JP2001306913A - System and method and device for providing information - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a service whose additional value is high while maintaining the privacy protection of a user at the time of realizing task cooperation among the different kinds of tasks by using a communication network. SOLUTION: A rental business store 10 is connected through a communication network to an automobile dealer store 20. Not only the user data of the dealer store 20 but also the membership data of the rental business store 10 are stored in in an integral server 20a. When a user rents a CD or the like in the rental business store 10, data related with point data among the sales data are supplied to the integral server 20a, and stored. Also, when the user purchases a vehicle or the like in the dealer store 20, point data corresponding to the purchase sum are supplied to the integral server 20a, and stored. The point data are supplied to each terminal 10d and 20b, and issued as coupon tickets so that the user can enjoy the offer of the discounts of a rental fee or a car washing service or the like.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a system and method for providing information, and more particularly to a technique for integrating information between different industries and providing high value-added information or services to users in different industries.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With the recent development of computer technology and communication network technology, it has become possible to provide various information to users using the Internet or the like. It is also possible to provide services to users in a unified manner.

[0003] On the other hand, various attempts have been made to provide a more attractive service to the user to increase the attraction of the customer. For example, a point corresponding to the purchase price is given to the user, and the point is given to the point. There are services such as issuance of coupons based on these. JP-A-11-191183
In the official gazette, a POS terminal and a magnetic card are used, the code of the member store and the user are recorded on the magnetic card, and when the user purchases a product, the magnetic card is read and point data converted at a predetermined rate is concentrated. A system is disclosed in which a coupon is issued based on the accumulated point data stored in a managed database. By giving versatility using magnetic cards on which codes of member stores and users are recorded, it is possible to form a low-cost point card integrated system that enables alliances between different industries.

[0004]

However, in the case of an alliance between different industries, instead of simply integrating point data and issuing coupons, it is desired to provide users with higher value-added information. Often want.
It is possible to generate high value-added information by sharing the unique data held by each industry between the two industries, but on the other hand, sharing of the unique data may lead to the leakage of user privacy, Neither can data be used efficiently.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and has as its object to provide users with more value-added information by cooperating between different industries while protecting the privacy of users. It is to provide a system and a method that can be provided.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a means for inputting predetermined data to be integrated in different industries, and stores data input from the input means as integrated data. And means for providing information to the users of the different industries based on the integrated data. By inputting and integrating only predetermined data instead of integrating all data between different industries, privacy of users in each industry can be protected. The predetermined data is data that is highly relevant to each other in an abstract manner. Specifically, when different industries are assumed to be the A and B industries, the B data among the user data of the A industry can also be used. The data is data that can be used in the A business among the user data of the B business, and the data obtained in the A business is data having a particularly high use value in the B business. Of the data held by the industry A, data unique to the industry A that is unnecessary in the industry B is excluded from the integrated data. The same is true for Business B. By using such integrated data, high value-added information can be provided to users in different industries. Providing information to users of different types of business does not mean providing the same information to all users, but providing information that takes into account differences in types of business. For example, the specific information of the type B business which is assumed to be relevant is provided to the user of the type A business, and the specific information of the type A business which is assumed to be relevant to the user of the type B business. It is to provide.

[0007] It is preferable that the integrated data is point data corresponding to the amount of money purchased or provided by a user in each of the different industries. The point data is set in accordance with the purchase price, and stimulates the user's willingness to purchase. By integrating point data across business lines, instead of using point data that is valid in different industries, users' motivation to purchase can be increased.

Preferably, the integrated data is data for specifying the user. By integrating data specifying the user, for example, the address, name, age, etc. of the user, information provision to the user is facilitated.
When integrating the user identification data, it is desirable to obtain the user's consent or consent in advance.

[0009] The different industries can be engaged in a rental business or a music distribution business and a car handling business. Users in the automobile business, for example, users who purchase a vehicle or use a vehicle inspection, often use a CD or DVD for car audio or the like, and are often interested in music information.
Also, many users in the rental business are interested in the vehicle, and it is considered that they are interested in holding a license. Therefore, by integrating the car handling business with the rental business or the music distribution business and providing the information, it is possible to provide more valuable information.

