JP2001312621A - Auction acting system and auction acting method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To protect a buyer of an auction using the Internet by setting a specific cooling-off period and then not paying the buying money to an auction seller if the buyer who made a successful bid returns the article within the cooling-off period. SOLUTION: The auction acting system includes plural auction seller terminals (3), an auction acting server (1), and plural buyer terminals 84); when a successful bid is made at an auction and an article is sent from the seller to the successful bidder, a cooling-off setting means (17) in the auction acting server sets the specific cooling-off period, and instructs remittance to the seller when the article is not returned within the cooling-off period and instructs repayment to the buyer when the article is returned within the cooling-off period.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an auction service system and an auction service method, and more particularly, to an auction for a product exhibited by an exhibitor, and when a successful bid is made in the auction, the auction is performed. Auction agent system and auction agent that sets a predetermined cooling-off period after the buyer sends the exhibited product directly to the winning bidder, and after the cooling-off period elapses, pays the purchase price received from the winning bidder to the seller. It is about the method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, various systems for auctioning via the Internet have been filed and published. In the auction category, sellers conduct auctions on their own homepages, each seller sends out products and settles the price, and the auction itself is performed by each seller on its own homepage etc. A form in which payment is entrusted to a payment agency,
There is a form in which auction agents collectively collect auction items under an auction agent and execute the auction, send out the items, and settle the price.

[0003]

In the first format, in which a seller performs an auction on his or her own homepage, and each seller sends out the goods and settles the price, the buyer selects a product according to the type of the product desired to be purchased. In addition, there is a disadvantage that it is necessary to refer to various homepages and it is not possible to efficiently search for necessary products. Conveniently, even if the buyer makes a successful bid for the product he wants, the product actually sent,
Even if the product was different from the one you saw on the homepage, or even if the product was defective, you might not be able to return the price you already paid.

[0004] Further, in the second form in which each seller performs the auction itself on his / her own homepage or the like and entrusts settlement of the price to a settlement company, the actually sent product is the product viewed on the homepage. There was no guarantee that the price paid would be refunded if it was different or if the product was defective.

[0005] Furthermore, auction products are collectively collected under an auction agent, and an auction is executed.
Similarly, in the case of the third format in which the auction agent performs the entire process from shipment of the product to settlement of the price,
If the product actually sent was different from the product you saw on the homepage, or if the product was defective, there was no guarantee that you would be able to return the paid price.

According to the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the exhibited goods are sent directly from the exhibitor to the successful bidder, and the money received from the successful bidder is paid to an auction agent having an auction agent server. In addition to the above, a predetermined cooling-off period is set from the time of direct shipment from the exhibitor to the successful bidder, and when the product received by the successful bidder, that is, the consumer is defective, the above-described predetermined If the successful bidder returns the seller to the seller during the cooling-off period, the auction agent will prevent the successful bidder from paying the money paid to the seller, thereby securing the auction that protects the successful bidder, that is, the consumer. The purpose is to provide a proxy system.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention comprises a plurality of seller terminals, an auction proxy server, and a plurality of purchaser terminals. In an auction proxy system in which information about a product that a seller wants to sell is supplied as auction information to an auction proxy server and an auction is performed by the auction proxy server based on bid information from the buyer terminal, the plurality of seller terminals Each include a first display device for displaying an auction exhibition application screen and a first input device for inputting auction exhibition application information, and each of the plurality of purchaser terminals displays a second auction bidding screen. And a second input device for inputting auction bidding information. The appointment proxy server includes a merchandise database for storing auction information input from the seller terminal, an auction processing means for performing an auction bidding based on bid information from the buyer terminal, and when the seller sends out the merchandise to the successful bidder. A cooling-off setting means for setting a predetermined cooling-off period, wherein the auction proxy server provides auction information based on the auction exhibition application information input from the plurality of seller terminals, and a plurality of purchases that have bid for the auction. If a bid is made between the buyer's terminals and one of the bidders makes a successful bid, and the seller sends the product to the successful bidder, and there is no return from the successful bidder to the seller within the above cooling-off period , The auction agent server instructed the remittance to the seller and determined that there was a return within the cooling-off period. The auction proxy server is configured to direct the refund to the purchaser.

Preferably, the auction proxy system further includes a successful bid notification means for notifying a buyer terminal who has made a successful bid in the auction process of the successful bid, a product shipping instruction means for instructing the successful bidder to send a product, Is configured to have a payment confirmation means for confirming payment from a person.

