JP5039190B2 - Information processing apparatus and diagnostic result notification method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for transmitting a failure status of an information processing apparatus such as a PC (Personal Computer), and more particularly to a diagnostic result notification method for verbally transmitting a failure status.

  Nowadays, devices that perform advanced information processing have spread to general households who are not information system specialists. In particular, the proliferation of multifunctional home appliances such as PCs and digital TVs is remarkable. In the case of a PC or the like, the hardware, OS, and software are generally manufactured by different manufacturers, or the user additionally installs optional products sold separately by other manufacturers.

  On the other hand, due to the advancement of multifunction and diversity, once a failure occurs, various failure factors can be considered, and it is difficult for the user himself to solve the failure. For this reason, in order to realize the convenience of a user who purchased a product such as a PC and the responsibility of a manufacturer, it has become important to install a call center that can respond to inquiries from users.

  However, not only are users familiar with ICT (Information Communication Technology), but also call center operators who receive inquiries. As this situation becomes apparent, it is difficult to grasp the exact cause, such as notifying the wrong error content simply by telling the phenomenon that is currently occurring, which may lead to a decrease in user satisfaction. It is done.

  For example, a remote fault diagnosis system has been proposed in which status information is displayed as a two-dimensional bar code to prevent human dictation from occurring in order to prevent the introduction of errors due to verbal information transmission (see Patent Document 1). ). In this case, a device that reads a barcode or the like and a device that transmits the barcode to a call center are required. Such a device is not always provided by a user who purchases a home appliance such as a PC, and even if it is provided to the user together with the home appliance, the cost is high, and it cannot be generally said for a general household. .

JP 2004-265317 A

  When implementing user support for products intended for general households, there is a demand for a method that accurately conveys the failure status without error even if the user is not an ICT expert.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an information processing apparatus and a diagnostic result notification method capable of minimizing mixing of transmission errors even in verbal support through a telephone line. To do.

The information processing apparatus according to the present invention, the internal state of the information processing apparatus to be used first users a information processing apparatus for displaying on the display, and diagnostic means for diagnosing the internal state of the person the information processing equipment Information generating means for replacing the error code representing the internal state with a character string that is easily spoken by the first user, or an image that can be seen by referring to the name of an object or event, and the first user from the first As information to be transmitted to the second user, there is provided display means for displaying on the display the information replaced by the information generating means.

Further, the diagnostic result notification method according to the present invention, the internal state of the information processing apparatus first user uses a diagnostic result notification method for displaying on a display to diagnose the internal state of the information processing equipment The error code representing the internal state is replaced with a character string that can be easily referred to by the first user, or an image that can be seen by referring to the name of an object or event, and the replaced information is displayed on the display. It is characterized by.

  It is possible to provide an information processing apparatus and a diagnostic result notification method capable of minimizing the mixing of transmission errors even in verbal support through a telephone line.

It is a figure which shows an example of the diagnostic result notification system concerning this embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the block block diagram of the information processing apparatus concerning this embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the functional block diagram for the diagnostic result display concerning this embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the diagnostic result display screen concerning this embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the flowchart of the diagnostic result display function concerning this embodiment.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a diagnosis result notification system according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 1, a PC 100, a user 110, and a call center 120 are shown.

  The PC 100 is, for example, a notebook personal computer. Personal computers sold in recent years are sold with various functions mounted in advance, which is convenient for users. However, it is often difficult to identify the cause of the failure when a failure such as malfunction does not occur due to its multi-function, and an error code is displayed. Even so, it may be a list of seemingly meaningless error codes or a display in technical terms that you cannot hear.

  As the number of functions increases, the operation itself becomes complicated, and it tends to be difficult for the user to explain or reproduce what kind of operation causes such a failure.

The user 110 is a general household customer who purchased the PC 100. Multifunctional and high performance P
C and digital TV can be easily purchased, and ordinary users who do not know the mechanism of the contents can use these high-performance devices without any trouble in daily use. .

  However, when it does not work as described in the manual, or when it moves strangely, it is often difficult to solve it on its own, and it may be caused by a potential bug in some cases. As a manufacturer, in order to improve user satisfaction, support is needed to solve problems.

  The call center 120 is a support center installed by the manufacturer of the PC 100, and has a function that can be handled by an operator so that a user such as the PC 100 who purchases the call center 120 can provide telephone support. Support by means of telephone is an important means in that it is a communication means that can be used uniformly by users in the purchasing group equivalent to ordinary households, and even if the PC 100 stops functioning, it can receive support regardless of it. is there. However, verbal support is likely to include misunderstandings and misunderstandings, and the probability of misidentification must be high between the two who are not familiar with ICT. This applies not only to the user 110 but also to the operator working at the call center 120, and an ICT specialist cannot always be prepared for the operator.

  Improving customer satisfaction with telephone support is the ultimate proposition for call centers.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a block configuration diagram of the information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 shows the CPU 200, bus controller 210, memory 220, graphic controller 230, display 240, input / output controller 250, HDD 260, and keyboard 270.

