JP2002049819A - System and method for service point management, and recording medium where data for service point management are recorded - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To smoothly manage the service points of individual customers in environment where the service points are given to a customer when an article is bought and a buying request from a remote place is accepted. SOLUTION: The point balances of individual customers are recorded while being related to identification numbers assigned by the customers. When a customer makes a request to assess the selling of an article, reception numbers are given by units of dealings while related to the identification number of the customer. Then buying assessed amounts of articles are recorded by the units of dealings while being related to the reception number. The assessed amount are presented to the customer by unit of the dealings and when the customer approves an assessed amount, service points corresponding to the assessed amount are read out and added to the point balance.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a service point management system, a service point management method, and a recording medium on which service point management data is recorded.
In particular, the present invention relates to a system, a method, and a computer-readable recording medium for managing a service point provided to a customer along with the sale or purchase of an article.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a method of returning a part of a payment amount to a customer as a service point in accordance with the sale or purchase of an article. In this approach, the service points are:
Usually, it is managed in association with an identification number (ID number) given to each customer. That is, the service point of each customer is recorded in the database in a state where the service point is associated with the ID number of the customer. And, when points to be added or subtracted occur with the sale of goods, etc.,
Based on the customer ID number, the cumulative value of the service points, that is, the point balance is read from the database, and the balance is appropriately added or subtracted. The resulting new point balance is recorded in the database again in a state associated with the ID number.

[0003]

In the field of books, game software, CDs (Compact Discs), etc., used goods are purchased and sold. In these commercial forms, it is conceivable that a service point is given to a customer at the time of selling a product and a service point is also provided to the customer at the time of buying a product.

[0004] The present invention has been made in view of the above points. Even when a product is purchased, especially when a purchase request is made from a remote place via a communication line or the like, individual customers are purchased. It is a first object of the present invention to provide a service point management system that can manage the service points smoothly. Further, the present invention provides a service point management method for smoothly managing service points of individual customers even when purchasing a product related to a purchase request received from a remote place via a communication line or the like. This is the purpose of 2. The present invention also provides a computer-readable recording medium on which data for smoothly managing service points of individual customers is recorded even when purchasing a product related to a purchase request received from a remote place via a communication line or the like. The third object is to provide

[0005]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
A system for managing service points provided to a customer in connection with the purchase and sale of goods in order to achieve the first object, and records the point balance of each customer in association with an identification number assigned to each customer. Database, means for assigning a receipt number for each transaction unit in association with the customer's identification number when a customer requests the sale of goods, and for each transaction unit, Means for associating and recording the purchase price of the article; means for presenting the price to the customer for each transaction unit;
When the customer approves the transaction for the presented valuation, the means for recognizing the service point corresponding to the valuation and the point balance recorded in association with the customer identification number are recognized. Means for updating the point balance by adding the service point,
It is characterized by having.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the service point management system according to the first aspect, wherein the unit of the transaction is an individual article to be bought or sold.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the service point management system according to the first aspect, wherein the unit of the transaction is a group of articles which are simultaneously requested for a sale assessment.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the service point management system according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein a sale price of the article is calculated for each unit of the transaction.
Means for confirming with the customer whether to receive at the service point or as valuables other than the service point, and the above-mentioned valuation amount when the transaction for which the selling price is desired to be received at the service point is accepted. And a means for adding a service point corresponding to the selling price to the point balance together with a service point corresponding to the service point.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the service point management system according to the fourth aspect, the confirmation regarding the receipt of the selling price is performed at the time of the request for the selling assessment.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the service point management system according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the means for presenting the valuation amount to the customer electronically transmits information including the valuation amount. Means for sending to the customer by e-mail, further comprising means for recording the transmission date of the e-mail, and when the customer does not respond within a predetermined period from the transmission date, the transaction is accepted by the customer. And a means for recognizing that the touch has occurred.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for managing a service point provided to a customer in connection with the sale of an article, wherein the service point is associated with an identification number assigned to each customer.
Recording the point balance of each customer in a database, and, when requested by the customer to evaluate the sale of goods, associating the customer with the identification number of the customer and assigning a receipt number for each transaction unit; For each transaction unit, recording the purchase price of the article in association with the receipt number; presenting the assessment value to the customer for each transaction unit; Recognizing a service point corresponding to the assessed value if the transaction is accepted, and adding the recognized service point to a point balance recorded in connection with the customer identification number. Updating the point balance.

