JP2002245373A - Auction service providing method using network and auction system using this method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an auction service providing method and an auction system using this method, which enable a user to efficiently perform input work independently of a sale method at the time of putting an article on auction in an online auction using a network like the Internet. SOLUTION: In the online auction using the network to provide a plurality of sale methods, a commodity catalog where information of each commodity is collected is prepared for each user, and required information is extracted from the commodity catalog in response to a sale request using the commodity catalog from a user in accordance with a sale method indicated by this sale request, and a screen for putting the article on auction in which the extracted information is embedded, is provided for the user.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for providing an auction service using a network such as the Internet, and more particularly, to a method for providing an auction service capable of efficiently performing an input operation at the time of a user's exhibition and using the auction service. Regarding the auction system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With the rapid spread of the Internet in recent years, an online auction service has attracted attention as a service that supports online personal transactions, personal-business transactions, and business transactions. In such an auction service, a user operates a user terminal such as a personal computer connected to the Internet,
By accessing an auction site where such a service is provided, it is possible to easily list an item (article) to be sold and bid on an item to be purchased.
The auction site manages exhibition information and bidding information from users, provides information to users, and processes successful bids. When a successful bid is made, the result is notified to the successful bidder and the seller by e-mail or the like. .

[0003] In such an auction site, in order to meet a wide range of user needs, a plurality of methods of selling an item are prepared, and the user selects a desired selling method when selling. be able to. For example, in addition to a general auction method in which the selling price is auctioned by bidding for a desired purchase price (hereinafter referred to as a normal auction), a method of selling a limited number of items at a fixed price and in a bid order (hereinafter referred to as a flash sale) ) And a sales method in which the selling price is reduced as the number of bids increases (hereinafter, referred to as group purchase). In these sales methods, a deadline for bidding is usually set. Further, as a sales method without a bid deadline, there is, for example, a sales method in which the sales period is not limited in the flash sale (hereinafter referred to as an indefinite flash sale).

[0004] When a user makes a listing in such a conventional online auction, a listing screen is provided from various interface screens (Web pages) prepared on an auction site, and the user is required to make a listing every time the listing is made. Then, on this screen, exhibition information such as the title, detailed description, category, bid start price, and bid closing time of the exhibit is input for each item. The items of the exhibition information are partially different depending on the selling method described above, and usually, a different screen for selling is provided for each selling method.

[0005]

However, when a large number of the same or similar items are repeatedly exhibited by different sales methods, most of the information to be entered at the time of the exhibition is replaced by the previous exhibition. It is common with information on things,
There is a problem that it is complicated to input such common information every time. Also, in such a case, even if the selling method is changed from the previous one, the main part of the selling information to be entered is common, and it is not necessary to enter all the items on the selling screen different for each selling method. It was not efficient.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an auction service providing method and an auction service providing method in which an input operation at the time of a user's listing can be efficiently performed regardless of a sales method in an online auction using a network such as the Internet. The auction system used is to be provided.

[0007]

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an online auction using a network providing a plurality of sales methods, in which information of a product is stored for each product. A product catalog is prepared for each user, and in response to an exhibition request using the product catalog from the user, necessary information is selected from the product catalog according to the sales method indicated by the exhibition request. Is extracted, and a screen for exhibition in which the extracted information is embedded is provided to the user. Therefore,
According to the present invention, when listing a product that is the same as or similar to a product registered in the product catalog, no matter which sales method is selected, input of information already contained in the product catalog can be omitted. In addition, it is possible to reduce user input work at the time of exhibition.

To achieve the above object, another aspect of the present invention is an auction service providing method in an auction system connected to a user terminal via a network and providing an auction service to the user via the user terminal. Wherein the auction system provides a plurality of selling methods that require different listing information at the time of listing, retains, for each user, a product catalog in which various types of information relating to products are registered for each product, The system responds to an exhibition request made from the user via the user terminal, and, in the information registered in the merchandise catalog of the product indicated by the exhibition request, instructs by the exhibition request. Extracting the exhibition information required by the sales method, and the auction system The screen for exhibition embedded in the input field corresponding to information the extracted sales method, characterized by a step of displaying to the user of the user terminal a request for the exhibition.

