Patent ID: 7731083

Claim:
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.