JP2007233980A - Network shopping system and method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To allow a customer to do shopping at a maximum with minimum shipping charge and to provide a virtual shop with merchandise and services while minimizing loss as much as possible. <P>SOLUTION: A customer terminal 7 is connected to the virtual shop 14 through a public line network. The customer terminal 7 accesses the virtual shop 14 through the public line network to perform a merchandise purchase procedure. When accessed to start the merchandise purchase procedure, the virtual shop 14 prompts the user to select a packaging material for packaging merchandise among a plurality of packaging materials and merchandise to be purchased among a plurality of merchandise, determines whether all of the merchandise selected for purchase is contained in the selected packaging material, and prompts to reselect a packaging material when all of the selected merchandise is not contained in the packaging material as a result of determination. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a network shopping system and method, and more particularly, to a network shopping system and a network shopping method suitable for selling or purchasing a product via a public network.

  In recent years, a terminal device connected to the Internet or the like via a public network is used to access a virtual shop provided by a service provider that provides various services connected to the Internet and purchase various products. Be able to.

  With the above-mentioned conventional technology, it is difficult for the purchaser to clearly grasp the “shipping cost” in advance or during the purchase, and it is difficult to realize the demand for “maximum shopping with the minimum shipping cost”. Has the problem.

  In addition, the above-mentioned conventional technology offers a variety of product lineups in the virtual shop that provides products, when offering services such as free shipping with fixed price settings, etc. From the standpoint of attracting customers, depending on the merchandise or the logistics company that uses it, there is a problem that the shipping cost may cut into the profit of the merchandise and cause a loss.

  In addition, the above-described conventional technology has a problem that it is difficult to mix products from a plurality of stores in one box, and a shipping fee is generated for each store.

  The object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art and realize a prior grasp of the shipping cost by using a method of “packing goods in a box (packaging material)”. It is possible to realize the “maximum shopping with the shipping cost of” and to provide products and services in the form of as little loss as possible to the virtual shop. It is an object of the present invention to provide a network shopping system and method capable of mixing products.

  According to the present invention, the object is to provide a network shopping system for purchasing commodities via a public network, wherein a customer terminal and a virtual shop are connected via a public network, and the customer terminal is connected to the public network. Means for accessing the virtual shop via a line network and performing a purchase procedure of the product, and for packing the product when the virtual shop is accessed from the customer terminal and the purchase procedure of the product is started; A packing material selection screen for selecting a packing material from a plurality of packing materials is displayed on the customer terminal to select a packing material, and a product selection screen for selecting a product to be purchased from a plurality of products is displayed on the customer terminal. Means for selecting products to be purchased and the products selected for purchase can all be stored in the selected packing material. And a determination means for determining whether or not when the selected product is not completely stored in the packaging material, a message to that effect is displayed on the customer terminal and a packaging material selection screen is displayed on the customer terminal. Thus, this is achieved by providing means for reselecting the packing material.

  In addition, in the network shopping method for purchasing products via a public line network, the object is configured such that a customer terminal and a virtual shop are connected via a public line network, and the customer terminal uses the public line network. A step of accessing the virtual shop via the product and performing a purchase procedure for the product, and a packing material for packing the product when the virtual shop is accessed from the customer terminal and the purchase procedure for the product is started. A step of displaying a packing material selection screen for selecting from a plurality of packing materials on the customer terminal and selecting a packing material, and a product selection screen for selecting a product to be purchased from a plurality of products displayed on the customer terminal for purchase. The step of selecting a product and the product selected as the purchase can be stored in the selected packing material. A determination step for determining whether or not, and as a result of the determination, if all of the selected products cannot be stored in the packaging material, a message to that effect is displayed on the customer terminal, and a packaging material selection screen is displayed on the customer terminal. And the step of reselecting the packaging material.

