JP2002092367A - Inquiring method using computer network - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To protect a questioner through the suppression of the outflow of personal information. SOLUTION: When the questioner transmits an inquiry information including a reference, an answer address and an inquiry content (procedure 1), an inquiry system gives a unique inquiry number to the inquiry (procedure 2), and transfers the inquiry number and the inquiry content, while concealing the answer address (procedure 3). When an answerer answers to the inquiry system by a telephone, an electronic mail or the like by using the inquiry number (procedure 4), the inquiry system transmits the answer to the answer address of the questioner specified by the inquiry number (procedure 5). Hereby, the questioner can receive the answer to the designated answer address without disclosing the answer address to the answerer, to thereby suppress the outflow of the personal information.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a technique for protecting an inquirer making various inquiries in a commercial transaction using a computer network (hereinafter referred to as "electronic commerce").

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, with the spread of computer networks such as the Internet, electronic commerce has become active. In e-commerce, consumers (interrogators) cannot make real-time contact with businesses (respondents) such as companies that provide products and services, but via online store website forms and e-mail, Inquiries and orders can be made at convenient times. When making an inquiry via a form or an e-mail, it is necessary to disclose personal information such as a name, a telephone number, an e-mail address, etc. in order to inform the destination of the reply.

[0003]

However, there is a risk that the personal information after the response is reused for sales or the like by the business operator or is subject to trading. For this reason, consumers who use e-commerce are concerned about the leakage of personal information, but disclosure of personal information is essential to obtain answers from businesses, and this is favorable from the viewpoint of consumer protection. Was not. In addition, in the case of conventional telephone inquiries, you can often get an answer on the spot, and disclosure of personal information was not necessary so much,
Such a problem did not occur.

In view of the above problems, the present invention makes it possible to make inquiries and answers between a questioner and a respondent in electronic commerce while keeping a part of the personal information of the requester secret. An object of the present invention is to provide an inquiry technique using a computer network that protects a questioner by suppressing leakage of personal information.

[0005]

Therefore, in the inquiry technique using a computer network according to the present invention, a unique inquiry number is issued for an inquiry including the contents of an inquiry, an inquiry destination and an answer destination. , The inquiry number and the contents of the inquiry are transferred to the inquiry destination. On the other hand, the answer to the inquiry content is transferred to the answer destination specified by the inquiry number. At this time, it is desirable that the answer to the inquiry is transferred to the answer destination via the designated answer receiving medium.

[0006] According to this configuration, a person who responds to the inquiry (herein referred to as "respondent") can make an answer using the inquiry number without knowing the answer destination of the requester. For this reason, the requester does not need to disclose personal information such as his / her telephone number, facsimile number, and e-mail address to the inquiry destination, and the leakage of personal information is suppressed. In addition, by transferring the answer via the designated answer receiving medium, it is possible to answer in accordance with the environment of the questioner, which contributes to the convenience of the questioner.

[0007] Here, the personal information of the questioner may be converted into a higher-level concept and sent to the inquiry destination. At this time, it is desirable that at least a part of the personal information of the questioner is converted into a higher concept according to a preset inquiry pattern. According to this configuration, the respondent who has received the questioner's personal information converted into the high-level concept can grasp the outline of the questioner's personal information, for example, drafting future product development and sales strategies, etc. It can be used as a reference material. In addition, since at least a part of the personal information of the questioner is converted to a higher concept according to a preset inquiry pattern, only the minimum necessary personal information corresponding to the inquiry type is disclosed to the inquiry destination. Becomes Therefore, it is possible to effectively suppress the leakage of specific personal information.

Further, when an inquiry is made, acceptance information indicating that the inquiry has been accepted may be sent to the reply destination. According to such a configuration, the requester receives the reception information every time the inquiry is made, so that it is possible to confirm that the inquiry has been successfully received.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. FIG. 1 shows an overall configuration in which an inquiry technology using a computer network according to the present invention is applied to electronic commerce using the Internet. The terminal 10 of the consumer, the terminal 20 of the business operator operating the electronic store, and the inquiry system 30 are mutually connected via the Internet 40. In addition, a telephone (not shown) capable of voice communication is provided to consumers and businesses.
Is provided. And consumer and business phones are
Public switched network (PSTN; Public Switched Teleph)
One network) 50 is connected to the inquiry system 30.

As shown, the inquiry system 30 includes a control device 30A comprising a computer having at least a CPU and a memory, an individual member database (hereinafter referred to as "individual member DB"; the same applies hereinafter) 30B, and a corporate member DB 30C. , An inquiry DB 30D, and an automatic answer DB 30E. In the control device 30A, various processes that enable inquiries and answers between the consumer and the business are implemented by software according to the program loaded in the memory. Individual member D
In B30B, registration information at the time when the consumer has registered as a member is registered in order to obtain a qualification as a user of the inquiry system 30. In the corporate member DB 30C, registration information at the time of the business operator performing member registration is registered in order to obtain a qualification to respond to an inquiry from a consumer using the inquiry system 30. Inquiry information (details will be described later) on inquiries from consumers is registered in the inquiry DB 30D. Automatic response DB30E
In response to the inquiry from the consumer, the inquiry system 30 automatically responds to the response information (details will be described later).
Is registered.