In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the registration of the information in the product catalog is performed in response to a registration request from the user via the user terminal. This is performed by extracting information to be registered in the product catalog from the exhibition information on past products of the user indicated in the request, and copying the extracted information to the product catalog. It is characterized by the following.

[0010] Further, in the above invention, another aspect is:
The selling screen displayed on the user terminal is characterized in that an input column for unique information corresponding to the selling method is displayed with a blank space.

Further, in the above invention, another aspect is as follows.
When the selling method is a normal auction in which the selling price is auctioned from the starting price by bidding, the extracted information includes at least the title of the exhibit, the product description of the exhibit, and the transaction method, and the unique information is In the case where the sales method is a flash sale that sells in a bid order at a constant selling price, the extracted information includes at least the title of the exhibit and the product of the exhibit, including at least the start price and the closing date of the bid. The information includes an explanation and a transaction method, and the unique information includes at least a deadline date of the bid.

In order to achieve the above object, another aspect of the present invention is an auction system connected to a user terminal via a network and providing an auction service to the user via the user terminal. A plurality of selling methods that require different exhibition information at the time of sale, each product holds a product catalog in which various types of information relating to the product are registered for each product, and an exhibition performed by the user via the user terminal. In response to the request, the listing information required by the selling method designated by the listing request is extracted from the information registered in the product catalog of the product designated by the listing request. Displaying an extracted screen in which the extracted information is embedded in an input field corresponding to the selling method on a user terminal of a user who has requested the selling. That.

[0013] In order to achieve the above object, still another aspect of the present invention is to connect to a user terminal via a network, and to transmit information on merchandise sold from a seller user via the user terminal to a buyer user. Product information providing method in a computer system that provides a plurality of sales methods different in the exhibition information required at the time of listing, and various information on the product is registered for each product A catalog is held for each user, and the computer system is registered in the product catalog of the product indicated in the request for selling in response to a request for selling performed from the seller user via the user terminal. Extracting, from the information, the exhibition information required by the selling method indicated by the exhibition request; Computer system, a screen for exhibition embedded in the input field corresponding to the extracted information to the sales process, and having a step of displaying to the user terminal of the seller user that the request for the exhibition.

[0014] Further objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the embodiments of the present invention described below.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, such embodiments do not limit the technical scope of the present invention.
In the drawings, the same or similar components are denoted by the same reference numerals or reference symbols.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram according to an embodiment of an auction system to which the present invention is applied. In the figure, an auction system 1 is an auction system to which the present invention is applied, and provides an online auction service to a plurality of users 4 via the Internet 2 and user terminals 3 connected thereto.

As shown in FIG. 1, the auction system 1 has a DB server 10 and a Web server 20. The DB server 10 stores an exhibition information DB 11, a bidding information DB 12, a user DB 13, a product catalog DB 14, and the like. , Is managed. In the exhibition information DB 11, various information such as a title, a category of an article, a detailed description of the article, a selling method, a bid deadline, a starting price, and a transaction method are stored for each of the exhibited goods (items). Each time there is an exhibition from the user 4, such information is registered. In the service of the auction system 1, the above-described normal auction, flash sale, group purchase, and indefinite flash sale are prepared as selling methods of the exhibit, and the selling information DB is provided for each selling method.
Some of the information items stored in 11 are different. A specific example will be described later.

Further, the bid information DB 12 stores a bid price, a bid time, a bidder's user I,
D, information such as the ID (item ID) of the bidding exhibit, and such information are stored in the DB each time there is a bid from the user 4. Further, the user DB 13 stores information on the users 4 (exhibitors, bidders, and successful bidders) who use the auction system 1, and includes, for example, user IDs and e-mail addresses serving as key items. Have been. Usually, such information is registered in an enrollment procedure required when the auction system 1 is used for the first time.