  In addition, in the network shopping method for purchasing products via a public line network, the object is configured such that a customer terminal and a virtual shop are connected via a public line network, and the customer terminal uses the public line network. The virtual shop is accessed via the customer terminal, and when the virtual shop is accessed from the customer terminal and the purchase procedure of the product is started, the product to be purchased is selected from a plurality of products. A step of displaying a product selection screen to be displayed on the customer terminal and selecting a product to be purchased, and selecting an optimal packaging material that can be stored in the selected packaging material for all the products selected to be purchased. And presenting it to the customer terminal along with the capacity.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to realize advance grasping of the shipping cost, and to realize “maximum shopping with the minimum shipping cost” for the customer, and for the virtual shop to generate as little loss as possible. Products and services can be provided, and products from a plurality of shops can be mixed with a single shipping fee.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of a network shopping system and method according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a network shopping system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining a shopping procedure using the system shown in FIG. In FIG. 1, 1 is a customer side device, 2 is an access device, 3 is a public network, 4 is a service provider, 5 is a virtual shop group, 6 is a line connection device, 7 is a customer terminal, 8 is a display device, 9 is The terminal body unit 10 is an external storage device, 11 is an input device, 12 is a communication line, 13 is a virtual traffic network, and 14 is a virtual shop.

  A network shopping system according to an embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1 includes a customer side device 1 used by a purchaser connected via a public line network 3 such as the Internet and an access device 2 connected to the line network. The service provider 4 and a virtual shop group 5 of a plurality of virtual shops 14 that the service provider 4 provides services, and the access device 2 and the customer side device 1 are connected by a communication line 12 such as a telephone line. Has been. FIG. 1 shows only one customer-side device 1, access device 2, and service provider 4, but in actuality, a larger number of them may be connected to the public communication network 3. Needless to say. In the example shown in FIG. 1, a large number of networks may be interposed between one public line network 3 represented by the Internet and the purchaser apparatus 1.

  The service provider 4 has a virtual shop 5 provided by a product provider, and provides a service for providing various product information provided in the virtual shop 5 to the customer by access from the customer as a user. The access device 2 performs a connection service between the customer-side device 1 as a user and the service provider 4 via the public line network 3, such as a public line network connection provider, a bidirectional CATV broadcasting station, etc. It may be. Further, the communication line 12 may be a telephone line, a bidirectional CATV line, a satellite line, or the like.

  The customer side device 1 includes a line connection device 6 such as a modem, a LAN adapter, a digital public telephone, a mobile phone with a built-in modem, and a customer terminal 7 such as a PC (personal computer), TV, PDA (mobile terminal) compatible with the public line network. Consists of. The customer terminal 7 may be configured to include, for example, a display device 8, a terminal body 9, an external storage device 10, and an input device 11, and the input device 11 includes a keyboard, a mouse, a controller, a remote controller, a pen, and a joystick. Etc., or a combination thereof. Further, the display device 8 may be a television receiver or the like.

  In the above description, the terminal main body 9, the service provider 4, the virtual shop 14, and the like are not shown, but are configured to include a storage device such as a CPU, a memory, and an HDD, an input device such as a keyboard and a mouse, and a display device. Various functions constructed in the apparatus and described later are realized by the CPU executing a program loaded in the memory.

  Next, in the system configured as described above, a shopping procedure when a customer intends to perform network shopping will be described with reference to a flow shown in FIG.

(1) A customer who wants to perform network shopping uses a customer terminal 7 to make a virtual shop as a site via the line connection device 6, the communication line 12, the access device 2, the public line network 3, and the service provider 4. Group 5 is accessed (step 21).

(2) The customer selects a virtual shop for network shopping from a plurality of virtual shops 14 existing in the virtual shop group 5, and accesses the site of each virtual shop. This access process is performed in the same manner as in the case of accessing the publicly known Internet (step 22).

(3) The accessed virtual shop 14 has shipping destination area information to which various products provided in the shop can be shipped and packing material information for packing the products (for example, a box that can be selected from boxes of different sizes) ) To the customer terminal 7, and the customer selects the shipping destination area and the required packaging material from the shipping destination area information and the packaging material information displayed on the display device 8 of the terminal ( Step 23).

