial capacity. 500 times x 100% = 50,000%, so the battery's SOH will be 80% after charging to 50,000%. In other words, it can be estimated that the battery's degradation level will decrease by 20% after charging to 50,000%. If the SOH decreases by, for example, 10%, then the charge will decrease by 25,000% in linear proportion. The degradation level of a device's battery is measured and collected by the device's OS, so the difference can be calculated by matching the data measured by the device's OS with the estimated data. By comparing this difference with the actual value and obtaining a quadratic curve, the SOH deterioration curve for that user's device can be obtained. For example, suppose a user's cumulative battery charge is XX% and the current SOH is 85%. If the user were to use the battery at 10,000% for just one year from today, the SOH would fall below 80% when the battery's remaining charge reaches 70%.In this case, the server 1 outputs an alert to the user's terminal 2 including a recommendation such as, "Since the SOH is currently below 80%, why don't you replace the battery? Or change the model?"

[0053] The third example is one in which server 1 predicts the increasing trend in the amount of charge based on the rate of charge increase from the minimum remaining charge and the charging time as the battery deteriorates, and makes recommendations to the customer regarding battery updates.

[0054] When providing a service that charges for a user terminal 2 such as a smartphone based on the amount of charge, assume that before battery degradation, the battery remaining capacity drops to about 80% after about five hours of daytime use. In this case, it is sufficient to charge 20% in about two hours at night when the terminal is not in use. Meanwhile, assume that the battery of the user terminal 2 deteriorates further, and the remaining capacity drops to about 20% after about five hours of daytime use. In this case, the battery must be charged to 80% every five hours. In terms of time, it would take, for example, one month to charge 100 hours before battery degradation, but after battery degradation, it reaches 100 hours in about seven days. If 100 hours of charging are required in one week, the charge amount increases accordingly based on the amount of charging. As the battery deteriorates, more charging is required in the same period compared to before battery degradation, resulting in a steadily increasing charge amount. It is predicted that if the battery continues to be used at this rate, it will need to be charged four times as much per month as before degradation. Therefore, at the time of the next billing (payment), the charging bill amount will be about this much, so why not update your battery now? is a recommendation that is output to the user terminal 2 of the user.

[0055] In this way, in each case, the remaining charge of the user terminal 2 is obtained, and the charge amount (billing amount) is calculated based on the difference before and after charging. In addition, the trend of future increases in the charge amount is presented, and recommendations are made to recommend a battery or a change of model, allowing the user to appropriately determine the timing of updating the battery or changing the model of the terminal.

[0056] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and modifications, improvements, etc. within the scope of achieving the object of the present invention are considered to be included in the present invention.

[0057] For example, the system configuration shown in FIG. 2 and the hardware configuration of the server 1 shown in FIG. 3 are merely examples for achieving the object of the present invention, and are not particularly limited.

[0058] Furthermore, the functional block diagram shown in Fig. 4 is merely an example and is not particularly limited. That is, it is sufficient if the information processing system in Fig. 2 is provided with a function that can execute the various processes described above as a whole, and the functional blocks and databases used to realize this function are not particularly limited to the example in Fig. 5.

[0059] Furthermore, the locations of the functional blocks and databases are not limited to those shown in Fig. 4 and may be arbitrary. For example, at least some of the functional blocks and databases arranged on the server 1 side may be provided in another information processing device.

[0060] The above-described series of processes can be executed by hardware or software, and each functional block can be configured by hardware alone, software alone, or a combination of both.

[0061] When a series of processes is executed by software, the programs constituting the software are installed onto a computer or the like from a network or a recording medium. The computer may be a computer incorporated into dedicated hardware. The computer may also be a computer capable of executing various functions by installing various programs, such as a server, a general-purpose smartphone, or a personal computer.

[0062] The recording medium containing such a program may be composed not only of a removable medium (not shown) that is distributed separately from the device main body in order to provide the program to the user, but also of a recording medium that is provided to the user in a state that is pre-installed in the device main body.

[0063] In this specification, the steps describing the program to be recorded on the recording medium include not only processes that are performed in chronological order, but also processes that are not necessarily performed in chronological order but are performed in parallel or individually.

[0064] To summarize the above, an information processing device to which the present invention is applied is sufficient as long as it has the following configuration, and can take on a variety of different embodiments. That is, an information processing device to which the present invention is applied (e.g., server 1 in FIGS. 2 to 4) is sufficient if it includes: charge amount acquisition means (e.g., charge amount acquisition unit 51 in FIG. 4) that acquires from a target device (e.g., user terminal 2 in FIGS. 1 to 4) the amount of charge per charge to the battery of the target device that is powered by power from the battery (e.g., charge amount (5) in the charge information in FIG. 1)); and usage fee determination means (e.g., usage fee determination unit 53 in FIG. 4) that determines a usage fee for the target device for a predetermined period (e.g., one month) based on the amount of charge for the target device for the predetermined period.

[0065] This makes it possible to satisfy the needs of users who rent a mobile terminal (target device) and want to use it for only a few hours a day.

[0066] The usage fee determination means can determine the usage fee for the target device for the specified period as a fee obtained by adding a fee that varies depending on the amount of charging for the specified period to the basic usage fee for the specified period (for example, the basic fee + charging amount charge in Figure 1).

[0067] The target device may have application software (for example, the dedicated application described above) installed therein that has at least a function of detecting the charge amount for each charge and transmitting the detected amount to the information processing device.