[0009] More preferably, the auction acting system further includes return confirmation means for confirming whether or not the successful bidder has returned the product within the cooling-off period.
Payment payment instructing means for instructing the seller to pay the purchase price when there is no return from the successful bidder during the above-mentioned cooling-off period, and paying to the successful bidder when there is a return from the successful bidder during the above-mentioned cooling-off period Refund instructing means for instructing a refund of the purchase price.

[0010] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an auction agent system including a plurality of seller terminals, an auction agent server, and a plurality of buyer terminals, wherein each of the seller terminals includes In the auction proxy method in which an auction is performed by the auction proxy server based on bid information from each of the plurality of buyer terminals, information on a product that the buyer wants to sell is supplied to the auction proxy server as auction information. The auction agent terminal refers to the auction screen displayed on the display device of the exhibitor terminal, transmits the auction exhibition application information input in accordance with the auction exhibition application screen to the auction agency server, and the auction agency server The exhibition information received from the consumer terminal And the plurality of purchaser terminals transmit the auction bidding information input according to the auction bidding screen displayed on the display device of the purchaser terminal to the auction proxy server, and the auction proxy server stores Performing an auction bidding process and a successful bid process based on the exhibition information stored in the product database and the bidding information from the plurality of buyer terminals,
When a successful bid is made by the above-mentioned successful bid process and the seller sends out the product to the successful bidder, the cooling-off setting means in the auction proxy server sets a predetermined cooling-off period, and there is no return within the cooling-off period. In such a case, the auction service server instructs the seller to transfer the purchase price, and when there is a return within the cooling-off period, the auction service server instructs the buyer to refund the purchase price. Is done.

[0011] Preferably, in the auction proxy method of the present invention, further, when a successful bid is made, the auction proxy server notifies the buyer terminal that made the successful bid by the auction process of the successful bid, and informs the successful bidder of the successful bidder. It is configured to instruct product shipping and confirm payment from the successful bidder.

Preferably, in the auction proxy method of the present invention, the auction proxy server further checks whether or not the successful bidder has returned the goods within the above-mentioned cooling-off period. When there is no return from the successful bidder, it is instructed to pay the purchase price to the seller, and when there is a return from the successful bidder during the above cooling-off period, it is instructed to refund the purchase price to the successful bidder. You.

[0013]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an auction proxy system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the auction proxy system according to one embodiment of the present invention includes an auction proxy server 1, an exhibitor terminal 3, and a purchaser terminal 4. The auction proxy server 1, the exhibitor terminal 3, and the purchaser terminal 4 are connected by a physical network 5 such as the Internet, for example.

The seller terminal 3 is a terminal for the seller to input information on the products to be sold in the auction. This terminal is, for example, a C that interfaces with the seller.
A display device 32 such as an RT display and an input device 33 such as a keyboard and a mouse are realized by a personal computer (personal computer) connected by the internal bus 31. Further, the input device 33 can be replaced with a touch panel or the like on the display device 32.

The purchaser terminal 4 is a terminal to which a purchaser enters information necessary for participating in an auction and purchasing goods by auction bidding. This terminal is realized by, for example, a personal computer (personal computer) in which a display device 42 such as a CRT display for interfacing with a purchaser and an input device 43 such as a keyboard and a mouse are connected by an internal bus 41. Further, the input device 43 can be replaced with a touch panel or the like on the display device 42.

The auction proxy server 1 includes a product database (DB) 12 for storing exhibition information from the seller terminal 3, an auction processing unit 13 for performing an auction bidding based on information from the buyer terminal 4, and an auction process. A successful bid notification unit 14 that notifies the buyer terminal 4 (hereinafter, referred to as a successful bid terminal) that has made a successful bid of the successful bid,
A payment confirming unit 15 for confirming payment from the successful bidder, a product shipping instruction unit 16 for instructing product shipment to the successful bidder, a cooling-off setting unit 17 for setting a predetermined period from when the product is shipped to the successful bidder, A return confirmation unit 18 for confirming whether or not the successful bidder has returned the goods to the seller during the cooling-off period. If the successful bidder does not return the goods to the seller during the above-mentioned cooling-off period, the seller must pay the price. A charge payment instructing unit 19 for instructing, and a refund instructing unit 20 for instructing the purchaser to refund the money if a successful bidder returns the goods within the cooling-off period. These parts are connected by the internal bus 11. Is done. Each of these parts is
It can also be configured by software.

