JP2002259859A - Method of settling bill using e-mail - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To allow a customer to purchase merchandise or receive services without use of a credit card on a computer network such as the Internet. SOLUTION: The customer can review the merchandise to be purchased on a homepage on the Internet. Information about the merchandise to be purchased is transmitted from an electronic information terminal to an entrepreneur who sells the merchandise. The entrepreneur in turn transmits a bill with the merchandise information displayed in the form of barcodes to the customer in the form of electronic data such as e-mail. Payment information is then transmitted to the entrepreneur from a retailer where a settlement will be made, and the merchandise is shipped after the entrepreneur has made sure that the customer has paid for it. By using this method, improper use of credit card information can be prevented.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to information transmission means using electronic mail on a computer network such as the Internet, and more particularly, to a method of payment between a business operator and a customer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As means for transmitting product information presented by a company that sells products or provides services to customers, mails such as direct mail, advertising information published in magazines, newspapers, and the like, In recent years, product information has been provided and sold on homepages on the Internet, which have been remarkably widespread in recent years, and there are a wide variety of product distribution forms in which customers do not need to go directly to stores.

[0003] As one of the methods of distributing product information to customers by mail in the above-mentioned product distribution form, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-162072, a maker prints product names and identification information. Create an information medium such as a catalog and distribute it to consumers, and the consumer transfers the information medium with the bar code indicating the identification information of the product desired to be purchased to the manufacturer by mail. 2. Description of the Related Art A system for delivering a product to a consumer based on product identification information is known.

[0004] As one of systems using electronic mail in merchandise distribution, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-53650, a POS (Point Of Sale); 2. Description of the Related Art A system has been proposed in which receipt information of a product customer in a management system is transmitted to the customer by e-mail, and the customer can easily organize and manage information such as the purchase price of the product. In the above system, there is a method of directly transmitting receipt information from a POS system of a retail store to the customer's electronic information terminal by fax, personal computer communication, e-mail, or the like, or a method of directly transferring the receipt information using an external recording medium. .

[0005] As one of commodity distribution forms on the Internet, in which the number of users is increasing in recent years, a Web site (Virtual Mall) where virtual shops for online shopping are gathered.
In 1)), there is a method of ordering goods. In such a virtual mall, Web pages of various virtual shops are prepared and can be selected from a homepage. Then, once the desired product is determined, the user will make a purchase application on the Web and pay the price, and the payment will be made by credit card debit, bank or post office transfer, cash on delivery by courier service, retailer Payment is to be made by a designated method.

Here, a credit card is generally used in a payment method for purchasing goods or receiving services on a homepage, and when paying with a credit card, a password ID or other personal information is input. As a result, there are concerns about security problems and unauthorized use of credit card information after purchasing the product.

[0007]

The security management on a computer network such as the Internet has been improved as compared with the conventional technology due to advances in data encryption technology and the like, but is still insufficient, and credit card information is not transmitted over the network. If stolen by a third party, the credit card information may be used by the owner without permission.

[0008] In addition, the company wants to purchase goods and services on the Internet, but cannot own a credit card because there was a problem with the customer's own credit information for some reason, such as self-bankruptcy or delinquency of payment. Some people are unable to purchase products using the Internet. In addition, some people who do have a credit card but do not want to own a credit card are afraid of stealing credit card information.

[0009] On the other hand, some providers (Internet connection companies) except for a part of them are only credit card payments, and there are some people who cannot purchase goods on the Internet because they cannot own a credit card as described above. However, with the advent of free providers that do not currently require a credit card, it is expected that the above-mentioned people will newly enter the Internet. Acquiring such a new customer segment is necessary to increase profits of companies.

[0010] In view of the above, the present invention has been proposed in view of the above, and eliminates the risk of credit card information being stolen when purchasing goods on the Internet, and expands the product sales channels to customers who do not own credit cards. It is an object of the present invention to provide a charge settlement method that can be used.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention presents information on a product to be purchased on a homepage on the Internet, and receives selection information on a product selected based on the information. The computer sends electronic data of a payment bill in a data format readable by a predetermined retailer using an electronic mail to an electronic information terminal based on the selection information, and uses a medium on which the electronic mail is printed. The method may further comprise the steps of: paying for the product at a retail store; and shipping the product after the computer confirms that the product has been paid.