The control device 30A realizes various processes, functions and means for enabling inquiries and answers between a questioner and a respondent by software. here,
Before describing the operation of the inquiry system 30 in detail, its outline will be described with reference to FIG. The operation of the inquiry system 30 is performed as a business by an intermediary business different from the consumer and the business. In this case, a business that provides a company's products / services to consumers pays an intermediary business, for example, according to a fixed amount or the number of inquiries, to establish a business.

Prior to operation of the inquiry system 30,
"Inquiry pattern" according to the type of inquiries, such as simple inquiries, material requests, and claims, by the intermediary business
Is set. The inquiry pattern, as shown in FIG. 3, defines personal information to be disclosed to a business operator according to the type of inquiry, and includes “non-public”, “public”, The setting of "Hide original information by means such as transfer" is set.

The consumer and the business connect to the inquiry system 30 via the terminals 10 and 20 connected to the Internet 40, respectively, and enter necessary information on the member registration screen to become registered members. The input individual member ID, password and personal information of the consumer are registered in the individual member DB 30B in the format shown in FIG. On the other hand, the entered company member ID, password, company information, and incidental information of the company are registered in the company member DB 30C in the format shown in FIG.

When the consumer makes an inquiry to the business, the terminal 10 is connected to the inquiry system 30 and the user is authenticated by inputting the individual member ID and the password. , A reply means (response receiving medium) and a reply term (hereinafter referred to as "inquiry information"). Then, after confirming the input content, a transmission operation is performed, and the inquiry information is transmitted to the inquiry system 30. ...
Procedure (1) In the inquiry system 30 that has received the inquiry information, a unique “inquiry number” is assigned to the inquiry information.
Issue Also, based on the individual member ID of the consumer who made the inquiry (hereinafter referred to as “questioner”), the individual member DB
Search 30B and obtain personal information. In the acquired personal information, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, some of the items are concealed or converted to a higher concept based on the inquiry type.・ ・ ・ Procedure (2) Inquiry information and personal information in which a part of items are confidential are assigned an inquiry number and transferred to the business operator.
・ ・ ・ Procedure (3) The business responding to the inquiry from the questioner answers using the answering means designated by the questioner. That is, if the answering means is a telephone, the inquiry system 30 is provided with the public network 5
Connect the phone via 0 and enter your inquiry number and password. Also, if the response means is e-mail,
The terminal 20 is connected to the inquiry system 30 via the Internet, and the user authentication is performed by inputting the company member ID and the password. Then, on the mail creation screen provided by the inquiry system 30, the inquiry is identified by the inquiry number, and the answer is created.
An e-mail is sent to the inquiry system 30.・ ・
Procedure (4) When the answer means is a telephone, the inquiry system 30 performs user authentication based on the entered inquiry number and password, and then searches the inquiry DB 30D based on the inquiry number, and searches the individual member of the questioner. ID
To get. Then, the personal member DB 30B is searched based on the individual member ID, and a secret telephone number is obtained.
Thereafter, based on the telephone number of the interrogator, the call from the business is transferred to the interrogator, and a call between the business and the interrogator is established. As a result, the operator can make a voice call over the phone,
Can respond to inquiries from questioners.・ ・
Procedure (5) On the other hand, when the answer means is an e-mail, the inquiry DB 30D is searched based on the inquiry number, and the individual member ID of the questioner is obtained. Then, the personal member DB 30B is searched based on the personal member ID, and a secret electronic mail address is obtained. Then, based on the e-mail address of the requester, the e-mail from the business is transferred to the requester. ... Procedure (5) In this way, the requester can receive an answer from the business operator without disclosing personal information such as a telephone number and an e-mail address to the business operator. At this time, the requester discloses the personal information converted into the higher concept according to the type of inquiry to the business operator. However, in the personal information converted into the superordinate concept, for example, since the address is represented by a region, the individual cannot be specified, and there is no need to worry that the personal information is reused for sales or the like.

[0015] On the other hand, the business must pay the intermediary business, but in return receives personal information that can grasp the tendency of the questioner. For this reason, for example, the business operator can use personal information as a material for planning future product development and sales strategies. Next, various functions realized by software in the control device 30A of the inquiry system 30 will be described.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a process of setting an inquiry pattern set by an intermediary business. The setting process of the inquiry pattern is performed on a pattern setting screen (not shown) provided by the inquiry system 30. Step 1 (“S1” in the figure)
Abbreviated. In the following, the number of inquiry patterns is input.

In step 2, a pattern name is input for each pattern to be set. In step 3, pattern items are set. That is, as shown in the inquiry pattern shown in FIG. 3, for each item of personal information such as name, nickname, address, region, date of birth, etc., the original information is obtained by means such as "private", "public" and "transfer". Is hidden "is set.

In step 4, the set inquiry pattern is confirmed on the screen, and it is determined whether or not an operation for confirming the set contents has been performed. Then, if the confirming operation is performed, the process proceeds to step 5 (Yes), and if the confirming operation is not performed, that is, if the setting content is to be corrected, the process returns to step 1 (No). In step 5, the set inquiry pattern is stored in a storage medium such as a memory or a hard disk.

