JPH07319898A - Electronic cataloging device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent a user from overlooking a commodity by displaying only the commodity which is not displayed once based on information stored in a display circuit storage area. CONSTITUTION:When a consumer requests a catalog to a tradesman, he checks whether the consumer is registered as a customer or not by the customer data base 81 of a computer 8. When he is not registered, he is registered and catalog CD-ROM 10 is sent. The consumer reproduces CD-ROM 10 by a player 1, displays it on a monitor 2 and retrieves the commodities. The computer 8 supplies stock information obtained by checking a commodity data base 82 in accordance with the collation. In such a case, only commodity information which the user does not display is displayed and supplied. When the commodity to be purchased exists, a purchase processing is executed and data is transmitted/received with the computer 8 through a public line 6. Then, the commodity is sent and a price is paid.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a novel electronic catalog device using a recording medium such as a CD-ROM.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As one form of mail order, a catalog book is regularly sent to consumers, the ordered product is filled in on the attached form, the order form is shipped, and the product is shipped accordingly. There is something.

In such a system, the amount of information in the catalog book has become extremely large due to the subdivision and diversification of products, and it takes a lot of time and effort to obtain the necessary information. Is coming.

For the same reason as above, the catalog books have become very thick or have been separated into separate volumes, resulting in higher catalog book production costs and delivery costs borne by mail-order vendors. .

In response to the large-scale catalog book and complicated search as described above, the catalog data is recorded in a recording medium such as a CD-ROM to reduce the weight of the catalog and reduce the delivery cost. , An electronic catalog system has been proposed that simplifies editing and revision to reduce production costs and eliminates the complexity of information retrieval. (JP 62-55767, JP 2-18669, JP 2
-268369)

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is intended to provide an electronic catalog apparatus having a novel information presenting means in such an electronic catalog system, and leaks information recorded on a recording medium. The purpose is to provide a means of being visible. Further, the present invention can transmit electronic order data via a communication network, and can transmit information such as which product the user has often viewed or which product the user has never viewed. An object is to provide an electronic catalog device.

[0007]

An electronic catalog device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a recording medium on which information on a plurality of products is recorded, and a means for reading the recording information from the recording medium.
Display means connected to the read means for displaying the read product information, means for storing the product information displayed by the display means, and a product that has never been displayed based on the contents of the storage means It is characterized by comprising control means for controlling to display only information.

A second aspect of the invention is further connected to a means for selecting a product related to the displayed information, a means for creating ordering information for the selected product, and a communication means of a seller of the product via a communication network. And means for transmitting the ordering information and the contents of the storage means to the communication means of the seller using the means.

[0009]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to display only merchandise information that the user has never displayed.

In the second invention, the seller can know what kind of product the user is interested in.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a system using an electronic catalog device of the present invention. A computer 8 of a mail-order company is connected to a public line 6 via a modem 7,
A number of consumer modems 5 (one consumer is shown in the figure) are connected here. The computer 8 has databases 81 and 82 of customer information and product information.
The core of this system is the CD-ROM player 1
Therefore, it is possible to transmit / receive data to / from the modem 5, and thus to / from the computer 8. CD
The ROM player 1 is loaded with a catalog of the CD-ROM 10 sent from a vendor every month or every four seasons and played.

An input device 3 such as a mouse and a control pad is connected to the CD-ROM player 1, and a CD-RO
The M10 reproduction instruction, screen change, ordering instruction, etc. are performed by this. CD in the CD-ROM player 1
A monitor 2 for displaying information read from the ROM 10, input information from the input device 3, and the like, and a printer 4 for printing order information are connected.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the CD-ROM player 1. The MPU 11 is a control center of the player 1, and includes a ROM 12 storing a control program for the CD-ROM player 1, a RAM 13 as a work memory, a non-volatile memory 14 for storing order information and display count information, and a CD-ROM. An auxiliary storage control device 19 for controlling the reproduction device 18, an input control device 15 for the interface of the input device 3, an output control device 16 for the interface of the printer 4, a communication control device 17 for transmitting / receiving data to / from the modem 5, and Video memory 2 for storing image information and audio information to be displayed on monitor 2, respectively
0 and the audio buffer 21 are connected to the bus to enable data transmission and reception between them. The other video D / A converter 22 converts the digital data in the video memory 20 into analog data when it is applied to the monitor 2, and the audio D / A converter 23 converts the audio data into the audio buffer 21.
The digital data is converted into analog data when it is applied to the monitor 2.

Next, the information recorded on the CD-ROM 10 will be described. Table 1 shows an example of product information stored in the CD-ROM 10. That is, the CD
-In order to organize in the ROM 10, it has display data that makes use of the characteristics of the CD-ROM in addition to the number, the large classification, the small classification to which each product belongs, the product name (including the model number, etc.), the price, and the product code. That is, it includes text, image information (still images such as photographs, computer graphics, moving images such as videos) displayed on the monitor 2 screen, and voice information (music, narration) to be output from the speaker.

[0015]

[Table 1]

Further, the CD-ROM 10 includes a control program for operating the electronic catalog system and a CD-ROM.
ID information for identifying the ROM 10 is stored, and MP
U11 reads the control program first and then RAM13
, And perform control as will be described later.

When the CD-ROM player 1 is constructed as a dedicated machine for the electronic catalog system, its control program may be stored in the ROM 12. Also CD-
It is also possible to record only the product information as described above in the ROM 10 and provide the control program with a memory card or the like.

Next, the entire system will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining how to use the entire system. When the consumer requests the trader for the catalog by telephone, mail, or the like (S32), the trader checks whether the consumer is registered as a customer in the customer database 81 of the computer 8 (S42). In the case of, this consumer is registered (S43). Then, the catalog (CD-ROM 10) is shipped in response to the request (S44). The consumer loads the sent CD-ROM 10 into the player 1 and reproduces it (S33). Then, the recorded product information is displayed on the monitor 2 to search for the product (S34, S35, S38). Inquiries about the stock of commodities are made if necessary (S36, S37).
For this purpose, communication using the public line 6 is performed with the computer 8 of the trader. In response to this inquiry, the computer 8 searches the product database 82 and provides inventory information (S45). This inquiry includes not only inventory information but also delivery date and other information.

If there is a purchased product (S39), a purchase process (S40) is performed. Also in this case, data transmission / reception with the computer 8 is performed via the public line 6, and the computer 8 performs an order acceptance process (S46). After that, the product is shipped (S47) and the price is paid (S41).

Next, the record information of the CD-ROM 10 is displayed, and the operation for searching for a desired product and the MPU 11 are performed.
The procedure of the processing by will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

When the CD-ROM 10 is loaded into the player 1 and the power is turned on (S50), it is determined whether the CD-ROM 10 is the same as the one used before, and the nonvolatile memory 1
The ID recorded in 4 is checked (S51). I
If it is recognized that D is different, that is, the CD-ROM 10 is different from the existing one, the display frequency area provided in the non-volatile memory 14 is cleared and the ID of the new CD-ROM is stored (S52). , S53). If the same CD-ROM is recognized, nothing is done and the main menu shown in FIG. 7 is displayed (S5).
4). An operation of selecting a desired menu may be performed by operating the input device 3 (S55), but as the menu, the products are displayed in the product order display (S64), and the desired product is searched [There are two ways, only the item is searched. Item search (S5
6) and a condition search for searching by a plurality of conditions (items and prices, etc.) (S57)], a display mode according to the number of times of display,
There is prepared a mode (S58) for displaying only those designated for purchase. These modes will be described later.
These modes are selected by operating the input device 3 (clicking the mouse, etc.).

The product order display (S64) mode is one product
Each screen is sequentially displayed according to the operation of the input device 3, and an example thereof is shown in FIG. Still image information is displayed on the screen, and the product introduction narration is output by voice.
Soft function keys are displayed at the bottom of the screen. By operating this soft function key, the user can sequentially view the products, as will be described later.

When "Search for product" is selected in the main menu (S54), a menu for product search as shown in FIG. 9 is displayed. Item search as shown (S5
When (corresponding to 6) is selected, an item search screen as shown in FIG. 10A appears, and a large classification of product information in the CD-ROM 10 is displayed. When the soft key “Select” is selected, the designated large category is selected, and a small category product list as shown in FIG. 10B is displayed. The soft key "Return" returns to the main menu. When the soft key “Display” is selected in the state of FIG. 10B, a list display of the instructed small classification is performed (S59). When the soft key “Select” is selected, the lower classification of the designated small classification is displayed, and when it is the lowest classification, a list display (S5
9). The soft key "Return" returns to the screen of FIG. 11 and 12 show examples of the list display screen,
The former is a list display in the text mode, and the latter is a list display in the image mode.

The soft keys "image mode" and "text mode" are used to switch the display modes. When the soft key "display" is selected, the instructed product is displayed as shown in FIG. 8 (S62). The soft key “search” is re-searched (S60), and the screen returns to the screen of FIG. The softkey "Exit" returns to the main menu. (S63) FIGS. 13 and 14 show screens when the condition retrieval (S57) mode is selected. First, a list of search condition items is displayed (FIG. 13A), and the conditions of the corresponding item are displayed in a list by selecting an item and operating the soft key “select”.
(FIG. 13 (b)) FIG. 14 (a) shows the case where "item" is selected. "Return" with the soft keys in FIG. 13 is for instructing to return to the previous screen. Soft key "Add condition"
Is for instructing to add a further narrowing condition, and returns to the condition item selection screen of FIG. 13A to select another item. FIG. 14A shows a state in which two conditions of item and price are set. The soft key “condition deletion” is for instructing deletion of the already set item, and the soft key “start of search” is for instructing search under the set condition. When this search is instructed, MPU
Reference numeral 11 detects from the product information of the CD-ROM 10 the setting conditions, and displays the number of searches as shown in FIG. 14 (b). The soft key “display” displays a list of the search results as shown in FIG. 11 or 12.

When [View products to be purchased] is selected in the product search menu (FIG. 9) (S5)
8), the MPU 11 detects the product for which purchase is set from the product information of the CD-ROM 10, and displays the number of searches as shown in FIG. 14B. Further, when [View products not seen yet] is selected, the MPU 11 searches the display frequency area provided in the non-volatile memory 14 to detect products that have not been displayed at all, and FIG. Display the number of searches as shown in. The display frequency area will be described later. On this screen, the soft key “display” displays the search results in a list as shown in FIG. 11 or 12. In both the condition search and the purchased product search, the operation after the list display of the corresponding products in FIGS. 11 and 12 is the same as the operation described above in the item search operation.

Next, the display of products (S64, S62) will be described with reference to the flow chart of FIG. 5, which further details this operation.

When "view product" is selected on the main menu screen of FIG. 7 or when "display" is selected on the search result list display screen of FIGS. 11 and 12, the MPU 11 displays the product as shown in FIG. (S6
6) Further, the value of the position corresponding to the displayed product in the display frequency area is incremented by 1 (S68). Then wait for input with the soft key.

In the screen of FIG. 8, softkeys "next product" and "previous product" are used to instruct display of products next and previous to those in FIGS. The soft key “Return” is for instructing to return to FIG. 11 or 12. The soft key “Purchase” causes the display product to be added to the order information as described later.

If an instruction to proceed to another product such as "previous product" or "next product" is given (S69 to S70),
Each item that should be displayed next is displayed.

If the "end" or "return" soft key is selected, this routine is exited at S73 and the process shown in FIG.
Return to S65 or S63.

When the soft key "Purchase" is selected on the display screen of FIG. 8, the product is stored in the purchased product list. This list is provided in either the RAM 13 or the non-volatile memory 14. When provided in the RAM 13, the nonvolatile memory 1 is provided after the transfer to the computer 8.
I will write to 4.

Next, the display frequency area provided in the non-volatile memory 14 will be described. FIG. 6 schematically shows this display frequency area. The memory address is paired with the product number, and 4 bits are allocated to one product (1 address). Initially, all 0s are written in this area, but as described with reference to FIG. 5, the product is incremented by 1 each time the product is displayed (S62, S64), and the product is displayed up to 16 times. The number of times it is displayed is recorded. Therefore, it can be seen that the product whose value in this memory area is 0 has never been displayed. Further, it can be seen that the product displayed many times depending on the value of the memory area is a product that the user is looking at with a lot of interest even if the product has not been purchased yet.

It is needless to say that this memory does not have to be 4 bits for one product, and whether or not it is displayed can be determined by using at least 1 bit. Although the maximum number of display times that can be stored is determined by the number of allocated bits, if the maximum number of display times is exceeded, it is advisable not to increment the value at that position (S67 in FIG. 5).

FIG. 15 to FIG. 17 are flowcharts showing the procedure of the purchase process when "order product" is selected in the main menu.

First, the contents of the above list of purchased commodities are displayed on the monitor 2 (S1). FIG. 18 shows an example of the display screen. In this example, the number, the item, the number, and the price are displayed, and the total price including tax is also displayed. For product confirmation (S2), when the product information is displayed, the product and the soft key "display" are selected and instructed (S3).
If there is a product to be canceled that has been stored in the purchased product list (S4), the product and soft key "Delete" are selected and instructed. As a result, the product is deleted from the purchased product list (S5). Further, when the purchase of all the products is to be stopped, the function key "stop purchase" is selected and instructed (S6).

When ordering after finishing the above processing (S7)
In order to make an offline order, that is, to order by mail, select and instruct the soft key "Print" (S)
8). When "print" is instructed, the order information is printed by the printer 4 (S25). The ordering information includes the orderer's address, name, ordering date, etc. in addition to the contents of the purchased product list. The address and name of the orderer may be provided by the CD-ROM 10, or may be provided by a control program separately provided by a memory card or the like. When a keyboard is provided as the input device 3, it may be performed by the input operation of the orderer.

When the soft key "order" is selected and instructed, the online order is made, and the MPU 11 sets the communication control unit 17
To issue a predetermined command to call processing of the telephone number of the trader. By this call, the player 1 is connected to the computer 8 via the modem 5, the public line 6 and the modem 7 (S
9). Then, the order information is transmitted (S10). Receiving this, the computer 8 checks the product database 82, and returns information such as the presence or absence of stock, the delivery date when there is no stock, and the undeliverability (sold out) (S26). The player 1 sets this in FIG.
The monitor 2 is displayed as shown in (S11). Even at this stage, some products can be deleted, previous products can be deleted, and previous products can be deleted by using the soft keys (S12, S13, S1).
4). These processes not only correct the purchased product list in the player 1 at this stage, but also send it to the computer 8 side to request the correction.

On the other hand, when the soft key "order" is selected and instructed, the purchased product list is confirmed and the ordering process is performed (S15). In response to this, the computer 8 requests the password (S27). FIG. 20 shows the display screen of the monitor 2 when this request is received, and the password is input here (S16). When a keyboard is not provided as the input device 3, a method of selecting characters one by one by clicking and confirming one digit at a time is adopted. When the password is transmitted, the computer 8 checks the received password from the customer information in the database 81 (S28). If the password is inappropriate, the computer 8 sends an order refusal signal, and the player 1 receiving this signal disconnects the line (S1).
7, S20). If the password is correct (S1
8) Since the order confirmation data is sent from the computer 8 (S29), it is received. Next, the computer 8 requests the display count data (S30).
Upon receiving this request, the MPU 11 sequentially sends the data in the display count area (S19). It is confirmed that the receipt completion data has been sent from the computer 8 (S31), and the line is disconnected (S20). The signal form used for data communication is arbitrary.

When an order is placed (S21), the order information is stored in the RAM 13 and transferred to the nonvolatile memory 14 (S22). (When the order list is provided in the RAM 13) Further, the printer 4 prints it so as to retain it as confirmation information (S23). In addition, during this time, it is also displayed on the monitor 2 (S24).

As described above, when the computer 8 and the electronic catalog device are connected by a telephone line for ordering and ordering, information on which product the customer often displays and which product has never been displayed is displayed. It can be taken in by the distributor and can be valuable information when creating the next CD-ROM.

Further, although the CD-ROM is used as the storage medium in the above-mentioned embodiment, any other random access such as a semiconductor memory can be used.

[0042]

As described above, according to the present invention, only products that have never been displayed can be displayed based on the information stored in the display count storage area, and the user can overlook the products. In addition, the mail-order company can know the user's taste better by not only the actual order information but also the information of the displayed product well even if the order is not reached. It has the effect of being able to make the most of it.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an entire electronic catalog system using an apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an electronic catalog device of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the entire system.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of processing for searching and displaying products.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of processing for displaying a product.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a display frequency area.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a main menu screen.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a display example of a product screen.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a menu screen in the case of product search.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a large classification display screen in the case of product search.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a result screen in the case of product search.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing a result screen in the case of product search.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a display screen in the case of condition search.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a display screen in the case of conditional search.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart of a purchase process.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart of a purchase process.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart of a purchase process.

FIG. 18 is a screen display example during the purchase process.

FIG. 19 is an example of a screen display during the purchase process.

FIG. 20 is an example of a screen display during the purchase process.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 CD-ROM player 2 monitor 3 input device 4 printer 5 modem 10 CD-ROM 11 MPU 12 ROM 13 RAM 14 non-volatile memory 18 CD-ROM playback device

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A recording medium on which information about a plurality of products is recorded, a unit for reading the recorded information from the recording medium, a display unit for displaying the read product information, and a product displayed on the display unit. An electronic catalog device comprising: means for storing information and control means for controlling, based on the contents of the storage means, to display only product information that has not been displayed in the past. 2. A recording medium on which information about a plurality of products is recorded, a unit for reading the recorded information from the recording medium, a display unit for displaying the read product information, and a product displayed by the display unit. Means for storing information, means for selecting a product related to the displayed information, means for creating ordering information for the selected product, and means for connecting to the communication means of the seller of the product via a communication network And an electronic catalog device comprising means for transmitting the order information and the contents of the storage means to the communication means of the seller using the means.