Patent ID: 7698149

Claim:
A maintenance management point service system for encouraging customers of an apparatus maintenance management service to perform apparatus maintenance without using a service person from the apparatus maintenance management service, comprising: a computer terminal of a customer side, connected to an object apparatus serving as an object of maintenance management; and a server machine for providing maintenance management service for the object apparatus and connected with the computer terminal through a network for a bi-directional communication; wherein the computer terminal collects status information from the object apparatus serving as the object of maintenance management, the status information at least including information regarding whether or not the object apparatus is powered on, and transmits the collected status information via the network in response to a request of the server machine; wherein the server machine includes a status point storage unit for storing points generated based on the status information, the stored points having a point value; wherein the server machine receives the status information from the computer terminal at specific intervals; wherein the server machine determines whether or not the object apparatus serving as the object of maintenance management is continuously powered on for a predetermined time based on the status information; wherein the server machine renews points of the status point storage unit by adding a specific number of points to the point value of the stored points upon determining that the object apparatus is continuously powered on for the predetermined time; wherein the server machine constantly keeps the same point value of the stored points of the status point storage unit upon determining that the object apparatus is not continuously powered on for the predetermined time; wherein the server machine further includes a maintenance request storage unit for storing information regarding whether or not customer requests for maintenance; wherein the server machine constantly keeps the same point value of the stored points of the status point storage unit upon determining that there was a request for maintenance based on the information stored in the maintenance request storage unit, and whereby the customer is encouraged to perform apparatus maintenance on the object apparatus such that the object apparatus can be continuously powered on and maintenance requests are not made in order to obtain renewal of status points.