The invention according to claim 8 is the service point management method according to claim 7, wherein the unit of the transaction is:
It is characterized by being an individual article to be bought and sold.

The invention according to claim 9 is the service point management method according to claim 7, wherein the unit of the transaction is:
At the same time, it is a group of articles that have been requested for sale assessment.

The invention according to claim 10 is the invention according to claims 7 to 9
The service point management method according to any one of the above, wherein for each unit of the transaction, the selling price of the article,
Asking the customer whether to receive at the service point or at a value other than the service point; and, if the transaction for which the sale price is desired to be received at the service point is accepted, the assessed value And adding a service point corresponding to the selling price to the point balance together with a service point corresponding to the selling price.

The invention according to claim 11 is the service point management method according to claim 10, wherein the confirmation regarding the receipt of the selling price is performed at the time of requesting the selling assessment.

According to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image processing apparatus comprising:
2. The service point management method according to claim 1, wherein the step of presenting the assessed value to the customer includes transmitting information including the assessed value to the customer by e-mail, and further comprising the step of: Recording the transmission date of the client, and recognizing that the transaction has been accepted by the customer if there is no response from the customer within a predetermined period from the transmission date.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer-readable recording medium for recording data for managing a service point provided to a customer in connection with the sale of an article, the identification number being assigned to each customer. A point balance associated with the identification number, at least one reception number associated with the identification number, and a purchase evaluation value of an article associated with each of the reception numbers, or a service to be added corresponding to the evaluation value Point and are recorded.

[0018]

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

Embodiment 1 FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a main part of the service point management system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The management system according to the present embodiment is a system for managing service points to be provided to customers along with sale of goods. More specifically, the system of the present embodiment provides a service point to a customer at the time of purchase of a used product in addition to the sale of the product, and also receives a purchase request made from a remote place via a communication line or the like. This is a system for smoothly managing service points in an environment where the service points are accepted.

Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, a case where the management system of the present embodiment manages service points of a customer will be described by taking as an example a case where books are sold and purchased on the Internet. In this specification, “books” include comic books and magazines.

As shown in FIG. 1, the management system according to the present embodiment includes a data input interface (IF) 10. The data input IF 10 is a device for inputting information necessary for managing sales and purchase of books, and is realized by, for example, a barcode reader or a keyboard.

A host computer 12 is connected to the data input IF 10. Host computer 12
Can communicate with an external computer via a communication device (not shown) and a communication line (for example, an Internet line). A database 14 is connected to the host computer 12.

In this embodiment, prior to selling and buying a book on the Internet, a customer is requested to register as a member, and an ID number is assigned to each customer. A customer who intends to purchase or sell a book accesses a predetermined site via the Internet, and can purchase or sell a book by inputting his / her ID number.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the flow of processing when a book is sold. A series of processes shown in FIG. 2 is a process executed after a customer intending to purchase a book inputs an ID number and accesses a book sales site. The book sales site is provided with a function of searching for a book from a book name or a publisher, and the customer specifies the book using, for example, the search function (step 10).
0).

When the book is specified by the customer, the necessary information is provided from the host computer 12, and the title and the selling price of the book are displayed on the computer screen of the customer (step 102).

When the customer displays his / her intention to purchase based on the displayed information such as the selling price, that is, when the customer performs an operation indicating his / her purchase intention on the computer screen (step 104), a payment method selection screen is displayed. Is displayed.

The customer who has purchased the book can select a desired payment method on the settlement method selection screen (step 106). In the present embodiment, settlement by a service point can be selected in addition to a normal settlement method such as credit card or bank transfer.