According to the processing of steps 1 to 5 described above, the inquiry pattern is set by the intermediary company operating the inquiry system 30. The inquiry pattern is used to specify the minimum necessary personal information that must be disclosed to the business operator, the personal information that is converted into a higher concept, and the confidential personal information, according to the inquiry type.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a member registration process by a consumer. Here, the “consumer member registration process” means that a consumer who intends to make an inquiry to a business using the inquiry system 30 while keeping a part of the personal information confidential must be performed first. Refers to processing that must not be performed. Note that the member registration process by the consumer is performed by the consumer terminal 10 connected to the Internet 40.
Done above.

In step 11, a member registration screen (not shown) for consumers is displayed. In step 12, an individual member ID and a password are set on the member registration screen. In step 13, on the member registration screen,
As shown in FIG. 4, individuals such as name, nickname, address, date of birth, gender, telephone number, FAX (facsimile) number, e-mail address, work place, occupation, work place address, work place telephone number, hobby, etc. Information is entered.

In step 14, alternative information in which a part of personal information is converted to a higher concept is created in accordance with the inquiry pattern. In step 15, a confirmation screen (not shown) showing personal information to be disclosed to the business operator is displayed for each inquiry pattern, and it is confirmed whether or not the contents are satisfactory.

In step 16, it is determined whether or not an operation for confirming the individual member ID, password and personal information (hereinafter referred to as "member information") has been performed. If the confirmation operation has been performed, the process proceeds to step 17 (Ye
s) If the confirmation operation is not performed, that is, if the member information is to be corrected, the process returns to step 12 (No). In step 17, the member information set and input on the member registration screen is registered in the individual member DB 30B.

Steps 11 to 17 described above
According to the process described in the above, when a consumer who intends to use the inquiry system 30 inputs member information on the member registration screen, the content is registered in the personal member DB 30B and makes an inquiry while keeping a part of the personal information confidential. You can get the authority as a member who can. FIG.
5 is a flowchart showing a member registration process by a business operator. Here, the “member registration process by the business operator” refers to a process that must first be performed by a business operator who wants to respond to an inquiry from a consumer using the inquiry system 30. Note that the member registration process by the business is performed on the terminal 20 of the business connected to the Internet 40.

In step 21, a member registration screen (not shown) for the business is displayed. In step 22, a company member ID and a password are set on the member registration screen. In step 23, on the member registration screen,
As shown in FIG. 5, business information such as a company name, a postal code, a location, a department in charge, a name in charge, an automatic answer ID, a telephone number, a FAX number, an e-mail address, and a business type is input.

In step 24, acceptable information is input. That is, an inquiry type that can respond to an inquiry from a consumer is input. For example, when "simple inquiry" and "claim" are input as acceptable information, the inquiry system 30 responds only to "simple inquiry" and "claim".
In this case, regarding the “material request”, for example, the consumer and the business directly correspond by telephone or facsimile.

At step 25, automatic answer information is input. That is, for example, when a standard answer as shown in FIG. 11 is automatically sent to an inquiry from a consumer, automatic answer information constituting the answer is input. At step 26, a confirmation screen (not shown) showing the corporate member ID, password, business information, receivable information, and automatic response information (hereinafter referred to as “business information, etc.”) is displayed. A confirmation is made as to whether or not it is.

In step 27, it is determined whether or not an operation for confirming business information has been performed. If the confirmation operation has been performed, the process proceeds to step 28 (Ye
s) If the confirmation operation is not performed, that is, if the company information or the like is to be corrected, the process returns to step 22 (No). In step 28, the company information and the like set and input on the member registration screen are registered in the company member DB 30C.

Steps 21 to 28 described above
According to the processing of the above, using the inquiry system 30,
Merchants seeking to respond to consumer inquiries,
When the business information or the like is input on the member registration screen, the contents are registered in the corporate member DB 30C. After the member registration, the inquiry system 30 is provided on the condition that a fixed amount or a cost corresponding to the number of inquiries is paid to the intermediary business.
Will gain the authority to respond to inquiries from consumers. In this case, the business can acquire the outline of the consumer's personal information from the inquiry system 30, and can use it for product planning and the like as described above.

FIGS. 12 and 13 are flowcharts showing the processing when the consumer makes an inquiry to the business, that is, the inquiry processing. The inquiry process is performed by the consumer terminal 1 connected to the Internet 40.
Performed on zero. In step 31, the questioner is qualified to use the inquiry system 30 to make an inquiry to the business, that is, the user is authenticated. When an individual member ID and a password are input on the WEB site of the inquiry system 30, the individual member DB 30B is searched based on the individual member ID,
A password corresponding to the individual member ID is obtained. And if the input and acquired passwords match,
The questioner is determined to be a registered member having a valid use right, and the process proceeds to step 32 (Yes). on the other hand,
When the individual member ID is not registered in the individual member DB 30B or when the passwords do not match, it is determined that the questioner does not have a valid use right, and for example, a message prompting the member registration is displayed. After that, the inquiry process ends (No).