In this case, the means for providing information provides coupon data usable in the rental business or the music distribution business to the user of the rental business or the music distribution business based on the point data as the integrated data. Then, it is preferable to provide the user of the automobile business with coupon data usable in the automobile business. As a result, the user of the rental business is C
Instead of receiving a coupon only when renting D or the like, it is also possible to receive a coupon when purchasing a vehicle or receiving a vehicle inspection service in the automobile handling business and use it for CD rental, etc. The usability is dramatically improved.

Preferably, the means for providing information provides vehicle information to a user in the rental business or music distribution business based on the integrated data. In providing the vehicle information, the user identification data of the integrated data can also be used, so that appropriate vehicle information can be provided. For example, if the user identification data includes the presence or absence of a driver's license, it is not efficient to provide vehicle information without permission, but if a user who holds a driver's license and does not yet own a vehicle, In other words, by providing a large amount of vehicle information, valuable information can be provided to the user.

It is preferable that the means for providing information provides rental information or music information to the user of the automobile business based on the integrated data. In providing the rental information or the music information, the user identification data of the integrated data can also be used, so that appropriate information can be provided. For example, for a user having a specific vehicle type, music information of a specific genre is particularly provided.

[0013] The input means may input personal information and vehicle information of a user in the rental business or music distribution business, and the means for providing the information may be based on the personal information and the vehicle information. It is preferable to provide rental information or music information and vehicle information to a user of the rental business or music distribution business and a user of the car handling business. By inputting and integrating not only personal information such as the name and address of the user of the rental business or music business, but also vehicle information, it is easy to provide information to users between different industries, High-value information can be provided. For users of the rental business or music distribution business, by providing not only normal rental information or music information but also related information of the automobile handling business based on the vehicle information, for example, new car data, new customers can be provided. There is a possibility that it will lead to acquisition.

Further, the present invention integrates information held between different industries and provides information to users. This method is characterized in that at least specific data is integrated between the different industries and information is provided to users of the different industries based on the integrated data.

Here, it is preferable that the different types of business are an automobile handling business, a rental business, and a music distribution business.

Also, rental information or music information suitable for the user is provided to the user of the automobile business, and vehicle information suitable for the user is provided to the user of the rental or music distribution business. It is preferred to provide.

The present invention also provides an apparatus for providing information to users in different industries. This device is
Means for storing member identification information of each of the different industries and point data associated with purchase; means for outputting information of another industry to members of each of the different industries based on the member information; Means for outputting coupon data corresponding to the point data to members of the different industries based on the point data. The present device can also function as a server in a server client system.

[0018]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a rental business and an automobile business (dealer) according to an embodiment of the present invention;
An example will be described in the case of a partnership with.

FIG. 1 shows a system configuration diagram in the present embodiment. The rental store 10 and the dealer store 20 are interconnected by a communication network.
The two stores need only be connected to each other by a communication network, and need not necessarily be physically adjacent to each other. In the rental business store 10, data unique to the rental business, for example, personal data (member information) of a user who is a member, sales data, rental history data, or a CD or VTR
A store server 10a for storing inventory data and the like is provided, and a POS terminal for user enrollment 10b, a POS terminal for rental 10c, and an information search terminal 10d are provided. The store server 10a, the POS 10b for joining, the rental POS 10c, and the terminal 10d
Connected by AN. On the other hand, the dealer store 20 is provided with an integrated server 20a, a terminal 20b, and a terminal 20c. The integrated server 20a stores user data (including vehicle data) at the dealer store 20, and stores user data (member information) and point data of the rental store stored in the store server 10a of the rental store 10. Remember. That is, in addition to the unique data in the dealer store 20, the store server 10
Instead of storing all the data of a (for example, the rental history is not stored), only specific data is stored and the rental business data and the dealer data are integrated. By limiting the integrated data, it is possible to prevent, for example, data important for business in the rental business from leaking to the outside.

The integrated server 20a is located at the dealer store 2
0, but a unique server in the dealer store 20 (the store server 1 in the rental store 10).
0a) may be provided separately from the integrated server 20a, or may be provided on the rental store 10 side. The integrated server 20a and the terminals 20b and 20c are connected by a LAN. The LAN in the rental store 10 and the LAN in the dealer store 20 are mutually connected (they can be a common LAN), and the store server 10a and the integrated server 20
a, the terminal 10d, and the terminals 20b, 20d can mutually perform data communication.