When the settlement method is determined, all processes necessary for selling the book are completed. The host computer 12 then calculates a service point (for example, 3% of the selling price) according to the selling price of the book,
The point balance of the corresponding customer is updated based on the calculated value. When the settlement by the service point is selected, the service point corresponding to the selling price is subtracted from the point balance (step 108). Note that the processing of step 108 will be described later in more detail with reference to FIG.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the flow of processing when a book is purchased. A series of processes shown in FIG. 3 is performed when a customer intending to sell a book
This processing is executed after the user accesses the book purchase site by inputting the D number. At the book purchase site, first, a customer performs a process of requesting an assessment by specifying a book desired to be sold (application for assessment) (step 110).

When an assessment request is made, the host computer 12 presents the upper limit of the purchase price of the book specified as the assessment target to the customer, clearly indicating that the price is the upper limit (step 112). . This upper limit price is a price that is recorded in the database 14 in advance as an assessment amount when there is no element that impairs aesthetics such as writing or tearing in the book.

When the customer indicates the will of the assessment request based on the displayed information such as the assessment upper limit, that is, when the customer performs an operation on the computer screen to accept the assessment upper limit (step 114). Thereafter, an operation of collecting the books owned by the customer using a courier service is performed (step 116).

The state of the collected books is inspected, and the inspection result is reflected in the evaluation upper limit price of the book, so that the evaluation value of each book is determined (step 118).

The determined assessment amount is, for example, data input I
The data is input to the host computer 12 by F10. The host computer 12 records the evaluation value input in this way, or the evaluation amount and the service point determined based on the evaluation amount in the database 14 in a predetermined data format (step 120).

In this embodiment, in order to motivate the customer to sell the book to the customer, the service point for the assessed value (ie, the service point for the purchase price) is higher than the service point at the time of sale (for example, the assessed value). 5%). However, the service point setting rule is not limited to this, and the service points at the time of purchase may be the same or lower than the service points at the time of sale. The processing in step 120 is as follows.
This will be described later in detail with reference to FIG.

After the valuation amount (service point) is recorded in the database 14, the determined valuation amount is presented to the customer by e-mail (step 12).
2).

When the customer accepts the sale based on the presented assessment value (step 124), the database 14
The service point recorded therein is added to the point balance of the customer (step 126), and the selling price of the book is paid to the customer, for example, by money order (step 128). Step 1
The process 26 will be described later in detail with reference to FIG.

If the customer does not approve the sale in step 124 with respect to the assessment amount presented in step 122, the sale of the book is not established. In this case, thereafter, the books collected for assessment are returned to the customer using a home delivery service or the like.

As described above, at the time of selling a book, the management system of this embodiment updates the service point in step 108 (FIG. 2) (Process 1). When a book is purchased, the service point for the assessed value is temporarily stored in step 120 (process 2), and after the sale is completed, the service point is updated in step 126 (process 3). Hereinafter, the contents of the processes 1 to 3 will be specifically described.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of a process 1 executed to manage service points when a book is sold. Incidentally, a series of processing shown in processing 1 is executed in the host computer 12. As shown in FIG. 4, in process 1, first, the ID number of the customer who purchased the book is recognized (step 130).

Next, an addition / subtraction point determined based on the selling price of the book is recognized (step 132). More specifically, when payment by a credit card or the like is selected as the settlement method, for example, 3
% Is recognized as the amount of service points to be added. When the settlement by the service point is selected, the number of points corresponding to the selling price is recognized as the amount of the service point to be subtracted.

Next, the point balance recorded in the database 14 in a state associated with the recognized ID number is read (step 134). Finally, service points are added or subtracted from the read point balance, and the updated point balance is recorded in the database 14 as a new point balance of the customer.