(4) After selecting the packing material for packing the purchased product, the customer searches for the purchased product and continues processing, and shopping until the packing material is fully packed on the display screen. At this time, if the number of products to be purchased increases and cannot be fully accommodated by the packaging material, the customer can select the packaging material again (steps 24 and 25).
(5) When a customer finishes purchasing a product at one store and continues to purchase products at another virtual shop and packs the product into the packaging material selected at step 23, the store list site at step 21 again. Returning to FIG. 4, it is possible to select the virtual shop 14 to perform network shopping from the virtual shop group 5 and continue to purchase the product (step 26).

  For example, when a customer sequentially moves to the virtual shops 14A to 14C and continues the network shopping, the network shopping is continued until the total packing material occupation display 15 of products purchased at the plurality of stores reaches 100%. Can do. However, if the purchase of the product is terminated in step 25, it is not necessary to proceed to step 26. In addition, when the customer moves the store in step 26 and continues the network shopping, the movement between the virtual shops and the movement between the virtual shops are performed through the virtual transportation network 13, and the substantial cost for the movement occurs. In some cases, after the purchase is confirmed, the cost can be added at the time of ordering and settlement.

(6) When the customer determines the packing material for packing the product to be purchased and the product to be purchased, the customer performs ordering and settlement processing. This order and settlement processing can be performed by a known procedure known as network shopping. Thereafter, the customer can search for another product again and continue the shopping simulation (step 27).

(7) Thereafter, the store that provides the virtual shop 14 performs aftercare processing such as receiving an order from the customer, packing the product, and shipping (step 28).

  In the above description, the processing of steps 23, 24, and 25 is characteristic processing of the present invention, and the specific contents of this processing will be described below.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the contents of a table of various types of information that are required when performing an allowance confirmation process when packing a product in the embodiment of the present invention.

  In the packing box information table, as shown in FIG. 3 (a), the packing material type (size, type, etc.) 31, maximum capacity (packing material volume) 32, maximum weight (for each packing material according to shipping category) Weight that can be packed) 33, bottom area (bottom area of packing material) 34, shipping fee (shipping by size) 35, fee, etc. (other incidental costs, etc.) 36, weight threshold (weight) (including cushioning material) The ratio of the actual packaging to the maximum weight not including) 37-1, the volume threshold (the ratio of the actual packaging to the maximum volume not including the buffer material) 37-2, the bottom area threshold (the actual to the bottom area not including the buffer material) Packing ratio) 37-3 and mixed loading / unloading (whether or not movement between stores is possible) 38 are set in advance.

  In the sub packing box information table, as shown in FIG. 3B, the sub packing material type (size, type, etc.) 39, height (sub packing material height) 40, bottom area (sub packing box) Base area) 41, weight (box weight) 42, maximum volume (sub-packing box volume) 43, and threshold value (ratio of actual packing to maximum volume not including cushioning material) 44 are preset. . The secondary packing box is used to pack individual or a small number of products and store them in the main packing box. The information on the secondary packing box is used to check the capacity when storing in the packing box. Used when.

  In the product information table, as shown in FIG. 3C, it is determined whether or not a product code (product identification number) 45, a product name (name) 46, a unit price (sell price) 47, and a stock quantity (whether shipping is possible). 48), bottom area (area of the bottom part when packing the product) 49, volume (volume of the product) 50, weight (weight of the product) 51, weight ratio by product (can be reduced) Reduction rate in the case of a product or an enlargement rate in the case of an expandable product) 52-1, a reduction rate in the case of a product that can be reduced by a product-based volume reduction rate or an enlargement rate in the case of an expandable product) 52-2, Bottom area coverage by product (reduction rate for products that can be reduced or enlargement rate for products that can be expanded) 52-3, volume confirmation possible / impossible (whether the product is okay if packed in layers) ) 53 is preset.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the processing operation from selection of a packing material to confirmation of purchase of a product. Next, this will be described.

(1) When the user accesses the site in the processing in steps 21 and 22 described with reference to FIG. 2, the intention to purchase the product is confirmed and the product is not purchased. A shopping screen is displayed, and the user performs window shopping by sequentially displaying products on the screen. If the product is not purchased, the processing here is terminated (steps 401 and 402).

(2) If it is determined in step 401 that the product is to be purchased, an area selection screen (to be described later) is displayed as part of the process in step 23 to allow the user to make an area selection (steps 403 and 404).

