JP2001256364A - Purchase terminal, recording medium, purchasing method, selling server, and selling method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a purchase terminal, a purchasing method, a recording medium, a selling server, and a selling method which enable a purchaser to enjoy real and speedy shopping. SOLUTION: The purchase terminal is equipped with a control part 203 which runs a program forming a three-dimensional picture of a virtual shopping mall, a system storage part 206 which stores a virtual shopping mall program, a database storage part 207 which stores data used by the virtual shopping mall program, an input part 201 which inputs purchase information to the control part 203, an output part 202 which outputs article information corresponding to the inputted purchase information as a three-dimensional picture from the control part 203, and a communication interface 209 which sends and receives information needed to run the virtual shopping mall program to and from the server 12.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a purchasing terminal, a purchasing method, a recording medium, a sales server and a selling method by communication, and more particularly to a purchasing terminal using a virtual shopping mall having a three-dimensional screen.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a method of shopping and selling without hassle such as actually going to a store and purchasing a product, there have been methods of home delivery, mail order sales, or shopping using the Internet.

[0003]

According to the conventional purchasing and selling methods described above, when using home delivery or mail-order sales, a consumer determines an order until it is transmitted to a retailer. Had a time lag. In addition, consumers had to write out the items to order on paper or calculate the amount of money, and there was no information such as out of stock at the time of ordering, so even if you ordered it, you had to wait for a long time In the end, there was a problem that the product could not be obtained.

[0004] Even when using the Internet, access to the shopping system requires an enormous amount of time, which places a time and financial burden on consumers. And it was not easy to reach the goods and it took a long time. Also,
Even if it does not take time to go to the store, the buyer simply discloses the product in a flat manner, specifies and receives it, and lacks the pleasure of actually going to the store to see the product and examine it for the hand Was.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a purchasing terminal, a purchasing method, a recording medium, a sales server, and a selling method that not only save labor but also enable a buyer to easily enjoy real and quick shopping.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, a purchasing terminal according to the first aspect of the present invention is, for example, shown in FIG.
, A control unit 203 for operating a virtual shopping mall program that forms a virtual shopping mall with a three-dimensional screen; a system storage unit 206 connected to the control unit 203 and storing the virtual shopping mall program; A database storage unit 207 connected to the virtual shopping mall program 203 for storing data used in the virtual shopping mall program; an input unit 201 for a purchaser of goods to input purchase information to the control unit 203; An output unit 202 for outputting the product information corresponding to the information from the control unit 203 as a three-dimensional screen;
3 and a communication interface 209 for transmitting and receiving information necessary for operating the virtual shopping mall program to and from the external server 12.

[0007] The purchasing terminal is typically a computer such as a personal computer.

[0008] With this configuration, since the control unit 203 for operating a virtual shopping mall program for forming a virtual shopping mall with a three-dimensional screen is provided, a three-dimensional virtual shopping mall can be formed, and buyers can realize a real virtual shopping mall. You can enjoy.

[0009] Further, the virtual shopping mall program may have a look-up function for enlarging and displaying a predetermined screen according to a purchaser's specification. The purchaser typically designates an enlarged display of the screen via the input unit. The predetermined screen is, for example, a screen that displays a product that the user actually wants to purchase. The specification may be a specification of a lookup function, or an operation of simply reaching a virtual product for a virtual product. It may be.

[0010] With this configuration, detailed information of each product can be obtained as if the purchaser actually picked up the product by hand by enlarging (zooming up) the product.

[0011] Further, as described in claim 3, claim 1
Alternatively, in the purchasing terminal 10 according to claim 2, the virtual shopping mall program may be capable of forming a two-dimensional screen. Typically, the structure is such that the buyer can freely move between a three-dimensional (3D) screen and a two-dimensional (2D) screen.

With this configuration, the virtual shopping mall can be represented by a combination of 3D and 2D. For example, information in a catalog format including tables, figures, and photographs is represented in 2D, and the sales floor is represented in 3D. In this case, it is possible to selectively use 2D which handles information which requires less memory capacity and which is easier to view when displayed in a plane, and 3D which can provide a real and fun screen to a purchaser who requires a large amount of memory.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the purchasing terminal according to any one of the first to third aspects, when a purchaser inputs predetermined information through the input unit 201, the purchaser receives the predetermined information. According to this information, it is preferable to be able to instantaneously move from one place to another place in the virtual shopping mall. The predetermined information is, for example, the name of a product to be purchased and the name of a sales floor. This function is called a warp function.

According to a fifth aspect, in the purchasing terminal 10 according to any one of the first to fourth aspects,
The data stored in the database storage unit 207 is first downloaded from the external server 12 when the virtual shopping mall program is started, and when the virtual shopping mall program is started next time or later, the data is stored after the previous download. Only updated data may be downloaded from the external server 12.

Here, not only the data but also the virtual shopping mall program stored in the system storage unit 206 is updated, when the program is started, only the updated program portion is downloaded. You may do so.

Further, as described in claim 6, claim 1
In the purchasing terminal 10 according to any one of claims 5 to 5, while transmitting and receiving the necessary information between the purchasing terminal 10 and the external server 12, data already stored in the purchasing terminal 10 is transmitted. A three-dimensional screen formed by using the display unit may be displayed on the output unit. Typically, the above functions are incorporated in the virtual shopping mall program.

With this configuration, for example, during the waiting time when the buyer accesses the server while using the system, the data stored in the storage device of the purchasing terminal 10 is used for the three-dimensional data. By displaying the virtual shopping mall on the screen, the buyer can take a walk in the mall, so that the buyer is not bored.

Further, the above-mentioned purchasing terminal 10 may be configured so that purchasing data such as the shopping history of the buyer can be stored in, for example, a database storage unit. With such a configuration, the shopping history can be analyzed with, for example, various parameters, and materials that can be used as reference for future shopping by the buyer can be provided. This analysis includes, for example, classification of purchased items for each fixed period, total purchase price, nutrition analysis, calorie calculation, and the like.