At step 32, an inquiry screen 60 as shown in FIG. 14 is displayed. Inquiry screen 60
Is an inquiry type selection section 60A, an inquiry destination selection section 60B, an inquiry content input section 60C, an answer means selection section 60D, an answer term selection section 60E, a "next" button 60F, and a "cancel" button 60G. And is comprised. Here, the inquiry type selection unit 60A,
In the answer means selecting section 60D and the answer term selecting section 60E,
From a plurality of preset items, one
Two items are selected. In addition, the inquiry destination selection unit 60
In B, at least one company is selected from the companies registered in the corporate member DB 30C. In addition, in the inquiry destination selection unit 60B, as shown in FIG. 15, it is possible to specify that the inquiry destination is "not specified". The processing in this case will be described later.

In step 33, one inquiry type is selected in the inquiry type selection section 60A. That is, in the inquiry pattern of FIG.
One inquiry type is selected from the three of "simple inquiry", "material request", and "claim". In step 34, in the inquiry destination selection unit 60B,
At least one contact is selected.

In step 35, the inquiry content, that is, a message to be sent to the business operator, is input in the inquiry content input section 60C. In step 36, how to receive a response from the business operator is selected in the response means selection unit 60D. Here, as the answer means, for example, mail, telephone, FAX, electronic mail, etc. are prepared in advance as options.

In step 37, a response time limit selection unit 60E
In, a response deadline that specifies when the operator wants to receive a response is selected. Here, as the response deadline, for example, within 2 weeks, within 24 hours, on weekdays,
Saturday, Sunday, holidays, morning, afternoon, noon, time zone, etc. are prepared in advance as options. In step 38,
It is determined whether the selected or input inquiry type, inquiry destination, inquiry content, answer means, and answer deadline have been determined. That is, it is determined whether or not the “next” button 60F has been pressed on the inquiry screen 60. Then, if the confirmation operation is performed, the process proceeds to step 39 (Yes), and if the confirmation operation is not performed, the process returns to step 33 (No).

In step 39, it is determined whether or not a specific inquiry destination is specified in the inquiry destination selection section 60B of the inquiry screen 60. If the inquiry destination has been designated, the process proceeds to step 41 (Yes), and if the inquiry destination has not been designated, the process proceeds to step 40 (No). In step 40, the company member DB 30C is searched, and the inquiry destination candidates that list the businesses that can be the inquiry destination are obtained.

In step 41, a unique inquiry number is issued in response to an inquiry from a questioner. The processing of step 41 implements an inquiry number issuing step, an inquiry number issuing function, and an inquiry number issuing means. In step 42, inquiry information to be transmitted to the business is created according to the inquiry type. The process of step 42 implements a higher concept conversion process, a higher concept conversion function, and a higher concept conversion unit.

In step 43, an inquiry content confirmation screen 62 as shown in FIG. 16 is displayed. The inquiry content confirmation screen 62 includes an inquiry destination display section 62A, an inquiry content display section 62B, a transmission item display section 62C,
A response means display section 62D, a response time limit display section 62E,
"Send" button 62F and "Cancel" button 62G
And is comprised. Here, the transmission item display section 62
In C, the personal information of the questioner disclosed to the business is displayed. That is, the individual member DB 30B is searched based on the individual member ID at the time of performing the user authentication, and the personal information of the questioner is obtained. Then, based on the inquiry pattern, a part of the personal information is converted into a confidential or superordinate concept, and only the personal information disclosed to the business is displayed on the transmission item display section 62C.

If no inquiry destination is specified, an inquiry content confirmation screen 64 as shown in FIG. 17 is displayed. In the inquiry content confirmation screen 64, the search engine automatically extracts items based on the inquiry content,
By matching the product name, function, classification, time, and the like registered in the corporate member DB 30C, the name of a company that can be an inquiry destination is displayed. Then, at least one operator is selected from the displayed inquiry destination candidates.

In step 44, it is determined whether or not an operation for confirming the content of the inquiry has been performed. That is, it is determined whether or not the “send” button 62F has been pressed on the inquiry content confirmation screen 62. If the "send" button 62F is pressed, it is determined that the operation of confirming the inquiry has been performed, and the process proceeds to step 45 (Yes),
If the "send" button 62F is not pressed, it is determined that the operation of confirming the inquiry has not been performed and step 3
Return to 3 (No).

In step 45, the inquiry information, that is, the inquiry number, the individual member ID of the questioner, the corporate member ID of the respondent, the response deadline, the content of the inquiry, the response completion flag, the date and time of the inquiry, the inquiry type, etc. are stored in the inquiry DB 30D. be registered. Here, the “correspondence completion flag” is a flag indicating whether or not the inquiry from the questioner has been answered, and is set to “not supported” immediately after the inquiry information is registered in the inquiry DB 30D.

In step 46, the automatic answer DB 30E is searched based on the inquiry information. Step 47
Then, as a result of searching the automatic answer DB 30E based on the inquiry information, it is determined whether an inquiry from the questioner can be automatically answered. If the automatic answer is possible, the process proceeds to step 48 (Yes), and if the automatic answer is not possible, the process proceeds to step 50 (No).