(3) When the user selects an area to which the product he / she purchased is to be sent, a packaging material selection display screen as shown in FIG. 5 for selecting the packaging material is displayed and the packaging material is selected. Make it. At this time, the shipping fee up to the selected area is displayed on the selectable packaging material icon. Thus, the user can recognize the shipping fee for each packing material to some extent before purchasing the product (steps 405 and 406).

(4) When the user selects a packaging material in the process of step 406, or when it is determined to purchase a product in the window shopping of step 402, a product screen is displayed, and the user selects the product. (Steps 407 and 408).

(5) When the user selects a product in the process of step 308, the volume of the packing material selected in the process of step 405 and the weight that can be stored are within an allowable range with respect to the volume and weight of the selected product. Is calculated and confirmed (steps 409, 410, 413, 414).

(6) If the determination of the weight check in step 410 is NO, an error message indicating excess weight is displayed, the product selection is invalidated, and the user is prompted to input whether or not to continue to purchase the product. Then, the process returns to the process of step 406 to continue the process by reselecting the packing material (steps 411 and 412).

(7) If the determination of capacity check in step 414 is NO, an error message indicating that the capacity has been exceeded is displayed, the product selection is invalidated, and the user is asked whether to continue purchasing the product, and continue. In this case, the process returns to the process of step 406 to reselect the packaging material and continue the process (steps 415 and 416).

(8) If it is input in the process of steps 412 and 416 that the purchase of the product is not continued, but the product selected so far other than the product last selected by the customer in the process of steps 411 and 415, If the determination of weight and capacity is OK in the processing of steps 410 and 414, the sum of the weight and volume is calculated for all the products selected so far, and the ratio is displayed on the screen (step 417).

(9) The customer inputs whether or not to continue to purchase the product, and if the purchase of the product is to be continued, the process returns to step 408 and continues to select the product (step 418).

(10) If it is determined in step 418 that the purchase of the product is to be terminated, a list screen of the selected product (product, subtotal, shipping fee, expenses, total) is displayed and whether or not to confirm the purchase of the product. Are input (steps 419 and 420).

(11) If it is determined in step 420 that the purchase of the product is not confirmed, the process returns to the process from step 401 to continue the process of purchasing another product and to confirm the purchase of the product. If the confirmation is NO, the payment screen is displayed, and if the confirmation is NO, it is assumed that the user is willing to purchase the product and the process returns to step 401. The process of purchasing another product is continued (step 421).

(12) If the confirmation is YES in step 421, the purchase of the product is confirmed, a content confirmation mail is sent from the mail system or the like, and the process here ends. After that, the user can return to the process from step 401 and continue the process of purchasing another product, or can continue to purchase the product at another virtual shop (step). 422, 424, 423).

  By the processing in the embodiment of the present invention as described above, the user can select a product until satisfactory, can purchase a product suitable for the selected packing material, confirm the selected product, You can confirm the purchase, place an order, and make a payment. In addition, when the purchase of the product in another virtual shop is continued after the settlement, the packaging material needs to have a free space, but the product can be purchased until the packaging material is full. When moving to another virtual shop, by setting up the virtual transportation network 13 shown in FIG. 1, it is possible to fuse the actual store and the virtual shop on the net, thereby matching the actual physical distribution. You can move between stores.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a packaging material selection screen that is displayed to allow the user to select a packaging material after selecting an area in step 404 described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 5, on this screen, as a packing material prepared by a store (virtual shop) to pack products, a plurality of boxes (BOX) having different volumes, a plurality of bags (BAG), and Is displayed as selectable. The display of each box and bag is actually filled with specific dimensions of the bag, side, and height, and its characteristics, for example, suitable for packing fragile items such as bottles. It should be noted. In addition, the postage to the selected area is described for each box and bag. The user selects one of the box and bag to be used from this display screen.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a product selection screen that is displayed to allow the user to select a product after selecting the packing material in step 406 described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 6, on this screen, the individual products of the product group provided by the virtual shop accessed by the user, the product name, and the price are displayed together with the selected packing material. Moreover, although not shown in FIG. 6, the volume and weight are displayed for each product. When the user sequentially selects a plurality of products, the ratio of the total volume of the product and the total weight of the product with respect to the volume of the packing material and the storable weight when the product is packed in the packing material is displayed in a bar graph. When there are many types of products provided by the virtual shop, a display page for each product type can be prepared and the display screen can be switched.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of an area selection screen displayed in the process of step 403 connected according to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 7, on this screen, it is only necessary to display a region name with the same shipping cost divided into domestic and overseas so that it can be selected with a mouse or the like. In addition, for example, a map of Japan can be divided into blocks with the same shipping cost, and at that time, the area can be displayed such that a different color is given to each block, and the user can select a block.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen displayed by processing in some steps. Next, the processing illustrated in FIG. 4 will be described with reference to an example of the display screen.