As described above, at the time of selling a book, every time a transaction is made, the service points for each customer can be managed smoothly only by sequentially adding or subtracting the service points to the point balance specified by the ID number. be able to. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the service points given at the time of selling the book are associated with the point memory for recording the point balance and the ID number, and
If the D number is associated with the point to be added or subtracted, it can be managed smoothly.

On the other hand, the management of service points given when a book is purchased cannot be managed smoothly by adopting a data structure as shown in FIG. That is, in the present embodiment, the amount of service points to be provided to the customer at the time of purchase of the book is determined at the stage when the assessment of the book is completed. Then, the service point is added to the point balance only after the customer approves the sale at the presented assessed value. In other words, when a book is purchased, there is a certain time difference between when the service point is determined and when the point is processed (addition processing when trading is completed, invalid processing when trading is not completed).

Even when the data structure shown in FIG. 5 is used, after the amount of points to be added is determined and before the points are processed, a new assessment request is issued from the same customer. If not, it is possible to manage service points. However, if a new assessment is requested before the addition points are processed, the service points cannot be managed smoothly because there is no area for storing the assessment result. Therefore, in the present embodiment, service points associated with purchases are managed so that a plurality of additional points can coexist in a state of waiting for processing.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the contents of the processing 2 executed by the host computer 12 in the above step 120 in order to realize the above functions. As shown in FIG. 6, in the present embodiment, the host computer 12 first determines the book valuation amount,
The ID number of the customer is recognized (step 140).

Next, the amount of service points to be added to the point balance in this transaction is recognized (step 14).
2). Recognized service points may be for individual books being sold,
Alternatively, it may be the total amount of service points for a plurality of books that have been collectively requested to be assessed by the same customer.

Next, on the basis of the ID number of the customer, a pending item related to the customer is searched (step 14).
4). Then, a reception number is given to the case to be processed this time so as not to overlap with the case in the processing waiting state (step 146). Then, the service points to be added are recorded in a state associated with the reception number (step 148).

That is, in the management system of the present embodiment, when a book is purchased, as shown in FIG. 7, a point memory for recording the point balance is associated with the ID number, and at least one reception number is associated with the ID number. And a data structure in which service points to be added to individual reception numbers are associated. According to such a data structure, when a new assessment request is made from a customer having a pending matter, the additional points for the new assessment are further recorded while maintaining the record of the extra points in the pending state. It becomes possible.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart for explaining the contents of the processing 3 executed by the host computer 12 after the selling at the presented assessment price is accepted. As shown in FIG. 8, in the process 3, first, it is recognized that the trade has been made with the presented assessment value (step 15).
0).

Next, an ID number and a reception number corresponding to the established trade are recognized (step 152). When the ID number and the reception number are recognized in this step 152, for example, even if there are a plurality of pending cases as shown in FIG. 7, it is possible to specify the amount of service points to be added to the point balance. it can.

Based on the ID number specified at step 152, the point balance of the corresponding customer is read from the database 14 (step 154). Then
The point balance is updated by adding the service point to be added in the current process (the service point specified by the process of step 152) to the read point balance (step 156).

As described above, according to the management system of this embodiment, a plurality of service points can coexist for the same customer while waiting for processing. Therefore,
According to the management system according to the present embodiment, even when a predetermined time difference exists before the point is processed after the amount of the service point to be added or subtracted is determined, more specifically, Can smoothly manage the service points of individual customers even under an environment in which a sales request is received from a remote place and a service point for a purchase price is provided.

Embodiment 2 Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 shows a flowchart of a series of processes executed at the time of purchasing a book in the present embodiment. The flowchart shown in FIG. 9 is the same as the flowchart shown in FIG. 3 except that step 160 is inserted between steps 124 and 126.

That is, in the present embodiment, when the customer accepts the sale for the presented assessment amount (step 12).
4) A selection screen is displayed on the computer screen of the customer as to whether he / she wants to receive the price of the sale in cash or at a service point (step 160). Here, in order to urge the selection of the service point, when the service point is selected, a larger amount of points is provided than when cash is selected.