[0068] The charge amount acquiring means (e.g., charge amount acquiring unit 71 in FIG. 6) is arranged on a member (e.g., smartphone cover 6 in FIG. 5) that can be attached to the target device (e.g., user terminal 2 in FIG. 6), and can acquire the charge amount of the target device (e.g., user terminal 2 in FIG. 6) via a control device (e.g., control device 41 in FIG. 6) that has at least the function of acquiring the charge amount of the target device (e.g., user terminal 2 in FIG. 6) and transmitting it to the information processing device (e.g., server 1 in FIG. 6).

[0069] Alternatively, an information processing device to which the present invention is applied (for example, the server 1 in FIGS. 2 to 4) may be provided with: a target device usage acquisition means (for example, the terminal usage acquisition unit 52 in FIG. 4) for acquiring usage information (for example, (7) touch panel ON time and (8) application operation time among the terminal usage information in FIG. 1) from a target device (for example, the user terminal 2 in FIGS. 1 to 4) powered by battery power; and a usage fee determination means (for example, the usage fee determination unit 53 in FIG. 4) for determining a usage fee for the target device for a predetermined period (for example, one month) based on the usage information for the target device for the predetermined period.

[0070] This makes it possible to meet the needs of users who rent the device and want to use it for only a few hours a day.

[0071] The usage fee determination means can determine the usage fee for the target device for the specified period as a fee obtained by adding a fee that varies depending on the terminal usage amount for the specified period to the basic usage fee for the specified period (for example, the basic fee + terminal usage fee in Figure 1).

[0072] The target device may have application software (e.g., the dedicated application described above) installed therein that has at least the function of detecting the usage of the target device (e.g., (7) touch panel ON time and (8) application operation time among the terminal usage information in FIG. 1) and transmitting the information to the information processing device.

[0073] The usage acquisition means (e.g., terminal usage acquisition unit 52 in FIG. 6) is arranged on a member (e.g., smartphone cover 6 in FIG. 5) that can be attached to the target device (e.g., user terminal 2 in FIG. 6), and can acquire the usage of the target device (e.g., user terminal 2 in FIG. 6) via a control device (e.g., control device 41 in FIG. 6) that has at least the function of acquiring the usage of the target device (e.g., user terminal 2 in FIG. 6) and transmitting it to the information processing device (e.g., server 1 in FIG. 6).

[0074] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1: Server, 2: User terminal, 11: CPU, 12: ROM, 13: RAM, 14: Bus, 15: Input / output interface, 16: Input unit, 17: Output unit, 18: Storage unit, 19: Communication unit, 20: Drive, 30: Removable media, 51: Charge amount acquisition unit, 52: Terminal usage amount acquisition unit, 53: Usage fee determination unit

Claims

1. An information processing device comprising: a charge amount acquisition means for acquiring from a target device the charge amount per charge to the battery of the target device which is powered by a battery; and a usage fee determination means for determining a usage fee for the target device for a specified period based on the charge amount for the target device for the specified period.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the usage fee determination means determines the usage fee for the target device for the specified period to be a fee obtained by adding a fee that varies depending on the amount of charging for the specified period to a basic usage fee for the specified period.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein application software having at least a function of detecting the amount of charge per charge and transmitting the amount of charge to the information processing device is installed in the target device.

4. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the charge amount acquisition means is arranged on a member that can be attached to the target device, and acquires the charge amount of the target device via a control device having at least the function of acquiring the charge amount of the target device and transmitting it to the information processing device.

5. An information processing method executed by an information processing device, comprising: a charge amount acquisition step of acquiring from a target device the charge amount per charge to the battery of the target device which is powered by power from a battery; and a usage fee determination step of determining a usage fee for the target device for a specified period based on the charge amount for the target device for the specified period.

6. A program for causing a computer to execute a control process including: a charge amount acquisition step for acquiring, from a target device, the charge amount for each charge of a battery in the target device that is driven by power from a battery; and a usage fee determination step for determining a usage fee for the target device for a specified period based on the charge amount for the target device for the specified period.

7. An information processing device comprising: a target device usage acquisition means for acquiring usage information of a target device powered by a battery from the target device; and a usage fee determination means for determining a usage fee for the target device for a specified period based on the usage information of the target device.

8. The information processing device according to claim 6, wherein said usage fee determination means determines the usage fee for said target device for said specified period to be a fee obtained by adding a fee that varies depending on the usage amount of said target device for said specified period to a basic usage fee for said specified period.

9. The information processing device according to claim 6, wherein application software having at least a function of detecting the usage amount of the target device and transmitting the detected usage amount to the information processing device is installed in the target device.

10. The information processing device according to claim 7, wherein the usage acquisition means is arranged on a member that can be attached to the target device, and acquires the usage of the target device via a control device having at least the function of acquiring the usage of the target device and transmitting it to the information processing device.

11. An information processing method executed by an information processing device, comprising: a charge amount acquisition step of acquiring from a target device the amount of usage of the target device powered by power from a battery; and a usage fee determination step of determining a usage fee for the target device for the specified period based on the amount of usage of the target device.

12. A program for executing control processing on a computer, the control processing including: a charge amount acquisition step for acquiring the usage amount of a target device powered by a battery from the target device; and a usage fee determination step for determining a usage fee for the target device for a specified period based on the usage amount for the target device for the specified period.

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