  Next, details of the volume confirmation processing of the packing material in the processing of step 413 described with reference to FIG. 4 will be described. There are roughly two methods for volume confirmation processing, namely, a simple calculation method when packing premised on one-stage packing and a simple calculation method when packing premised on top packing. These will be described in order.

  FIG. 8 is a flow chart for explaining a simple calculation process for volume confirmation when packing on the premise of one-stage packing. First, this will be described.

(1) The bottom area of the product selected in the product selection process is obtained from the product information table, a product coverage ratio within a range that can be reduced is set to the bottom area, the product is obtained, and the bottom area occupied by the product Is calculated (step 801).

(2) Next, the bottom area of the newly selected product is calculated by the same method as the processing in step 801, and is added to the total sum of the bottom areas of the products selected so far (the initial value is 0). In the first selection, the sum of the bottom areas of all the selected products is calculated (step 802).

(3) The sum of the bottom areas of the products calculated in the processes of steps 801 and 802 and the bottom area of the selected packing material are obtained from the packing material information table, and the ratio of the bottom area that can be packed to the obtained bottom area Is multiplied by the threshold value, and the product is defined as the bottom area that can be actually packed, and the bottom area of the packing material that can be actually packed is compared with the sum of the bottom areas of the selected goods that the goods occupy (step 803). ).

(4) It is checked whether or not the sum of the bottom areas of the selected products compared in step 803 exceeds the bottom area of the packing material that can be packed, and the sum of the bottom areas of the selected products is If the packing material does not exceed the packable bottom area and can be packed, the proportion of the product in the packing material is displayed as OK, and the processing here is terminated (step 804).

(5) If the sum of the bottom areas of the selected products exceeds the bottom area where the packing material can be packed and cannot be packed in the check in step 804, an error message is displayed and the packing material is reselected. When determining the bottom area of the packing material that can be packed from the maximum bottom area and threshold value of each packing material from the packing material information table, subtract the total of the bottom area of the product from the bottom area of this packing material, A positive packing material is presented as an appropriate packing material (step 805).

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining a simple calculation process of volume confirmation when packing is premised on top-packing. Next, this will be described.

(1) The volume of the product selected in the product selection is obtained from the product information table, the product multiplication rate within a range that can be reduced is set to the volume of the product, the product is obtained, and the volume occupied by the product is calculated ( Step 901).

(2) Next, the volume of the newly selected product is calculated in the same manner as the processing in step 901, and it is cumulatively added to the total volume of the products selected so far (initial value is 0, initial value By adding to 0 at the time of selection, the sum of the volumes of all the selected products is calculated (step 902).

(3) The sum of the product volumes calculated in the processes of steps 901 and 902 and the volume of the selected packaging material are obtained from the packaging material information table, and a threshold value that is a ratio of the volume that can be packed to the obtained volume is obtained. The product is multiplied to obtain a volume that can be actually packed, and the volume of the packing material that can be actually packed is compared with the total volume of the selected products occupied by the product (step 903).

(4) It is checked whether or not the total volume of the selected products compared in step 903 exceeds the packing capacity of the packing material, and the total volume of the selected products is When packing is possible without exceeding the volume that can be packed, the ratio of the product in the packing material is displayed as OK, and the processing here is terminated (step 904).