In step 48, the above-described automatic answer (see FIG. 11; acceptance information) is sent to the requester.
Here, the automatic answer is sent by an answer means specified on the inquiry screen 60, that is, by telephone, mail, FAX, electronic mail, or the like. In step 49, the inquiry information with the inquiry number as shown in FIG. 18 is sent to the inquiry destination designated on the inquiry screen 60 or the inquiry content confirmation screen 62. Here, the inquiry information is transferred by sending means specified by the business operator. Then, the inquiry process by the questioner is completed.

In step 50, the inquiry information (see FIG. 18) to which the inquiry number is added is transferred to the inquiry destination designated on the inquiry screen 60 or the inquiry content confirmation screen 62. By the processing of step 49 or step 50, the inquiry transfer step, the inquiry transfer function, the inquiry transfer means, the high-level concept sending step,
The superordinate concept sending function and the superordinate concept sending means are realized.

In step 51, a confirmation mail (acceptance information) indicating that the inquiry information has been transferred to the inquiry destination is sent to the requester. The confirmation mail is a response means specified on the inquiry screen 60, that is, telephone, mail,
It is sent by fax, e-mail, or the like. Then, the inquiry process of the questioner ends. Step 48
Alternatively, the processing of step 51 implements a receiving information sending step, a receiving information sending function, and a receiving information sending unit.

Steps 31 to 51 described above
According to the processing of the above, after the registered member inputs the inquiry type, the inquiry destination, the inquiry contents, and the like on the inquiry screen 60, and transmits the inquiry contents and the like to the inquiry system 30 via the Internet 40, the inquiry Is issued a unique inquiry number. And, based on the inquiry pattern,
Part of the personal information is converted into a secret or higher-level concept, and the inquiry number, the inquiry information, and the personal information are registered in the inquiry DB 30D. Thus, the business can search for the inquiry DB 30D and respond to the inquiry without being bound by time.

Further, the automatic answer DB 30E is searched based on the inquiry information, and it is determined whether or not the automatic answer to the inquiry is possible. Then, if an automatic answer is possible, the automatic answer is sent to the requester, and the inquiry information is transferred to the business operator. On the other hand, if the automatic answer is not possible, the inquiry information is transferred to the business operator, and a confirmation mail indicating that the inquiry information has been transferred to the business operator is sent to the requester. Therefore, every time the inquirer makes an inquiry, the inquirer always receives an automatic answer or a confirmation mail as acceptance information, so that the inquirer can confirm that the inquiry processing has been performed reliably.

FIGS. 19 and 20 are flow charts showing the answering process when the business operator answers the inquiry from the questioner by telephone. It should be noted that the answer by telephone is made when the requester specifies a telephone as the answer means on the inquiry screen 60. Step 61
Then, using a telephone connected to the public line network 50,
The business operator calls the inquiry system 30 to connect the business with the inquiry system 30.

At step 62, the telephone number is used to input an inquiry number for identifying an inquiry to be answered. Here, the input of the inquiry number is performed by, for example, an automatic response system (IVR; Interactive Voice Re
It is desirable to be able to do so according to sponse) or by speech recognition. In step 63, the inquiry DB 30D is searched based on the input inquiry number, and the individual member ID, the corporate member ID, and the answer deadline relating to the inquiry specified by the inquiry number are obtained.

In step 64, it is determined whether or not the input inquiry number has been registered in the inquiry DB 30D.
That is, in step 63, it is determined whether or not the individual member ID, the company member ID, and the response time limit have been acquired. If the inquiry number is registered in the inquiry DB 30D, the process proceeds to step 66 (Yes), and if the inquiry number is not registered in the inquiry DB 30D, the process proceeds to step 65 (No).

At step 65, the inquiry DB 30D
It is determined whether or not the number of searches for is within n times (n: natural number). If the number of searches is less than n, the process returns to step 62 (Yes), and re-input of the inquiry number is prompted. On the other hand, if the number of searches is greater than n, (N
o) For example, after outputting an error message by voice, the public line network 50 is disconnected, and the telephone answering process ends. Here, the reason why the error message is output for the first time when the number of searches of the inquiry DB 30D becomes more than n times is to consider that there is a mistake in inputting the inquiry number.

At step 66, a password corresponding to the corporate member ID is input by the telephone. The input of the password is performed in the same manner as the input of the inquiry number. In step 67, the corporate member DB 30C is searched based on the corporate member ID, and a password corresponding to the corporate member ID is obtained.

In step 68, it is determined whether or not the password obtained from the corporate member DB 30C matches the input password. If the passwords match, the process proceeds to step 69 (Yes), and if the passwords do not match, the process proceeds to step 70 (N
o). In step 69, it is determined whether the current date and time is within the answer deadline specified by the requester. If the answer period is not over, the process proceeds to step 71 (Yes). If the answer period is not over, the public line network 50 is disconnected, and the answering process by telephone is ended (No).

In step 70, it is determined whether or not the number of determinations as to whether or not the passwords are the same is n or less. If the number of determinations is less than n, the process returns to step 66 (Yes), and the password is re-entered. On the other hand, if the number of determinations is greater than n (No), for example, after outputting an error message by voice, the public line network 50 is disconnected, and the telephone answering process is terminated. Here, the reason why an error message is output for the first time when the number of times of determination exceeds n is because a password input error is considered.

