JP2003076924A - Catalog information providing system, its method and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a catalog information providing method capable of contributing to the management of an enterprise or the development of products by efficiently processing an enormous number of catalogs collected from the inside and outside of a nation and effectively utilizing catalog information. SOLUTION: The information of catalogs collected from the inside and outside of the nation is put together to one place and data necessary for determining a catalog concerned are extracted from these catalogs and used for catalog management. Data required by a client are extracted from the catalogs, catalog information useful for the management of an enterprise, the development of products, etc., is prepared, the catalog information is edited to a format to be most efficiently utilized for the client, e.g. an easily usable format such as a comparing table or a list, and the edited catalog information is provided to the client.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is provided by a catalog information provider by extracting specific data necessary for a specific client by a catalog information provider from catalogs widely collected from domestic and foreign countries. The present invention relates to a catalog information providing system, a catalog information providing method, and a program for allowing the client to output the catalog information in a desired form and use it in product development, sales strategies, and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Catalogs issued by other companies for users are one of the important information sources for companies to predict the market trends of competitors in Japan and overseas. So many companies get catalogs from competitors,
The contents of this catalog are analyzed to predict trends in the market of the competitors, and product development and sales strategies are drafted and planned based on them.

However, when there are a large number of competitors or when there are various types of products handled, the number of catalogs to be collected becomes enormous.
Then, in order to classify this enormous number of catalogs, extract all necessary data, and use them for analysis, a huge amount of time and personnel are required in a company. for that reason,
The current situation is that the collected catalogs are not used and the valuable and useful data contained in them are not used sufficiently.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and efficiently processes a huge number of catalogs collected from inside and outside Japan, and stores necessary data extracted from the catalogs. To provide a catalog information providing system, a providing method, and a program that enable efficient and short-time analysis, effectively use catalog information, and contribute to corporate management and product development. The purpose is.

[0005]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention collects catalog information collected from domestic and overseas in one place and extracts data necessary for determining the catalog from the catalog. For use in catalog management,
Furthermore, the data required by the client is extracted from the catalog to create catalog information useful for corporate management, product development, etc., and this catalog information can be used most efficiently by the client, such as a comparison table or It is edited in a form such as a list that is easy to use and provided to the client.

Specifically, the invention according to claim 1 is a catalog information providing system for providing catalog information to a client using a computer system,
Data extraction, which is provided in the computer system of the catalog information provider and extracts the data necessary for identifying the catalog and the data used for the specific client from the catalogs collected from domestic and overseas. Means, a database for registering the catalog and the data extracted by the data extracting means as catalog information in which they are associated with each other, and the catalog information registered in the database, as required by the client Editing means for editing, a search means provided in the client-side computer system for searching desired catalog information from the catalog information provided by the catalog information provider, and a search result found. Reading means for reading the desired catalog information; The certain the catalog information configured to have an output means for outputting a predetermined form.

In this case, as described in claim 2, the data extracting means extracts the first data necessary for specifying the catalog from the catalogs collected from inside and outside the country. And a second data extraction unit for extracting the second data used for the specific client from the catalog.
According to this structure, the catalogs aggregated from Japan and overseas are
The catalog information is aggregated by the catalog information provider, and the computer system of the catalog information provider creates the catalog information to be used by the client.

[0008] The catalog information provider extracts the first data necessary for specifying the catalog from the catalog and also the second data related to the performance of the product such as specification data. The first data and the second data may be completely different data, or may be partially duplicated data. For example, if it is possible to specify a catalog using part of the specification data,
The specification data constitutes the second data and at the same time the first data. Then, the first data and the second data are registered in the database in association with the catalog. The data registered in this way is the catalog information. The catalog information is further edited in the optimum state for the use of the client and provided to the client.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a translation means for causing the computer system on the catalog information provider side to translate the language used for the data into a predetermined language as necessary and register it in the database. Is provided. With this configuration, when catalogs written in various languages are collected from abroad, the language of the data in the catalogs is translated into a language such as Japanese or English and registered in the database. be able to.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the computer system on the catalog information provider side converts the unit of data used for the data into a unified unit as necessary and registers it in the database. A unit conversion means for performing the conversion is provided. According to this configuration, the second data described in a unit system such as inches (inch) or miles (mile) can be converted into centimeters (cm) or kilometers (km).
It can be converted and converted into a unit system such as, and analysis such as comparison can be easily performed.

According to a fifth aspect of the invention, the catalog information is stored in a recording medium and provided to the client. According to this configuration, it is possible to provide a large amount of catalog information to the client by storing the catalog information in a large-capacity recording medium such as a CD or MO.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the computer system of the catalog information provider and the client side computer system are connected by a communication line, and the catalog information is provided to the client through the communication line. It is configured as follows. With this configuration, the client can directly receive the catalog information from the database of the catalog provider via the communication line.

The invention according to claim 7 has a catalog ledger creating means for creating a catalog ledger based on the data necessary for specifying the catalog, and the catalog ledger created by this catalog ledger creating means is The catalog information is provided to the client, and the client accesses the catalog information registered in the database via the catalog ledger. With this configuration, it is possible to provide the client with a catalog ledger that lists the catalog information registered in the database, and the client selects the desired catalog on the catalog ledger to obtain the necessary data. Can be called from the database.

The invention according to claim 8 has a catalog ledger creating means for making a catalog ledger based on the data necessary for specifying the catalog, and the catalog ledger is used for the catalog information of the database. It is configured to collectively manage. With this configuration, management such as correction and update of the catalog information in the database can be collectively performed at one place, and these operations can be efficiently performed.

The invention described in claim 9 has a structure in which the collected catalog relates to an automobile or automobile-related products. As described above, the present invention is particularly suitable for providing catalog information of a wide variety of products such as automobiles and automobile-related parts that are distributed around the world.

A catalog information providing method according to the present invention is, as described in claim 10, a catalog information providing method for providing catalog information to a client by using a computer system. A step of collecting catalogs from outside, (ii) a step of collecting the collected catalogs in a catalog information provider, (iii) a step of extracting necessary data from the collected catalogs,
(iv) registering the data in a database as catalog information associated with the catalog, (v) converting the catalog information registered in the database into a form desired by the client, if necessary. A method having a step of providing to a client.

According to this method, the catalog information, which is collected by the catalog information providers and the necessary data is extracted and created, is registered in the database. By doing so, it is possible to efficiently classify the catalogs collected from inside and outside the country and collectively manage the catalog information extracted from each catalog. Then, under such management, the catalog information can be edited so that it can be output in a form desired by the client and can be provided to the client.

According to an eleventh aspect of the invention, in the step (iii), the first data necessary for identifying the catalog and the second data concerning the performance of the product described in the catalog are provided. Is extracted, and in the step (iv), the catalog, the first data, and the second data are associated with each other and registered in the database. According to this method, the catalog can be specified based on the first data, and further the second data can be compared for each of the first data or the catalog.

Further, as described in claim 12, it is preferable that the language of the data is translated into a predetermined language as needed. For example, it is preferable to translate Thai or Chinese into Japanese or English. Further, as described in claim 13, the unit of the data is unified into a predetermined unit as necessary, whereby the comparison of the data becomes easy.

The form of providing the catalog information to the client may be a recording medium such as a CD (compact disc) or MO (magneto-optical disc) as described in claim 14, or claim 15. As described, it may be done via a communication line. As described in claim 16, the catalog information provided to the client as described above can be output in the form of a comparison table for comparing various data in the client.

According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a step of creating a catalog ledger based on the data required to specify the catalog, and the catalog ledger created in this step is provided to the client, A method for a client to access the catalog information registered in the database via the catalog ledger.
Further, the invention according to claim 18 is provided with a step of creating a catalog ledger based on data necessary for specifying the catalog, and using the catalog ledger created in this step, the catalog of the database. This is a method of collectively managing information. In this way, by providing the catalog information registered in the database as the catalog ledger, it becomes possible to access desired catalog information in the database through the catalog ledger,
It also becomes possible to manage updates and changes centrally and efficiently.

The above catalog information providing method can be applied to an automobile or an automobile part as described in claim 19. In this case, the first data is
Destination of the automobile or automobile parts, manufacturing company, vehicle type,
It is recommended to include the vehicle type or model year. With these, it is possible to specify the catalog. Further, the second data may be main specifications of the automobile or automobile parts. By doing so, it is possible to compare various main specifications with products of competitors.

The catalog information providing method of the present invention can be realized by the program of claim 20. In the present invention, by introducing the program according to claim 20 into the system according to claims 1 to 9, the system becomes operable and the method according to claims 10 to 19 can be executed.

[0024]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, description will be given by taking an automobile catalog as an example, but the present invention is not limited to automobiles and is applicable to provision of catalog information for all products such as automobile-related parts, home appliances, food products, pharmaceuticals, and the like. It is possible.

[First Embodiment] First, a first embodiment of the catalog information providing system of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of an embodiment of a system for providing catalog information according to the present invention. A large number of catalogs C1, C2, C3, C4
.. are collected by the catalog information provider 10. The collection of the catalogs C1, C2, C3, C4 ...
May be carried out by a branch or a trader.

The catalog information provider 10 is a personal computer 1
1 is used to collect the catalogs C1, C2, C3
Processing such as classification and arrangement of C4 ..., Extraction of necessary data, etc. is performed to create catalog information required by the client 20 as a trading partner. The created catalog information is
It is registered in the database DB of the catalog information provider 10. At this time, it is advisable to register the catalog information with a unique reference number so that the catalog information provider 10 can easily manage the catalog information registered in the database DB. The catalog information registered in the database DB is stored in the recording medium 12 such as a CD or MO on a regular basis or when necessary, and is provided to the client 20.

The client 20 reads the catalog information stored in the recording medium 12 using the personal computer 21,
The desired catalog is browsed and the comparison result of various data included in the catalog information is output as output data 23 to the display of the personal computer 21 or the printer. In addition,
A program for the client 20 to output the catalog information stored in the recording medium 12 as the output data 23 in a desired form may be installed in the personal computer 21 of the client 20 in advance, or may be a recording medium together with the setup program. It may be stored in 12.

FIG. 2 shows an example of the catalogs C1, C2, C3, C4 ... Collected by the catalog information provider 10. The catalogs C1, C2, C3, C4 ...
Destination, manufacturer, model, model, year, ID
Data necessary for specifying the catalogs C1, C2, C3, C4, etc. such as numbers (unique numbers assigned to each catalog) (to which the reference number administratively assigned by the catalog information provider 10 is assigned) Including, hereinafter, described as the first data I), engine type and output, wheel base,
Catalog C such as tire size and maximum loading capacity (capacity)
1, C2, C3, C4, ..., Specification data (hereinafter, referred to as second data II) A, B, C, D, E relating to the performance of the automobile are described.

By using the first data I, the client 20 can obtain a large number of catalogs C1, C2, C3, C4.
It is possible to specify one catalog from among ... Further, by selecting one or more desired data from the first data I, for example, a plurality of catalogs having a common destination or the like can be read from the recording medium 12 and displayed as a list on a display or the like. it can. Furthermore, the second data II can be displayed in a list for each manufacturer for the same vehicle type, for example, so that the performance and the like can be compared between the manufacturers.

Next, a specific configuration of the catalog information providing system of the present invention will be described. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an outline of a catalog information providing system of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a block diagram for explaining details of the catalog data processing unit of FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the providing system according to this embodiment uses the catalogs C1, C2, C3, C4, ...
2, C3, C4 ... Is extracted as the first data I necessary for specifying, and the catalog information provider 10
The reference number entered to manage the catalog and catalog C1,
A catalog information ledger creating unit 100 that creates a catalog ledger in which C2, C3, C4, ... Are associated, a catalog input unit 105 such as a scanner that captures image data in the personal computer 11, and the catalog input unit 105. Catalog image file section 1 that saves saved image data in a desired image format such as tiff format, gif format, or jpeg format
10 and 10. Catalog image file section 110
Is preferably prepared in advance in the internal hard disk or the like of the personal computer 11 (see FIG. 1).

The catalog ledger is a database D.
It is a list of catalogs in order to be registered in B.
It can be created by using the product name of Microsoft Corporation. First data I required to create a catalog ledger
Is manually input by the operator. In addition, necessary data (first data I) is extracted from the image data input by the catalog input unit 105, and the extraction result is sent to the catalog ledger creating unit 100 so that it is input to the catalog ledger. May be. Catalog ledger creation unit 10
The catalog ledger created with 0 is registered in the database DB, and the catalog information in which the first data I, the second data II and the catalog are associated with each other is written in this catalog ledger.

Further, the catalog information providing system of this embodiment has a catalog data processing unit 120 for processing and editing the image data of the catalogs C1, C2, C3, C4 ... Stored in the catalog image file unit 110.
And a database DB for registering the data processed and edited by the catalog data processing unit 120 as catalog information associated with each catalog, and the catalog information extracted from the database DB and used by the client 20 in a desired CD format. And a medium creating unit 130 for storing the same in the recording medium 12. The catalog input unit 105, the catalog image file unit 110, the catalog data processing unit 120, the database DB and the medium creating unit 130 described above are provided on the catalog information provider 10 side.

As shown in FIG. 4, the catalog data processing unit 120 reads the catalog image data from the catalog image file unit 110, and a catalog image reading unit 121.
And a second data extraction unit 126 that extracts the second data II that is the specification data from the catalog image. In this embodiment, as necessary, the second data II extracted by the second data extraction unit 126 is converted into text data by OCR or the like, and the translation unit 123 that translates the text data into Japanese or English. And a unit conversion unit 127 that converts the second data II extracted by the second data extraction unit 126 into a unified unit.

The unit conversion unit 127 uses a unit system such as a pound, a mile, an inch, or the like, to convert a kilogram to a kilogram.
Convert by converting to unit system such as (kg), kilometers (km), centimeters (cm). The second data II extracted by the second data extraction unit 126, the second data II translated by the translation unit 123, and the second data II converted by the unit conversion unit 127 into a unified unit are stored in the database. The data is sent to the DB, and the first data I, the second data II, and the catalog are registered in association with each other.

For example, in the catalog C1 shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle type, model, year, and model for identifying the catalog C1
The first data I such as the destination, the second data II regarding the specifications extracted from the catalog C1, and the catalog C1 are associated with each other and registered in the database DB. Therefore, in the client 20,
By searching the catalog information using the first data I as a keyword, the desired catalog C1 can be specified, and
It is possible to obtain the specification data described in this catalog C1.

Each catalog C1, which is processed and edited by the catalog data processing unit 120 and registered in the database DB,
Information including the first data I and the second data II for each of C2, C3, C4, ... Is “catalog information” provided to the client 20. Also, in this embodiment,
The catalog data processing unit 120 is provided with a database management unit 125 that manages the database DB. The database management unit 125 adds, updates, or corrects the catalog information in the database DB, and uses the catalog ledger created by the catalog ledger creating unit 100 to make necessary corrections or changes to the catalog information. You can do it. For example, when there is an error in the data in the catalog, when the catalog is updated, etc., the specific catalog information in the database DB is accessed via the catalog ledger, and the catalog information is corrected or a new one is created. Catalog information can be added and updated.

The medium creating unit 130 reads the catalog information from the database DB and stores the read catalog information in the recording medium 12 such as a CD or MO in a form desired by the client 20. For example, the client 20
If the user wants to display in spreadsheet software such as Microsoft Excel (trade name of Microsoft Excel), it is stored in the recording medium 12 in a form that can be displayed in this spreadsheet software.

On the client 20 side, as shown in FIG. 3, a reading unit 210 for reading the catalog information from the recording medium 12 provided by the catalog information provider 10, and a catalog read by the reading unit 210. A processing unit 220 that edits information in a predetermined form and an output unit 230 that outputs the result processed by the processing unit 220 to a display or a printer are provided.
The reading unit 210 described above is a medium reading device such as a reader connected to the personal computer 21 on the client 20 side.

Further, the processing section 220 can use a known application such as the above-mentioned Microsoft Excel which is pre-installed in the personal computer 21. Of course, not limited to Microsoft Excel, other spreadsheet software may be used, and other than spreadsheet software,
You may use graph creation software, document browsing software, or the like. The output unit 230 is a display or printer of the personal computer 21 that can display a comparison list, a catalog list, a graph, etc., which are created by using the above Microsoft Excel or the like, on the screen or on the paper.

FIG. 5 shows an example of a search screen first displayed on the display when the recording medium 12 provided by the catalog information provider 10 is set in the personal computer 21 on the client 20 side. In the "search item input field" at the top of the screen, items for inputting search conditions for specifying catalog information are prepared according to the first data I. In this item, the first data for specifying the catalog information, for example, by inputting the manufacturer and the destination and pressing the "Search" button, the catalog information related to the destination of the manufacturer is recorded. It is searched in the medium 12. Then, as a result of the search, one or a plurality of catalog information found in the recording medium 12 is displayed at the bottom of the screen as a catalog list.

When the number of catalog information displayed as the catalog list is large, the catalog information can be narrowed down by further inputting the first data I in the "search item input field". By selecting desired catalog information from the catalog information displayed in the catalog list, the catalog image included in the selected catalog information can be displayed on the display as shown in FIG. Since all pages of the catalog are stored in the recording medium 12 as image data, by pressing the next page button at the lower left of the screen, other pages of the catalog are displayed one after another on the display. Further, the catalog image can be enlarged or reduced by inputting a desired magnification or a preset magnification in the "display magnification" field provided on the left side of FIG. .

FIG. 7 is a comparison list of the second data for each catalog information. The table shown in FIG. 7 uses the above-mentioned Microsoft Excel, and the first data I and the second data II for each of the catalogs C1, C2, C3, C4 ... Searched on the search screen of FIG. Is displayed as a comparison specification table. By analyzing this comparison specification table, the client 20 can predict product trends of competitors for each destination, for example. Of course, on the search screen of FIG. 5, the catalog information is searched by the first data, ie, the destination, the manufacturer, the car model, the car model, the year model, the ID number, or the reference number given by the catalog information provider, and the respective figures It is also possible to display a list in the comparison specification table of No. 7. Further, it is possible to rearrange each data in a desired order or classify the data into a desired group.

Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the providing system of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In this embodiment, the personal computer 11 of the catalog information provider 10 and the personal computer 21 of the client 20 are connected by the communication line 30. Therefore, the database D is created by the catalog information provider 10.
The catalog information registered in B can be provided to the personal computer 21 of the client 20 via the communication line 30.

It is also possible for the client 20 to access the database DB of the catalog information provider 10 via the communication line 30 and read the desired catalog information from the database DB for use. In this case, it is preferable to limit the access to the database DB to the client 20 having a specific access right to ensure safety. By thus providing the catalog information via the communication line 30, the catalog information provider 10 does not need to create the recording medium 12 and send it to the client 20, and the catalog information provider 10 There is an advantage that the work load can be reduced.

[Third Embodiment] Next, a third embodiment of the providing system of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In this embodiment, in addition to the second embodiment shown in FIG. 8, catalogs C1, C2, C3 collected from domestic and foreign countries.
.. are collected by the catalog information provider 10 via the communication line 31. Catalogs C1, C2, C3, C4 ... collected by domestic and overseas branches of the client 20 and branches of the catalog information provider 10.
Is converted into image data by a scanner or the like, and is periodically or irregularly transmitted to the personal computer 11 of the catalog information provider 10 via the communication line 31.

The image data of the transmitted catalog is shown in FIG.
Are stored in the catalog image file section 110 shown in FIG. Further, in the providing system of this embodiment, as in the providing system of the second embodiment, the personal computer 11 of the catalog information provider 10 and the personal computer 21 of the client 20 are connected by the communication line 32. The catalog information registered in the database DB of the provider 10 can be provided to the personal computer 21 of the client 20 via the communication line 32.

[Catalog Information Providing Method] Next, a catalog information providing method of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 10 and 11. In the following description, the catalog information providing system according to the first embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7 will be referred to as needed. The flowchart of FIG. 10 shows the procedure of processing in the catalog information provider 10, where (a) is the procedure for registering catalog information in the database, and (b) is the catalog information registered in the database. Shows a procedure for storing the data in a recording medium such as a CD or MO. Further, the flowchart of FIG. 11 shows a procedure of processing when the client 20 outputs the catalog information provided by the catalog information provider 10 as a catalog browsing and comparison list.

First, the procedure for registering catalog information in the database will be described with reference to FIG. Catalogs collected from inside and outside Japan are collected by the catalog information provider 10 (step S1). The first data I is extracted from the collected catalog, a reference number and the like are attached, and a catalog ledger is created (step S2). At this time, if necessary, the translation software is activated to perform the translation. The collected catalog is converted into image data by the catalog input unit 105 (see FIG. 3) such as a scanner (step S3) and is temporarily stored in the catalog image file 110 (step S4). The image data of the catalog image file 1 is created by the operator of the catalog information provider 10 on a regular basis or a fixed amount of catalog image data.
When stored in 10, the image data of each stored catalog is read out, and is associated with the first data I used when the catalog ledger is created and registered in the database (steps S5 and S7).

Next, the second data II regarding the performance (specification data) of the product listed in the catalog is extracted from the catalog image (step S8). The operation of extracting the second data II may be performed manually by visual inspection or by mechanical operation by selecting the corresponding area.
Then, when the extracted second data II needs to be translated, translation software is activated to perform the translation (steps S9 and S10).

When there is no need for translation, it is judged whether or not the unit should be converted (step S11). When it is necessary to convert the unit, the unit conversion software is started and the unit of the second data is converted. The system unit is converted and converted into a predetermined unit system unit (step S12). For example, if the unit of the second data is inches,
Convert to 1inch = 2.54cm. The second data, which has been translated and converted as necessary, is database D
The image data of the catalog already registered in B and the first data are associated with each other and registered in the database DB (step S13). The above procedure completes the creation of the catalog information for one catalog.
When the catalog information creation operation is to be continued for other catalogs (step S14), the process returns to step S4 and the operations of steps S4 to S13 are repeated.

Next, the procedure for storing the catalog information registered in the database DB in the recording medium will be described with reference to FIG. The operation of storing the catalog information registered in the database DB in the recording medium 12 is performed regularly or irregularly in response to a request from the client 20 or the like. First, the catalog information to be stored in the recording medium 12 is read from the database DB to the medium creating unit 130 (step S16), and the read catalog information is converted into the format desired by the client 20 (step S1).
7). For example, if the client 20 wants to output the catalog information using Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Excel is converted into a usable data format. Catalog information converted in this way,
Stored in a recording medium 12 such as a CD (step S18),
The process ends.

Next, referring to FIG. 11, a procedure for using the catalog information in the client 20 will be described.
The reading unit 210 (see FIG. 3) has a recording medium 12 such as a CD.
Is set (step S20), and it is selected from the catalog list whether the user wants to browse a desired catalog or creates and displays a comparison specification table for the catalog information displayed in the catalog list (step S21). ). When either browsing or comparison list is selected, a search screen as shown in FIG. 5 is displayed on the display of the personal computer 21 of the client 20 (step S22). By inputting a desired condition, for example, a destination or a manufacturer name on this search screen (step S23) and pressing the "search execution" button, the catalog information stored in the recording medium 12 is searched (step S24). ).

The search results are displayed on the screen as a catalog list as shown in FIG. 5 (step S25). When the number of pieces of catalog information displayed as the catalog list is large and further narrowing down is to be performed (step S26), the procedure returns to step S22 and the steps S23 to S25 are repeated.

Next, based on the input result of step S21, whether the client desires to browse a desired catalog from the catalog list, or to create and display a comparison specification table for the catalog information displayed in the catalog list. It is determined whether or not is desired (step S27). When the catalog browsing is selected, the catalog is displayed on the display as shown in FIG. 6 (step S29).
When the comparison specification table is selected, software such as Microsoft Excel is activated and the comparison specification table is displayed on the display as shown in FIG. 7 (step S28). When the work is to be continued (step S30), the process returns to step S22 to display the search screen, and then step S22-
The procedure of step S28 or S29 is repeated. The above steps can be executed by installing a program for execution in the above-described providing system.

As shown in the second and third embodiments, the procedure of providing the catalog information to the client using the communication lines 30 and 32 is as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 10 (b) is unnecessary, and step S20 in the flowchart of FIG.
Is basically the same as the procedure of FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, except that it is “access to the database DB”.
In this case, the catalog ledger created by the catalog ledger creating unit 100 is provided to the client 20 as it is, and the client 20 selects a desired catalog from the catalog information listed in the catalog ledger. By selecting, it is possible to directly access specific catalog information in the database DB. Further, it is possible to configure that a client having a specific access right updates or corrects the catalog information in the database DB via the catalog ledger.

Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, although the client 20 has been described as being limited to one company for convenience of description, a large number of clients 20 are provided.
It is possible to provide the predetermined catalog information to each client 20 in a desired format. Further, the first data has been described by taking the destination, manufacturer, vehicle type, vehicle type, and year as an example, but other data may be used as long as the data can identify the catalog, A part of the second data may form the first data.

[0057]

As described above, according to the present invention,
It is possible to efficiently process a huge number of catalogs collected from inside and outside Japan at one place, and to provide useful data extracted from the catalogs in a desired format by the client. Therefore, the client can effectively use the catalog information extracted from a huge number of catalogs, and obtain valuable and useful information from the catalog when deciding the management policy and the product development policy. be able to. INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention is particularly significant when there are various types of products and therefore the number of catalogs is huge, when there are markets in many countries, when new market entry is considered, and the like.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of an embodiment of a catalog information providing system of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of catalogs collected by catalog information providers.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an outline of a catalog information providing system of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating details of a data processing unit in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed first when a recording medium provided by a catalog information provider is set in a client personal computer.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example in which a catalog is displayed on the display of a personal computer.

FIG. 7 is a comparison list of second data for each catalog.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of a second embodiment of the catalog information providing system of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a third embodiment of the catalog information providing system of the present invention.

FIG. 10 relates to a method of providing catalog information according to the present invention,
In the flowchart showing the process in the catalog information provider, (a) shows the procedure for registering the catalog information in the database, and (b) shows the procedure for storing the catalog information registered in the database in the recording medium. Shows.

FIG. 11 relates to a method for providing catalog information according to the present invention,
The catalog information provided by the catalog information provider,
It is a flow chart which shows processing when a client browses a catalog and outputs it in a comparison list.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 Catalog information providers 12 recording media 11 PC 20 clients 21 PC 23 Output data 30-32 communication line C1-C4 catalog DB database ~ First data AE Second data

Continued front page    (72) Inventor Kuniaki Takashima             1-334 Omorikita, Ota-ku, Tokyo F term (reference) 5B075 ND20 UU38                 5B091 AB02 AB06

Claims (20)

[Claims] 1. A catalog information providing system for providing catalog information to a client using a computer system, wherein the catalog information is provided in a computer system of a catalog information provider side, and catalogs are collected from inside and outside Japan. A data extraction unit that extracts data necessary for specifying the catalog and data used for use by a specific client; a catalog that correlates the catalog and the data extracted by the data extraction unit with each other; A database to be registered as information, editing means for editing the catalog information registered in the database into a desired form of the client as necessary, and the computer system on the client side is provided with the catalog information provider. Among the provided catalog information A search means for searching the desired catalog information, a reading means for reading the desired catalog information found as a result of the search, and an output means for outputting the read catalog information in a predetermined form. A catalog information providing system characterized by. 2. A first data extracting unit for extracting the first data necessary for specifying the catalog from the catalogs collected from inside and outside the country, the data extracting unit,
The catalog information providing system according to claim 1, further comprising: a second data extraction unit that extracts second data used for a specific client from the catalog. 3. The language used for the data is stored in the computer system of the catalog information provider side,
The catalog information providing system according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a translation unit that translates the data into a predetermined language and registers the data in the database as needed. 4. The unit system of the catalog information provider side is provided with unit conversion means for converting a unit of data used for the data into a unified unit as necessary and registering it in the database. The catalog information providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: 5. The catalog information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the catalog information is stored in a recording medium and provided to the client. 6. A computer system of the catalog information provider and a computer system of the client side are connected by a communication line, and the catalog information is provided to the client via the communication line. A system for providing catalog information according to any one of 1 to 5. 7. A catalog ledger creating means for creating a catalog ledger based on the data required to specify the catalog is provided, and the catalog ledger created by this catalog ledger creating means is provided to the client, and 7. The catalog information providing system according to claim 6, wherein the client accesses the catalog information registered in the database via the catalog ledger. 8. A catalog ledger creating means for creating a catalog ledger based on the data necessary for specifying the catalog is provided, and the catalog ledger is used to collectively manage the catalog information in the database. The system for providing catalog information according to any one of claims 1 to 7, which is characterized in that. 9. The catalog information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the collected catalogs are related to automobiles or automobile-related products. 10. A method of providing catalog information for providing a client with catalog information using a computer system, comprising: (i) collecting the catalog from domestic and overseas (ii) collecting the catalog to a catalog information provider. Step (iii) collecting necessary data from the collected catalog (iv) registering the data in a database as catalog information associated with the catalog (v) collecting the catalog information registered in the database A method of providing catalog information, which comprises the step of converting the data into a desired format of the client and providing it to the client, if necessary. 11. The method of providing catalog information according to claim 10, wherein in the step (iii), the first data necessary for identifying the catalog, the performance of the product described in the catalog, and the like. Catalog information, wherein the second data regarding the catalog is extracted, and in the step (iv), the catalog, the first data, and the second data are associated with each other and registered in the database. How to provide. 12. The method for providing catalog information according to claim 10 or 11, further comprising a step of translating the language of the data into a predetermined language as needed. 13. The catalog information providing method according to claim 10, further comprising a step of converting the unit of the data into a unified unit as needed. How to provide. 14. The method of providing catalog information according to claim 10, wherein the catalog information is provided to the client via a recording medium. . 15. The method of providing catalog information according to claim 10, wherein collecting the catalog and / or providing the catalog information to the client is performed via a communication line. How to provide catalog information. 16. The method for providing catalog information according to claim 10, wherein the catalog information desired by the client is retrieved from the catalog information provided by the catalog information provider. And a step of outputting the data included in the read catalog information as a comparison list, the method for providing catalog information. 17. The method for providing catalog information according to claim 10, further comprising a step of creating a catalog ledger based on data necessary for specifying the catalog, and the catalog ledger is created in this step. A catalog information providing method comprising: providing the catalog ledger to the client, and the client accessing the catalog information registered in the database via the catalog ledger. 18. The method for providing catalog information according to claim 10, further comprising a step of creating a catalog ledger based on data necessary for specifying the catalog, and the catalog ledger is created in this step. A method of providing catalog information, characterized in that the catalog information of the database is collectively managed using the catalog ledger. 19. The method for providing catalog information according to claim 11, wherein the first data is a destination of an automobile or an automobile part, a manufacturing company, a vehicle type,
A method of providing catalog information, characterized in that the second data is specification data of the automobile or automobile parts, including a vehicle model or year. 20. A program for executing each step of the method for providing catalog information according to claim 10.