A user who visits the rental store 10, that is, a user whose main purpose is to rent a CD or the like, fills in a predetermined application form upon enrollment and provides personal data to the rental store 10 side. . The user's personal data is input from the membership POS 10b and stored as membership information in the store server 10a. Enrollment information is LA
The data is also supplied and stored as integrated data to the integrated server 20a via N. The user of the rental store 10 is requested to provide vehicle information at the time of joining, and when the vehicle information is provided, the vehicle information is supplied to the integrated server 20a. on the other hand,
Personal data of a user who has visited the dealer store 20, that is, a user whose main purpose is to purchase or store a vehicle or the like is supplied to the integrated server 20a in the dealer store 20 and stored. By supplying the user's personal data and vehicle data from the store server 10a to the integrated server 20a,
Even for users who have not visited the dealer store 20,
Various information can be provided to the user from the dealer store 20. In addition, rental-related information can be provided from the integrated server 20a to a user who has visited the dealer store 20.

A user who has become a member at the rental store 10 can store a CD, VTR,
When renting a DVD or the like, rental data is input from the rental POS 10c. The input data, specifically, the user's personal data, sales data, rental history, and the like are supplied to and stored in the store server 10a. Among these data supplied to the store server 10a, the data for specifying the user and the sales data for point addition are also supplied to the integrated server 20a, and the integrated server 2
0a is stored in the point data storage unit.

On the other hand, for a user who comes to the dealer store 20 and purchases a vehicle or receives a service such as a vehicle inspection, the point data corresponding to the purchase price is supplied to the point data storage unit of the integrated server 20a and stored. Is done. That is, the point data storage unit in the integrated server 20a does not distinguish between the purchase at the rental store 10 and the purchase at the dealer store 20, but integrates the two and treats them as point data. Of course, the rate of the point data according to the purchase price can be determined independently in each store. The point data integrated in this manner is appropriately transmitted to the terminal 10 in the rental store 10.
d or the terminal 20b in the dealer store 20. The user who wants to use the point data issues a coupon by operating the terminal 10d in the rental store 10 or the terminal 20b in the dealer store 20, and receives service provision at each store using the coupon. Coupon issued at terminal 10d and terminal 20b
The type of coupon issued at is different from terminal 1
The coupon issued at 0d is a coupon that can be used at the rental business store 10, specifically, a rental discount for a CD or VTR, and the coupon issued at the terminal 20b can be used for a car wash service or a new car. It is a test drive ticket and the like.

Also, vehicle information and rental information are output from the terminal 20c using the integrated data stored in the integrated server 20a and provided to the user by direct mail or telephone.

Hereinafter, the integrated server 20 according to the present embodiment will be described.
The information processing using a will be described in more detail.

FIG. 2 shows a flow of data processing when a user who has visited the rental store 10 becomes a member at the rental store. When becoming a member of the rental store 10, the user fills in a predetermined application form as address information such as address, name, age, occupation, work address, telephone number, and e-mail address. The member application form also includes a document stating that the dealer store 20 affiliated with the rental store 10 agrees to provide various services and information related to vehicle sales based on the member information. The user who gives consent describes the vehicle information in addition to the above information at the time of joining and provides the rental shop 10 with the information. The vehicle information includes the presence or absence of a license, the presence or absence of a vehicle, the manufacturer, the name of the vehicle, the date of purchase, the registration number, and the like. Whether or not to provide vehicle information is up to the user, and a user who does not wish to provide services and information from the affiliated dealer store 20 may become a member of the rental business store 10 without providing vehicle information. it can. The member information supplied from the user is input from the POS terminal 10b, supplied to the server 10a, and stored. In the rental shop 10, the management is performed based on the member information stored in the shop server 10a. The member information stored in the server 10a is immediately supplied to and stored in the integrated server 20a. Integrated server 20
It is preferable that the provision of the member information to a be performed in real time. On the other hand, the vehicle information provided by the consenting user is directly supplied to the integrated server 20a. In order to input the vehicle information, for example, an input terminal provided at the dealer store 20 may be used. That is, the application form in which the vehicle information is described is carried to the dealer store 20 and input there. Of course, it may be input from the POS terminal 10b and supplied to the integrated server 20a, or may be input from a terminal separately provided in the rental store 10. Rental business store 1
If the vehicle information of the user is not particularly required at 0, there is no need to store the vehicle information in the store server 10a.

