JP7555640B2 - Information processing device, information processing method, and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, and a specified service using a program.

Conventionally, furniture and other equipment placed in a company's office have been owned by the company as its assets (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2013-182454 A

However, asset management for such corporate equipment has traditionally required a considerable amount of man-hours. In other words, there was a demand for an efficient and simple way to manage assets for corporate equipment.

The present invention has been made in consideration of these circumstances, and makes it possible to efficiently and easily manage assets at a company's facilities.

In order to achieve the above object, an information processing device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises:
a new equipment management means for managing one or more new pieces of equipment among candidates for equipment to be arranged in a predetermined space used by a user;
an other use equipment management means for managing one or more pieces of equipment that have already been placed in other spaces among the candidates for equipment to be placed in the specified space;
a contract management means for managing a contract for paying a predetermined price for each predetermined period as a contract to place N pieces of equipment (N is an integer value of 1 or more) from among the candidates managed by the new equipment management means and the other-use equipment management means in the specified space;
an equipment information management means for registering and managing information about each of the N pieces of equipment that are the subject of the contract, in association with an identifier attached to the actual equipment;
a presentation means for presenting information about one or more of the N pieces of equipment that are the subject of the contract to the user;
Equipped with.

Each of the information processing methods and programs of one aspect of the present invention is an information processing method and program corresponding to each of the information processing devices of one aspect of the present invention described above.

The present invention makes asset management of users' equipment efficient and simple.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an overview of the present service to which a server according to an embodiment of the information processing device of the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the overview and advantages of an asset management service provided as part of the service shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the value of an asset management service provided as part of the present service of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating synergies achieved by using an asset management service provided as part of the present service of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an automatic inventory mechanism that can be realized by an asset management service provided as part of the present service of FIG. 1. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a 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. 7 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a server in the information processing system of FIG. 6 . FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the server in FIG. 7 . FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for confirming the status of assets, among the screens presented to the user by the server having the functional configuration of FIG. 8; 9 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for adding assets to be managed using this service, among the screens presented to the user by a server having the functional configuration of FIG. 8. FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for requesting the issuance of an IC tag (tag sticker) to be attached to an asset managed using this service, among the screens presented to the user by a server having the functional configuration of FIG. 8. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for requesting the disposal of assets managed using this service, among the screens presented to the user by a server having the functional configuration of FIG. 8. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for requesting the sale of assets managed using this service, among the screens presented to the user by a server having the functional configuration of FIG. 8. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for requesting an order for a similar product to an asset managed using this service, among the screens presented to the user by the server having the functional configuration of FIG. 8. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for confirming the location of an inventory of assets managed using this service, among the screens presented to the user by a server having the functional configuration of FIG. 8. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for confirming user trends of assets managed using this service, among the screens presented to a service provider by a server having the functional configuration of FIG. 8.

Below, an embodiment of the present invention is explained using drawings.

First, with reference to Figures 1 to 5, an overview of the service (hereinafter referred to as "this service") to which a server (see, for example, server 1 in Figure 6 described below) according to one embodiment of the information processing device of the present invention will be provided.

Figure 1 shows an overview of the service to which a server relating to an information processing device of one embodiment of the present invention is applied.

This service provides furniture for use in a specific location designated by the user (for example, an office if the user is a company) on a subscription basis.
In other words, whereas in the past, the furniture in a company's office was owned by the company as its own asset, with this service, companies can pay a fixed amount and use the furniture they need according to the company's steps and timing of changes.
Because this service applies such subscriptions (e.g., monthly payments), it can significantly reduce the initial costs of furniture for users.

For example, as shown in FIG. 1, in step S1, new furniture is planned and produced. In this planning and production, customer trends obtained in the share of used furniture in step S5, which will be described later, are fed back and taken into consideration. This makes it possible to plan and produce new furniture that is appropriate in line with customer trends.

In step S2, a proposal is made to make N pieces of furniture (N is an integer value greater than or equal to 1), including the new furniture planned and produced in this manner, available for subscription in a specific location designated by the user (for example, an office if the user is a company).
Although details will be described later, as shown in step S2S, used furniture (i.e., circulating products) shared in step S5 are also subject to subscription.
Here, the subscription usage period is not particularly limited, and can be freely selected by the user within a range of, for example, 3 months to 24 months.

If the user accepts this subscription proposal and a contract is concluded, in step S3, multiple pieces of furniture that are the subject of the subscription are delivered to a specific location designated by the user (for example, an office if the user is a company).
This allows users to continue using multiple pieces of furniture through a subscription.
After the subscription ends, the process proceeds to step S4.

In step S4, at least a portion of the used furniture is collected. The reason why "at least a portion" is used here is because the user may purchase the furniture. In other words, the user can freely choose between purchasing and returning the furniture after using it.
In step S5, the collected furniture, i.e., the furniture that has been used, becomes an object of sharing (rental), i.e., is proposed to another user as one of the objects of subscription in step S2S of the other user.
In this way, used furniture was often discarded because it was previously treated as an asset, but with this service it can be shared and reused as a subscription item for other users. In this way, this service makes it possible to create a recycling flow for furniture.

In other words, this service will make it possible to realize the vision of "making the inside of your home the richest country in the world," while also contributing to a world where "high-quality furniture continues to be used for a long time." It will also make it possible to "return profits to manufacturers that create high-quality products (furniture)," thereby enabling those manufacturers to contribute to the development of their industry.

Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 2, this service provides an online asset management service including furniture to users who have signed up for a furniture subscription. Hereinafter, such a service will be referred to as an "asset management service." To clarify that the service is provided online, the service may also be referred to as a "cloud asset management service." Specific examples of a UI (User Interface) provided to users or service providers by the asset management service will be described later with reference to Figs. 9 to 16.
FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the overview and advantages of the asset management service provided as part of the present service of FIG.

In Figure 2, the left side shows an overview of the asset management service, and the right side shows the benefits to users who use the asset management service.

As described in the service overview on the left side of Figure 2, fixtures and other items purchased by an asset management service user (in this example, furniture that is the subject of a subscription) are automatically added to the cloud (server 1 in Figure 6 described below) after a tag sticker indicating an ID has been affixed. This frees users from the task of affixing stickers and taking inventory of in-house assets, which was previously performed by users. Furthermore, users can manage the lifecycle of assets (in this example, furniture that is the subject of a subscription), making it easier to place additional disposal orders, etc.

In other words, the asset management service can solve the problems described on the right side of FIG.
That is, as shown in the problem on the right side of Fig. 2, users had the problem of wanting to perform registration, labeling, and inventorying with a minimum of burden in order to manage assets within their companies, and also the problem of wanting to centrally manage not only ledger management but also peripheral management of things (furniture, etc. in this example). The asset management service can solve such problems.

Also, as shown in the middle left part of Figure 2, according to the asset management service, items (furniture, etc. in this example) subscribed to (or purchased) via a service provider are automatically tagged and registered. This completes the inventory.
In other words, as shown in the middle right of Figure 2, from the user's point of view, there is an advantage that the user does not have to register the assets for the first time by himself/herself. There is also an advantage that inventory is easy. There is also an advantage that the status of the assets can be understood at a glance, and the assets can be effectively utilized in cooperation with departments (general affairs, etc. and the department in the office where the furniture is arranged).

As shown in the lower left part of Fig. 2, the asset management service allows users to see the status of assets at a glance and to work with departments to make effective use of them, as shown in the screen example of Fig. 9 described later. Users can also check the status of assets and instantly place additional orders, request maintenance, or request disposal (see the actions in Fig. 9 described later). Users can also easily order office-related tasks and goods (see links 103 and 104 in Fig. 9 described later).
In other words, as shown in the lower right-hand section of Figure 2, from the user's perspective, there were the following issues. That is, even if users digitized the data themselves, the initial registration (sticking labels, etc.) was troublesome. There was also the issue of discrepancies between the ledger and the actual item. Inventory work was extremely troublesome and painful, as it was not a job that financial accounting should be doing. There was also the issue of the difficulty of coordinating with other departments that used the assets. Users can solve these issues by introducing an asset management service.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the value of the asset management service provided as part of the present service of FIG.
As shown in Fig. 3, the asset management service is particularly valuable in the area where the circle representing the user, the circle representing the competitor, and the circle representing the present service (asset management service) overlap. That is, the asset management service is particularly valuable in terms of ledger management, label issuing, and inventory management, as well as office design, liquidation of existing furniture, labeling, and system management.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating synergies achieved by using an asset management service provided as part of the present service of FIG.
According to the asset management service, synergy is generated according to the flow of the following steps S11 to S19.
That is, in step S11, the liquidation of existing furniture becomes possible.
In step S12, PM of the relocation/interior project becomes possible.
In step S13, new furniture subscriptions can be proposed and ordered.
In step S14, items (furniture in this example) lent out to each user (customer) and charges can be managed.
In step S15, the user (customer) can log in and check the items he or she has borrowed (see the screen in FIG. 9, described later).
In step S16, the asset (furniture in this example) can be automatically registered in a cloud asset management service (ALM in the figure). That is, a tag sticker is affixed to the asset (furniture in this example) at the time of delivery or liquidation.
In step S17, regular automated (highly efficient) inventory is made possible using a cloud-based asset management service (ALM in the figure).
In step S18, the Asat can be exchanged, replaced, or maintained according to its life cycle.
In step S19, in the case of sale, the service provider (SS in the figure) is able to sell the item.

Figure 5 is a diagram explaining the automated inventory mechanism that can be realized by the asset management service provided as part of the service shown in Figure 1.

As shown in FIG. 5, the cloud asset management service is provided by a server 1 managed by a service provider.
That is, a user can receive a cloud asset management service by operating the user terminal 2 and accessing the server 1 via the Internet or the like.
Here, including in the drawings described later, only one user terminal 2 is illustrated, but in reality, multiple terminals are often present. For example, there are desktop personal computers located in the general affairs department, etc., and smartphones owned by individual employees or users (companies). For convenience of explanation, these will be collectively referred to as the "user terminal 2" below.

First, the service provider SA proposes a subscription for an office/furniture to the user U (see steps S2 and S2S in FIG. 1). Here, the office means an office in which N pieces of furniture are arranged.
If the user U accepts this offer, he or she places an order with the service provider SA, thereby concluding a subscription contract.
The service provider SA issues a delivery instruction for the ordered product (here, furniture N) to the supplier VN. As a result, the supplier VN delivers the furniture N to the user U. Typically, the supplier VN attaches a tag sticker to each piece of furniture N at the time of delivery. As a result, although not shown in the figure, the server 1 manages the assets of each piece of furniture N in association with an identifier specified by the tag sticker.
As shown in Fig. 5, the service provider SA can also propose to the tag attachment contractor VT the attachment of tag stickers to furniture. When the tag attachment contractor VT receives this proposal (when the contractor is entrusted with the task), the contractor VT visits the office of the user U and attaches the tag stickers to the furniture.