In step 71, the individual member ID of the questioner
The personal member DB 30B is searched on the basis of, and the telephone number of the questioner is obtained. In step 72, the call from the operator is transferred. In addition, by the process of step 72,
An answer transfer step, an answer transfer function and an answer transfer means are realized. In step 73, the telephone specified by the telephone number of the requester is called.

In step 74, it is determined whether or not a call has been established within a predetermined time, that is, whether or not the interrogator has answered the telephone call. If the call is established, the process proceeds to step 75 (Yes), and if the call is not established, the process proceeds to step 77 (No). In step 75, a response is made between the questioner and the business operator by voice call.

In step 76, since the inquiry from the questioner has been answered, the response completion flag registered in the inquiry DB 30D is changed to "corresponding". Then, the public network 50 is disconnected, and the answering process by telephone is terminated. In step 77, since the consumer did not answer the telephone within the predetermined time, the public telephone network 50 is disconnected, and the telephone answering process is terminated while the response completion flag is set to "unsupported".

Steps 61 to 77 described above
According to the processing of the above, when the inquiry number is input from the telephone connected to the inquiry system 30 via the public line network 50, the inquiry DB3 is entered based on the inquiry number.
0D is searched, and the individual member ID of the questioner, the corporate member ID of the respondent, and the response time limit are obtained. Thereafter, when the business operator's password is input, user authentication is performed.
If the current date and time is within the response deadline, the individual member I
The telephone from the business is transferred to the telephone number retrieved from the individual member DB 30B based on D, and a call is established between the interrogator and the business. For this reason, the questioner can directly obtain the answer to the question from the business operator by voice communication over the telephone. When the response over the telephone is completed, the response completion flag registered in the inquiry DB 30D is changed to "corresponding" to clarify that the inquiry has been answered.

Therefore, the business operator answers the questioner based on the inquiry number, and the business does not need to know the telephone number of the questioner. For this reason, the questioner does not need to disclose his or her telephone number to the business operator, and can protect consumers by suppressing leakage of personal information. FIGS. 21 and 22 show that a business operator responds to an inquiry from a questioner from a terminal 20 connected to the Internet 40 through a VoIP (Voice Voice).
9 is a flowchart showing an answer process when answering by voice call using an over IP) system. here,
The "VoIP system" refers to a system for making a call from a browser using the Internet.

At step 81, the terminal 20 of the business operator connected to the Internet 40
0 is connected to the WEB site. In step 82, the user is authenticated for the business. Then, if the user authentication is OK, the process proceeds to step 83, and if the user authentication is NG, the answer process by the VoIP system ends.

In step 83, the inquiry DB 30D is searched based on the company member ID at the time of user authentication, and all inquiry information corresponding to the company member ID is obtained. In step 84, an inquiry list display screen (not shown) is displayed based on the acquired inquiry information. Here, the inquiry list display screen displays all inquiry information that has been inquired by the consumer during a predetermined period in the past.

At step 85, an inquiry number corresponding to the inquiry to be answered is selected from the inquiry information displayed on the inquiry list display screen. In step 86, the inquiry DB 30D is searched based on the selected inquiry number, and the individual member ID of the questioner is obtained. In step 87, the individual member DB 30B is searched based on the acquired individual member ID, and the telephone number of the questioner specified by the individual member ID is acquired.

At step 88, it is determined whether or not the current date and time is within the answer deadline. If the answer period is not over, the process proceeds to step 89 (Yes), and if not, the answer process by the VoIP system is ended (No). In step 89, the voice call from the operator's terminal 20 is transferred to the interrogator's phone using the VoIP system. In this case, the business operator and the inquiry system 30 are connected via the Internet 40, while the inquiry system 30 and the interrogator are connected via the public network 50. The processing of step 89 implements an answer transfer step, an answer transfer function, and an answer transfer means.

In step 90, the telephone specified by the telephone number of the requester is called. In step 91,
It is determined whether the call has been established within a predetermined time, that is, whether the interrogator has answered the telephone call. And
If the call is established, go to step 92 (Yes),
If the call has not been established, go to step 94 (N
o).

In step 92, a response is made between the questioner and the business operator by voice call. In step 93, since the inquiry from the questioner has been answered, the response completion flag registered in the inquiry DB 30D is changed to "corresponding". Then, the public line network 50 is disconnected, and the response processing by the VoIP system is terminated.

In step 94, since the interrogator did not answer the telephone within the predetermined time, the public network 50 was disconnected, and the VoIP was left while the response completion flag was set to "unsupported".
The answer process by the system is terminated. According to the processing of steps 81 to 94 described above, since the answer is made based on the inquiry number, similarly to the answer processing by telephone shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, the business operator knows the telephone number of the questioner. No need. For this reason, the questioner does not need to disclose his or her telephone number to the business operator, and can protect consumers by suppressing leakage of personal information. In addition, since the reply is made using the VoIP system, the communication cost can be reduced if the connection is always made to the Internet 40.

FIGS. 23 and 24 are flow charts showing a history management process in which the business operator manages the inquiry history from the terminal 20 connected to the Internet 40 and responds to the inquiry from the questioner. In the following description, it is assumed that a reply is made by e-mail. However, as described above, the reply may be made by using a telephone, a VoIP system, or mail.