According to the present invention, in a system for transmitting information on a product to be purchased from an electronic information terminal to a business operator, it is not necessary to subscribe to a credit card, so that a customer inputs information such as a password of a credit card. Instead, you can use it simply by entering the e-mail address of the customer to whom you want to send your bill. The customer only needs to input items such as an e-mail address necessary for receiving the payment bill from the business operator on the homepage.

[0013] In addition, in the case of receiving a specific service in addition to the purchase of a product, if a fee is to be paid for every fixed period, for example, every month, an e-mail address must be provided to the business operator before starting use of the service. When the customer who is the service user registers such information, the bill for payment is periodically sent to the customer by e-mail.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS [First Embodiment] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a method for configuring a charge settlement method using an electronic mail according to the present invention.

The company M has a computer 10 for transmitting and receiving data between the customer C and the retail store S. The computer 10 includes order data, personal data, and e-mail address data transmitted by the customer C via the homepage of the company M established on the Web server, data relating to the payment of the customer C transmitted from the retail store S, It transmits and receives data related to the distribution of products managed by the company M and manages it.

The customer C has an electronic information terminal 20 connected to the provider and a printer 2 connected to the electronic information terminal.
1 or a facsimile, the electronic information terminal 20 can receive order data and e-mail transmitted and received between the business operator M and the customer C, and can operate the business by the printer 21 or the facsimile connected to the electronic information terminal 20. Person M
Print and use the payment invoice sent by. At this time, the customer information and the contents of the bill are described in the form of a bar code on the bill 32, and the retailer S
Payment can be made smoothly.

The retail store S is provided with an electronic information terminal 30 for transmitting and receiving logistics data and toll settlement data to and from the computer 10 owned by the company M, and a bar code reader for reading bar code information of the bill 32. 31
Is provided.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining the procedure of the embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 shows a specific example of each procedure of the embodiment, and FIG. 5 shows an example of a payment bill used in the embodiment. .
First, the company M that sells products sells the names of the products it sells,
Information about the product, such as performance, appearance photograph, and price, is posted on a homepage H on the Internet created on the Web server 40 (S1). The homepage H may be linked from a virtual mall or an auction site, which is a site where virtual shops performing online shopping are gathered.

The customer C who browses the homepage H performs necessary operations on the browser, selects a product to be purchased,
The e-mail address 64 of the customer C to which the payment bill 60 is sent is entered in a predetermined field on the browser (S
2). The information of the selected product and the e-mail address of the customer C are transmitted to the computer 10 of the business entity M via the Web server 40 on the Internet (S3).

When the information of the e-mail address 64 of the customer C is received by the computer 10 of the business operator M, the computer 10 checks the stock status of the product, etc., and if there is stock, a payment bill 60 is issued, The data is transmitted to the customer C by electronic mail as electronic data (S4). When the stock runs out, a message indicating that there is no stock is displayed on the homepage H on which the product is posted in advance.

The customer C takes the electronic data of the bill 32 once received by the electronic mail server 50 into the electronic information terminal 20 such as a personal computer via a telephone line or the like.
Printing is performed by a printer 21 or a facsimile connected to the electronic information terminal 20 (S5).

The customer C pays the fee at the retail store S affiliated with the company M using the printed bill 60 (S6). At this time, the customer C receives the receipt with the receipt and the seal stamped at the retail store S (S7), and keeps it until the receipt of the goods is confirmed (S9). At this time, the payment invoice 60 transmitted to the customer C includes data relating to the customer and the fee required for payment of the fee as a bar code 61 as shown in FIG. An advertisement 62 of a product or service to be provided, or various advertisements relating to other companies, organizations, or individuals, a product arrival date 63, or the like may be described.

