1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a method and system for data processing in general, and in particular to a method and system for providing automatic notification. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a method and system for providing automatic notification of an end of lease of a computer and its location.
2. Description of the Prior Art
More and more companies prefer computer leasing over purchasing. The lease term of a typical computer lease usually lasts approximately two, three, or four years. At the end of a computer lease, a company needs to return all the lease computers; otherwise, the company must continue to pay at the lease rate for any lease computers that have not been returned. The task of finding all the lease computers is usually quite straightforward when there are only a few lease computers. However, when there is a large number of lease computers, such as several thousand units, installed at various locations within a company, then the task of finding all the lease computers becomes daunting.
A database can be used to keep track of information such as whether or not a computer lease for a specific computer is about to expire, along with the location of the computer according to its first installation. However, computers tend to be relocated many times within a huge organization after their first installation, and yet the database is usually not updated after the relocation of computers. As a result, the database tracking method becomes very impractical. Consequently, it would be desirable to provide an improved method for providing automatic notification when a computer lease is about to expire, and for providing the location of the computer to which the computer lease belongs.