(5) If the total volume of the selected product exceeds the packing capacity of the packing material and cannot be packed in the check in step 904, an error message is displayed and the packing material is reselected. The packing material information table is used to determine the volume of packing material that can be packed from the maximum volume of each packing material and the threshold value, and the total volume of the product is subtracted from the volume of the packing material to obtain a positive packing material. It is presented as an appropriate packaging material (step 905).

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the processing operation of re-selecting the packing material when the user selects “continue purchase” due to the excess of capacity (steps 415 and 416) in the process described with reference to FIG. To do.

(1) First, the list of boxes is redisplayed, and the user is allowed to select a new box (packaging material), and then the capacity of the newly selected box is smaller than the capacity of the previously selected box. It is checked and it is determined (steps 1001 to 1003).

(2) If the capacity of the newly selected box is larger than the capacity of the previously selected box in the determination of step 1003, it is determined that the reselection of the box has been completed, and the process here ends ( Steps 1005 and 1009).

(3) When the capacity of the newly selected box is smaller than the capacity of the previously selected box in the determination in step 1003, the individual capacity of the selected product is multiplied by the multiplication rate for each product. All of the values are added, and this is taken as the volume of all products, and this volume is compared with the volume of the newly selected box (step 1004).

(4) As a result of the comparison in step 1004, it is determined whether or not the volume of the newly selected box is smaller than the volume of all products. If the volume of the newly selected box is larger than the volume of all products, the box Assuming that the reselection has been completed, the processing here is terminated (steps 1006, 1008, 1009).

(5) If the volume of the newly selected box is smaller than the volume of all products as a result of the determination in step 1006, a message indicating that the capacity of the product selected so far exceeds the capacity of the box is displayed. Returning to the processing from step 1001, the user is allowed to reselect the box (step 1007).

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating another example of the processing operation for reselecting the packing material when the user selects “continue purchase” due to excess capacity (steps 415 and 416) in the process described with reference to FIG. This will be described. The example demonstrated here is a simple example which selects a box only from the bottom area of the box which is a packing material.

(1) First, the list of boxes is redisplayed, and the user is allowed to select a new box (packaging material). Thereafter, the bottom area of the newly selected box is smaller than the bottom area of the previously selected box. Whether or not is determined (steps 1101 to 1103).

(2) If the bottom area of the newly selected box is larger than the bottom area of the previously selected box as determined in step 1103, it is assumed that the reselection of the box has been completed, and the process here ends. (Steps 1105 and 1109).

(3) If the bottom area of the newly selected box is smaller than the bottom area of the previously selected box in the determination in step 1103, the product-specific multiplying factor is added to the individual bottom area of the selected commodity. All the values multiplied by are added, and this is used as the bottom area of all products, and this bottom area is compared with the bottom area of the newly selected box (step 1104).

(4) As a result of the comparison in step 1104, it is determined whether or not the bottom area of the newly selected box is smaller than the bottom area of all products, and the bottom area of the newly selected box is larger than the bottom area of all products. In this case, it is assumed that the reselection of boxes has been completed, and the processing here is terminated (steps 1106, 1108, 1109).

(5) As a result of the determination in step 1106, if the bottom area of the newly selected box is smaller than the bottom area of all the products, the bottom area of the products selected so far exceeds the bottom area of the box. A message is displayed, and the process returns to the processing from step 1101 to allow the user to reselect the box (step 1107).

  The embodiment of the present invention described above has been described as allowing the user to select a product to be purchased after having the user select a packaging material. Next, an example of this case will be described.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart for explaining the processing operation when the user selects a product to be purchased and then selects a packing material. Next, this will be described.

(1) When the user accesses the site in the processing in steps 21 and 22 described with reference to FIG. 2, when the user confirms the intention to purchase the product and purchases the product, the product screen Is displayed to allow the user to select a product (steps 1201 to 1203).

(2) Next, the user inputs whether or not to end the purchase of the product. If the purchase of the product is not completed, the process returns to the process from step 1203 and the process from the process of selecting the product again is continued. (Step 1204).