Here, in the computer 10, the company M
Is also managed, and the logistics information such as the arrival date of the goods to the customer C or the goods recipient is transmitted from the computer 10 of the business operator M to the electronic information terminal 30 which issues the receipt of the retail store S. The transmitted date of arrival of the product to the customer C or the recipient of the product and the stock status of the product can be posted on the receipt. Further, the company M can also transmit the physical distribution information until the commodity reaches the customer C via the computer 10 of the company M to the customer C by e-mail.

In the case where only a database of the stock status of commodities is constructed in the computer 10 and a database for timely estimating the number of days required for delivering the merchandise to the customer C or the recipient of the merchandise is not constructed, the delivery is performed. The delivery days and the like set in advance by the company M in accordance with the area and the number of products to be sold are transmitted from the computer 10 to the electronic information terminal 30 that issues the receipt of the retail store S, and are described on the receipt.

Finally, when the customer C pays the fee, the retail store S
The information including the barcode information described in the bill 60 read by the barcode reader 31 and the payment amount of the customer C is transmitted from the electronic information terminal 30 of the retail store S to the computer 1 of the business entity M via the computer network.
0, and after the computer 10 confirms the product information and the payment amount included in the barcode information described in the payment bill 60 (S8), the product is sent to the customer C (S10). The customer C who has received the goods confirms the received goods using the stored receipt or receipt with the stamp (S11).

As described above, in the present embodiment, the operator M is only provided with the e-mail address 64 as the data of the customer C at the time of ordering, and the credit card is not used for payment of the fee. There is no danger of the security code being stolen on a computer network, and even those who do not have a credit card can purchase the goods.

[Second Embodiment] FIG. 4 shows a specific example of each procedure of the present embodiment, and FIG. 6 shows an example of a payment bill used in the present embodiment. First, when starting to use the service provided by the company M, the customer C registers the address, name, telephone number, and the like with the company M, and registers the e-mail address 74 of the customer C with the company M. (S2
1). At this time, a password or password for transmitting and receiving the payment bill 70 between the computer 10 of the business entity M and the electronic information terminal 20 owned by the customer C is registered in the computer 10 when the use of the service is started. Or the e-mail address 74 may be used as a password. In this embodiment, the customer M continuously uses the service provided by the customer M, and provides the customer M with a service in which the customer C is obligated to pay the customer C at regular intervals. For example, electricity, gas, water,
This includes fees for using telephones and the like, subscription fees for newspapers and magazines, reception fees for television broadcasting (reception fees for satellite broadcasting), and the like. Next, the customer C starts using the service provided by the company M (S22).

Generally, the payment of the use fee of the above-mentioned service is performed in advance of a bank withdrawal procedure or a bill is mailed to the customer C and the customer C is directly used by the business operator. A method of paying a fee to M or paying a fee at a bank, a post office, or a retail store is adopted. In the present embodiment, the service usage fee is periodically (for example, at the end of every month) from the computer 10 of the company M.
A bill 70 in the form of a bar code is sent to the customer C's email address 74 by email (S2).
3). At this time, a notification for requesting payment of the service usage fee may be transmitted to a mobile terminal, for example, a mobile phone, owned by the customer C and whose e-mail address is registered in the computer 10 in advance, by e-mail.

The customer C takes in the electronic data of the bill 70 sent to the e-mail address 74 into the electronic information terminal 20, prints it using a printer 21 or a facsimile connected to the electronic information terminal 20, and pays. Payment is made at the retail store S using the bill 70 (S2).
7).

FIG. 6 shows the payment bill 70 transmitted.
As shown in the figure, data such as customers, products, and fees required for payment of fees are displayed in bar codes, and advertisements 72 of products and new services sold by the company M, or other companies, organizations, and individuals. Various advertisements and the like may be posted, and may be used as an advertisement medium.

At the retail store S, the barcode information described in the payment bill 70 is read by the barcode reader 31, and the product information and the payment amount included in the barcode information are transmitted to the computer 10 of the company M through the computer network. Sent, operator M confirms that customer C has completed payment of the fee.

The payment bill 70 transmitted from the business operator M may not be regular. For example, as in the case where the payment bill 70 is lost, expired, or has become delinquent (S24). When the reissue of the payment bill 70 is desired, the e-mail address 74 and the password of the customer C registered at the time of the contract are input on the homepage H established by the business operator M (S25), so that the amount of the unpaid amount is calculated. The confirmation and the payment bill 70 in the form of a bar code are reissued (S26). Reissued Payment Invoice 7
0 is transmitted from the computer 10 of the company M to the customer C by e-mail, printed from a printer 21 or a facsimile connected to the electronic information terminal 20, and used for payment at the retail store S (S27).

[0033]

According to the present invention, the credit card information is not input on the Internet, so that the unauthorized use of the credit card information can be prevented, and a credit card contract can be made for a product transaction which was conventionally available only to the credit card contractor. Will be able to receive it With the method of the present invention, no credit card is used,
Those who can not make a credit card contract for some reason in the past will also be able to use it.

Further, after confirming the payment of the product price, the business operator ships the product, so that there is no trouble between the business operator and the customer due to unpaid payment. In addition, new entrants who use a free provider that does not require a credit card contract can become customers, leading to the acquisition of new customers by companies and encouraging more active industrial activities.

On the other hand, when the customer wishes to reissue the payment bill to the business operator due to the expiration of payment of the payment bill, occurrence of late damages, loss of the payment bill of the customer, etc., the Internet is used. Since the payment invoice is reissued, it can be reissued immediately without being restricted by the business hours of the business, and the payment of the customer's fee can proceed smoothly.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a method of setting a fee at a retail store using an e-mail according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining a procedure of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a specific example of each procedure of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a specific example of each procedure of the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an example of a payment invoice used in the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an example of a payment invoice used in the second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 M: Business operator C: Customer S: Retail store 10: Computer 20: Electronic information terminal 21: Printer or FAX 30: Electronic information terminal 30 31: Barcode reader 32: Payment bill 40: Web server 50: E-mail server 60: Payment bill 61: Barcode 62: Advertising 63: Arrival date 64: E-mail address 70: Payment bill 71: Barcode 72: Advertising 74: E-mail address

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) G06F 17/60 430 G06F 17/60 430 502 502 G07G 1/00 311 G07G 1/00 311E

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. A computer that presents information about a product to be sold on a home page on the Internet by using a computer, receives selection information about a product selected based on the information, and sends the electronic information to the computer based on the selection information. The terminal transmits electronic data of a payment invoice in a data format which can be read at a predetermined retail store using an electronic mail, and the fee of the product is paid at the retail store using a medium on which the electronic mail is printed. A method of payment using an e-mail, comprising a step of sending the product after the computer confirms that the price of the product has been paid. 2. The electronic information terminal according to claim 1, wherein a distribution status and a stock status of the product requested to be purchased through the electronic information terminal are provided by e-mail to the electronic information terminal. The payment method used. 3. The payment target is electricity, gas, water, telephone,
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the service fee is a mobile phone service fee, a newspaper or magazine subscription fee, a television broadcast or a satellite broadcast reception fee. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the data format readable at a predetermined retail store is displayed as a bar code. 5. The arrival date and the number of days of delivery of the product are described on a receipt issued at the retail store after the fee of the product is paid based on the shipping status and stock status information of the product. The method according to claim 1, wherein the electronic mail is used for payment. 6. The receipt according to claim 5, wherein a predetermined number of days for delivery of the product is described on the receipt according to the area and quantity of the product to be delivered. Payment method using the described e-mail. 7. The method according to claim 1, wherein personal information of the customer is registered in the computer. 8. The electronic mail according to claim 7, wherein the personal information is one or more of an e-mail address, a name, an address, a telephone number, and a date of birth of the customer. The payment method used at the retail store used. 9. The data format in which the payment bill includes one or more of a payment amount, a payment term, and the personal information when the personal information is input from the electronic information terminal on the homepage. 8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the electronic mail is transmitted by an electronic mail. 10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the computer places an advertisement on the payment bill in the data format transmitted to the electronic information terminal. Payment method. 11. The advertisement may include goods, services and other companies sold by the business via the computer,
The method according to claim 10, wherein the method relates to a group or an individual.