Patent ID: 7136831
Filing Date: 2006-11-14
Classification: G03G,G06Q,H04N

Abstract:
1. A method of managing collection information by a management server for unitarily managing collection information for office products associated with a plurality suppliers, said method comprising: a management step of managing collection information of a plurality of office products for each of the plurality of suppliers; an input step for inputting identification information identifying one of the plurality of suppliers, transmitted from an external information processing apparatus via a predetermined communication link; an extracting step for extracting collection information associated with the identification information input in said input step; a reporting step for reporting the collection information extracted in said extracting step to said information processing apparatus via the predetermined communication link; a determination step for determining whether the collection information has reached a predetermined condition, wherein the collection information is reported to a pre-registered destination in said reporting step if it is determined in said determination step that the collection information has reached the predetermined condition; a setting screen providing step for transmitting setting screen information for setting the predetermined condition to said information processing apparatus via the predetermined communication link; a storing step for receiving information regarding the predetermined condition via the predetermined communication link, the information regarding the predetermined condition being specified via a screen displayed on a display unit of said information processing apparatus based on the setting screen information, and for storing the information regarding the predetermined condition in a database, wherein the information regarding the predetermined condition is stored for each of the plurality of suppliers in said storing step, and collection information is reported on the basis of the information regarding the predetermined condition for each of the plurality of suppliers in said reporting step, wherein the information regarding the predetermined condition is set for each type of office products on the setting screen displayed based on the setting screen information, and the information regarding the predetermined condition for each type of office products is stored in the database via the predetermined communication link in said storing step, and wherein the type of office products include information regarding a type of recycling process, collection information is extracted for each type of recycling process in said extracting step, and the extracted collection information is reported to said information processing apparatus via the predetermined communication link in said reporting step.