(3) If the user input in step 1204 is the end of the purchase of the product, the weight and capacity of the product selected for purchase are aggregated. The product capacity may be aggregated by the same method as the processing of steps 801 and 802 described with reference to FIG. 8 or the processing of steps 901 and 902 described with reference to FIG. Is also calculated (step 1205).

(4) An appropriate packing material for packing the selected product is presented, and if there is free space, the free space is displayed. The presentation of the packing material and the presentation of the free space are numerical values calculated in the same manner as in the processing of step 801 and 802 described with reference to FIG. 8 and the processing of steps 901 and 902 described with reference to FIG. Determine the maximum capacity or bottom area and threshold value of each packing material from the packing material information table, subtract the sum of the product volume or bottom area from the packing capacity or bottom area, and pack the positive packing material appropriately. In addition to presenting as a material, the above-described subtracted value may be presented (step 1206).

(5) Let the user input again whether or not to end the purchase of the product, and if the purchase of the product is not completed, return to the process from step 1203 and continue the process from the process of selecting the product again ( Step 1207).

(5) When the user input in step 1207 is the end of the purchase of the product, the list screen of the selected product (product, subtotal, shipping fee, expenses, total) is displayed and whether or not to confirm the purchase of the product Is input (steps 1208 and 1209).

(6) If it is determined in step 1209 that the purchase of the product is not confirmed, the process returns to the processing from step 1201, and further the process of purchasing another product is continued, and the purchase of the product is confirmed. If this is the case, the settlement screen is displayed, and the user confirms the purchase contents (step 1210).

(7) When confirmation is input from the user in step 1210, the purchase of the product is confirmed, a content confirmation mail is sent from the mail system or the like, and the processing here ends. After that, the user can return to the process from step 1201 and continue the process of purchasing another product, or can continue the purchase of the product in another virtual shop (step). 1211, 1212).

  As in the case of the process of step 406 described with reference to FIG. 4, a process for displaying a screen for selecting a packing material can be added to the process described with reference to FIG. 4 to provide a packing material reselection function. It becomes possible to perform re-selection of the packing material and re-selection of the product, and it is possible to purchase additional products until the packing box is full, and to purchase the product with the packing material suitable for the desired product.

  Although the above-described embodiment of the present invention has been described as being applied to a virtual shop by connecting to the Internet, the present invention can also be applied to a catalog sales order receiving system or the like performed by a telephone line or the like.

  Each process in the above-described embodiment of the present invention is configured by a program, and can be executed by a CPU provided in the management server, and these programs are stored in a recording medium such as an FD, a CD-ROM, or a DVD. It can also be provided as digital information via a network.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the network shopping system by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart explaining the procedure of shopping using the system shown in FIG. It is a figure explaining the content of the table of various information required when performing the process of the tolerance confirmation at the time of packing goods in embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart explaining the processing operation | movement from selection of a packing material to goods purchase confirmation. It is a figure which shows the example of the packaging material selection screen displayed in order to make a user select a packaging material after the area selection in step 404 demonstrated by FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the goods selection screen displayed in order to make a user select goods after selecting the packing material in step 406 demonstrated by FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the area selection screen displayed by the process of step 403 connected by FIG. It is a flowchart explaining the process of the simple calculation of the capacity | capacitance confirmation in the case of packing on the assumption of 1 step | paragraph packing. It is a flowchart explaining the process of the simple calculation of the volume confirmation in the case of packing premised on top packing. FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining a processing operation for reselecting a packing material when the user selects “continue purchase” due to excess capacity in the processing described with reference to FIG. 4 (steps 415 and 416). FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining another example of the processing operation for re-selecting the packing material when the user selects “continue purchase” due to excess capacity in the processing described with reference to FIG. 4 (steps 415 and 416). It is a flow chart explaining processing operation at the time of making a user choose goods for purchase, and making it choose packing material.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Customer side apparatus 2 Access apparatus 3 Public line network 4 Service provider 5 Virtual shop group 6 Line connection apparatus 7 Customer terminal 8 Display apparatus 9 Terminal main-body part 10 External storage device 11 Input apparatus 12 Communication line 13 Virtual traffic network 14 Virtual shop

Claims (14)