In addition, the user terminal 2 is provided with a function of acquiring an identifier specified by the tag sticker and acquiring location information of the tag sticker by reading the tag sticker through API linkage or the like.
This completes the preparation for automatic inventory.

Once preparations are complete, user U can automatically collect the identifiers and location information of each of the N pieces of furniture (tag stickers) by simply bringing a user terminal 2, such as a smartphone, close to the N pieces of furniture to be inventoryed.
Here, if the floor on which the furniture is installed is registered in the asset data (data managed in server 1 in association with an identifier for each of the N pieces of furniture), it becomes possible to distinguish between assets (furniture) on different floors belonging to the same company (user).

The present service including the cloud asset management service described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5 is, in other words, the following service.
That is, one or more new pieces of equipment (e.g., furniture in this example) are managed from among candidates for equipment to be placed in a specific space used by user U (e.g., an office in this example) (see, for example, step S1 in Figure 1).
In addition, among the candidates for equipment to be placed in a specified space, one or more pieces of equipment that have already been placed in other spaces (for example, used furniture (i.e., recyclable products) that are eligible for sharing in step S5 of Figure 1) are managed.
Of the candidates managed as described above, a contract for placing N pieces of equipment (N is an integer value greater than or equal to 1) in a specified space, for which a specified fee is paid every specified period (i.e., a subscription contract), is managed (see steps S2 and S3 above).
In addition, for each of the N pieces of equipment that are the subject of the subscription contract, information about the equipment (for example, the asset data in Figure 6) is registered and managed in the server 1 in association with an identifier (in this example, an identifier that can be identified by, for example, a tag sticker) attached to the actual item (furniture).
Then, for one or more of the N pieces of equipment that are the subject of the contract, information on the equipment is presented to the user via the user terminal 2. Note that specific examples of the presentation form (screen) will be described later with reference to Figs. 9 to 16.
In this way, this service makes it possible to manage subscription contracts including rotable products, automatically register and manage products (furniture in this example) that have identifiers (tag stickers), and enable user U to see at a glance the status of assets using the cloud asset management service.

According to this service, the information on the equipment managed by the server 1 includes information on the life cycle of the equipment, including the date on which the equipment was registered as new equipment (furniture) and the date on which an inventory was taken in the specified space (e.g., the office of user U in this example). It also includes information on the location in the specified space where the inventory was taken.
This allows the cloud asset management service to manage at least the lifecycle and location of equipment (e.g., furniture in this example), making it possible to make this visible to user U (see, for example, the "Location" and "Lifecycle" items in Figure 9 described below).

Furthermore, according to this service, it becomes possible to present to user U via user terminal 2 information for accepting a request from user U to dispose of, sell, maintain, or place an additional order for the same or similar equipment for one or more of the N pieces of equipment that are the subject of the contract (for example, the action in Figure 9 described below).
This allows user U to use the cloud asset management service to easily perform actions such as disposal for each piece of equipment (e.g., furniture in this example).

Furthermore, according to this service, it becomes possible to present to user U via user terminal 2 information (e.g., see links 103, 104 in Figure 9 described below) for accepting an order operation from the user for goods or services to be used in a specified space (e.g., user U's office in this example) other than the equipment of N that is the subject of the contract (e.g., furniture in this example).
This allows user U to use the cloud asset management service to easily order office-related tasks and items other than N's equipment (e.g., furniture in this example).

Furthermore, according to this service, each of the N pieces of equipment (for example, furniture in this example) that are the subject of the contract is affixed with a TAG (for example, a tag sticker in this example) that can transmit information including an identifier.
As a result, when the user terminal 2 approaches the TAG, the server 1 acquires information recognized based on information transmitted from the TAG of a specified facility, the information including the identifier and location of the specified facility.
This makes it possible to realize the automatic inventory shown in FIG.
Furthermore, as the information regarding the specified facility, the information acquired in this manner (e.g., the information shown in the “Location” item in FIG. 9 ) can be presented to the user U via the user terminal 2.

Furthermore, according to this service, it is possible to present to user U via user terminal 2 information (e.g., link 103 in FIG. 9 or the information in FIG. 10 ) for accepting operations for adding another piece of equipment to be used with an identifier in the specified space (e.g., user U's office in this example) that is different from the equipment N that is the subject of the contract (e.g., in this example, the furniture at the time of delivery in step S3 in FIG. 2 ).
Then, when an additional operation is accepted, in addition to the N pieces of equipment that are the subject of the contract, information regarding the other piece of equipment is additionally registered and managed in correspondence with the identifier attached to the actual item (for example, an identifier identified by a tag sticker in this example).
This allows users to use the cloud asset management service to later add any equipment (products such as furniture) as a managed asset.

This service has been described above with reference to FIGS.
Hereinafter, the configuration of an information processing system for implementing this service, that is, an information processing system to which a server according to an embodiment of an information processing device of the present invention is applied, will be described with reference to Figs.

Figure 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing system to which a server relating to one embodiment of an information processing device of the present invention is applied.