Further, the virtual shopping mall program has a household account book management function, and is configured to automatically convert purchase data into data for a household account book of a purchaser and automatically input the data to the household account book management function. May be.

Further, out-of-stock information of a product detected by the external server 12 may be displayed on the output unit 202 in real time, or the buyer may select a product processing method and a product corresponding to the processing method. May be registered in advance, and when a processing method is input from the input unit, a product to be purchased may be selected according to the specification of the registered product.

In order to achieve the above object, the terminal-readable recording medium according to claim 10 is installed in the purchasing terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the virtual shopping mall is installed. Store the program. The terminal is typically a computer, and the recording medium is, for example, a CD-ROM, MO, DVD,
FD, magnetic tape, and the like.

To achieve the above object, a purchasing method according to the invention according to claim 11 is a method for purchasing a virtual shopping mall program for forming a virtual shopping mall having a three-dimensional screen in the purchasing terminal 10 from the external server 12. Receiving the virtual shopping mall program in the purchasing terminal 10; storing data used in the virtual shopping mall program in the purchasing terminal 10; A step of operating the virtual shopping mall program in 10; a step of inputting purchase information to the purchase terminal 10; and a step of inputting product information corresponding to the input purchase information.
Outputting a three-dimensional screen; and transmitting and receiving information necessary for operating the virtual shopping mall program to and from the external server 12.

The above-mentioned purchasing method may include a step of enlarging and displaying a predetermined screen or a step of forming a two-dimensional screen. Further, predetermined information is input, and one of the virtual shopping malls is entered according to the predetermined information.
A step of instantaneously moving from a place to another place may be provided.

The data used in the virtual shopping mall program stored in the purchase terminal 10 is stored in the virtual shopping mall program when the virtual shopping mall program is started.
A step of first downloading from the external server 12; after the download, when the virtual shopping mall program is closed and restarted, only the data updated since the previous download is read from the external server 12;
And a step of downloading from the server.

The method may further include a step of displaying, on the output unit, a three-dimensional screen formed using data already stored in the purchasing terminal while information is transmitted and received in the transmitting and receiving step. Or a step of storing purchase data may be provided. The out-of-stock information of the product detected by the external server 12 may be stored in the purchase terminal 10.
May be provided with a step of displaying in real time.

Furthermore, a step of pre-registering a product processing method and a product specification corresponding to the processing method; and a method for selecting a product to be purchased according to the registered product specification. Inputting the processing method to the purchase terminal.

In order to achieve the above object, the sales server 12 according to the twentieth aspect of the present invention includes, as shown in FIG. 3, for example, the purchase terminal 10 according to any one of the first to ninth aspects. And a communication interface 308 for transmitting and receiving information necessary to operate the shopping mall program.

In order to achieve the above object, the sales server 12 according to the twenty-first aspect of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 3, for example, includes a virtual shopping screen of a three-dimensional screen in a purchase terminal 10 used by a purchaser of goods. A purchaser server control unit 304 for operating a virtual shopping mall program forming a mall; a server system storage unit 306 for storing data used in the virtual shopping mall program; Terminal 10
And a communication interface 308 for transmitting and receiving information necessary to operate the virtual shopping mall program between the server and the server control unit 304. The purchase terminal 10 is configured to output the original screen as the original screen.

Here, the program operated by the server control unit 303 may be accessed from the purchasing terminal 10 or may be downloaded to the purchasing terminal 10 as needed. As described above, if the main part of the program is downloaded to the purchasing terminal 10, the access time of the purchaser to the server 12 can be reduced.

[0030] Further, as described in claim 22, in the sales server 12 according to claim 21, the manager operates a virtual shopping mall program for forming a virtual shopping mall for a manager who provides the product. A server control unit 305 may be provided.

[0031] The virtual shopping mall program may have a look-up function for enlarging and displaying a predetermined screen according to a purchaser's specification. Further, the virtual shopping mall program may be configured to be able to form a two-dimensional screen. At this time, it is preferable that the buyer be able to freely move between the three-dimensional (3D) screen and the two-dimensional (2D) screen. Further, when the purchaser inputs predetermined information in the input section, the buyer can instantaneously move from one place to another place in the virtual shopping mall according to the predetermined information. You may.

Further, the data stored in the database storage unit 207 is first downloaded from the purchaser server control unit 304 to the purchase terminal when the virtual shopping mall program is started up at the purchase terminal 10,
When the virtual shopping mall program is started on the purchasing terminal 10 from the next time, only the data updated since the previous download may be downloaded from the purchaser server control unit 304. Further, it is preferable that the out-of-stock information of the product is transmitted to the purchasing terminal 10.

In order to achieve the above object, a sales method according to a twenty-third aspect of the present invention provides a virtual shopping mall program for forming a virtual shopping mall having a three-dimensional screen in a purchase terminal 10 used by a purchaser of a product. Activating; storing data used in the virtual shopping mall program; transmitting and receiving information required to operate the virtual shopping mall program to and from the purchasing terminal 10; And causing the purchase terminal 10 to output the product information corresponding to the purchase information input at 10 as a three-dimensional screen.

As described in claim 24, claim 2
The selling method described in Item 3 may include a step of operating an administrator virtual shopping mall program that forms a virtual shopping mall for an administrator that provides the product.

According to a twenty-fifth aspect of the present invention, in the selling method according to the thirty-first or thirty-second aspect, when the virtual shopping mall program is started at the purchase terminal 10, the virtual shopping mall program is stored in the storing step. After downloading the virtual shopping mall program at the purchasing terminal 10 after the next step after the step of downloading the data to the purchasing terminal 10; A step of downloading only updated data to the purchasing terminal 10. Further, a step of transmitting out-of-stock information of the product to the purchasing terminal 10 may be provided.

[0036]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding members are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a three-dimensional (hereinafter, appropriately referred to as 3D) virtual (hereinafter, appropriately referred to as virtual) shopping mall system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Each user (which may be called a purchaser or a consumer) who wants to shop in the virtual shopping mall system operates the purchase terminal 10. Purchasing terminal 1
0 is connected via a network 11 to a virtual shopping mall system 12 provided on the server side. Here, the purchasing terminal 10 is typically a computer, but in addition to a personal computer, an IC (integrated circuit, LSI).
), Information home appliances incorporating ICs, mobile phones incorporating ICs, and the like.

The user uses the purchasing terminal 10 to connect the network 1 to the virtual shopping mall system of the server 12 installed outside when viewed from the purchasing terminal 10.
Connect via 1 to view screens and shop. There are as many purchasing terminals 10 as the number of virtual shopping mall system users, that is, a plurality of purchasing terminals. The network (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as a net) 11 is not limited to a computer network such as the Internet or a telephone line, but may be a TV radio wave, a satellite Internet, a cable line, or a TV.
It can take various forms such as a gap radio wave. The virtual shopping mall system can be implemented on various computers, such as a personal computer as a server 12, a workstation, and a mainframe.

The purchase terminal 10 and the server 12 may be directly connected via a line constituting the network 11, or may be connected via a provider on the network. There may be multiple providers.

FIG. 2 shows a purchasing terminal 10 used by each user.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of FIG. The user operates the device 200 to use the virtual shopping mall system. The device 200 is, for example, a personal computer, a WebTV, a normal television, an information home appliance, a game machine, or the like.

Using the input device 201 connected to the device 200, the user issues an operation command to the device 200 or inputs information for ordering or purchasing. The input device 201 is, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a microphone (for voice input), a remote controller, a touch screen, or the like.

In order to display the screen of the virtual shopping mall system, product information, order forms, etc.,
An output device 202 connected to the device 200 is used.
The output device 202 is, for example, a display such as a CRT or a liquid crystal display, or a printer. I / O devices 201, 20
2 is illustrated as being separate from the device 200, but may be integrated. An I / O interface unit 208 is provided in the device 200, and controls the input / output devices 201 and 202. The control unit 203 in the device 200 and the I / O devices 201 and 202
They are connected via an interface unit 208. The control unit 203 includes a virtual shopping mall system operation unit 204 that operates a program of the virtual shopping mall system.

A communication interface 209 is connected to the control unit 203 to receive contents and a database of the virtual shopping mall system sent from an external server, and to transmit and receive information on a user's purchasing activities. . The storage unit 205 is connected to the control unit 203, and stores a virtual shopping mall system for users downloaded from an external server to the purchase terminal 10 of each user and eventually to the device 200.

In the storage device 205, the system storage unit 20
6 is provided, in which the virtual shopping mall system body for the user is stored (stored). In the embodiment shown here, the virtual shopping mall system body for the user includes a front-end module, an in-store layout management module, a warp processing module, a download processing module, a menu processing module, a product management module, an order processing module,
It consists of a shopping history management module, a system usage history management module, and a household account data conversion module. These modules may be selected as needed to form an optimal virtual shopping mall system. Further, the component modules are not limited to the modules listed here.

The system storage unit 205 further includes a database storage unit 207. Here, various databases (hereinafter appropriately referred to as DBs) used in a virtual shopping mall system for users, a product database and a store layout D in the present embodiment.
B (D of the image used to represent the virtual store in 3D)
B), a shopping history DB, a system usage history DB, and a menu DB are stored.

When the user activates the virtual shopping mall system, the virtual shopping mall system for the user stored in the system storage unit 206 is read into the virtual shopping mall system operating unit 204 in the control unit 203. And operates, and refers to the database in the database storage unit 207 as necessary.

The purchase terminal 10 allows the user not only to use the virtual shopping mall system on the external server 12 via the network 11 but also to directly install the system program in the device 200 owned by the user. You will be able to save and launch it. The data may be stored in the device 200,
The program shall use the one in the server 12,
Only data may be stored.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a purchase terminal 10 via the network 11.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a server 12 connected to the server 12. The server 12 operates a virtual shopping mall system on the server side.

This system is mounted in the main body 300 of the apparatus. This system can be implemented by various computers such as a personal computer, a workstation, and a mainframe. The main body 300 of the device is provided with a control unit 303 for controlling the entire virtual shopping mall system. In addition, an input device 30 for inputting information for operating the apparatus main body 300 is provided in the apparatus main body 300.
1. An output device 302 for outputting a result processed by the main body 300 of the device is connected. I / O devices 301, 30
2 is connected to the control unit 303 by an I / O interface 307. I / O interface 30
Reference numeral 7 controls an input device (such as a keyboard) 301 and an output device (such as a display) 302.

A communication interface unit 308 is connected to the control unit 303. The communication interface unit 308 is connected to the purchase terminal 10 used by each user via the network 11 via the communication interface unit 308.
It downloads various information related to the virtual shopping mall system and accepts order information of each user.

The control unit 303 includes a part 304 for controlling a system operated by the user (virtual shopping mall system for the user) and a system operated by the manager (retailer) (virtual shopping mall system for the manager). It is divided into a control part 305.

The virtual shopping mall system for the user in the system control unit 304 for the user is designed to be accessed by the user via the network 11, and only necessary parts or only necessary parts can be accessed. It is also downloaded to the user's device. It is this user virtual shopping mall system that the user uses when shopping on the Internet.

In this embodiment, in this system,
Front-end module, in-store layout management module, warp processing module, download processing module, menu processing module, product management module,
It includes an order processing module, a shopping history management module, a system usage history management module, and a household account data conversion module. These modules may be appropriately selected to constitute the system, and are not limited to the modules listed here.

The virtual shopping mall system for managers (retailers) in the system controller for managers 305 is a system used by retailers who sell goods through the virtual shopping mall system. It is for operation. In this embodiment, the system includes a front-end module, a product management module, a customer management module, a sales management module, an accounting module, a delivery management module, an advertisement management module,
A download processing module and an inventory management module are included. These modules may be appropriately selected to constitute the system, and are not limited to the modules listed here.

In the main body 300 of the apparatus, a storage unit 306 for storing information and data necessary for the virtual shopping mall system is connected to the control unit 303. In this embodiment, the storage device 306 stores the product D
B, store layout DB (DB of images used to represent virtual stores in 3D), order DB, sales DB, customer D
B, including a menu DB.

As the server 12, hardware having a generally larger capacity than the purchase terminal 10 is used.
The same hardware may be used, and the software to be installed may be the server 12 for the server and the purchasing terminal 10 for the purchasing terminal.

The processing when the user activates the virtual shopping mall system differs between the first use of the virtual shopping mall system and the second and subsequent times. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process when the user activates the virtual shopping mall system for the first time. First, the user connects to the network 11 (FIG. 1) (step 40).
0). The user accesses the virtual shopping mall system in the server 12 via the network 11 (step 401).

The user decides whether or not to download the virtual shopping mall system to his / her own purchasing terminal 10 and eventually to the device 200, based on criteria such as whether to use the virtual shopping mall system for the time being or to use it in earnest. A decision is made (step 402).

If it is determined not to download, the user directly uses the virtual shopping mall system on the server 12 via the network 11 (step 403). If the user decides to download, the user first sends his / her information (name, address, telephone number, mail address, etc.), information on the purchasing terminal 10 used by the user, etc. to the server 12 (step 404). .

The server 12 receives the transmitted customer information (step 405), assigns a customer number (step 406), and registers it in the customer DB (step 407). Further, the customer number is transmitted to the user (step 408). Continue downloading. The virtual shopping mall system for the user in the virtual shopping mall system of the server 12 is downloaded to the device 200 in the purchase terminal 10 of the user (step 409).

When the download is completed, information that the user has downloaded is registered in the customer DB of the server (step 410). This information includes a flag indicating download, a download date (date of the day), and a system use date (date of the day).

The downloaded virtual shopping mall system is stored in the storage device 205 of the device 200 owned by the user (step 412). Then, the virtual shopping mall system in the storage device 205 is activated (step 413).

Next, referring to the flowchart of FIG.
An example of processing when a user who has downloaded the virtual shopping mall system once activates the virtual shopping mall system for the second time or later will be described.

First, a user who wants to use the virtual shopping mall system activates the virtual shopping mall system stored in the storage device 205 (see FIG. 2) of the client (user side) (step 500). The virtual shopping mall system is connected to the network 11 (step 50)
1). Next, the virtual shopping mall system in the storage device 205 of the client transmits information (customer number, name, etc.) for identifying the user (step 50).
2). The virtual shopping mall system of the server 12 receives the user identification information (Step 503),
The user's previous system use date is searched with reference to the customer DB (step 504).

The date registered in the customer DB as the system use date is the previous system use date of this user. Here, the system use date of the customer DB is updated to the date of the day (step 505). Next, product DB
, The update information of the product DB after the previous system use date is detected (step 506). The update information here is a change in price, addition of a product, and the like.
Further, the latest information (new release information, bargain information, sale information, etc.) of the day on which this process is performed and an advertisement are detected with reference to the product DB (step 507). The update information, the latest information, and the advertisement detected in steps 506 and 507 are transmitted to the user device as the client (step 508).

Subsequently, the user device 200 receives the update information, the latest information, and the advertisement (step 509). Then, the new product DB is created and stored in the storage device 205 by adding and rewriting the information of the product DB so far in the storage device 205 and the update information and the latest information just received, to create a new product DB (step 510). As described above, according to the present embodiment, only the update information is downloaded from the second time on, so that the processing is performed quickly.

During the processing from step 501 to step 510, there is a waiting time for the user, but after step 501, the user goes to the storage device 20 of the client.
Using the virtual shopping mall system stored in 5, it is possible to perform processing other than product purchase processing (walking in the store of the virtual shopping mall, browsing the latest information and advertisement received in step 509, etc.) ( Step 511). Thus, the user is not bored during the waiting time, and the advertising effect can be expected.

When the new product DB is completed after step 510, the user starts the product purchase processing in the virtual shopping mall system (step 51).
2).

The daily update information and advertisement information generated in the virtual shopping mall system can be efficiently downloaded by using the time zone such as late at night when the user does not use the virtual shopping mall system. . The download time zone may be set by the user in advance, or the server may grasp the tendency of each user's use of the virtual shopping mall system (use time, type of communication medium, route), and then check each client. It may be determined automatically for each (user's device).

Referring to the flowcharts of FIGS. 6 and 7,
An example of a process when the user himself sets the download time will be described. The processing shown in FIG. 6 and the processing shown in FIG. 7 are a series of processing. Here, an example of processing for downloading update information every day will be described.

First, the download time of the update information and the advertisement information is set by the user himself, and input by the purchase terminal 10 using the input device 201 (step 600).
The input download time is determined by the download processing module (update information reception processing module) of the purchasing terminal 10.
And transmits it to the server 12 as download time information (step 601).

The download time information includes the customer number of the user and the download time. This information is received by the download processing module of the server 12 (step 602) and registered in the customer DB (step 60).
3). Also, the communication medium type (telephone line, CAT) for communication from the customer DB to the user registered in advance.
V, satellite Internet, TV gap radio wave, etc.) (step 604).

When the registered download time comes (step 605), the download process is started. The download process is started by the client usage status management module determining whether or not the purchase terminal 10 as a client device is in a state where download is currently accepted.

The client use status management module includes:
First, it is determined whether or not the power of the client device 10 as the purchasing terminal is turned on (step 606). If the power is on, it is next determined whether or not the user is currently using the virtual shopping mall system (step 607). If not in use, the client device 10 determines that the client device 10 is in a state where the download is currently accepted, and sends a download processing command to the download processing module (step 60).
8).

The download processing instruction includes a customer number, a download time, and a download medium type. If the power of the client device 10 is not turned on in step 606, or if the user is currently using the virtual shopping mall system in step 607, it is determined that the download process cannot be performed, and the download processing module Then, the client transmits an error message stating "Could not be downloaded this time" to the client (step 709), and the client receives (step 718).

Upon receiving the download processing command of step 608, the download processing module first searches for the previous download date of this user while referring to the customer DB using the customer number as a key (step 71).
0). The date registered in the download date of the customer DB is the previous download date of this user. Here, the download date of the customer DB is updated to the date of the day (step 711).

Next, with reference to the product DB, the update information of the product DB after the previous download date is detected (step 712). The update information here is a change in price, addition of a product, and the like. Further, the latest information (new release information, bargain information, sale information, etc.) of the day on which this process is being performed and an advertisement are detected with reference to the product DB (step 713). Then, steps 712, 713
The update information, the latest information, and the advertisement detected in the above are transmitted to the purchase terminal 10 of the user as a client by using the communication medium determined for each user (step 71).
4).

The purchase terminal 10 of the user receives the update information, the latest information, and the advertisement (step 715). Then, the new product DB is created and stored in the storage device 205 by adding and rewriting the information of the product DB so far in the storage device 205 and the update information and the latest information that have just been received, to create a new product DB (step 716).

The download processing so far is automatically performed during a time period when the user is not using the virtual shopping mall system. Later, when the user activates the virtual shopping mall system (step 717), the latest information of the day is stored in the system already in the storage device 205 of the user's device. As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the user starts using the purchasing terminal 10, the user can immediately enjoy shopping based on the latest information.

An example of a process in which a purchaser who is a user performs shopping using a virtual shopping mall system will be described with reference to the screen example of FIG. Initial screen 8
At 01, the user is at the entrance of a store (mall) in the screen represented in 3D. Using the input device 201 such as a keyboard, a mouse, a remote controller, and a lever, the user moves himself (or the user's eyes) on the screen and enters the store. The figure shows itself in the shadow shown in the center. Here, the user is given an impression as if he / she is actually walking and moving into the store (in the mall). A user who has entered a descending store (in a virtual mall) can freely roam around the store.

The inside of the virtual shopping mall is
Consists of multiple sales or specialty stores. Screen 802
Indicates that the user has come to a sales floor (here, a vegetable sales floor). On the screen, you can see an overview of the products displayed at the sales floor. Also, using the input device 201, the user can change his / her eyes at any time and view the store from various angles.

A screen 803 is a case where the eyes of the screen 802 are changed to show a state viewed from above. In addition, the user can enlarge and display the screen of each sales floor where the user is. Enlarging and displaying this screen is called a lookup function. By using this function, by operating the input device 201, it is possible to perform on the screen an operation of seeing the shelf of the displayed product up close or actually viewing the product at hand. The look-up function may be activated by pressing a function key of the input device 201, or by operating the input device 201 to direct the product so that the user can take a product closer to himself and activate the lookup function. Is also good.

The screen 804 is, for example, a screen in which the user approaches the shelf of the vegetable counter and sees each product on the shelf to see what products are on the shelf. On the screen 805, the user selects a radish at the vegetable section and is trying to pick it up.
Screen 806 is looking at the radish in hand.

Further, detailed information of a product may be provided using a two-dimensional (hereinafter, appropriately referred to as 2D) screen. Screen 8
07 displays the detailed information of the product at the vegetable section in a 2D catalog format. Detailed information includes product name, unit quantity, price, price per unit, product image, expiration date,
Production sites, producers, and raw materials are listed. Such information can be displayed on a 2D screen without any problem, and the 2D screen is often easier to see. Further, the 2D screen requires less memory capacity than the 3D screen, so it is economical and advantageous in terms of screen display speed.

The user selects a desired product on the 3D screen or the 2D screen and puts it in the shopping basket. No matter where the user goes to any other sales floor, the process of selecting a product and putting it in the shopping basket is the same as that shown in the screen examples 801 to 807. By operating the input device 201, the user can switch between the 3D screen and the 2D screen. In this way, both quickness and shopping enjoyment can be provided to the user.

[0086] When completing shopping and checking out, the user goes to the cash register in the store. The screen 808 shows the state of the cash register. At the cash register, as shown in a screen example 809, a list of information on the contents of the shopping basket of the user and the calculated total amount are displayed. The user can use this display to check whether they have made unnecessary purchases, forgotten to buy necessary items, whether the budget has been exceeded, etc., and if there are any, return to the sales floor and make changes, When everything is in order,
The data is transmitted to the virtual shopping mall system of the server 12 via the network 11.

As described above, when shopping is performed, the contents are first stored in the shopping basket, and the contents can be checked at the cash register at the end, so that mistakes such as overbuying can be prevented. After the checkout, the user goes out of the store (screen example 810) and the shopping is completed. At a later date, the ordered item is delivered by courier service or the like, and the user pays a fee. As described above, according to the present embodiment, shopping can be performed while moving in the 3D virtual space, so that the user can enjoy the same enjoyment as if they were actually going to a mall and shopping. Can be provided. Also, the access time to the mall is short, and the time burden on the user can be significantly reduced.

In the above-described embodiment, the method of the user moving from one sales floor to another sales floor in search of a product to be purchased or as window shopping is expressed in 3D by operating the input device 201. Although the description has been made assuming that the user moves within the store, the present invention is not limited to this.

When the user moves from one sales floor to another sales floor, the user may directly input (such as voice input or keyboard input) the name of the product desired to be purchased or the name of the sales floor. By using this method, the user can select the product on the screen as soon as the product name or the sales floor name is entered, regardless of where in the store (separate sales floor, cash register, etc.) Either move to the selling section or the detailed information of the product is displayed. This is called a warp function. With this configuration, the dead time can be further reduced.

An example of the processing of the warp function will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, a command name of the warping process is input (voice input, keyboard input, etc.) from the input device 201 by the user (step 90).
0). The command name is a product name or a product type name (a more generalized product name than the product name, for example, a product name is a four-stage pack with no added natto from Company A, and a product type name is natto), or a sales floor name. That is.

Upon receiving the input command name (step 901), the front-end module transmits a warping processing command to the warping processing module 205 (step 902). The warp processing instruction at this time also includes the command name input in step 900. The warp processing module receives the warp processing command (step 903), and determines whether the command name is a product name, a product type, or a sales floor name by referring to information from the product DB (step 904).

In the case of a product name, the sales floor number of the product is searched with reference to the product DB (step 90).
5). In the case of a product type name, referring to the product DB,
A sales floor number having the product type is searched (step 90).
6). In the case of the sales floor name, the sales floor number of the sales floor is searched (step 907).

Next, the sales floor number searched in any of steps 905 to 907 is transmitted to the store layout management module (step 909). The store layout management module calls up an image of a sales floor corresponding to the sales floor number while referring to the store layout DB (step 910), and transmits the image to the front-end module (step 910). The front end module causes the output device 202 to display the sales floor image (step 91).
1).

If the input command name is not a product name, a product type name, or a sales floor name, the warp processing module sends an error message to the front end module (step 908), and the front end module sends the error message to the output device 202. Display an error message (step 912).

As a method for a user to put a product to be purchased in a shopping basket or the like in a store of the virtual shopping mall system, the user selects a product while looking at a sales floor or a shelf as in actual shopping. In addition to the method, there is a method in which a product to be purchased (material of a dish to be made) is selected by inputting a name of a dish to be made by a user, and is automatically put into a shopping basket or the like. The product processing method of the present invention corresponds to a dish name.

An example of the latter process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, the user enters the input device 20
First, the name of the dish is input (step 1000). The name of the dish to be input may be selected by the user from options or may be directly input by the user. Then, enter the amount of the dish (for 2 persons, 4 persons, etc.) (step 1).
001). When the front-end module receives the name of the dish and how many people (step 1002), it sends a menu processing command to the menu module (step 100).
3). At this time, the menu processing instruction includes step 1
The dish name input in 001 and 1002 and the amount thereof are included.

The menu processing module receives the menu processing command (step 1004), and prepares a menu DB in which the names of the dishes, their ingredients, and the amounts are registered in advance.
, It is determined whether or not the dish name input in step 1001 is in the menu DB (step 1005). If the message does not exist in the menu DB, an error message is transmitted to the front-end module (step 1006), and the front-end module causes the output device 202 to display the error message (step 1).
007).

When the input dish name exists in the menu DB, the menu DB is searched for the ingredients of the input dish name and the amount thereof (step 1008). Further, the required amount of the user is calculated by multiplying the amount of each material by the number of people (for two, four, etc.) input by the user (step 1009). Next, referring to the product DB, a unit to be purchased by the user for each material is calculated (step 1010). The unit to be purchased by the user is a minimum sales unit that is larger (more) than the necessary amount calculated in step 1009. For example,
If the required amount of potatoes is three in step 1009, and the sales unit of potatoes is six, the unit to be purchased in step 1010 is one bag.
Then, all the materials and the units to be purchased are transmitted to the front end module (step 101).
1) The front-end module causes the output device 202 to display (step 1012).

Next, the user determines whether or not to put (purchase) the displayed material and its purchase unit as it is in the shopping basket, and inputs it (step 1013). If the user wants to purchase the product as it is, a command for the process of “put in shopping basket” is transmitted (step 1016). The instruction includes a product name as a material and a purchase unit. If the purchase is made in a different amount (determined in step 1014), if the purchase unit is input again (step 1015), a command for the "add to shopping basket" process is transmitted (step 101).
6). If the purchase is not to be made, no command for the processing of "put into shopping basket" is sent (step 1017).

In the virtual shopping mall system, there are a number of processing methods for displaying out-of-stock information on products. First, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5, the server 12 sends the client's purchasing terminal 10 the update data, the latest information, and the advertisement of the day (as of the day when the user starts the virtual shopping mall system). Is available, the latest out-of-stock information at that time is searched from the stock DB in the server 12 and downloaded together. In this case, out-of-stock information is displayed on the sales floor screen or the product information screen in the virtual shopping mall.

With reference to the flowchart of FIG. 11, a flow of another method of displaying out-of-stock information of a product when a user selects a product to be purchased will be described. First, a user selects a product to be purchased and puts it in a shopping basket or the like (step 1100). Then, an inventory check request is transmitted to the server via a network or a radio wave (step 1101). This request includes the product name and the purchase amount.

The inventory management module of the server receives this inventory confirmation request (step 1102), and determines whether or not the purchase amount of the product is less than the inventory balance while referring to the information in the inventory DB (step 1103). ). If the purchase amount of the product is less than the stock balance, the product is not out of stock and the out-of-stock display process ends here (step 11).
04).

On the other hand, if the purchase amount of the product is larger than the stock balance, the product is out of stock. Therefore, an out-of-stock message is transmitted to the purchase terminal 10 of the user (purchaser) as the client via the network 11 (step 1105). ). The out-of-stock message includes a product name, a scheduled arrival date, and the like. The client receives the out-of-stock message (step 110).
6) Display on the output device 202 (step 110)
7). With this processing, when the user puts the product into the shopping basket, the out-of-stock information is displayed only when the product is out of stock. According to the present embodiment, the out-of-stock information is immediately notified to the user, so that it is easy to change to another item. Can be prevented.

In the virtual shopping mall system, the shopping history, which is the purchase data of each user, is stored in the shopping history D.
B can be stored and analyzed, and the results can be used. This series of processes are all performed only on the client side (purchasing terminal side). First, at the data collection stage, every time a user makes a purchase at a virtual shopping mall, the data (date, product name, purchase quantity, purchase price, etc.) is automatically stored in the shopping history DB. The shopping history DB is owned by each user in the purchasing terminal 10 used by the user. Then, the data collected in the DB is analyzed every certain period (every time the system is used, every day, once a week, once a month, etc.).

There are several ways to analyze and utilize the results of the analysis. First, the purchase frequency of each product is calculated, and the in-store layout management module converts the product arrangement based on the calculation. At the time when the user downloads the virtual shopping mall from the server 12, the arrangement of the products in the 3D mall, the layout of the sales floor, the screen layout of the 2D screen showing the detailed information of the products, and the like are fixed by the administrator (retailer). Is still
The store layout management module can convert the inside of the store to a layout adapted to the shopping tendency of the user.

An example of rebuilding in a store will be described with reference to the screen example of FIG. Screen 1200 and screen 1201 are:
This is an example in which the sales floor layout itself has been changed. Here, a screen example 1200 is a diagram in which the sales floor in the 3D mall at the time of downloading from the server is viewed from above.

As a result of analyzing the purchase frequency of each product, for example, when it is found that this user has a low purchase frequency of vegetables and a high purchase frequency of confectionery, the user changes the layout by the store layout management module. The state inside the store is shown by a screen example 1201. At this time, the confectionery section is placed on the flow line of the user, and the vegetable section is removed.

[0108] Screen examples 1202 and 1203 are examples in which the display locations of commodities in the sales floor have been changed. Screen example 1202 is:
This shows the state of the confectionery counter in the 3D mall at the time of downloading from the server. As a result of analyzing the purchase frequency of each product, it is assumed that, for example, this user is found to have a high purchase frequency of potato chips. Screen example 120
3 shows a state of a sales floor after the store layout management module rearranges the potato chips to the center of the display shelf.

The screen examples 1204 and 1205 are examples in which the screen of the detailed product information in the catalog format expressed in 2D is changed. Screen example 1204 shows the product information screen of the confectionery counter at the time of downloading from the server. As in the previous example, it is assumed that the user has found that the purchase frequency of potato chips is high. Example 12 of a fixed screen
In 04, the user cannot see the information of the potato chips without scrolling the screen. A screen example 1205 shows a changed screen in which the shop layout management module rearranges frequently purchased products (potato chips) to a higher position in the catalog. According to the present embodiment, a shopping environment that is easy for the user to use can be provided, and the seller can promote sales.

In addition, the shopping history data is tabulated for each product, and various parameters (classification of purchased products for a certain period,
There is a way to create data that can be used as a reference for users' future purchases by analyzing the results by tabulation, nutrition analysis, calorie calculation, etc.). As an example, in the screen example 1206, the purchase amount total, the purchase amount total, the purchase amount per one family, the purchase amount calculation, the purchase amount per day, the purchase amount calculation are performed for each fixed period and for each product. Is provided to the user.

[0111] An example of a screen 1207 is shown in which the purchase amount of each purchased product is represented by a common unit (gram, calorie, etc.) and provided to the user in comparison with an ideal intake balance. I have.

Referring to the flowchart of FIG. 13, purchase data of a user generated in the virtual shopping mall system is automatically converted into data for a household account book.
The flow of processing automatically input to the electronic household account book system (or attached) of the system will be described. First,
When purchase data (purchase date, product name, quantity, price, etc.) is generated by the user shopping (step 130).
0), a data conversion command is transmitted to the household account data conversion module (step 1301).

This instruction includes the purchase date, product name, and price. The household account book data conversion module receives the conversion command (step 1302), and searches or sets the cost name, the breakdown name, and the in-translation name of the product using the product name as a key while referring to the product DB (step 130).
3). The cost item name, breakdown name, and confidential translation name are registered in the product DB, or the sales floor name or the product type name of the product (a product that is more generalized than the product name, for example, the product name is A company-free natto) 4-stage pack, product type name is natto),
It is set by matching the cost group registered in the household account book system according to a certain rule.

The method of handling the amount of the household account data to be created is determined by the payment method (card, bank account withdrawal,
(Payment of cash etc.) is set as it is (Step 130)
4). Completed household account data (date, expenses, breakdown, breakdown, product name, amount, handling (card, direct debit,
Cash)) to the household account book system (step 13).
05). The electronic household account book system receives household account book data (step 1306) and inputs it (step 130).
7). According to the present embodiment, there is no need for the user to separately create a household account book, and the household account book is automatically formed on the computer.

[0115]

As described above, according to the present invention, since the control unit 203 for operating a virtual shopping mall program for forming a virtual shopping mall with a three-dimensional screen is provided, it is possible to form a three-dimensional virtual shopping mall and purchase Can provide a purchasing terminal that allows the user to enjoy realistic virtual shopping.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an outline of a virtual shopping mall system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a purchasing terminal used by a purchaser in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a server used in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing when a purchaser activates a virtual shopping mall system for the first time in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing when a purchaser activates a virtual shopping mall system for the second time or later in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process when a purchaser sets a download time according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a flow continued from FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing, using an example of a screen, processing when a purchaser uses the virtual shopping mall system to make a purchase in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing of a warp function.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process in a case where a product to be purchased is selected by inputting a dish name desired by a buyer according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process of displaying out-of-stock information of a product when a purchaser selects the product to be purchased in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a process when a layout of a sales floor is changed using an example of a screen in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process in which purchase data is converted into data for a household account book and input to an electronic household account book system in the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Purchasing terminal 11 Net 12 Sales server 200 Purchaser device 201 Input device 202 Output device 203 Control unit 204 Virtual shopping mall system program operation unit 205 Storage device 206 System storage unit 207 Database storage unit 209 Communication interface 300 Communication interface 300 Main unit 301 Input device 302 Output device 303 Control unit 304 User program operation unit 305 Administrator program operation unit 306 Storage unit 308 Communication interface

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 5B049 AA01 AA02 AA04 BB11 CC05 CC10 CC27 DD01 EE02 FF01 GG02 5B089 GA11 GA21 HA01 HA10 HA11 HA20 JA08 KA18 LB04 LB10 LB14

Claims (25)

[Claims] A control unit that operates a virtual shopping mall program that forms a virtual shopping mall having a three-dimensional screen; a system storage unit that is connected to the control unit and stores the virtual shopping mall program; A database storage unit that is connected and stores data used in the virtual shopping mall program; an input unit for a purchaser of goods to input purchase information to the control unit; and a product according to the input purchase information An output unit for outputting information as a three-dimensional screen from the control unit; a communication interface connected to the control unit for transmitting and receiving information necessary for operating the virtual shopping mall program to and from an external server And a purchasing terminal. 2. The purchasing terminal according to claim 1, wherein the virtual shopping mall program has a lookup function for enlarging and displaying a predetermined screen according to a purchaser's designation. 3. The purchasing terminal according to claim 1, wherein the virtual shopping mall program is capable of forming a two-dimensional screen. 4. When the buyer inputs predetermined information in the input unit, the buyer can instantaneously move from one place to another place in the virtual shopping mall in accordance with the predetermined information. The purchasing terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the purchasing terminal is configured as follows. 5. The data stored in the database storage unit is first downloaded from the external server when the virtual shopping mall program is started, and when the virtual shopping mall program is started next time, The purchasing terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the purchasing terminal is configured to download only data updated since a previous download from the external server. 6. A three-dimensional screen formed by using data already stored in the purchasing terminal while transmitting and receiving the necessary information between the purchasing terminal and the external server. The purchase terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the purchase terminal is configured to display the purchase terminal. 7. The purchase terminal according to claim 1, wherein the purchase terminal is configured to store purchase data of a purchaser. 8. The purchasing terminal according to claim 1, wherein the out-of-stock information of the commodity detected by the external server is displayed on the output unit in real time. 9. A purchaser can register in advance a processing method of a product and a specification of the product corresponding to the processing method. When the processing method is input from the input unit, the buyer can register the specification of the registered product. The purchase terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein a product to be purchased is selected according to the request. 10. A terminal-readable recording medium that stores the virtual shopping mall program and is installed in the purchasing terminal according to claim 1. Description: 11. Receiving, from an external server, a virtual shopping mall program for forming a virtual shopping mall having a three-dimensional screen in the purchasing terminal to the purchasing terminal;
Storing the received virtual shopping mall program in the purchasing terminal; storing data used in the virtual shopping mall program in the purchasing terminal; and storing the virtual shopping program in the purchasing terminal. A step of operating a mall program; a step of inputting purchase information to the purchase terminal; a step of outputting product information corresponding to the input purchase information as a three-dimensional screen; Transmitting and receiving information required to operate the virtual shopping mall program; a purchasing method. 12. The purchasing method according to claim 11, further comprising a step of enlarging and displaying a predetermined screen. 13. A method for forming a two-dimensional screen,
A purchasing method according to claim 11 or claim 12. 14. The method according to claim 11, further comprising a step of inputting predetermined information and instantaneously moving from one place to another place in the virtual shopping mall according to the predetermined information.
The purchasing method according to any one of claims 13 to 13. 15. A step of first downloading data used by the virtual shopping mall program stored in the purchasing terminal from the external server when the virtual shopping mall program is started; and The method according to any one of claims 11 to 14, further comprising a step of, when closing and re-starting the virtual shopping mall program, download only data updated since the previous download from the external server; Purchasing method according to item 1. 16. The method according to claim 16, further comprising a step of displaying, on the output unit, a three-dimensional screen formed using data already stored in the purchasing terminal while transmitting and receiving information in the transmitting and receiving step. A purchasing method according to any one of claims 11 to 15. 17. A method for storing purchase data.
A purchasing method according to any one of claims 11 to 16. 18. The purchasing method according to claim 11, further comprising a step of displaying out-of-stock information of a product detected by the external server on the purchasing terminal in real time. 19. A method of pre-registering a processing method of a product and a specification of the product corresponding to the processing method; and a method of selecting a product to be purchased according to the specification of the registered product. 19. The purchasing method according to claim 11, further comprising: inputting the processing method to the purchasing terminal. 20. A sales server comprising a communication interface for transmitting and receiving information necessary for operating the shopping mall program to and from the purchasing terminal according to claim 1. Description: 21. A purchaser server control unit for operating a virtual shopping mall program for forming a virtual shopping mall having a three-dimensional screen in a purchasing terminal used by a purchaser of a product; A server system storage unit for storing data stored therein; connected to the control unit, between the purchase terminal,
A communication interface for transmitting and receiving information necessary to operate the virtual shopping mall program; and a merchandise information corresponding to the purchasing information input at the purchasing terminal as a three-dimensional screen from the server control unit; A sales server. 22. The sales server according to claim 21, further comprising an administrator server control unit that operates an administrator virtual shopping mall program that forms a virtual shopping mall for an administrator that provides the product. 23. Activating a virtual shopping mall program for forming a virtual shopping mall with a three-dimensional screen in a purchasing terminal used by a purchaser of the product;
Storing data used in the virtual shopping mall program; transmitting and receiving information required to operate the virtual shopping mall program to and from the purchasing terminal; Outputting the product information corresponding to the purchase information as a three-dimensional screen to the purchase terminal; a sales method. 24. The method according to claim 23, further comprising a step of operating an administrator virtual shopping mall program that forms a virtual shopping mall for an administrator who provides the product.
Sales method described in. 25. When the virtual shopping mall program is started at the buyer terminal, the data saved in the saving step is first downloaded to the buyer terminal; and the data is first downloaded to the buyer terminal. 24. After the step, when the virtual shopping mall program is started on the purchaser terminal next time or later, only the data updated since the previous download is downloaded to the purchaser terminal; Alternatively, the sales method according to claim 24.