The product catalog DB 14 is a database that stores a product catalog in which information of the same or similar products that are frequently exhibited is stored for each product. As described later, since the product catalog is for reducing the load of the input operation performed by the user 4 at the time of selling, the information items stored in the product catalog are the information items stored in the selling information DB 11. This is a common and necessary information item for each sales method. That is, the main part of the exhibition information that the user 4 should input at the time of exhibition is stored. The registration of the product catalog is usually performed appropriately when the user 4 determines that it is necessary. A specific example of information items stored in the product catalog and a registration procedure will be described later.

Next, the Web server 20 is provided with various Web pages that form an interface screen for the user 4. The Web page includes various pages corresponding to the functions, such as a top page 21 serving as an entrance of a service in the auction system 1, an exhibition page 22 used for selling, and a bidding page 23 used for bidding. . There is an item on sale page 2 where you can list information on each item you are selling.
4 and a product catalog page 25 for displaying a list of product catalog information registered by the user. The exhibition information stored in the exhibition information DB 11 is the exhibition page 2
2 is entered by the user 4, but as described above,
Since some items of the exhibition information differ depending on the selling method, the input fields of the selling page 22 are changed according to the selected selling method.

When the user 4 uses the auction system 1, the user 4 usually accesses the top page 21 from a user terminal 3 such as a personal computer,
From there, move to the desired page and receive the desired service. For example, when selling an item, the user accesses the selling page 22 and inputs necessary items on the displayed selling screen to perform the selling procedure. In response, the auction system 1 registers the input information in the exhibition information DB 11 of the DB server 10. As a result, the items submitted for listing will be subject to bidding,
The user receives a bid from another user 4 via the bid page 23.

When the user 4 makes a bid, the user 4 accesses the bidding page 23, and
Enter the desired purchase amount, etc., and perform the bidding procedure. At this time, the information of the target item is displayed on the bidding screen displayed to the user 4 in the exhibition information DB of the DB server 10.
11 and is displayed. When the bid deadline time of the item for which a bid has been made is reached, the auction system 1
The successful bid process is executed, and the successful bidder determined as a result and the seller of the item are notified by e-mail or the like that the successful bid has been made.

In the auction system 1 according to the present embodiment having the above-described configuration and function, frequently used information is registered as the merchandise catalog, and the user 4 requests for listing. At this time, information necessary for selling the selected selling method is extracted from the product catalog, and the selling page 22 in which the information is embedded in a corresponding input field is to be provided to the user 4. is there. Hereinafter, the processing content when registering such a product catalog and the processing content when selling using the product catalog will be described.

FIG. 2 is a diagram exemplifying a processing flow when registering a product catalog. First, the user 4 accesses a site of the auction system 1 from the user terminal 3 via the Internet 2 (step S1 in FIG. 2).
The auction system 1 transmits the top page 21 in response thereto (Step S2 in FIG. 2). Next, the user 4 enters the top page 2 displayed on the user terminal 3.
From 1, a request is made for a screen displaying a list of information on the items that the user has exhibited (step S3 in FIG. 2). This operation does not need to be performed immediately after the top page 21 is displayed, but may be performed after using another function provided by the auction system 1, or may be performed from a page other than the top page 21. Request for list display is possible. At the time of this request, usually, input of a user ID and a password is required.

In response to the request, the auction system 1 accesses the exhibition information DB 11 and extracts the exhibition information of the item exhibited by the user 4 using the user ID of the user 4 making the request as a key item. . And
An item-for-sale item page 24 for the user 4 displaying a list of the extracted information is generated and transmitted to the user terminal 3 of the user 4 (step S4 in FIG. 2).

The user 4 selects an item whose information is to be registered as a product catalog on the exhibiting item page 24 displayed on the user terminal 3 and instructs registration in the product catalog DB 14 (see FIG. 2). Step S
5). FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the exhibiting item page 24. On this screen, you can list the items that you are exhibiting for each selling method described above. In this example, since the normal auction (part a in FIG. 3) is selected, the normal auction is displayed in part b in the figure. Information on items that have been exhibited as auctions is listed. The information items displayed here, such as the “successful bid lower limit price” and the “current price”, are changed according to the selected sales method.

In this example, the product catalog DB for the item (“Digital camera manufactured by XX”) at the top of section b
In order to register to the user 14, the user 4
Then, the user performs an operation of selecting the “Copy to product catalog” button at the bottom of the screen (part d in FIG. 3).

As described above, the product catalog from the user 4
When there is a registration instruction to DB14, auction system 1
Extracts the exhibition information of the item from the exhibition information DB 11 using the item ID of the selected item as a key item (step S6 in FIG. 2). Then, information necessary as a product catalog is extracted from the information (step in FIG. 2).
S7), the information of the extracted item is stored in the product catalog D.
Register in B14 (step S8 in FIG. 2).

FIG. 4 shows information items (data items) of each item stored as a product catalog and information items of exhibition information required for each of the four types of sales methods, that is, information items stored in the exhibition information DB 11. FIG.
In the figure, (a) represents the former and (b) represents the latter, and data items marked with “○” are the corresponding data items. Also, in the figure, the hatched portions represent items of exhibition information that are not registered as a product catalog, as can be seen by comparing (a) and (b) in the diagram.

For example, as shown in FIG. 3, in the case where information on items exhibited as a normal auction is used as a product catalog, information necessary as a product catalog is extracted (step S7 in FIG. 2). The "Starting Price"
The data items in the hatched portion such as (X portion in FIG. 4) are not registered. On the other hand, as shown in part Y of FIG. 4, there is a case where data items required as a product catalog are not present on the exhibition information side, and such data items are stored when the product catalog is registered (step S8 in FIG. 2). It is automatically set according to a predetermined rule. For example, the value of “starting price” included in the exhibition information is set for “sale price” shown in the Y part of FIG. 4, and “1” is set for “sale quantity”. .

As described above, in the present embodiment, the information contained in the product catalog is composed of the main exhibition information which is generally common in all sales methods, but is completely common information in all sales methods. It is also possible to take a method of storing only the selling information or a method of storing all the exhibition information of each selling method. However, in the latter case, the items of information contained in the product catalog differ depending on the item.

The procedure for registering a product catalog has been described above with reference to FIG. 2. However, the registration instruction by the user 4 is not limited to the above-mentioned exhibiting item page 24,
You may be able to do it from another Web page. Instead of using the information in the exhibition information DB 11 to register the items that have been sold, the user 4 may newly enter all the information and register the product catalog. Interface screen is prepared by the auction system 1.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a processing flow when the product catalog is used at the time of exhibition. First,
The user 4 accesses the site of the auction system 1 from the user terminal 3 via the Internet 2 (Step S9 in FIG. 5). The auction system 1
In response, the top page 21 is transmitted (step S10 in FIG. 5). Next, the user 4
Is requested from the top page 21 displayed by the user to display a list of information of the product catalog registered by the user in order to make an exhibition using the product catalog (step in FIG. 5).
S11). This operation does not need to be performed immediately after the top page 21 is displayed, and may be performed after using another function provided by the auction system 1,
Further, it can be performed from a page other than the top page 21. This request is usually made by the user
You will be required to enter your ID and password.

In response to the request, the auction system 1 accesses the product catalog DB 14 and uses the user ID of the user 4 making the request as a key item to display information necessary for displaying a list of items registered by the user 4. Is extracted. Then, the user 4 displaying a list of the extracted information
A product catalog page 25 is generated and transmitted to the user terminal 3 of the user 4 (step S1 in FIG. 5).
2).

The user 4 selects an item to be used for selling on the product catalog page 25 displayed on the user terminal 3 (step S13 in FIG. 5), and further selects a selling method at the time of selling. After that, a request to exhibit is made (step S14 in FIG. 5). FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the product catalog page 25. In part e of the figure,
A list of items registered by the user 4 in the product catalog is displayed. The item shown at the top (f section in the figure) is registered in the product catalog in the example shown in FIG. 3, and a part of the information items contained in the product catalog is displayed on this screen. Will be displayed. In addition,
The reason why the “sales quantity” of the item is “1” is due to the automatic setting at the time of registration of the product catalog described with reference to FIG.

When the user 4 makes an exhibition using the information of the item, the user selects an item by checking the g part in the figure, and then determines the selling method at the time of the exhibition in the h part in the figure. Use to select. In this example, an exhibition by a flash sale is scheduled, and the selling method is selected. Then, by selecting the button (“copy exhibition”) in the i part of the figure, a request for exhibition using the product catalog is made.

When an auction request is made in the above procedure, the auction system 1 extracts information on the selected item from the product catalog DB 14 using the item ID of the selected item as a key item (step 15 in FIG. 5). . Next, from the extracted information, only the information necessary for selling the sales method designated by the request is extracted (step 16 in FIG. 5), and the extracted information is sent for the designated selling method. Embedded in the entry page 22, that is, by inputting the extracted information in advance in the corresponding entry fields of the exhibition page 22,
The exhibition page 22 is returned to the user terminal 3 of the user 4 (step 17 in FIG. 5).

For example, when the selling method at the time of selling is a normal auction, in the example of the data item shown in FIG. 4, “selling price” and “sales quantity” (shown in FIG.
Since the (Y part) is unnecessary, such information is not selected in the extraction in step 16 of FIG. On the other hand, when the selling method at the time of selling is a flash sale, as in the example of FIG. 6, all the information of the product catalog is extracted for the data items exemplified in FIG.

Since the selling page 22 is displayed on the user terminal 3, the user 4 instructs the selling by a predetermined operation after filling in the portion that requires input (step S18 in FIG. 5). The specific input operation at this time is to edit a part where data has already been input and to newly input a part which has not been input by using the product catalog. As can be seen from the example shown in FIG. Since most of the data items necessary as information are stored in the product catalog, the number of uninput parts is small. If the selling method at the time of exhibition is a flash sale as in the example of FIG.
In the example of the above, items that need to be newly input are "bid deadline date" and "time zone" (part Z in FIG. 4).

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the exhibition page 22 displayed on the user terminal 3 when the product catalog is used. (A) of the figure shows a case where the indicated sales method is a normal auction, and (b) shows a case where the specified sales method is a flash sale. Represents. As is clear from the figure, in the case of (a), "category"
It can be seen that data items such as “title”, “detailed description”, and “transaction method” stored in the product catalog have information already embedded in the input fields. On the other hand, the "start price" and "bid deadline" shown in part j of the figure are information specific to the normal auction, so the input fields are blank,
As described above, the user 4 needs to input. Similarly, in the case of (b) in the figure, the information other than the k part is already embedded from the product catalog, and among the information shown on this screen, the “bid deadline date” of the k part is displayed. ”Only.

In response to the request for exhibition, the auction system 1 registers the exhibition information transmitted by the exhibition page 22 as a new exhibition in the exhibition information DB 11 (step S19 in FIG. 5). Listings are eligible for bidding.

As described above, in the auction system 1 according to the present embodiment, since the screen for selling in which the information of the item registered as the product catalog is copied is provided, Input work is reduced. In particular, the detailed description of the item to be exhibited has a large amount of information, and the effect that such information is already embedded in the input field is great.

In the present embodiment, an auction system for providing an auction service has been described. However, the present invention is also applied to an information providing system for online merchandise sales that does not use an auction method as a sales method. be able to. That is, in a service for providing a buyer user with information on a sale product input from a seller user of the product using a network, when the seller user inputs the information on the sale product,
The above-described method relating to registration of a product catalog and exhibition using the same can be similarly applied.

The scope of protection of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, but extends to the inventions described in the claims and their equivalents.

[0045]

As described above, according to the present invention, by using a product catalog to exhibit, no matter which sales method is selected, the information already stored in the product catalog can be omitted. Input work of the user can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram according to an embodiment of an auction system to which the present invention has been applied.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a processing flow at the time of registering a product catalog;

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a selling item page 24;

FIG. 4 is a diagram exemplifying information items stored as a product catalog and information items of exhibition information required for each sales method.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a processing flow when a product catalog is used at the time of exhibition.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a product catalog page 25.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of an exhibition page 22 displayed on the user terminal 3 when a product catalog is used.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Auction system 2 Internet 3 User terminal 4 User 10 DB server 11 Exhibition information DB 12 Bid information DB 13 User DB 14 Product catalog DB 20 Web server 21 Top page 22 Selling page 23 Bidding page 24 Selling item page 25 Product catalog page

Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Shogo Kawada 2-19-7 Hatagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Inside DNA Corporation (72) Inventor Tomoko Nanba 2-19-7 Hatagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo D・ NA

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A method for providing an auction service in an auction system connected to a user terminal via a network and providing an auction service to the user via the user terminal, wherein the auction system is required when exhibiting. Providing a plurality of selling methods with different selling information, holding for each user a product catalog in which various kinds of information relating to the product are registered for each product, and selling the auction system from the user via the user terminal. In response to the request, the selling information required by the selling method specified by the selling request is extracted from the information registered in the product catalog of the product specified by the selling request. Step, The auction system stores the extracted information in an input field corresponding to the sales method. Displaying the embedded listing screen on the user terminal of the user who has made the listing request. 2. The auction system according to claim 1, wherein the registration of the information in the product catalog is performed in response to a registration request from the user via the user terminal, and the auction system is instructed by the registration request. It is performed by extracting information to be registered in the product catalog from the exhibition information on the past products of the user, and copying the extracted information to the product catalog. How to provide auction service. 3. The selling screen displayed on the user terminal according to claim 1 or 2, wherein an input field for information specific to the selling method is left blank. How to provide auction service. 4. The method according to claim 3, wherein in the case where the selling method is a normal auction in which a selling price is bid by a bid from a starting price, the extracted information includes at least a title of the exhibit and a description of the exhibit. Including the transaction method, the unique information includes at least the start price and the cutoff date of the bid.If the sales method is a flash sale that sells in a bid order at a fixed sale price, the extracted information is: A method for providing an auction service, comprising at least a title of an exhibit, a product description of the exhibit, and a transaction method, and the unique information includes at least a closing date of the bid. 5. An auction system connected to a user terminal via a network and providing an auction service to the user via the user terminal, wherein a plurality of selling methods that require different listing information at the time of listing are provided. Provided, each user holds a product catalog in which various information related to the product is registered for each product, and in response to a request for exhibition performed from the user via the user terminal, instructed in the request for exhibition. From the information registered in the product catalog of the product, extract the exhibition information required by the selling method indicated in the exhibition request, and embed the extracted information in an input field corresponding to the selling method. An auction system, wherein a screen for selling is displayed on a user terminal of a user who has requested the selling. 6. A product information providing method in a computer system which is connected to a user terminal via a network and provides information of a product sold from a seller user to a buyer user via the user terminal, wherein the computer system The system provides a plurality of selling methods in which exhibition information required at the time of selling is different, and holds, for each user, a product catalog in which various types of information regarding the product are registered for each product, and wherein the computer system is configured so that the seller user In response to a request for a listing made via the user terminal from
Extracting, from the information registered in the product catalog of the product indicated by the exhibition request, the exhibition information required by the sales method indicated by the exhibition request; and Displaying a screen for selling in which the extracted information is embedded in an input field corresponding to the selling method on a user terminal of the seller user who has requested the selling.