FIG. 3 shows the flow of data when the user rents a CD or VTR or purchases a book, a CD, or the like at the rental store 10. When the user rents or purchases, the member information (for example, member ID) and the sales data of the user are stored in the server 10.
a and stored. In the rental store 10, sales management and inventory management are performed based on such sales data. On the other hand, the point-added sales data of the member ID and the sales data is supplied to and stored in the integrated server 20a. Here, the sales data for point addition means only the data directly related to the purchase price among the sales data, and for example, the rental C
The title name and rental history of D are not stored in the integrated server 20a. This is because these data are basically data to be managed by the rental store 10 and are not necessary for the integrated server 20a. As a result, it is possible to prevent the rental store 10 from unnecessarily supplying data necessary for its own business to the dealer, and to protect the user's privacy (such as what products were rented or purchased in the past). You can also plan.

Further, when the user selects a new car, parts,
Also when purchasing supplies or receiving maintenance or inspection services, point data corresponding to these amounts is supplied to the integrated server 20a and stored. Server 10a
The point-added sales data supplied from the rental store 10 may be the point data itself.
Point data at a rate determined independently by the customer, for example, 10
One point can be earned for 0 yen. As described above, when the user operates the rental store 10 or the dealer store 2
Regardless of which of 0 is used, the point data is accumulated in the integrated server 20a and is added.

FIG. 4 shows a data flow when a service is provided to a user based on integrated data stored in the integrated server 20a. Integrated server 20
In a, user information for renting a CD, VTR, or the like at the rental store 10 and user data for purchasing a vehicle at the dealer store 20 are uniformly stored. Therefore, integrated information can be provided to the user on the rental business side and the user on the dealer side using these data stored in the integrated server 20a.

For example, a direct mail (DM) relating to the rental of a CD is actively sent from the terminal 20c to a dealer-side user who has newly purchased a vehicle, assuming that the user uses the car audio. For example, a direct mail for prompting the user to visit the dealer store 20 is output and sent to the rental business side user who owns the vehicle. When sending direct mail to users on the rental business side, rental-related information and vehicle-related information are posted together, and in particular, for users who own vehicles of manufacturers that dealers handle, users who own vehicles of other manufacturers It is preferable to send a direct mail in which vehicle information is further enhanced. Also, when sending a direct mail to the dealer-side user, it is preferable to change the rental-related information according to the vehicle type and age purchased.

For example, when a family use is assumed, such as a one-box car or a wagon, VTR rental information corresponding to the use is mainly provided. In the case of a sports type vehicle, rental information regarding the latest pops is mainly provided. And so on. By considering vehicle information held by the user, more efficient rental information can be provided to the user.

Further, when providing information to a user on the rental business side, it is conceivable to change the information to be provided in accordance with the presence or absence of a license and age. For example, if you are a rental business user who holds a driver's license and does not own a vehicle, there are likely to be many members who are just students and members of society, For users who provide information mainly on small car information and do not have a license, for example, it is considered that there are many junior high school students and high school students, so that rental related information is enriched more than vehicle information.

It is also effective to notify the dealer-side user that, when prompting the user to enter the warehouse, the point data is added by the entrance and the rental store 10 can be used.

By providing vehicle information suitable for the user to the rental business side and providing rental information suitable for the user to the user on the dealer side, simply by providing the rental information suitable for the user, Compared to providing information,
It is possible to provide higher value-added information.