[0017] The auction application processing FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of this auction exhibition application screen. The auction exhibition application screen in FIG. 5 is configured to allow entry of exhibition information necessary for an auction. The input information on the auction exhibition application screen includes, for example, seller ID, title (product name), product description, product quantity, product delivery method, price payment method, auction start price, auction holding period, other options, etc. There is. Further, a photograph of the product may be attached.

Hereinafter, terms in the auction exhibition application screen of FIG. 5 will be described. The “seller ID” in the auction exhibition application screen is a number issued to the seller terminal 3 when the auction proxy server 1 completes user registration in advance, as described later.
On the net, in order not to disclose the name of the seller,
The seller may be managed by the seller ID instead of the name.

The "product name" is described in a simple and easy-to-understand manner. "Product description" describes facts about the product in as much detail as possible. In one auction, the quantity is usually one product,
A set can also be set as a unit. As the “shipping method of the goods”, for example, the shipping method of the goods may be selected such as (1) shipping the goods when payment is confirmed, and (2) shipping the goods at the end of the auction. it can. Further, an option as to whether the product can be sent to the successful bidder from overseas may be added. The “starting price” is a price that is initially set when a bid is started. In the “holding period”, a period for performing an auction may be selected from, for example, 2 to 14 days.

As “options”, for example, (1)
Automatic extension, (2) early termination, (3) lowest bid price,
(4) desired bid price, (5) end time, (6) automatic re-listing, etc. may be set. Here, (1) "automatic extension" means that the auction is continued as long as the bid continues.
In addition, the seller may select whether to extend automatically or to end the auction when a predetermined date comes. (2) "Early termination" means that if the seller is satisfied with the current bid price and wishes to sell the product to the successful bidder, it is decided to end the auction early, (3) "Minimum successful bid price" means the lowest selling price of a product that the seller does not sell below that price, and (4) "requested successful bid price" is the first person to whom the seller has reached this price Is the price at which the product may be sold. (4) "End time" is used to determine the end time of the auction in advance, and (5) "Automatic relisting" means that if the auction ends without any successful bidder, This is an indication of intention to have the product automatically put up for auction. In this automatic re-listing, the same product information as before may be used.

Further, by providing a column of "payment method", the payment method of the successful bidder can be set to, for example, (1) bank transfer, (2)
Postal transfer, (3) registered mail, (4) cash on delivery, (5)
You may make it specify in advance like a credit card.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the flow of the auction application process. The auction exhibition application process will be described below with reference to FIGS. In order for the seller to participate in the auction, the seller performs user registration in advance. This is to exclude sellers other than registered persons in order to safely perform online buying and selling. The seller who has completed the user registration submits an auction exhibition application from the seller terminal 3 to the auction proxy server 1 (step S21). The auction proxy server 1 transmits a signal for displaying the auction list screen and the auction exhibition application screen to the seller terminal 3.

The exhibitor terminal 3 displays the product name list screen on the display device 32 (step S2).
2) Display the auction exhibition application screen (FIG. 5) simultaneously with or before or after the product name list screen (not shown) (step S23). At this time, the seller terminal 3 of the seller who has completed the user registration
A seller ID is displayed on the auction exhibition application screen of. The seller enters the product name with reference to the product name list screen, and further inputs information necessary for selling according to the auction exhibition application screen. Note that a product name list is displayed on the product name list screen. The seller can determine an appropriate product name by referring to the product name list screen so that the bidder can easily find the product to be sold. Determining a product name with reference to such a product name list screen belongs to the range of the related art, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Further, a correction button is provided in the auction exhibition application screen, and when it is desired to change the input information or to correct a mistake, the user clicks the correction button to correct the previously input information. You may do so. When the submit button is clicked, exhibitor terminal 3 determines that all necessary information has been input (YES in step S24), and transmits the input information to auction agency server 1 (step S2).
5).

The auction agent server 1 is an exhibitor terminal 3
Is stored in the product database 12 (step S26).

[0026] Auction Process FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a flow of an auction bid process. The auction bidding process will be described below with reference to FIGS. When purchasing a product through an auction, the buyer applies for an auction bid to the auction proxy server 1 (step S31). When the auction processing unit 13 receives a bid application from the purchaser terminal 4, the auction proxy server 1 assembles an auction screen as shown in FIG. To the buyer terminal 4, the buyer terminal 4 displays the auction screen on the display device 42 (step S32), and displays the auction bidding screen simultaneously with the auction screen or before or after the auction screen (step S32). S33). The buyer selects the product to be purchased from the auction screen,
Enter the information required for bidding according to the auction bidding screen.