  The CPU 200 has a function of interpreting a program code given from the outside and executing arithmetic processing and data input / output processing.

  The bus controller 210 has a function of controlling data exchange between the components inside the PC 100.

  The memory 220 is a semiconductor memory, and is a relatively high-speed immediately writable memory that is used as a work area when the CPU 200 executes various processes, for example.

  The graphic controller 230 has a graphic drawing function on the screen. When a drawing instruction for a predetermined graphic is received from the CPU 200, bitmap information of the graphic corresponding thereto is generated, and image information that can be displayed on the display is generated.

  The display 240 has a function of displaying the image information created by the graphic controller 230 in a state that is visible to the user. For example, LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) can be considered.

  The input / output controller 250 has a function of controlling data input / output between the CPU 200 and an external device. In most cases, the external device is much slower than the processing speed of the CPU 200 and is also used for the purpose of matching because the access method is different.

  The HDD 260 corresponds to a magnetic storage device (Hard Disk Drive). A program to be executed by the CPU 200 is stored in the HDD 260 in advance, and is read and executed at the time of execution.

  The keyboard 270 is a keyboard provided in the PC 100. The user 110 can give an instruction to the PC 100 by pressing the keyboard 270.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional block diagram for displaying a diagnosis result according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 shows a diagnosis unit 300, a status code generation unit 310, a code table 320, a graphic generation unit 330, a graphic database 340, and a screen drawing unit 350.

  The diagnosis unit 300 has a function of diagnosing the internal state of the PC 100. The internal state here may be, for example, the usage status of the main memory of the PC 100, the remaining capacity of the HDD 260, the failure status of the components inside the PC 100, the presence or absence of warning information, or various setting values at that time. For example, when trying to use a wireless LAN, if a homepage cannot be seen even when a Web browser is activated, the presence / absence of connection to an access point, the setting status of various parameters, and the like also correspond to this. The diagnosis unit 300 detects a phenomenon that the user 110 recognizes as a failure, or automatically detects an internal state that is not a normal state, and diagnoses how to deal with the resolution of the failure. When the diagnosis unit 300 senses an internal state that is not a normal state, the diagnosis unit 300 can determine a possible correspondence, for example, according to a rule assumed in advance, or using a reference table that associates failure contents with countermeasures.

  The status code generation unit 310 has a function for the diagnosis unit 300 to generate a status code corresponding to the internal state. The status code here means that the error codes output by various components are interpreted as a list of meaningless codes or incomprehensible technical terms, and are converted into numbers and character strings that are easy to call. Refers to the replaced code. This includes names that are generally accepted, and numbers and character strings that are relatively easy to hear and less likely to cause errors. In the case of the former, the name is classified as a general wisdom familiar to anyone, such as fruit, vehicles, animals, weather, and playing cards. By making a difficult error code into a name that everyone knows, it is possible to minimize transmission errors. The concept here can be said to be a common idea in general, but when applied to this embodiment, it is not always necessary to establish a solid common recognition between the two in advance, and after a slight exchange with the operator A concept that is generalized to the extent that actual conditions can be communicated is sufficient. In the latter case, for example, numbers are arranged so as to be inflections that are easy to speak. As an example, if there is a significant number string “38”, a six-character number string “383838” obtained by repeating this three times can be considered. In this way, if the number is configured with a predetermined rule, transmission errors can be reduced compared to a meaningless character string, and in addition, the introduction of repetition in the rule also leads to prevention of listening errors.

  In addition, it is desirable not to use alphabets or the like that are difficult to hear in consideration of the verbal notification to the call center 120 regarding the names to be adopted. In the case of Japanese, for example, “2” (pronunciation: ni) and “4” (pronunciation: shi), and in the case of English, “B”, “D”, “G”, “Z”, etc. By adding such considerations, transmission errors can be further reduced.

  The code table 320 is a tabular database that stores status codes corresponding to internal states diagnosed by the diagnosis unit 300.

  The graphic generation unit 330 has a function of generating, as an image such as a graphic, a name that is classified as a general rule of the above-described status code. For example, an “apple” generates an image of an apple, an “elephant” generates an image of an image, and an “apple king” generates an image of a playing card. Presenting an image of an object that is generally accepted is more intuitive than displaying characters, and it can be expected that the user 110 who sees the image is less likely to make a mistake.

  The graphic database 340 is a database that stores graphic image information corresponding to the internal state diagnosed by the diagnosis unit 300.

  The image drawing unit 350 has a function of drawing an image to be displayed on the display 240 based on the status code generated by the status code generation unit 310 and the graphic information generated by the graphic generation unit 330 according to an instruction from the diagnosis unit 300. At this time, since the status code and the graphic information are in a complementary relationship, only one of the information may be drawn.