  In a network shopping system for purchasing goods via a public line network, a customer terminal and a virtual shop are connected via a public line network, and the customer terminal is connected to the virtual shop via the public line network. Means for accessing and purchasing a product, and the virtual shop selects a packing material for packing the product from a plurality of packing materials when the purchase procedure of the product is started by accessing from the customer terminal Means for displaying a packing material selection screen to be displayed on the customer terminal and selecting a packaging material; means for displaying a product selection screen for selecting a product to be purchased from a plurality of products and selecting a product to be purchased; and Determining means for determining whether or not all the products selected to be purchased can be stored in the selected packing material; As a result of the determination, if all of the selected products cannot be stored in the packaging material, a message to that effect is displayed on the customer terminal, and a packaging material selection screen is displayed on the customer terminal to reselect the packaging material. A network shopping system comprising means for performing the operation.   2. The network shopping system according to claim 1, wherein the virtual shop further comprises means for displaying a shipping destination selection screen for selecting a shipping destination area to which a product is shipped on the customer terminal and selecting the shipping destination area. .   The network according to claim 2, wherein the packing material selection screen displays an allowable amount that can be packed for each packing material and a shipping fee to the selected shipping destination area for each size of the packing material. Shopping system.   The determination means for determining whether or not all the selected products can be stored in the selected packaging material, adds all the capacities of the individual products selected as the purchase, and the added capacity, 4. The network shopping system according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the network shopping system is determined by comparing with an allowable packing amount of the selected packing material.   The network shopping system according to claim 4, wherein one of volume, weight, and bottom area is used as the capacity.   The network shopping system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a purchased product can be mixedly mounted on the selected packing material from the plurality of virtual ones.   In a network shopping method for purchasing products via a public line network, a customer terminal and a virtual shop are connected via a public line network, and the customer terminal is connected to the virtual shop via the public line network. The virtual shop comprises a step of accessing and purchasing a product, and the virtual shop selects a packing material for packing the product from a plurality of packing materials when accessed from the customer terminal and the purchase procedure of the product is started. Displaying a packing material selection screen to be displayed on the customer terminal and selecting a packing material; displaying a product selection screen for selecting a product to be purchased from a plurality of products and selecting the product to be purchased; and It is determined whether or not all the products selected for purchase can be stored in the selected packing material. As a result of the step and determination, when all of the selected products cannot be stored in the packaging material, a message to that effect is displayed on the customer terminal, and a packaging material selection screen is displayed on the customer terminal. A network shopping method comprising the steps of:   8. The network according to claim 7, wherein the packing material selection screen displays an allowable amount packable for each packing material and a shipping fee to the selected shipping destination area for each packing material size. Shopping system.   The determination step of determining whether or not all of the selected products can be stored in the selected packing material is to add all the capacities of the individual products selected as the purchase, and the added capacity, 9. The network shopping method according to claim 7, wherein the network shopping method is determined by comparing with a permissible packing amount of the selected packing material.   The network shopping method according to claim 9, wherein one of volume, weight, and bottom area is used as the capacity.   In a network shopping method for purchasing products via a public line network, a customer terminal and a virtual shop are connected via a public line network, and the customer terminal is connected to the virtual shop via the public line network. The virtual shop has a step of accessing a product for purchase, and the virtual shop has a product selection screen for selecting a product to be purchased from a plurality of products when the purchase procedure for the product is started by accessing from the customer terminal. A step of selecting a product to be displayed and purchased on the customer terminal, and selecting an optimal packaging material that can be stored in the selected packaging material, and presenting it to the customer terminal together with the free capacity. And a network shopping method.   12. The virtual shop further comprises a step of selecting a shipping destination area by displaying a shipping destination selection screen on the customer terminal for selecting a shipping destination area to which a product is shipped. The network shopping method according to 1.   The method further comprises the step of urging the customer terminal to continue purchasing the product for the available capacity of the packaging material when the optimum packaging material is selected and the packaging material has available capacity. Item 12. The network shopping method according to Item 11.   The network shopping method according to any one of claims 7 to 13, wherein a purchased product from a plurality of the virtual can be mixedly loaded on the selected packing material.

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