The information processing system shown in FIG. 6 includes a server 1 and a user terminal 2 .
The server 1 and the user terminal 2 are connected to each other via a network NW such as the Internet. Note that, although the network NW is the Internet in this embodiment, the form of the network NW is not particularly limited to that in this embodiment, and for example, Bluetooth (registered trademark), Wi-Fi, LAN (Local Area Network), etc. can be adopted.

Figure 7 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a server in the information processing system of Figure 6.

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.

The CPU 11 executes various processes according to a program recorded in the ROM 12 or a program 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.

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 memory unit 18, a communication unit 19, and a drive 20 are connected to the input/output interface 15.

The input unit 16 is composed of various hardware buttons and the like, and inputs various information in response to instructions given by an operator.
The output unit 17 is configured with a display such as a liquid crystal display, and displays various images.

The storage unit 18 is configured with a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) or the like, and stores various data.
The communication unit 19 controls communications with other devices (such as the user terminal 2) via a network NW including the Internet.

The drive 20 is provided as required. Removable media 21, which may be a magnetic disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, or semiconductor memory, is appropriately attached to the drive 20. Programs read from the removable media 21 by the drive 20 are installed in the storage unit 18 as required. The removable media 21 can also store various data stored in the storage unit 18 in the same manner as the storage unit 18.

The various hardware and software components of the server 1 shown in FIG. 7 cooperate with each other to execute various processes described below.
Although not shown, the user terminal 2 in the information processing system in Fig. 6 also has the hardware configuration shown in Fig. 7. For this reason, a description of the hardware configuration of the user terminal 2 will be omitted. However, when the user terminal 2 is configured as a smartphone or a tablet, it has a touch panel as the input unit 16 and the output unit 17.

Figure 8 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the server in Figure 7.

As shown in FIG. 8, in the server 1, a new furniture management unit 51, a shared furniture management unit 52, a subscription management unit 53, an equipment management unit 54, a user presentation unit 55, and a TAG information acquisition unit 56 function.
The storage unit 19 of the server 1 is provided with a user DB 71 , a new furniture DB 72 , and a shared furniture DB 73 .

The new furniture management unit 51 registers and manages, in the new furniture DB 72, various information on one or more new pieces of equipment (e.g., furniture in this example) among candidates for equipment to be placed in a predetermined space (e.g., an office in this example) used by the user U. Hereinafter, the equipment (furniture in this example) managed by the new furniture management unit 51 will be referred to as "new furniture."
The shared furniture management unit 52 registers and manages, in the shared furniture DB 73, various information regarding one or more pieces of equipment that are candidates for equipment to be placed in a specified space and that have already been placed in other spaces.
Here, the equipment managed by the shared furniture management unit 52 is, for example, used furniture (i.e., circulating products) that is the subject of sharing in step S5 in Fig. 1. Therefore, the equipment is hereinafter referred to as "shared furniture".

The subscription management unit 53 stores and manages in the user DB 71 various information regarding a contract (i.e., a subscription contract) in which user U pays a specified fee every specified period as a contract with user U to place N equipment in a specified space from among the candidates (candidates consisting of new furniture and shared furniture) managed by each of the new furniture management unit 51 and the shared furniture management unit 52 as described above.

The equipment management unit 54 associates each of the N pieces of equipment that are the subject of the subscription contract with an identifier (in this example, an identifier that can be identified by, for example, a tag sticker) attached to the actual item (new furniture or shared furniture), and stores and manages information about the equipment (for example, asset data in Figure 6) in the user DB 71.

The user presentation unit 55 presents information about one or more of the N pieces of equipment that are the subject of the contract to the user via the user terminal 2.
Specific examples of presentation formats (screens) will be described later with reference to FIG. 9 to FIG. 16, but for example, the following information is presented:

For example, the "information about equipment (e.g., asset data in FIG. 6)" managed for each piece of equipment by the new furniture management unit 51 or the shared furniture management unit 52 includes information about the equipment's life cycle, including the date it was registered as new equipment (furniture) and the date it was inventoried in a specified space (e.g., the office of user U in this example). It also includes the location in the specified space where the inventory was taken.
Such information is displayed, for example, in the “Location” and “Life Cycle” items in FIG. 9 (described later) and presented to the user U via the user terminal 2.

For example, with regard to equipment managed by the new furniture management unit 51 or the shared furniture management unit 52 (for example, in this example, new furniture or shared furniture recorded as an asset of user U), information for accepting requests from user U for disposal, sale, maintenance, or additional ordering of the same or similar equipment is presented to user U via user terminal 2, for example in the form of an action shown in Figure 9 described below.

In addition, for example, information for accepting an order operation from a user for a product or service to be used in a specific space (for example, user U's office in this example) other than the equipment managed by the new furniture management unit 51 or the shared furniture management unit 52 (for example, new furniture or shared furniture recorded as user U's assets in this example) can be presented to user U via user terminal 2, for example in the form of links 103, 104 in Figure 9 described below (and the pages linked to these links not shown).

In addition, when an automatic inventory is performed, that is, when the user terminal 2 approaches the TAG (e.g., a tag sticker in this example) attached to each piece of equipment that is the subject of the inventory (new furniture or shared furniture), the TAG information acquisition unit 56 acquires information that is recognized based on the information transmitted from the TAG of the equipment that is the subject of the inventory, and that includes the identifier and location of the equipment.
The information obtained in this manner, including the identifier and location of the target equipment, is stored and managed in user DB 71 in a form added to information relating to the target equipment (e.g., the asset data in Figure 6).
In this case, the location of the target facility can be presented to the user U by the user presentation unit 55 via the user terminal 2, for example, in the form of being displayed in the "Location" field in FIG. 9 described below.