FIG. 7 shows an example of the auction bidding screen. The auction bidding screen in FIG. 7 includes, for example, a bid product name, a bid amount, a payment method, a shipping method, a shipping address,
The name of the bidder is included. The buyer inputs information necessary for bidding according to the auction bidding screen. When the buyer has entered all the required information for a bid,
When the transmission button is clicked, it is determined that the bid input has been completed (YES in step S34), and purchaser terminal 4 transmits the input bid information to auction proxy server 1 (step S35). When input of information necessary for bidding is not completed (NO in step S34)
In the meantime, the buyer terminal 4 keeps monitoring until input of information necessary for bidding is completed.

The auction processing unit 13 of the auction proxy server 1 performs an auction process during the auction holding period, and confirms whether or not any of the bidders who have participated in the auction during the auction satisfies the conditions for making a successful bid. If there is any bidder who satisfies the conditions necessary for a successful bid (step S36), a successful bid process is performed (step S37).

When the successful bid process is performed by the auction processing unit 13, the successful bid notification unit 14 transmits a successful bid notification to the successful bidder by electronic mail or the like to the purchaser terminal 4 (step S).
38). The purchaser confirms the notice of the successful bid displayed on the display device 42 of the purchaser terminal 4 and determines whether or not to finally purchase the exhibited product.

FIG. 8 shows an example of this successful bid notification. FIG.
Shows a screen of a successful bid notification displayed on the display device 42 of the purchaser terminal 4, and includes, for example, a successful bid price, a successful bid product name, a payment method, a shipping method, a shipping date, a shipping address,
The name of the successful bidder is included. The winning bidder clicks the purchase button when he / she decides to purchase the winning product. When the purchase button is clicked, the buyer terminal 4 informs the auction agent server 1 that the successful bidder will purchase the successful bid product.
Send to Further, a cancel button may be provided, and when this button is clicked, it may be considered that the successful bidder has indicated the intention to cancel the purchase of the product, and that no successful bid has been made.

Cooling-off process FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a cooling-off procedure. The cooling-off process of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. Here, cooling-off is a system that protects the buyer by allowing the buyer to return the product when the product purchased by the buyer does not match the wishes of the buyer or when the product is defective. is there.

When the purchaser deposits the purchase price into the auction agency, the deposit confirmation unit 15 of the auction agency server 1 confirms that the deposit has been made. When the payment confirmation unit 15 confirms the payment (in the case of YES in step S41), the product shipping instruction unit 16 issues a product shipping instruction to the purchaser (step S42), and the product is shipped to the successful bidder through a predetermined procedure. You. Note that, as described above, the product shipping instruction to the purchaser may be made at the end of the auction by changing step S41. Thereafter, the exhibited product is deleted from the auction exhibited product (step S43).

When the product has been dispatched, the cooling-off setting section 17 sets a cooling-off period (step S44). Thereafter, the auction processing unit 13 monitors whether the cooling-off period set by the cooling-off setting unit 17 has elapsed (step S45). if,
If the return confirmation unit 18 confirms that the product has been returned from the successful bidder before the expiration of the period (YES in step S46), the refund instruction unit 20 returns the purchase price to the successful bidder. An instruction is given (step S47), and after a predetermined procedure, the price is refunded to the successful bidder. In this case, the process proceeds to step S26 in FIG. 2 in order to automatically re-list as described above.

On the other hand, when the cooling-off period has elapsed (NO in step S45), the payment instruction unit 1
9 instructs the seller to pay the purchase price received from the successful bidder (step S48), and the purchase price is remitted to the seller through a predetermined procedure.

[0035]

As described above, according to the present invention,
The exhibited product is sent directly from the seller to the buyer, and the purchase price from the buyer is paid to an auction agency having an auction agency server, and if there is no return of the product even after the cooling-off period, the auction agency. Is paid to the seller, while if the merchandise is returned before the cooling-off period elapses, the purchase price paid to the auction agent is refunded to the buyer. With such a configuration, when the buyer returns the purchased product to the seller within a predetermined cooling-off period, such as when the product received by the buyer is defective, etc. By not paying the seller the purchase price that was credited to,
An auction proxy system that protects buyers can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an auction proxy system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a flow of an auction application process.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of an auction bidding process.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a flow of a cooling-off process.

FIG. 5 is a screen configuration diagram of an auction exhibition application screen.