In step 101, the Internet 40
Is connected to the WEB site of the inquiry system 30. In step 102, user authentication for the business is performed. And
If the user authentication is OK, the process proceeds to step 103, and if the user authentication is NG, the history management process ends.

In step 103, an inquiry DB 30D is created based on the corporate member ID at the time of user authentication.
Is retrieved, and all inquiry information corresponding to the company member ID is obtained. In step 104, a history management screen (not shown) is displayed based on the acquired inquiry information. Here, the history management screen displays a list of inquiry numbers, inquiry date and time,
A response completion flag and the like are displayed.

In step 105, it is determined whether or not there is any unanswered inquiry from the consumer.
If there is an unanswered inquiry, the process proceeds to step 106 (Yes), and if there is no unanswered inquiry, the history management process ends (No). In step 106, the answer is entered in the e-mail for the unanswered inquiry.

In step 107, the contents of the e-mail are confirmed by the business operator, and it is determined whether or not the operation of confirming the answer has been performed. If the finalizing operation is performed, the process proceeds to step 108 (Yes), and if the finalizing operation is not performed, the process returns to step 106 (No), and the answer content is corrected. In step 108, since the inquiry from the questioner has been answered, the inquiry DB
The response completion flag registered in 30D is "supported"
Is changed to

In step 109, the individual member DB 30B is searched based on the individual member ID of the requester specified by the inquiry number, and the e-mail address of the requester is obtained. In step 110, a reply by e-mail is transferred to the obtained e-mail address of the questioner. The process of step 110 implements an answer transfer step, an answer transfer function, and an answer transfer unit.

In step 111, the history management screen is updated to reflect that the inquiry from the questioner has been answered. In step 112, it is determined whether or not there is any unanswered inquiry from the consumer. If there is no unanswered inquiry, the history management process ends (Yes). If there is an unanswered inquiry, the process returns to step 106 (No), and answer creation is continued.

Step 101 to Step 1 described above
According to the processing of No. 12, when responding to the inquiry from the questioner, the answer can be created while confirming whether or not the response has been completed on the history management screen. For this reason, it is possible to prevent duplicate answers to the already answered inquiries, and it is possible to improve the efficiency of answer work. In addition, as in the case of the telephone and VoIP system described above, the business operator can answer the inquiry without knowing the e-mail address of the questioner, thereby protecting the consumer.

In the inquiry system 30, a regular report as shown in FIG. 25 is sent to the business operator by facsimile or e-mail at a predetermined time in order to notify the business operator of the tendency of the inquiry from the consumer. Is also good. The regular report is attached with personal information about the consumer who made the inquiry, which has been converted into a generic concept. Then, the business operator can analyze inquiries in a specific period based on the sent periodic report.

When an inquiry is made, the inquiry system 30 may send a questionnaire mail to the questioner after a predetermined period has elapsed, and may send the answer to the business operator. Thus, the business operator can grasp the degree of satisfaction of the inquirer for the inquiry. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration is such that the inquiry system 30 is operated by the intermediary business operator, but may be directly operated by the business operator that operates the online shopping mall that provides goods and services. in this case,
Even consumers who are hesitant to disclose personal information may use the electronic store and expect to expand their business by acquiring new customers.

A program for realizing such a function is
For example, magnetic tape, magnetic disk, magnetic drum, IC
If the program is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a card, a CD-ROM, and a DVD-ROM, the inquiry program using the computer network according to the present invention can be distributed to the market. Then, a person who has obtained such a recording medium can easily construct an inquiry system using a computer network according to the present invention using a general computer system.

(Supplementary Note 1) An inquiry number issuing step of issuing a unique inquiry number for an inquiry including the inquiry contents, the inquiry destination, and the answer destination;
An inquiry transfer step of transferring the inquiry number and the contents of the inquiry to the inquiry destination; and an answer transfer step of transmitting an answer to the inquiry contents to the answer destination specified by the inquiry number. Inquiry method using computer network. (1)

(Supplementary Note 2) An upper concept conversion step of converting the personal information of the inquirer who made the inquiry into a higher concept which cannot identify the inquirer, and the personal information converted into the upper concept is transmitted to the inquiry destination. An inquiring method using a computer network according to Supplementary Note 1, comprising a high-level concept sending step of sending. (2)

(Supplementary note 3) The computer according to supplementary note 2, wherein the superordinate concept conversion step converts at least a part of the personal information of the questioner into a superordinate concept according to a preset inquiry pattern. Inquiry method using network. (3)

(Supplementary note 4) The inquiry using a computer network according to any one of Supplementary notes 1 to 3, wherein the reply transfer step transfers the reply via a designated reply receiving medium. Method. (4)

(Supplementary note 5) The supplementary note 1 to Supplementary note 4 further comprising a reception information sending step of sending, when the inquiry is received, acceptance information indicating that the inquiry has been accepted to the reply destination. An inquiry method using the computer network according to any one of the above. (5)

(Supplementary Note 6) An inquiry number issuing function for issuing a unique inquiry number for an inquiry including the inquiry contents, the inquiry destination and the answer destination;
An inquiry transfer function of transferring the inquiry number and the contents of the inquiry to the inquiry destination; and an answer transfer function of transmitting an answer to the inquiry contents to the answer destination specified by the inquiry number. A computer-readable recording medium that records an inquiry program using a computer network.