  It is preferable that the name classified into the general wisdom to be converted into the status code is classified into one common wisdom. For example, if the above-mentioned “fruits” and “vehicles” are defined in a mixed manner, there is a possibility that the listener, that is, the operator of the call center 120 may be confused. In order to realize such a correspondence relationship, it is necessary to appropriately select a group that covers the number of status codes assumed and is classified as a general rule. A card card can be considered as an example satisfying such conditions. Hereinafter, a playing card will be described as an example.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the diagnosis result display screen 400 according to the present embodiment.

  When the diagnosis unit 300 determines that presentation is necessary for the user, a diagnosis result display screen 400 as illustrated is displayed. On the screen 400, the secret is “King of Spades”, the corresponding error code is “383838”, and the playing card 410 is displayed. At this time, the secret word “King of spades” is the name, the error code “383838” is the status code, and the playing card 410 corresponds to the graphic information.

  When the user 110 who has viewed the screen 400 makes a call to the call center 120, he / she simply tells one of the password, error code, and playing card 410 displayed on the screen 400, so that the operator can accurately predict the internal state of the PC 100 in advance. Can be communicated to.

  As described above, since the secret word, the error code, and the playing card 410 are the same internal state, the same effect can be obtained only by displaying any one or more on the screen 400.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a flowchart of the diagnosis result display function according to the present embodiment.

  First, the diagnosis unit 300 starts diagnosis of the PC 100 according to an instruction from the user 110 or automatically (step S01).

  As a result of the diagnosis, it is determined whether any failure has occurred (step S02). If no failure is found (No), this flow is terminated.

  If it is determined in step S02 that a failure has occurred (Yes), the diagnosis unit 300 displays an error that has occurred and, in some cases, a hint for solving this error to the user 110 (step S03). ).

  The user 110 who sees this display determines whether or not to request support from the call center 120 based on whether or not the problem can be solved by himself (step S04). If the problem is solved by itself (No), the parameter correction, change or setting is performed again based on the hint displayed in step S03 (step S05). After changing the setting, the diagnosis is performed again to check whether the failure has been resolved (step S01).

  When the user 110 determines that it is necessary to request support from the call center 120 in step S04 (Yes), the user 110 instructs the PC 100 so that the status code generation unit 310 can call the name and status code as necessary. Is generated (step S06). Next, the graphic generation unit 330 generates an image from graphic information corresponding to the internal state of the PC 100 (step S07), and displays, for example, an image 400 shown in FIG.

  In response to this, the user 110 calls the call center 120, notifies the information displayed on the screen, and responds to a setting confirmation / change instruction from the call center 120 (step S08). If the failure is not resolved even by this correspondence (No in step S09), the user 110 requests the call center 120 for support again. On the other hand, if the problem has been resolved (Yes in step S09), this flow ends.

  With this configuration, it is possible to minimize transmission errors even in verbal support through a telephone line.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. In addition, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of components disclosed in the embodiment. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment. Furthermore, constituent elements over different embodiments may be appropriately combined.

  100 ... PC, 110 ... user, 120 ... call center, 200 ... CPU, 210 ... bus controller, 220 ... memory, 230 ... graphic controller, 240 ... display, 250 ... I / O controller, 260 ... HDD, 270 ... keyboard, 300 ... diagnostic part, 310 ... status code generator, 320 ... code table, 330 ... figure generator 340 ... Graphic database, 350 ... Screen drawing unit, 400 ... Diagnosis result display screen, 410 ... Trump card.

Claims (8)

The internal state of the information processing apparatus by the first user using a information processing apparatus for displaying on the display,
And diagnosis means for diagnosing the internal state of the person the information processing equipment,
Information generating means for replacing the error code representing the internal state with a character string that is easily spoken by the first user, or an image that the name of an object or event can be seen;
An information processing apparatus comprising: a display unit configured to display information replaced by the information generation unit on the display as information to be transmitted from the first user to the second user. The image generated by the information generating means is
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatus includes an image of an object or an event shared by the first and second users as a general rule. The image generated by the information generating means is
The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the information processing apparatus is a plurality of images selected from an object or an event belonging to any one group of a fruit, a vehicle, an animal, a weather, and a playing card. The character string generated by the information generating means is
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein two significant characters corresponding to the error code are assigned, and the two characters are repeatedly combined to generate. The internal state of the information processing apparatus first user uses a diagnostic result notification method for displaying on a display,
Diagnosing the internal state of the information processing equipment,
The error code representing the internal state is replaced with a character string that can be easily called by the first user, or an image that the name of an object or event can be seen, and the replaced information is displayed on the display. A diagnostic result notification method as a feature.   6. The diagnostic result notification method according to claim 5, wherein the image is an image of an object or an event shared as a common idea between the first and second users.   7. The diagnosis result notification method according to claim 6, wherein the image includes a plurality of images selected from an object or event belonging to any one group of fruit, vehicle, animal, weather, and playing card. .   6. The diagnostic result notification method according to claim 5, wherein the character string is generated by assigning two significant characters corresponding to the error code and repeatedly combining the two characters.

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