If cash payment is selected in step 160, the same processing as in the first embodiment is executed in steps 126 and 128. On the other hand, if payment by the service point is selected, in step 126, the price for selling the book and the service point for the purchase price are added to the point balance in the same procedure as in the first embodiment. Then, in this case, step 128
, That is, the payment processing of the selling price is omitted.

In the case of determining a valuation amount by accepting a sale request from a remote place, there is a certain time lag after the purchase price of the book is determined and before the sale is completed. Therefore, when paying the purchase price at the service point, it is necessary that a plurality of service points can coexist in the processing waiting state. In the management system according to the present embodiment, as in the case of the first embodiment, coexistence thereof can be permitted. For this reason, according to the management system of the present embodiment, a sale request from a remote location is accepted,
In addition, when the purchase price of the book is returned by the service points, the service points can be managed smoothly for each customer.

Embodiment 3 Next, referring to FIG.
Embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described. FIG. 10 shows a flowchart of a series of processing executed at the time of book purchase in the present embodiment. The flowchart shown in FIG. 10 is the same as the flowchart shown in FIG. 3 except that steps 170 and 172 are inserted between steps 122 and 124.

That is, in the present embodiment, when the determined assessment is presented to the customer by e-mail (step 12).
2) The presentation date is recorded in the host computer 12 (step 170). Then, after presenting the assessment amount by e-mail, it is monitored whether or not the customer has responded within a predetermined period (for example, within one week) (step 172).

As a result, if there is a response within the predetermined period, the book purchase or return processing is performed in the same procedure as in the first embodiment (steps 124 to 1).
28). On the other hand, if there is no response from the customer within the predetermined period, it is regarded that the customer has accepted the assessed value, and the point addition process (step 126) and the selling price payment process (step 128) are executed. Note that, in the present embodiment, if the customer does not receive a response within a predetermined period after being presented with the assessed value, it is clearly stated that the customer is considered to have accepted the assessed value and proceeds with the book purchase process. Shall be

As described above, according to the management system of the present embodiment, a case that does not respond within a predetermined period can be automatically processed without leaving it as it is. For this reason, according to the management system of the present embodiment, a sale request from a remote place can be efficiently processed.

By the way, in the third embodiment described above, the selling price is limited to paying the customer in cash, but the method of paying the selling price is not limited to this. That is, similar to the case of the second embodiment,
Cash payment and service point payment may be selectable. In this case, the selection of the payment method may be requested at the time of acceptance of the selling (after step 124), or at the time of the offer of assessment (step 110), as in the case of the second embodiment. Good. In the latter case, even if there is no response from the customer within a predetermined period, the selling price can be paid by the customer's desired payment method.

In the above-described first to third embodiments,
Although sales and purchases are limited to books,
The present invention is not limited to this. That is, in addition to books, game software,
It may be a CD, DVD, video software, or the like. Furthermore, the object may be infant / child goods, sports goods, precious metals, and the like.

In the first to third embodiments described above,
Although barcodes are used for managing articles, the codes used for managing the barcodes are not limited to barcodes. That is, the code may be composed of a character string.

In the above-described first to third embodiments,
Although a case where a customer offers an assessment on the Internet has been described, the assessment request form is not limited to this. That is, the present invention may be applied to a case where a book or the like desired for sale (evaluation) is directly sent from a customer.

In the first to third embodiments described above,
The selling price to the customer is paid in cash, but the price is in addition to cash, postal money order (small money order),
Payment may be made in the form of transfer, electronic money, or even a prize.