(Supplementary Note 7) An upper concept conversion function of converting the personal information of the inquirer who made the inquiry into a higher concept that cannot identify the inquirer, and the personal information converted into the upper concept is sent to the inquiry destination. A computer-readable recording medium recording an inquiry program using a computer network according to claim 6, wherein the computer-readable recording medium has a configuration including a superordinate sending function to send.

(Supplementary note 8) The computer according to supplementary note 7, wherein the superordinate concept conversion function converts at least a part of the personal information of the questioner into a superordinate concept according to a preset inquiry pattern. A computer-readable recording medium that records an inquiry program using a network.

(Supplementary note 9) The inquiry using a computer network according to any one of Supplementary notes 6 to 8, wherein the reply transfer function transfers the reply via a designated reply receiving medium. A computer-readable recording medium on which a program is recorded.

(Supplementary note 10) The supplementary note 6 to supplementary note 9 characterized by having a reception information sending function of sending reception information indicating that the inquiry was received to the reply destination when the inquiry is received. A computer-readable recording medium recording an inquiry program using the computer network according to any one of the above.

(Supplementary Note 11) Inquiry number issuing means for issuing a unique inquiry number for an inquiry including the inquiry contents, the inquiry destination, and the answer destination;
Inquiry transfer means for transferring the inquiry number and the contents of the inquiry to the inquiry destination; and answer transfer means for transferring an answer to the inquiry contents to the answer destination specified by the inquiry number. An inquiry system using a computer network, characterized in that:

(Supplementary Note 12) An upper concept conversion means for converting the personal information of the inquirer who made the inquiry into a higher concept that cannot identify the inquirer, and the personal information converted into the upper concept is sent to the inquiry destination. 11. An inquiry system using a computer network according to appendix 11, further comprising: a high-level concept transmitting means for transmitting.

(Supplementary note 13) The computer according to supplementary note 12, wherein the superordinate concept converting means converts at least a part of the personal information of the questioner into a superordinate concept according to a preset inquiry pattern. Inquiry system using network.

(Supplementary note 14) The inquiry using a computer network according to any one of Supplementary notes 11 to 13, wherein the answer transfer means transfers the answer via a designated answer receiving medium. system.

(Supplementary Note 15) The supplementary note 11 to supplementary note 14, characterized by further comprising a receipt information sending means for sending, to the reply destination, acceptance information indicating that the inquiry has been accepted when the inquiry is made. An inquiry system using the computer network according to any one of the above.

[0092]

As described above, according to the inquiry technique using the computer network according to the present invention, the questioner and the respondent can be exchanged based on the unique inquiry number issued for the content of the inquiry. Question-and-answer session is held. For this reason, the questioner can receive the answer without disclosing the personal information such as his / her telephone number, facsimile number, and e-mail address to the respondent, and protects the questioner by suppressing leakage of personal information. Can be achieved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram in which an inquiry technique using a computer network according to the present invention is applied to electronic commerce.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a processing outline in an inquiry system.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of an inquiry pattern.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of various information registered in an individual member DB.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of various information registered in a corporate member DB.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of an inquiry pattern set for each item of personal information.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a specific example of an inquiry pattern set for each item of personal information.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an inquiry pattern setting process.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a member registration process by a consumer.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a member registration process by a business operator.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an automatic answer.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an inquiry process.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an inquiry process.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of an inquiry screen when an inquiry destination is designated.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram of an inquiry screen when an inquiry destination is not specified.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram of an inquiry content confirmation screen when an inquiry destination is designated.

FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram of an inquiry content confirmation screen when an inquiry destination is not specified.

FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of inquiry information sent to a business operator.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing answering processing by telephone.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing a telephone answering process.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing a response process in the VoIP system.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing a response process in the VoIP system.

FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing a history management process.

FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing a history management process.

FIG. 25 is an explanatory diagram of a regular report.

[Explanation of symbols]

 30 inquiry system 30A controller

Claims (5)

[Claims] An inquiry number issuance step for issuing a unique inquiry number to an inquiry including an inquiry content, an inquiry destination, and an answer destination; and transferring the inquiry number and the inquiry content to the inquiry destination. An inquiry transfer method using a computer network, comprising: an inquiry transfer step of performing an inquiry transfer step; and an answer transfer step of transferring an answer to the inquiry content to an answer destination specified by the inquiry number. 2. The inquiry method using a computer network according to claim 1, wherein said answer transfer step transfers the answer via a designated answer receiving medium. 3. A high-level concept conversion step of converting the personal information of the inquirer making the inquiry into a high-level concept that cannot identify the inquirer; and sending the personal information converted to the high-level concept to the inquiry destination. 3. The inquiry method using a computer network according to claim 1, further comprising: a superordinate concept sending step. 4. The computer network according to claim 3, wherein the superordinate concept conversion step converts at least a part of the personal information of the questioner into a superordinate concept according to a preset inquiry pattern. How to contact using. 5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of sending, when said inquiry is received, acceptance information indicating that said inquiry has been received to said reply destination. An inquiry method using the computer network according to any one of the above.