The configuration of the information processing system for realizing the specific example of the present service described above has been described above with reference to FIGS.
Below, with reference to Figures 9 to 16, various examples of screens presented to a user or service provider by a server having the functional configuration of Figure 8, i.e., screens presented to a user or service provider as part of the cloud asset management service of this service, will be described.

Figure 9 shows an example of a screen for checking the status of assets, among the screens presented to a user by a server having the functional configuration of Figure 8.

A user can view a list of facilities (for example, furniture in this example) by operating an Items link 102 in the cloud asset management service (ALM).
FIG. 9 shows an example of a list of facilities (for example, furniture in this example).
Specifically, the list includes the following items: product name (equipment name), life cycle (subscription usage period and last inventory date), location 111 (location where inventory was taken), price (acquisition cost (purchase cost), monthly acquisition fee (subscription cost)), and department using the equipment (department that should take inventory).
This allows users to see at a glance the facilities that are being managed by this service.
Furthermore, as the information regarding the specified facility, the information acquired in this manner (e.g., the information shown in the “Location” item in FIG. 9 ) can be presented to the user U via the user terminal 2.

As will be described in more detail later, the list also includes action request buttons. By operating the request buttons, users can view the asset status and take various actions, such as placing additional orders, requesting maintenance, or requesting disposal.

Furthermore, the user can operate the processing button 101 to carry out processing on selected equipment from among the listed equipment (for example, furniture in this example).
Specifically, for example, the user can operate the process button 101 to cause the server 1 to execute an inventory.

Furthermore, the user can operate an Orders link 103 to transition to a page for placing an additional order for equipment (furniture in this example), and place an additional order for the equipment.
That is, the user can use the screen of the example of FIG. 9 to confirm the shortage of equipment and seamlessly place an additional order for the equipment.

Furthermore, the user can operate the Vendors link 104 to transition to a page for easily ordering office-related work or goods.
That is, the user can request a vendor to perform maintenance work on equipment as office-related work, or can request or purchase items related to the equipment (for example, markers to be used on a whiteboard, which is also equipment).

Furthermore, the user can operate a Messages link 105 to transition the screen to a page for sending a direct message to the service provider.
That is, the user can easily consult with the service provider about the facilities.

Next, each action available from the action request button in FIG. 9 will be described.
The user can view the status of the assets and request the disposal of the equipment by operating the disposal action 112. The details of the disposal request will be described later with reference to FIG.
Furthermore, the user can view the asset status and make a request to sell the equipment by operating the sale action 113. The details of the sale request will be described later with reference to FIG.
Furthermore, the user can operate the maintenance action 114 to check the status of assets and make a request for maintenance of the equipment.
Furthermore, the user can check the asset status and make a request to order similar equipment by operating the similar product ordering action 115. The details of the request to order similar products will be described later with reference to FIG.

Here, the user can use the cloud asset management service of this service (ALM in the figure) to manage equipment (furniture) used in a specific location specified by the user (for example, an office if the user is a company), even if the equipment (furniture) is not being used for a subscription to this service (for example, a monthly payment).
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for adding assets to be managed using this service, among the screens presented to the user by the server having the functional configuration of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 10, a user can register a photograph of equipment, a product name (equipment name), a product ID (an identifier for managing the equipment, etc.), a location of use, and a user (department, etc.) by associating them with each other.
Users can also attach tag stickers to equipment (furniture) for which they are not using a subscription (e.g., monthly payment) for this service.

FIG. 11 shows an example of a screen presented to a user by a server having the functional configuration of FIG. 8, in which the user requests the issuance of an IC tag (tag sticker) to be attached to an asset managed using this service.
11 shows a list of the facilities managed by this service. The user selects the facility for which he/she wishes to request the issuance of an IC tag (tag sticker) and operates the issuance request button 121. As a result, a tag sticker for managing the facility is issued or affixed by the service provider or the tag affixing contractor VT.

At this time, the list in Figure 11 will display both equipment that uses a subscription to this service (e.g. monthly payment) and equipment that does not. In other words, tag stickers can be reissued for equipment that already has a tag sticker attached because a subscription is in use. Also, new tag stickers will be issued for newly registered equipment that does not use a subscription.

In this way, according to this service, it is possible to present to user U via user terminal 2 information for accepting additional operations for another piece of equipment to be used in the specified space (for example, user U's office in this example) with an identifier, which is different from the equipment N that is the subject of the contract (for example, in this example, the furniture at the time of delivery in step S3 of Figure 2).

In this way, according to this service, it is possible to present to user U via user terminal 2 information for accepting an order operation from the user for a product or service to be used in a specified space (for example, user U's office in this example) other than N's equipment (for example, furniture in this example) that is the subject of the contract.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for requesting the disposal of assets managed using this service, among the screens presented to the user by a server having the functional configuration of FIG.
As shown in FIG. 12A, the user can specify the number of pieces of equipment for which he/she wishes to make a disposal request out of the number of pieces of equipment that are being managed, and make the request.
When a user makes a disposal request, information about the equipment for which disposal has been requested is provided to the service provider by the customer (user) as shown in Fig. 12 (B). The service provider can adjust the schedule for disposal of the equipment based on that information.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for requesting the sale of assets managed using this service, among the screens presented to the user by a server having the functional configuration of FIG.
As shown in FIG. 13A, the user can specify the number of pieces of equipment that the user wishes to request to be sold among the number managed, and make the request.
When a user makes a sale request, information about the equipment requested for sale is provided by the customer (user) to the service provider, as shown in Fig. 13(B). Based on that information, the service provider can arrange the sale and contact the customer regarding the details.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for requesting an order for a similar product to an asset managed using this service, among the screens presented to the user by a server having the functional configuration of FIG.
As shown in Fig. 12(A), similar products are displayed along with the equipment for which the user wishes to place an order for similar products. That is, for example, products with different colors or different specifications (for example, in the case of chairs, the height of the backrest, etc.) (different model numbers in Fig. 12(A)) are presented to the user. The user can select the number of the similar products he or she desires from the presented products and place an order.
When a user makes a request to order a similar product, the customer (user) provides the service provider with information about the equipment for which the order has been placed, as shown in Fig. 12 (B). Based on that information, the service provider can notify the customer of the receipt of the order and the delivery date.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for confirming the location of an inventory of assets managed using this service, among the screens presented to the user by a server having the functional configuration of FIG.
As shown in FIG. 15, by operating a link set in the location information described with reference to FIG. 9, the user can view a floor plan 141 of the location.
The location 142 where the equipment is inventoried is displayed on the floor plan 141. In this way, the user can easily understand where the equipment is located (where the equipment is inventoried) by using this service.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for confirming user trends of assets managed using this service, among the screens presented to a service provider by a server having the functional configuration of FIG.
As shown in FIG. 16, a service provider can check the trends of customers (users) in order to improve the efficiency of the service (to provide convenience to users and increase utilization rate).
In the example of FIG. 16, for the user ABC Corporation, a trend forecast button 131, a company information button 132, a settlement information button 133, and a PR information button 134 are arranged.
Based on the economic situation of the customer (user) (e.g., sales information and office relocation information that can be read from financial statements and PR information), the service provider can predict the increase or decrease in the customer's (user's) equipment and make better suggestions (e.g., proposing equipment that is appropriate for the property in the case of an office relocation).
By operating the trend forecast button 131, the service provider can check at a glance the occupancy space, the number of pieces of equipment installed (the number of chairs and tables in the example of FIG. 16), the growth rate, and the like.

Although one embodiment of the information processing device of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. Furthermore, the effects described in this embodiment are merely a list of the most favorable effects resulting from the present invention, and the effects of the present invention are not limited to those described in this embodiment.

In the above embodiment, the subscription subject is furniture, but it is not limited to this and can be any equipment that is placed in a specified space used by the user.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the asset management service was provided as a cloud-based service, but this is not limited to this and may also be provided as a specified application software installed on the user terminal 2.

In addition, in the above embodiment, a tag sticker is affixed to each of the multiple furniture pieces, and in the server 1, each of the multiple furniture pieces is associated with an identifier identified by the tag sticker and managed as assets, but the method of obtaining the identifier from the tag sticker in the user terminal 2, etc. is not particularly limited.
In other words, it is sufficient that the tag sticker employs a method in which the user terminal 2 or the like can read the tag sticker through API linkage or the like and obtain the identifier specified by the tag sticker.

Specifically, for example, in the description of the automated inventory above, each of the multiple furniture pieces was attached with a TAG (tag sticker) capable of transmitting information including an identifier. That is, for the TAG capable of transmitting information including an identifier, a method is adopted in which the identifier information is acquired by the user terminal 2 via wireless communication. That is, the IC tag in Figure 11 is an example of a method of transmitting information including an identifier by a small electronic device that works by receiving radio waves.

Furthermore, for example, the tag sticker may be a sticker on which information including an identifier is printed. That is, for example, a two-dimensional barcode (e.g., QR code (registered trademark)) including identifier information is printed on the tag sticker attached to the furniture, and the identifier may be acquired by the user photographing the same using the user terminal 2 or the like. In this case, the furniture inventory is realized by the user simply photographing the QR code attached to the furniture using the user terminal 2.
Furthermore, tag stickers on which information including an identifier is printed have lower manufacturing and management costs than tag stickers that have the identifier information acquired by the user terminal 2 via wireless communication. Therefore, by employing tag stickers on which information including an identifier is printed in this service, the cost of this service can be reduced.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the equipment (furniture) is assigned an identifier and managed, but the server 1 can manage the equipment (furniture) using a blockchain.
Specifically, for example, equipment (furniture) is managed in association with its unique ID (identifier), SKU ID (identifier), materials used, manufacturer, owner, owner classification, and current location, and this information is managed using blockchain as blockchain-held information. Here, for example, the owner classification may include manufacturers, trading companies/agency, users (corporations), users (individuals), and second-hand dealers.
For example, a person in charge of managing furniture in an office (such as someone in the general affairs department) can check the specifications and status of equipment (furniture) in the office that is under subscription contract by referring to the blockchain-held information managed using the blockchain.

In addition, when equipment (furniture) is transferred, a transaction is made to rewrite the owner and ownership classification information held on the blockchain. This allows the history of changes to the owner and ownership classification to be managed on the blockchain.
By using blockchain, the information held on the blockchain is managed in a way that records its history and prevents tampering.

In addition, a function for setting access authority for information managed using the blockchain is provided. In this case, it is preferable that the service provider is granted the authority to access the blockchain-held information of all equipment (furniture).
In addition, it is preferable that users, i.e. owners (including general affairs department staff, etc.), be granted the authority to access the blockchain-held information of equipment (furniture) that they own.
This allows service providers to refer to the blockchain-held information on the equipment (furniture) to appropriately manage the equipment (furniture), while owners can refer to the blockchain-held information on the equipment (furniture) they own and manage it without worrying about it being tampered with.
This is especially important when equipment (furniture) is shared. In other words, when sharing (changing ownership, i.e., transfer) occurs, the history of the shared furniture, which is included in the blockchain holdings, becomes important in determining the value of the shared furniture.
Therefore, by using blockchain to manage the information held by the blockchain, the value of the shared furniture itself and the value of this service will increase.

Furthermore, the system configuration shown in Figure 6, the hardware configuration shown in Figure 7, and the functional configuration shown in Figure 8 are merely examples for achieving the objectives of the present invention and are not particularly limited.

In other words, the functional configuration shown in FIG. 8 is merely an example and is not particularly limited.
That is, it is sufficient that the information processing system shown in Fig. 6 is provided with a function capable of executing the above-mentioned series of processes as a whole, and the type of functional block used to realize this function is not limited to the example of Fig. 8. The location of the functional block is also not particularly limited to that of Fig. 8 and may be arbitrary. For example, the functional block of the server 1 may be transferred to the user terminal 2 or another information processing device not shown. That is, it is also possible to allow the user terminal 2 to manage the information of the equipment by the server 1.
Furthermore, one functional block may be configured as a single piece of hardware, a single piece of software, or a combination of both.

Furthermore, for example, when a series of processes is executed by software, a program constituting the software is installed into a computer or the like from a network or a recording medium.
The computer may be a computer implemented with dedicated hardware.
Furthermore, the computer may be a computer capable of executing various functions by installing various programs, such as a server, a general-purpose smartphone, or a personal computer.

For example, a recording medium containing such a program may be configured not only as a removable medium (not shown) that is distributed separately from the device body in order to provide the program to the user, but also as a recording medium that is provided to the user in a pre-installed state in the device body.

A recording medium including such a program may be constituted not only by the removable medium 30 in FIG. 7 that is distributed separately from the device body in order to provide the user with the program, but also by a recording medium provided to each user in a state in which it is pre-installed in the device body. The removable medium 30 may be constituted, for example, by a magnetic disk (including a floppy disk), an optical disk, or a magneto-optical disk. The optical disk may be constituted, for example, by a CD-ROM (Compact Disk-Read Only Memory), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), or the like. The magneto-optical disk may be constituted, for example, by an MD (Mini-Disk), or the like. In addition, a recording medium provided to a user in a state in which it is pre-installed in the device body may be constituted, for example, by the ROM 12 in FIG. 7 in which the program is recorded, or a hard disk included in the storage unit 18 in FIG. 7, or the like.

In this specification, the steps of describing a program to be recorded on a recording medium include not only processes that are performed chronologically according to the order, but also processes that are not necessarily performed chronologically but are executed in parallel or individually.
In addition, in this specification, the term "system" refers to an overall device that is composed of a plurality of devices, a plurality of means, etc.

In summary, the information processing apparatus to which the present invention is applied is sufficient if it has the following configuration, and can take various different embodiments.
That is, an information processing device to which the present invention is applied (for example, the server 1 in FIG. 8)
A new equipment management unit (e.g., a new furniture management unit 51 in FIG. 8 ) that manages one or more new equipment items among the candidates for equipment items to be arranged in a predetermined space used by a user;
an other use equipment management means for managing one or more pieces of equipment that have already been placed in other spaces among the candidates for equipment to be placed in the specified space;
A contract management unit (e.g., a subscription management unit 53 in FIG. 8 ) that manages a contract for paying a predetermined price for each predetermined period as a contract to place N pieces of equipment (N is an integer value of 1 or more) among the candidates managed by the new equipment management unit and the other use equipment management unit in the predetermined space;
An equipment information management unit (e.g., the equipment management unit 54 in FIG. 8 ) that registers and manages information about each of the N pieces of equipment that are the subject of the contract, in association with an identifier attached to the actual equipment;
A presentation unit (e.g., a user presentation unit 55 in FIG. 8 ) that presents information about one or more of the N pieces of equipment that are the subject of the contract to the user;
It will be enough to have this.

This has the effect of freeing users from having to register new equipment to be placed in a given space. In addition, by being presented with the information, users can grasp assets, including equipment, at a glance, and has the advantage of being able to work effectively with departments (general affairs, etc. and the department in the office where the furniture is located).

moreover,
The information on the facility managed by the facility information management means includes:
Information regarding the life cycle of the equipment, including the date it was registered as a new piece of equipment and the date it was inventoried in the specified space;
and,
The information may include information on the location where the inventory was taken in the specified space.

This allows users to easily inventory the equipment by using the identifier attached to the actual item.

The presentation means further comprises:
Information can be presented to accept a request from the user to dispose of, sell, maintain, or order additional equipment of the same or similar equipment for one or more of the N pieces of equipment that are the subject of the contract.

This allows users to easily dispose of, sell or maintain their current equipment, or place additional orders for the same or similar equipment.

The presentation means further comprises:
It is possible to present information for accepting an order operation from the user for a product or service to be used in the specified space that is different from the N pieces of equipment that are the subject of the contract.

This allows users to easily order consumables and maintenance (services) for use in their current equipment, for example.

A TAG capable of transmitting information including the identifier is attached to each of the N pieces of equipment that are the subject of the contract,
The information acquired includes information recognized based on the information transmitted from the TAG of a specific facility, the information including the identifier and the location of the specific facility.
The facility information management means can further manage the information acquired by the facility information acquisition means as the information relating to the specified facility.

This makes it possible to automatically manage the information required for equipment inventory, enabling automated inventory.

The presentation means further comprises:
Present information for accepting an operation to add another piece of equipment to be used in the specified space with an identifier, the other piece of equipment being different from the N pieces of equipment that are the subject of the contract;
When the additional operation is accepted, the equipment information management means can additionally register and manage information regarding the other equipment, in addition to the N equipment that is the subject of the contract, by correlating it with the identifier attached to the actual equipment.

This allows users to assign identifiers to equipment that has already been deployed and manage it, making it possible to manage the status of assets in a centralized manner.

1: Server, 2: User terminal, 11: CPU, 20: Drive, 21: Removable media, 51: New furniture management unit, 52: Shared furniture management unit, 53: Subscription management unit, 54: Equipment management unit, 55: User presentation unit, 56: TAG information acquisition unit, 71: User DB, 72: New furniture DB, 73: Shared furniture DB

Claims (7)

a new equipment management means for managing one or more new pieces of equipment among candidates for equipment to be arranged in a predetermined space used by a user;
an other use equipment management means for managing one or more pieces of equipment that have already been placed in other spaces among the candidates for equipment to be placed in the specified space;
a contract management means for managing a contract for placing N pieces of equipment (N being an integer value of 1 or more) among the candidates managed by the new equipment management means and the other-use equipment management means in the specified space, the contract being for paying a specified price for each specified period;
an equipment information management means for registering and managing information about each of the N pieces of equipment that are the subject of the contract, in association with an identifier attached to the actual equipment;
a presentation means for presenting information about one or more of the N pieces of equipment that are the subject of the contract to the user;
Equipped with
The presentation means includes:
Present information for accepting an order operation from the user for a product or service to be used in the specified space, which is different from the N facilities that are the subject of the contract;
Information processing device. The information on the facility managed by the facility information management means includes:
Information regarding the life cycle of the equipment, including the date it was registered as a new piece of equipment and the date it was inventoried in the specified space;
and,
The information processing device according to claim 1 , further comprising information on a location where an inventory was conducted in the predetermined space. The presentation means further comprises:
Present information for accepting an operation of a request from the user for disposal, sale, maintenance, or additional ordering of the same or similar equipment for one or more of the N pieces of equipment that are the subject of the contract;
3. The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2. A TAG capable of transmitting information including the identifier is attached to each of the N pieces of equipment that are the subject of the contract,
The information acquired includes information recognized based on the information transmitted from the TAG of a specific facility, the information including the identifier and the location of the specific facility.
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the facility information management means further manages the information acquired by the facility information acquisition means as the information relating to the specific facility. The presentation means further comprises:
Present information for accepting an operation to add another piece of equipment to be used in the specified space with an identifier, the other piece of equipment being different from the N pieces of equipment that are the subject of the contract;
When the operation of adding is accepted, the equipment information management means additionally registers and manages information on the other equipment in addition to the N equipment that is the subject of the contract, in association with the identifier attached to the actual equipment.
The information processing device according to claim 1 . An information processing method executed by an information processing device,
a new equipment management step for managing one or more new pieces of equipment among candidates for equipment to be arranged in a predetermined space used by a user;
an other use equipment management step for managing one or more pieces of equipment that have already been placed in other spaces among the candidates for equipment to be placed in the specified space;
a contract management step of managing a contract for paying a predetermined price for each predetermined period as a contract to place N pieces of equipment (N is an integer value of 1 or more) in the specified space among the candidates managed by the processing of the new equipment management step and the other-use equipment management step;
an equipment information management step of registering and managing information about each of the N pieces of equipment that are the subject of the contract in association with an identifier attached to the actual equipment;
a presentation step of presenting information about one or more of the N pieces of equipment that are the subject of the contract to the user;
Including,
The presenting step includes:
A step of presenting information for accepting an order operation from the user for a product or service to be used in the specified space, which is different from the N facilities that are the subject of the contract,
Information processing methods. On the computer,
a new equipment management step for managing one or more new pieces of equipment among candidates for equipment to be arranged in a predetermined space used by a user;
an other use equipment management step for managing one or more pieces of equipment that have already been placed in other spaces among the candidates for equipment to be placed in the specified space;
a contract management step of managing a contract for paying a predetermined price for each predetermined period as a contract to place N pieces of equipment (N is an integer value of 1 or more) in the specified space among the candidates managed by the processing of the new equipment management step and the other-use equipment management step;
an equipment information management step of registering and managing information about each of the N pieces of equipment that are the subject of the contract in association with an identifier attached to the actual equipment;
a presentation step of presenting information about one or more of the N pieces of equipment that are the subject of the contract to the user;
Executing a control process including
In the presenting step,
A step of presenting information for accepting an order operation from the user for a product or service to be used in the specified space, which is different from the N facilities that are the subject of the contract,
A program that executes a control process.

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