[0066]

As described above, according to the present invention, for each identification number assigned to each customer, a plurality of reception numbers are associated with each other, and in relation to the respective reception numbers, the assessment amount for each transaction and Service points (points to be added)
Can be recorded. In this case, for each customer, a plurality of service points can coexist in the processing waiting state. Therefore, according to the present invention,
Provide service points to customers when purchasing goods,
In addition, the service point can be managed smoothly in an environment where a purchase request from a remote place is received.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a management system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining a book sales flow according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining a book purchase flow according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a process 1 executed to manage service points when a book is sold in the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing a data structure required to execute processing 1 shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a process 2 executed to manage service points when a book is sold in the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically showing a data structure required to execute processing 2 shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a process 3 executed to manage service points when a book is sold in the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining a book purchase flow according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining a book purchase flow according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Data input interface 12 Host computer 14 Database

Claims (13)

[Claims] 1. A system for managing service points provided to a customer in connection with the sale of goods, comprising: a database for recording the point balance of each customer in association with an identification number assigned to each customer; Means for assigning a receipt number for each transaction unit in association with the customer's identification number when a sale assessment of the article is requested, and purchase of the article in association with the receipt number for each transaction unit Means for recording the assessed value; means for presenting the assessed value to the customer in units of the transaction; and service points corresponding to the assessed value when the customer accepts the transaction for the presented assessed value. Means for recognizing the service point, and adding the recognized service point to the point balance recorded in association with the customer identification number, thereby obtaining the point balance. A service point management system, comprising: means for updating a height. 2. The service point management system according to claim 1, wherein the unit of the transaction is an individual article to be bought or sold. 3. The service point management system according to claim 1, wherein the unit of the transaction is a group of articles that have been simultaneously requested for sale assessment. 4. A means for confirming to the customer whether the selling price of the article is received at a service point or a valuable resource other than the service point for each transaction unit, and Means for adding, to the point balance, a service point corresponding to the selling price together with a service point corresponding to the assessed value when a transaction desired to be received by the client is accepted. The service point management system according to claim 1, wherein: 5. The service point management system according to claim 4, wherein the confirmation regarding the receipt of the selling price is performed at the time of requesting the selling assessment. 6. The means for presenting the assessed value to the customer includes means for transmitting information including the assessed value to the customer by e-mail, further comprising: means for recording a transmission date of the e-mail; The service according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising: means for recognizing that the customer has accepted the transaction when there is no response from the customer within a predetermined period from the day. Point management system. 7. A method for managing service points provided to a customer in connection with the purchase and sale of goods, comprising the steps of: recording a point balance of each customer in a database in association with an identification number assigned to each customer; A step of assigning a receipt number for each transaction unit in association with the customer's identification number when a customer requests the sale of goods, and an article in association with the receipt number for each transaction unit. Recording the purchase valuation of the transaction, presenting the valuation to the customer for each unit of the transaction, and responding to the valuation when the customer accepts the transaction for the presented valuation. Recognizing a service point; and adding the recognized service point to a point balance recorded in association with the customer identification number. And updating the point balance according to the following. 8. The service point management method according to claim 7, wherein the unit of the transaction is an individual article to be bought or sold. 9. The service point management method according to claim 7, wherein the unit of the transaction is a group of articles that have been simultaneously requested for a sale assessment. 10. A step of confirming with the customer whether the selling price of the article is to be received at a service point or a valuable resource other than the service point for each transaction unit. Adding a service point corresponding to the selling price to the point balance, together with a service point corresponding to the assessed value, when the transaction desired to be received at the transaction is accepted. Any one of claims 7 to 9
Service point management method described in section. 11. The service point management method according to claim 10, wherein the confirmation regarding the receipt of the selling price is performed at the time of requesting the selling assessment. 12. The step of presenting the assessed value to the customer includes transmitting information including the assessed value to the customer by e-mail, further comprising: recording a transmission date of the e-mail; The service according to any one of claims 7 to 11, further comprising a step of recognizing that the transaction has been accepted by the customer if the customer does not respond within a predetermined period from a date. Point management method. 13. A computer-readable recording medium for recording data for managing a service point provided to a customer in connection with the sale of an article, wherein the point balance is associated with an identification number assigned to each customer. And at least one receipt number associated with the identification number, and a purchase assessment value of the article associated with each of the receipt numbers, or a service point to be added in accordance with the assessment value. A recording medium characterized by the above-mentioned.