US 7,731,083 B2Granted

Information collection system, information collection device, terminal device management program, information collection management program, information collection management method, and terminal device management method

AssigneeSeiko Epson Corporation

InventorsNobutoshi Terakawa, Naomi Yamazaki

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Abstract

A terminal device, in an information collection system in which the terminal device and an information collection device are connected, which reads question information from a question information storage section storing question information, as questions the responses to which are to be provided to the information collection device, and after power to the terminal device has been turned on, or based on a state of usage, receives the input of response information, as responses corresponding to output question information, and transmits the input response information to the information collection device.

Claims14

Dependent claims

An information collection system comprising:

a terminal device;
and
an information collection device that is connected to the terminal device,
wherein the terminal device comprises:
a reception unit that receives question information from a question information storage section, the question information storage section storing the question information;
an output unit that outputs the question information received by the reception unit when the terminal device is powered on, when a prescribed amount of usage time of the terminal device has elapsed, or when free storage space on a hard disk for the terminal device has become less than a fixed value;
an input unit that inputs response information corresponding to the question information output by the output unit;
and
a transmission unit that transmits the response information input by the input unit to the information collection device;
and wherein the information collection device comprises:
a question information storage section that stores question information;
a question information request reception unit that receives question information transmission requests from the terminal device;
a question information transmission unit that, according to the question information transmission requests received from the terminal device by the question information request reception unit, reads the question information from the question information storage section, and that transmits the question information to the requesting terminal device;
and
a response information reception unit that receives response information, as responses to the question information transmitted by the question information transmission unit, from the terminal device,
wherein the question information comprises a request and a questionnaire, the request asking a user to indicate whether or not the user agrees to respond to the questionnaire,
and wherein the output unit outputs the questionnaire when a prescribed time has elapsed after the user indicates that the user agrees to respond to the questionnaire.

14 more elements

An information collection device included in an information collection system and connected to a terminal device, the information collection device comprising:

a question information storage section that stores question information;
a question information request reception unit that receives question information transmission requests from the terminal device when the terminal device is powered on after the terminal device is purchased;
a question information transmission unit that, according to the question information transmission requests received from the terminal device by the question information request reception unit, reads the question information from the question information storage section, and that transmits the question information to the requesting terminal device;
and
a response information reception unit that receives response information, as responses to the question information transmitted by the question information transmission unit, from the terminal device,
wherein the question information comprises a request and a questionnaire, the request asking a user to indicate whether or not the user agrees to respond to the questionnaire,
and wherein the question information transmission unit transmits the questionnaire to the terminal device when a prescribed time has elapsed after the user indicates that the user agrees to respond to the questionnaire.

4 more elements

A terminal device management program, used by a terminal device included in an information collection system and connected to an information collection device, and which causes a computer to execute the steps of:

when the terminal device is powered on, when a prescribed amount of usage time of the terminal device has elapsed, or when free storage space on a hard disk for the terminal device has become less than a fixed value, reading question information from a question information storage section and outputting the question information;
inputting response information, as responses to the output question information;
and
transmitting the input response information to the information collection device,
wherein the question information comprises a request and a questionnaire, the request asking a user to indicate whether or not the user agrees to respond to the questionnaire,
and wherein the questionnaire is output when a prescribed time has elapsed after the user indicates that the user agrees to respond to the questionnaire.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.