FIG. 5 shows a data flow when using the point data stored in the integrated server 20a. As described above, the rental store 10 and the dealer side store 20 are provided with the terminal 10d and the terminal 20b, and are connected to the integrated server 20a via the LAN.
A user visiting the rental store 10 can refer to the integrated server 20a for his or her added point data by operating the terminal 10d, and the integrated server 20a transmits the user's point data to the terminal 10d in response to the inquiry. Supply and display. Thereby, the user can easily know how much his / her point data has been added. The user who visits the dealer store 20 operates the terminal 20b in the same way, makes an inquiry to the integrated server 20a, and the point data is supplied from the integrated server 20a to the terminal 20b and displayed, so that the user can easily know his own added point data. be able to. Since the integrated server 20a manages the point data in a unified manner, it is possible to check the own point data on terminals installed in stores of different types of business. If the rental business user or the dealer user wants to use the point data, operate the terminals 10d and 20b respectively to obtain a discount coupon (coupon).
Issuing For example, when a user who visits the rental store 10 wants to use the point data, the terminal 10d is operated to issue a discount ticket (coupon) according to the point data. By presenting the discount coupon (coupon) and the member card to the rental store 10, the user can receive various services at the rental store 10, for example, a discount service for CD and VTR rental charges. Also, the user who has visited the dealer-side store 20 operates the terminal 20b to issue a discount ticket (coupon) according to the point data. The user presents the discount coupon (coupon) and the member card, and at the dealership store 20, performs a car wash service, a test drive of a new car, a maintenance service at a reduced price, an oil replacement service, a tire rotation service, a wiper blade replacement service. Etc. can be received.

As described above, in this embodiment, the rental business and the automobile business are integrated, and only the necessary data among the data managed in each business is integrated to provide information and services to each user. By providing, high value-added information and services can be provided. Also, for example, data to be held in the rental business such as total sales data and rental history in the rental business and vehicle information in the automobile handling business are not integrated, but are managed independently to protect the privacy of users. it can.

As described above, the embodiment of the present invention has been described by taking as an example a case where the rental business and the car handling business are affiliated. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can be similarly applied to a case where a music distribution business and a car handling business are affiliated. In this case, vehicle information may be provided to a user who desires music distribution, and music information may be provided to a user of an automobile handling business.

[0038]

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide users with efficient and high-value-added information and services while protecting the privacy of users when different types of business are affiliated.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of data processing when a user becomes a member at a rental store.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of data processing when a user rents at a rental shop.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of data processing in a case where information is provided to a user using integrated data stored in an integrated server.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of processing when coupon data is supplied to a user using integrated data stored in an integrated server.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 rental store, 20 car dealer (dealer) store, 10a store server, 20a integrated server.

Claims (12)

[Claims] A means for inputting predetermined data to be integrated in different industries; a means for storing data input from the input means as integrated data; and a means for each of the different industries based on the integrated data. Means for providing information to a user; and an information providing system comprising: 2. The information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the integrated data is point data corresponding to an amount of money purchased or provided by a user in the different business. 3. The information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the integrated data is data specifying the user. 4. The information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the different types of business are a rental business, a music distribution business, and a car handling business. 5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the means for providing the information is based on the point data as the integrated data, and provides the user of the rental business or the music distribution business with a rental business or a music distribution business. An information providing system which provides usable coupon data and provides the user of the automobile business with coupon data usable in the automobile business. 6. The system according to claim 4, wherein the means for providing information is based on the integrated data,
An information providing system for providing vehicle information to a user of the rental business or music distribution business. 7. The system according to claim 4, wherein the means for providing information is based on the integrated data,
An information providing system for providing rental information or music information to a user of the automobile handling business. 8. The system according to claim 4, wherein said input means inputs personal information and vehicle information of a user of said rental business or music distribution business, and said means for providing information includes said personal information and An information providing system for providing rental information, music information, and vehicle information to a user of the rental business or a music distribution business and a user of the car handling business based on the vehicle information. 9. A method for integrating information held between different industries and providing information to a user, wherein at least specific data is integrated between the different industries, and the different data is integrated based on the integrated data. An information providing method characterized by providing information to users in each type of business. 10. The information providing method according to claim 9, wherein the different types of business are an automobile business, a rental business, and a music distribution business. 11. The method according to claim 10, wherein rental information or music information suitable for the user is provided to the user of the automobile business, and the rental information or music distribution user is provided to the user of the automobile business. An information providing method, wherein vehicle information suitable for the user is provided. 12. An apparatus for providing information to users of different types of business, wherein: means for storing member identification information of each of the different types of business and point data associated with purchase; Means for outputting information of another industry to members of each industry; means for outputting coupon data according to the point data to members of each different industry based on the member information and the point data; An information providing device, comprising: