JP2000339272A - Online sales system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To retrieve a virtual moll without specifying a terminal a client operates. SOLUTION: A POS terminal 3 a client operates and a virtual moil device 2 are line connected through a communication network 1. In an online sales system for receiving orders of goods from the client, the system has a client IC card 27 which each client for ordering the goods to the virtual moll possesses and stores at least a client ID, and a password check means by which an operator of each POS terminal is confirmed to be a regular owner of the client IC card inserted into a card insertion port of the POS terminal by a operation inputted password. In this case, reception of the order of the goods from the client who operates the POS terminal is started after check by the password check means.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for connecting a terminal to a virtual mall (virtual store) device via a communication network such as the Internet so that the virtual mall (virtual store) device can be used to store products from each terminal. Online sales system for receiving orders.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With the development of a communication network such as the Internet, a seller constructs a virtual mall (virtual store) on the communication network and exhibits various products to be sold in the virtual mall (virtual store). I do.
This product includes not only ordinary tangible products, but also, for example,
Also includes service products such as travel, and financial products such as stocks and insurance.

When an ordinary person purchases a new product using the virtual mall, he or she first purchases a terminal such as a personal computer and installs a Web browser (circulation software) on the terminal. Next, a contract is made with a provider (connection company) to enable connection to the Internet. Then, the user operates the terminal to input the URL (homepage address) of the virtual mall device, connects the line to the virtual mall device, downloads the image of the virtual mall (virtual store) to his / her terminal device, A product to be purchased is selected using the menu screen of the virtual mall (virtual store) downloaded on the display screen of the terminal.

Generally, a merchandise seller needs to specify a customer who has sold the merchandise. In many cases, the IP address of the customer terminal is used as the information for identifying the customer. In some cases, management is performed using a customer ID.

[0005]

However, the following problems still need to be solved in the online sales system in which the virtual mall device is accessed via the communication network as described above.

That is, as described above, when the IP address of the customer's terminal is used as information for specifying the customer on the virtual mall apparatus side, a third party other than the customer uses the customer's terminal. It is possible to purchase products at a virtual mall (virtual store), which reduces security.

[0007] Also. Even in the case of management using a customer ID, if the customer has set his / her customer ID in his / her own terminal, this customer ID is automatically transmitted to the virtual mall device side. I can't say.

[0008] Further, each customer needs to have a terminal dedicated to himself / herself or a built-in Web browser that can be connected to the Internet, and a customer who does not have this terminal can use this virtual mall (virtual store). There is a problem that is not available.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and by adopting a customer IC card, it is possible to greatly improve security in purchasing or selling goods using a virtual mall (virtual store), and It is an object of the present invention to provide an online sales system that enables a customer who does not have a terminal dedicated to himself / herself to purchase a product using a virtual mall and further improve the service to the customer.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, in a state where a terminal operated by a customer and a virtual mall device are connected to each other via a communication network, a product from a customer operating the terminal with the virtual mall device is provided. Applied to online sales systems that accept orders.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, in the present invention, each customer who places an order for a product with the virtual mall device has a customer IC card that stores at least a customer ID, Password checking means for confirming that the operator is a legitimate holder of the customer IC card inserted into the card insertion slot of the corresponding terminal with a password input by operation, and Then, an order for a product from a customer who operates the terminal is started.

In the online sales system configured as described above, the customer who uses the virtual mall (virtual store) in the virtual mall apparatus has a customer IC card in which a customer ID for specifying the customer is written in advance. Let me. Then, the customer inserts his or her customer ID or the written customer IC card into the card insertion slot of the terminal connectable to the virtual mall device via the communication network and connects to the virtual mall device.

[0013] If the virtual mall apparatus adopts this customer ID as information for specifying the customer, the customer may use any terminal. That is, the customer does not necessarily have to have a terminal dedicated to himself / herself.

Further, since a password check is performed, and after the password check is completed, an order for a product from a customer who operates the terminal is started, so that high security can be realized.

[0015] In another aspect of the invention, a customer database for storing personal information including a customer ID and an address and a sales history information of a product with respect to a virtual mall device in the online sales system of the invention, A customer database updating means for updating the sales history information of the customer in the customer database every time an order is received from each customer, and a product stored in the customer database before starting an order for the product from the customer operating the terminal. And sales history information transmitting means for transmitting the sales history information of the customer to the terminal.

In the online sales system configured as described above, the virtual mall device is provided with a customer database for storing personal information including the customer ID and address and name of each customer and sales history information of the product. And
When each customer uses the virtual mall (virtual store) of the virtual mall device, the sales history for the customer is transmitted to the outline customer. Therefore, since the customer can immediately grasp his or her past purchase results, the service to the customer can be improved.

Further, in another invention, the sales history information received from the virtual mall device is written into the customer IC card inserted into the card insertion slot for each terminal in the online sales system of the above invention. A sales history information writing means and a sales history information display means for reading and outputting the sales history information stored in the customer IC card when the customer IC card is inserted into the card insertion slot are added.

In the online sales system configured as described above, the customer IC card possessed by each customer stores the past purchase results of the product when the customer uses the virtual mall.

Therefore, even if the customer does not use the virtual mall, the customer can check his / her own purchase results using an arbitrary terminal, so that the service for the customer can be further improved.

[0020]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the online sales system according to the embodiment. In order to realize a virtual mall (virtual store) with respect to the Internet 1 as a communication network, one virtual mall device 2 and a plurality of terminals 3 operated by each customer are connected.

Various images including a home page are transmitted (downloaded) to each terminal 3 via the Internet 1 in the virtual mall device 1 composed of computers, and various information is exchanged with each terminal 3. Is implemented.

Further, in the virtual mall device 2, a customer database (DB) 5, a product database (DB) 6, and a sales registration file 7 are formed. As shown in FIG. 2, the customer database 5 includes, for each customer who uses a virtual mall (virtual store) realized by the virtual mall device 2, a customer ID 8 assigned to the customer, Personal information such as a password 9, a name 10, an address 11, a telephone number 12, and the like given to the user, an access history 13 of the corresponding customer to the virtual mall (virtual store), and purchase of a product using the virtual mall (virtual store) A history 14, a service point 15 indicating a cumulative value of a service point given to each purchase of a product up to the present, and other information 16 such as questionnaire information are stored.

The product database (DB) 6 stores detailed information including prices of products sold at the virtual mall (virtual store) and images of the products. The sales registration file 7 stores sales registration information such as a sales price, a quantity, a customer ID of a sold customer, delivery information of a sold product, and the like, for a product registered for sale at a virtual mall (virtual store).

Further, in the virtual mall device 2, a virtual mall sales management unit 17 for executing actual sales registration using the constructed virtual mall (virtual store), and registration and search of data in the customer database 5 are performed. Customer DB management unit 18 to manage, customer database 5
A customer information transmission unit 19 is provided for transmitting the purchase history 14 and the service points 15 of each customer stored in the terminal 3 to the terminal 3 operated by the customer.

Further, in the virtual mall device 2, detailed information of the merchandise stored in the merchandise database 6 is searched, and a merchandise DB search unit 20 and a settlement processing unit 22 are provided to each terminal 3 as a menu screen. , A delivery management unit 24 and the like.

The settlement processing unit 22 performs settlement of the price when a customer places an order (purchase) for a product using a virtual mall (virtual store). In this embodiment, it is assumed that the settlement is performed by a credit card, and the terminal 3 operated by the customer is connected to the credit card card company 21 transmitted from the customer via the terminal 3 via a line. As a result, the card company 21 executes a credit check (credit check) of the credit card, selects a card payment type (collective, bonus, division, revolving) and payment conditions, authorizes the card payment, and gives the customer The permission is notified, and the payment amount is notified to the settlement processing unit 22. The settlement processing unit 22 notifies the virtual mall sales management unit 17 of the payment amount.

The delivery management unit 24 transmits the sold product notified from the virtual mall sales management unit 17 and the delivery destination of the product to the external delivery center 23. The delivery center 23 delivers the designated product to the designated delivery destination. Further, when the customer makes an inquiry about the delivery specifying the customer ID and the product via the terminal 3 from the customer, the delivery management unit 24 determines the current delivery status of the product, the current location of the product, and the like. And returns it to the terminal 3 operated by the customer.

On the other hand, each terminal 3 is constituted by, for example, a personal computer. In the terminal 3, in addition to a communication circuit such as a modem for connecting a line to the Internet 1, a virtual mall device 2 is provided. For circulating home pages supplied from Web server 4 of
A browser (circulation software) 25 and a settlement processing unit 26 are provided.

Further, the terminal 3 reads various information including the customer ID stored in the customer IC card 26 possessed by each customer inserted into the card insertion slot, and transmits the information from the virtual mall device 2. There is provided an IC card R / W 28 for writing the sales history information to the corresponding customer.

Further, the terminal 3 is provided with a display unit 29 for displaying various information including a homepage supplied from the Web server 4 of the virtual mall device 2 and an operation unit 30 such as a keyboard and a mouse. .

In the customer IC card 27, in addition to a customer ID memory for storing a customer ID for specifying a customer who owns the customer card 27, the purchase history 14 of the corresponding customer transmitted from the virtual mall device 2 and the like. An information memory for storing is formed. In this information memory, for example, in addition to the purchase history 14 of the past 10 cases, the access history 13 and the service point 15 are stored in the IC card R / W 28 of the terminal 3.
Written in.

A customer who wants to purchase a product in a virtual mall (virtual store) newly constructed by the virtual mall device 2 via the Internet 1 can use a postcard, a telephone, a facsimile, or the like to contact the seller of the product. Apply for membership. Then, the customer IC card 27 whose customer ID is written in the customer ID memory and a six-digit password are mailed from the seller.

Terminal 3 in which Web browser 24 is installed
Can contract with a provider (connecting company) to freely access the virtual mall device 2 via the Internet 1. As a result, when the terminal 3 is connected to the virtual mall device 2 via the Internet 1, each terminal 3 downloads the homepage of the virtual mall device 2 to its own terminal, and establishes a virtual mall (virtual store). You can freely circulate (view) each product.

That is, the terminal 3 allows an unspecified number of persons to freely circulate (browse) a virtual mall (virtual store) without specifying an operator to operate. Therefore, the terminal 3 can be installed in a public place such as a station or a plaza.

However, the purchase operation for the product displayed in the virtual mall (virtual store) is performed by the customer IC card 27.
Requires insertion into the card slot and password check.

Next, in a state where the virtual mall apparatus 2 thus configured and each terminal 3 are connected to each other via the Internet 1, the virtual mall apparatus 2
Information exchange between the terminal and each terminal 3 will be described with reference to a sequence diagram shown in FIG.

In FIG. 3, when the terminal 3 accesses the displayed virtual mall (virtual device) (P1), the virtual mall device 2 sends the access requesting terminal 3 to the terminal 3 for requesting membership confirmation. Customer IC card 2
7 and a password input request (Q1). The terminal 3 receiving the request displays the request on its own display unit 29. Then, the customer operating the terminal 3 inserts the customer IC card 27 possessed by the customer into the card insertion slot,
When a password is input from the operation unit 30, the IC card R
In / W 28, the customer ID read from the customer IC card 27 and the password input by the previous operation are transmitted to the virtual mall device 2.

The customer DB management unit 8 of the virtual mall device 2 searches the customer database 5 with the entered customer ID (Q2), and determines whether the password 9 corresponding to the customer ID 8 matches the entered password. Check (Q
3).

In the case of a mismatch or a case where the customer ID is not input from the terminal 3 within a predetermined time, the customer database 5
Persons other than regular members (customers) registered in
Is operating the terminal 3. Then, in this case, a normal (limited) service is started (Q4). Specifically, of the many service functions of the virtual mall (virtual store) already downloaded to the terminal 3, the product DB search unit 2 excluding orders and orders,
It is only the product guidance display service by the search operation of 0.

As a result, in the terminal 3, the operator can operate the operation unit 30 to see (circulate) the details of each product displayed in the virtual mall (virtual store) in order (circulation). P3).

If the password 9 corresponding to the customer ID 8 matches the entered password in Q3 of the virtual mall device 2, a regular member (customer) registered in the customer database 5 operates the terminal 3. Judge that In this case, a unique service for the customer (member) using the customer database 5 is started, as well as the above-described guidance for each product (Q
5).

Specifically, introduction of recommended products (P4),
Provision of purchase history information (P5), provision of service points (P6), provision of delivery information (P7), provision of automatic input of a delivery address (P8), and the like.

First, a method of updating the access history 13, purchase history 14, service point 15, and other information 16 of the customer database 5 shown in FIG. 2 when providing each of the services P4 to P8 to the customer will be described.

When the customer confirmed to be registered in the customer database 5 operates the operation unit 30 of the terminal 3 and circulates (accesses) each product in the virtual mall, the customer DB determines which product has been accessed. The access history 13 of the corresponding customer detected in the management unit 18 and stored in the customer database 5
Is recorded cumulatively.

When the customer confirmed to be registered in the customer database 5 operates the operation unit 30 of the terminal 3 to execute a purchase operation for a product in a virtual mall (virtual store), the virtual mall sales management is performed. The unit 18 accumulates and stores in the sales registration file 7 sales registration information such as the selling price, the number, the customer ID of the sold customer, and the delivery information of the sold product. In addition, terminal 3
And each settlement processing unit 26, 22 of the virtual mall device 2
Operates to execute payment processing for the sale (purchase) product.

The delivery management unit 24 operates to read the address 11, name 10, and telephone number 12 of the customer from the customer database 5, and to the delivery center 23 together with the product name (product code) of the sold product. Arrange for delivery.

Further, the customer DB management unit 18 operates,
The list of products purchased by the customer is cumulatively recorded as the purchase history of this time in the purchase history 14 of the customer in the customer database 5.

Further, the customer DB management unit 18 operates,
The current service point given in accordance with the price of the product purchased by the customer this time is cumulatively added to the service point 15 of the customer in the customer database 5.

Further, information when the customer answers various questionnaires is accumulated and stored in the customer DB management unit 18 in the other information 16 of the customer in the customer database 5.

Next, details of the services P4 to P8 will be described.

(A) Introduction of Recommended Products (P4) When the security check on the inserted customer IC card 27 is completed, the customer DB management unit 16 and the customer information transmission unit 19 operate and are stored in the customer database 5. Based on the customer's access history 13, purchase history 14, and other information 16 such as a questionnaire, the customer's favorite product is estimated and transmitted to the terminal 3 operated by the customer as a recommended product. The terminal 3 displays the received recommended product on the display unit 29.

(B) Provision of purchase history information (P5) Next, the customer DB management unit 16 and the customer information transmission unit 19 operate to store the purchase history 14 of the customer stored in the customer database 5 by the customer. It is transmitted to the terminal 3 to be operated.
The terminal 3 displays the received purchase history of the customer on the display unit 29. Further, this purchase history is written in the information memory of the customer IC card 27 inserted in the card insertion slot.

As a result, the customer can check the past purchase history when purchasing a new product at the virtual mall, and can select a purchased product with reference to the purchase history.

Further, the customer's own IC card 2
7, a past purchase history is stored and held. By inserting this customer IC card 27 into the card insertion slot of the terminal 3 at a later date, the purchase history is displayed on the display unit 29, so that the past purchase history can be easily confirmed. in this case,
Even when the terminal 3 is not connected to the virtual mall device 2, the display can be performed.

(C) Provision of service points (P6) For each customer, the price of the product sold to the customer can be totaled, so the service point is given to the customer in accordance with the price, and The service points 15 accumulated in the customer database 5 are notified to the customer, and the service points 15 can be used as part of the price. Therefore, it is possible to provide services to customers who frequently use this virtual mall.

(D) Provision of delivery information (P7) As described above, when a customer makes an inquiry about delivery via the terminal 3 specifying a customer ID and a product, the current delivery status of the product and the The current location of the product is obtained from the distribution center 23 and returned to the terminal 3 operated by the customer.

(D) Providing Automatic Input of Delivery Address (P
8) As described above, the address 1 of each customer is stored in the customer database 5.
1, the name 10 and the telephone number 12 are stored, and these information are transmitted to the distribution center 23 together with the product name (product code), so that the customer does not need to input these information every time the product is purchased. .

In the online sales system configured as described above, the customer who uses the virtual mall (virtual store) in the virtual mall device 2 is the customer I
I have a C card 27. Customer is customer IC card 2
7 through the Internet 1 to the virtual mall device 2
Is inserted into the card insertion slot of the terminal 3 that can be connected to the virtual mall device 2.

The virtual mall device 2 manages the customer ID of each customer in the customer database 5. Therefore,
The customer may use any terminal 3. Further, the customer does not necessarily have to have his own terminal.

Further, since a password check is performed, and after the password check is completed, an order for a product from a customer who operates the terminal 3 is started, so that high security can be realized.

Further, for a customer who has registered as a member in advance,
Various services described above can be provided.

[0062]

As described above, in the online sales system of the present invention, a customer IC card storing a customer ID is distributed to each customer in advance, so that a product can be purchased or sold using a virtual mall. Can greatly improve security, and even a customer who does not have a dedicated terminal can purchase a product using a virtual mall, and can provide various excellent services to the customer.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an online sales system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing storage contents of a customer database formed in a virtual mall device in the online sales system.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a schematic operation of the online sales system.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Internet 2 ... Virtual mall apparatus 3 ... Terminal 4 ... Web server 5 ... Customer database 6 ... Product database 7 ... Sale lantern file 13 ... Access history 14 ... Purchase history 15 ... Service point 17 ... Virtual mall sales management part 18 ... Customer DB management unit 27: Customer IC card 28: IC card R / W

Claims (3)

[Claims] An online sales system in which a terminal operated by a customer and a virtual mall apparatus are connected to each other via a communication network, and the virtual mall apparatus receives an order for a product from a customer operating the terminal. , A customer IC that each customer who places an order for a product with the virtual mall device has and stores at least a customer ID
A card and password checking means for confirming with an input password that the operator of each terminal is an authorized holder of the customer IC card inserted into the card insertion slot of the terminal, An online sales system characterized by starting receiving an order for a product from a customer who operates a terminal after checking by the password checking means. 2. The virtual mall device, comprising: a customer database storing personal information including a customer ID and an address name of each customer; and sales history information of a product; and each time an order is received from each customer, the customer database is stored. Customer database updating means for updating the sales history information of the corresponding customer; and, before starting receiving an order for a product from the customer operating the terminal, the sales history information of the corresponding customer stored in the customer database to the terminal. 2. The online sales system according to claim 1, further comprising a sales history information transmitting means for transmitting the sales history information to the machine. 3. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein each of the terminals includes sales history information writing means for writing sales history information received from the virtual mall device into a customer IC card inserted into the card insertion slot; 3. An online sales system according to claim 2, further comprising sales history information display means for reading and outputting the sales history information stored in the customer IC card when the customer IC card is inserted into the customer IC card.