FIG. 6 is a screen configuration diagram of an auction screen.

FIG. 7 is a screen configuration diagram of an auction bidding screen.

FIG. 8 is a screen configuration diagram of a successful bid notification screen.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Auction agency server, 3 ... Exhibitor terminal, 4 ... Purchaser terminal, 5 ... Internet network, 11 ... Internal bus, 1
2 ... Product database, 13 ... Auction processing unit, 1
4 ... successful bid notification section, 15 ... payment confirmation section, 16 ... commodity shipping instruction section, 17 ... cooling-off setting section, 18 ... returned goods confirmation section, 19 ... price payment instruction section, 20 ... price refund instruction section, 3
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Internal bus, 32 ... Display device, 33 ... Input device, 41
... internal bus, 42 ... display device, 43 ... input device

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An auction service server comprising: a plurality of seller terminals; one auction service server; and a plurality of purchaser terminals, wherein the seller terminal uses information on a product that the seller wants to sell as auction information as an auction service server. , And an auction proxy system in which an auction is performed by an auction proxy server based on bid information from the buyer terminal, wherein each of the plurality of seller terminals includes an auction listing application screen. And the first to enter auction listing application information
Wherein each of the plurality of purchaser terminals includes a second display device for displaying an auction bidding screen and a second input device for inputting auction bidding information. Product database that stores listing information entered from the buyer terminal, auction processing means that conducts auction bidding based on bid information from the buyer terminal, and sets a predetermined cooling-off period when the seller sends the product to the winning bidder The auction service server provides auction information based on the auction exhibition application information input from the plurality of seller terminals, and a bid is executed among a plurality of buyer terminals that have bid for the auction. One of the bidders wins the bid, and the seller sends the product to the winning bidder. After that, if there is no return from the successful bidder to the seller during the cooling-off period, the auction proxy server instructs remittance to the seller, and if there is a return within the cooling-off period, the auction proxy server Is an auction agency system that instructs buyers to refund. 2. The auction proxy system according to claim 1, further comprising: a successful bid notification means for notifying a buyer terminal who has made a successful bid by auction processing of a successful bid; Means, and a payment confirmation means for confirming payment from a successful bidder. 3. The auction service system according to claim 2, further comprising: return confirmation means for confirming whether or not there has been a return from the successful bidder during the cooling-off period, and returning from the successful bidder during the cooling-off period. When there is no purchase price payment instructing means for instructing the seller to pay the purchase price, and when there is a return from the successful bidder during the cooling-off period, a refund instructing means for instructing the successful bidder to refund the purchase price. An auction agency system comprising: 4. In an auction service system including a plurality of seller terminals, an auction service server, and a plurality of buyer terminals, each of the seller terminals auctions information on a product that the seller wants to sell as auction information. An auction proxy method in which an auction is performed by an auction proxy server based on bid information from each of the plurality of purchaser terminals, wherein the plurality of seller terminals are provided on a display device of the seller terminal. And sends the auction listing application information entered according to the auction listing application screen to the auction proxy server, and the auction proxy server stores the listing information received from the seller terminal in a product database. And each of the plurality of buyer terminals includes: Auction bidding information input according to the auction bidding screen displayed on the display device of the purchaser terminal is transmitted to the auction proxy server, and the auction proxy server transmits the listing information stored in the product database and the plurality of items. The auction bidding process and the successful bid process are performed based on the bid information from the buyer terminal. When the successful bid is performed by the successful bid process and the seller sends out the product to the successful bidder, the cooling-off setting means in the auction proxy server includes: When a predetermined cooling-off period is set, and there is no return within the cooling-off period, the auction proxy server instructs the seller to remit the purchase price, and when there is a return within the cooling-off period, The auction agency server instructs the buyer to refund the purchase price Auction agency wherein the. 5. The auction proxy method according to claim 1, further comprising, when a successful bid is made, the auction proxy server notifies the buyer terminal who made the successful bid by the auction process of the successful bid, and informs the buyer of the successful bid. An auction agency method comprising instructing product shipment and confirming payment from a successful bidder. 6. The auction proxy method according to claim 5, wherein the auction proxy server further checks whether or not there has been a return from the successful bidder during the cooling-off period, and determines whether the successful bidder has returned within the cooling-off period. An auction characterized by instructing the seller to pay the purchase price when there is no return from the seller, and instructing the successful bidder to refund the purchase price when the successful bidder returns within the cooling-off period. Agency method.