JP2003308452A - Ordering system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ordering system capable of ordering and procuring a commodity required by a customer economically at low risk. <P>SOLUTION: A terminal 15 of a contracting store (customer), a center 30 mediating an ordering business and a plurality of traders 40 are connected through a network 20 such as the Internet. The contracting store transmits ordering data to the center 30 through the terminal 15. A DB server 33 in the center 30 is accessed, and the center 30 selects an order-receiving trader based on prices or the like acquired from the plurality of traders 40, and replies the result to the contracting store. After acquiring agreement of the contracting store, the center 30 transmits order decision data to the selected trader and receives delivery of the commodity. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ordering system, and in particular, selecting materials, parts, etc. (hereinafter referred to as products) from a plurality of vendors, and providing necessary products only in a required amount at a predetermined timing (or in-house). ) Related to the ordering system for ordering and procuring so as to be most advantageous.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With the progress of division of labor, it is virtually impossible to self-sufficiently supply all the materials and parts required by the company. Therefore, a plurality of traders (suppliers) that can externally supply the products required by the company are set in advance,
It is general that one or a plurality of vendors are selected from these vendors by determining price, quality, delivery time and other factors for each product, and an order is placed at a predetermined timing. The ordering business is responsible for selecting the most advantageous contractor. Efforts have been made to construct an ordering system for such ordering business by using an information processing device such as a computer.

The prior art relating to such an ordering system is as follows.
For example, "Transaction brokerage system for goods and services using communication network" in JP 2001-265954 A, "Information processing system for supporting material purchase through open bidding on communication network" in JP 2001-297223 A, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-344450, "Shopping Agent System and Method and Recording Medium", Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-24605, "Saving Medium in which Provider Introduction System and Method and Provider Introducing Program are Stored", and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002 -63407, "Network transaction mediation method, network transaction system and network transaction center" and the like.

[0004]

If the ordering business having the above-mentioned characteristics is systematized as post-processing (ordering system) on the center side by applying the above-mentioned conventional technique, the ordering work is held by the center side. The ordering company is determined by referring to the information clearly indicating the relationship between the ordering company master and the ordering data transmitted from the terminal. Or
Usually, the ordering party is determined by the ordering company code embedded in the ordering data in advance.

However, according to the above-mentioned method, when the same product is cheaper for other vendors, it is impossible to temporarily change the ordering party or to place an order with a vendor whose price is always low. In addition, even if the center side can understand which product of which company is expensive or cheap at the time of ordering, it takes time and time to hold the price information in real time (immediately), which leads to a reduction in operating cost. Often does not match.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and an order for selecting an article (including service etc.) from a plurality of traders so that an order can be placed efficiently and with low risk. The purpose is to provide a system.

[0007]

In order to solve the above problems, the ordering system of the present invention employs the following characteristic configuration.

(1) In an ordering system in which a contract store uses a terminal to order a product under a condition desired by a trader and receives the product, the contract store has a center connected to the contract store via a network such as the Internet. An ordering system in which the center mediates ordering work between the contract store and the dealer.

(2) The ordering system according to (1), wherein the center includes a Web server for transmitting information to the contract store and a database server for storing various kinds of information about a plurality of vendors.

(3) The ordering system according to (2), wherein the center further comprises a gateway and a firewall that can be accessed only by the contract store.

(4) When the contract store sends order data from the terminal to the center, the center requests a price reply from the contractor according to the ordering conditions, and selects the contractor with the most favorable condition for the contract store. The ordering system according to (1), (2) or (3), which returns a reply to the contract store.

(5) A terminal operated by a contract store, a plurality of vendors capable of delivering desired products to the contract store, and terminals for the contract store and a plurality of vendors connected via a network to perform ordering business. The contract store sends order data to the center, and the center receives price proposals from the plurality of traders based on the order data and returns the selected trader to the contract store. Then, the ordering system for sending the order confirmation data to the contractor selected after the contract store is decided.

(6) The ordering system according to (5) above, wherein the center includes a database server that holds various kinds of information regarding the plurality of vendors, and is accessible by a terminal of the contract store.

(7) The database server of the center stores a product master that stores master data of products ordered by a contract store that is a customer, a trader master that stores information on each registered trader, and an order for the contract store. The ordering system according to the above (6), which includes a method, a profile master that stores preferred traders, and a trader evaluation master that stores evaluation results regarding troubles and complaints during transactions.

(8) Each of the vendors is provided with a price presenting product master containing the latest price for each product, and is made accessible from the center (5), (6) or (7).
Ordering system.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The configuration and operation of a preferred embodiment of an ordering system according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First, FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of a preferred embodiment of an ordering system according to the present invention. The ordering system 10 includes a terminal 15 of a contract store, a network (hereinafter referred to as the Internet) 20 such as the Internet connected to the terminal 15, and the Internet 2 respectively.
It is composed of a center 30 and a trader 40 connected to 0. Here, the center 30 mediates the ordering business between the contract store and the dealer. Therefore, for the center 30, the contract store is a customer, and in general, many contract stores are the center 30.
Will be the intermediary for the ordering business.

The center 30 is composed of a Web server 31, a gateway and firewall 32, a DB (database) server 33, and an intra-center communication path 34. The DB server 33 includes a product master 33a, a trader master 33b, a profile master 33c, and a trader evaluation master 33d. There are a plurality of traders 40,
Gateway and firewall 41, W respectively
The DB server 44 includes an eb server 42, an intra-company communication path 43, and a price presentation product master 45.

The main function of each component of the ordering system 10 of the present invention will be described. Terminal 15 is P
It is a terminal capable of transmitting and receiving information by electronic data such as an OS (Point of Sales) system or a kiosk terminal. The Web server 31 is a server that transmits information to a contract store or a contractor. The contractor store is provided with the ordering vendor selection result, profile setting, vendor information, etc. through the screen of the terminal 15. The gateway and firewall 32 are secure and accessible only to contracted customers and vendors. The DB server 33 holds information such as products, contract stores, contractors, profiles of each contract store, and vendor evaluation results. The communication path 34 in the center is the center 3
It is a communication path for connecting the respective constituent elements within 0 to each other, and is a wired or wireless LAN (local area network).

The product master 33a stores master data of products ordered by the customer. This product master 33a
Stored inside is information about a default order destination specified by the customer for each product. This default supplier is adopted when the automatic supplier selection system is not used or when the selection of the supplier is not suitable. The trader master 33b stores information on each trader 40 registered in the center 30 as a trader. Profile master 33
In c, an ordering method of a contract store, a list of traders who do not want to trade, a list of traders who prefer to trade, and the like are stored. In the trader evaluation master 33d, when there is an accident or complaint at the time of transaction, a report from the store is transmitted and the information is stored. The contents of these reports are managed so that the quality of the service as well as the reported message are converted into points, for example, and used as a guide for the risk when making a transaction.

Gateway and firewall 41
Is the gateway and firewall 32 described above.
It has the same function as. In other words, access to this is limited to inquiry requests from the related parties of the company and the center 30. It is basically inaccessible from competitors registered in the center 30. Web server 42 is W
It has the same function as the eb server 31. When an inquiry about information about the company is made from the screen of the terminal 15, contents that can be appealed such as products that the company wants to sell and merits in transactions other than ordering are prepared. This is effective, for example, when it is desired to confirm the contents of the trader from the terminal 15 side when the supplier is selected for the first time. The intra-company communication path 43 is
It is a wired or wireless LAN.

The DB server 44 manages the information of the products handled by each trader 40 and responds to the product inquiry from the center 30. The price presentation product master 45 stores product information for answering the order contents inquired by the center 30. The trader 40 constantly maintains the products handled by the company, and maintains the master 45 each time the price fluctuates due to the market price or the like. By this work, the latest price is always reflected on the product information gathered in the center 30. Further, by clearly indicating the conditions of the price offered by the product, it becomes possible to carry out more detailed transactions. For example, it is possible to clearly indicate information such as the selling price for each product quantity, the selling price for each delivery period, the expiration date of the sale price currently presented, and the inventory quantity.

Next, the operation of the ordering system according to the present invention shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to the sequence diagram of FIG.
The ordering system 10 of the present invention is characterized in that a product with better conditions can be automatically selected from a plurality of traders. Therefore, the order data transmitted from the terminal 15 of the contract store is
To determine which vendor to place the order, it works as follows. (1) The center agency business recruits and selects a trader (wholesale store) that can be used as an ordering destination by the customer who is performing the center agency. (2) The trader 40 registers the price of the product they want to sell in their own DB server 44 and discloses it to the center 30. At that time, the conditions for wholesale at that price will be specified and made public. (For example, the offer price is limited to how many days to how many days, lots more than a lot, how many lots are limited, and how many are remaining).

(3) Order data is transmitted from the customer terminal to the center 30 (step). At that time, the center 30
The side acquires the registered trader information, determines the ordering target product (step), and under what conditions the product is presented among the registered traders 40
Refer to the server 44 (step). (4) From the conditions (number of orders, delivery date, etc.) that can be read from the order data, select the supplier with the lowest price (step). As a result, the latest price information can always be obtained, and it is possible to deal with it from time to time. (5) At the time of selecting the contractor 40, referring to the profile data of the customer at the same time, the contractor selected at this time may have had a trouble in the past transaction, whether the reputation of the other company is delayed, or delivery delay has occurred. Check if the ordering party has rejected the transaction (whether it is not in the blacklist) for some reason, etc.
The ordering party selection result is returned to the customer as an order confirmation request list (step). If it is on the black list, the supplier with the next best condition is searched again, the same process is performed, and the ordering supplier is selected again.

(6) The customer confirms the vendor selection result (order confirmation list) returned from the center 30. If it is OK, the order data is transmitted to the trader 40. If NG,
The process of (3) is restarted again. (7) When the center 30 receives the order acceptance / rejection data from the customer (step) and determines the order confirmation, the order confirmation data is transmitted to the dealer (step).

As its function, (1) by adding and utilizing a data item called order classification in the order data, the following various controls are possible. That is, if the ordering category is a category indicating that no vendor has been selected, the ordering provider is not selected, and an order is placed with the vendor who has been registered as the default on the center side in advance. If). If the ordering category is a category that limits the selection of vendors, select from several vendors 40 set in the profile in advance and place an order. If you do not want to do business with a trader). If the order category is a category for selecting a vendor, the vendor 40 registered in the center 30
Select from all the items and place an order (if you do not pay attention to the price). It is possible to arbitrarily change the order classification in units of data according to the operation status of the store (usual transactions are from only one trader, but only this product or this time, we do transactions with other companies) I want to).

(2) The ordering vendor selection is customized by the profile function. By editing the blacklist, you can avoid selecting companies that you do not want to trade. By editing the transaction priority list, you can limit the number of business partners and prevent transactions from other companies.

(3) The information disclosure system of the ordering company performs as follows. When you have a problem in a transaction,
The matter is reported to the center 30 on the web. The information is aggregated on the side of the center 30 so that the customer can freely view the complaint number information that has occurred in the past. The history of transactions in the past can be viewed at any time, and information on transaction amounts can be obtained on the Web at any time. Publish the transaction amount ranking and use it as a guide for how much you have relationships with your customers.

(4) The additional information of the order selection data is as follows. If the ordering party (trader) selected on the side of the center 30 has not dealt with the customer in the past,
Include in the supplier data that this is the first transaction. When the ordering party (trader) selected on the side of the center 30 has a low evaluation point in the past transaction, the fact is included in the ordering party selection data. When the supplier selection data including the above two patterns of information is received and the transaction is not desired, the center 30 can be requested to select again.

(5) Others include the following. Two
By utilizing the Internet that functions for 4 hours,
Can be processed at any time. The ordering company selection, which has been time-consuming in the past, is displayed on the screen of the terminal 15 within a few minutes after inquiring from the customer terminal. In order to secure profits other than the center business agency business of the center agency business, (1) the center registration fee of the vendor, membership fee, (2) margin collection at the time of contract establishment, and (3) client usage fee of the ordering agent selection function Can be mentioned.

Further, the operation of the ordering system of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the sequence diagram of FIG. First, the contract store operates the terminal 15 to transmit the order data to the center 30 (step S1). This ordering data includes, for example, an ordering product code, quantity, delivery date, ordering category, and the like. Next, the center 30 confirms the ordering condition and ordering method (step S2). Then, the center 30 transmits the merchandise ordering condition to the trader (for example, wholesaler A) 40A and requests a price reply (step S3). In response to this price request, the trader 40A replies the price to the center 30 (step S4).

Next, the center 30 holds the answer (step S5). Then, similarly to step S3, the condition for ordering the product is sent to another trader (who is a wholesaler B), and a price reply is requested (step S6). For this request,
The trader 40B answers the price to the center 30 (step S7). Therefore, the center 30 updates and holds the answer (step S8). Note that in this particular example,
Although there are only two traders 40, the “send merchandise ordering condition and request price reply” is executed for all traders registered in the center 30. Next, the center 30 confirms the profile (step S9). That is, reference is made to the black list, priority of main customers, and the like.
After that, the center 30 selects and determines an ordering party (step S10).

When the selection of the ordering party in the center 30 is completed, the center 30 returns the orderer selection result data to the terminal 15 of the contract store (step S11). This reply includes, for example, the name of the ordering company, the amount of money, and the delivery date. The ordering company selection result data may include information that the first transaction has been selected, information that the evaluation points are low in transactions with other companies, and the like.

Therefore, the contract store, which is the customer, uses the terminal 15
Is operated to notify the center 30 of whether or not ordering is possible (step S12). If the order is not possible (NG), re-selection is requested or an order is made to a specified major supplier. If the order is acceptable, the center 30 transmits the order confirmation data to the trader 40A (or 40B) (step S1).
3). Finally, the contractor 40A who received the order delivers the product to the contract store within the predetermined delivery date (step S14).

The configuration and operation of the preferred embodiment of the ordering system according to the present invention have been described above in detail. However, such an embodiment is merely an example of the present invention and does not limit the present invention in any way. Those skilled in the art can easily understand that various modifications and changes can be made according to a specific application and various applications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0036]

[Explanation of Effects] As can be understood from the above description, the ordering system of the present invention provides the following remarkable practical effects. That is, by using the Internet, the Web, and the DB server that can be used 24 hours a day, it is possible to always carry out order processing with the latest price information. Moreover, not only can the supplier with the lowest price be selected, but a flexible and flexible selection of the supplier is possible by utilizing the concept of order classification. Furthermore, anxiety about the supplier who cannot be seen by the other party is covered by setting a profile, alerting when a new supplier is selected, notification of order selection confirmation, and the like.

Furthermore, according to the ordering system of the present invention, since a large number of contract stores and vendor information are concentrated in the center, it is possible to obtain objective evaluation data and the like regarding the vendor, which is difficult to obtain by itself. It is possible to select an appropriate and low-risk contractor to perform ordering business.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of a preferred embodiment of an ordering system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram of the ordering system shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a detailed sequence diagram of the ordering system shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 Ordering system 15 terminals (contract stores) 20 network (Internet) 30 centers (ordering agent) 31, 42 Web server 32, 41 gateways and firewalls 33,44 DB server 34,43 Communication path

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. An ordering system in which a contract store uses a terminal to order a product under the conditions desired by a trader and receives the product, and has a center connected to the contract store via a network such as the Internet, An ordering system, wherein the center mediates ordering work between the contract store and the dealer. 2. The ordering system according to claim 1, wherein the center includes a Web server for transmitting information to the contract store and a database server for storing various kinds of information about a plurality of vendors. 3. The ordering system according to claim 2, wherein the center further includes a gateway and a firewall that can be accessed only by the contract store. 4. When the contract store sends order data from the terminal to the center, the center requests a price response from the contractor according to the ordering conditions, and the contractor stores the contractor with the most advantageous condition. The ordering system according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein a reply is sent to a contract store. 5. A terminal operated by a contract store, a plurality of vendors capable of delivering desired products to the contract store, and a terminal of the contract store and the plurality of vendors connected via a network to mediate ordering business. The contract store sends order data to the center, and the center receives price proposals from the plurality of traders based on the order data and returns the selected trader to the contract store. An ordering system, wherein ordering confirmation data is transmitted to a contractor selected after the contract store is decided. 6. The ordering system according to claim 5, wherein the center is provided with a database server for holding various kinds of information regarding the plurality of vendors, and is made accessible by a terminal of the contract store. 7. The database server of the center comprises a product master that stores master data of products ordered by a contract store that is a customer, a trader master that stores information about each registered trader, and an ordering method for the contract store. 7. The ordering system according to claim 6, further comprising: a profile master for storing preferred traders and the like, and a trader evaluation master for storing evaluation results regarding troubles and complaints at the time of transactions. 8. Each of the traders is provided with a price presenting product master containing the latest price for each product, and is accessible from the center.
Ordering system described in.