JP2008140404A - System comprising accounting server and dns - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide various information services to a user. <P>SOLUTION: In a system wherein a terminal device and a server are connected through the Internet, when the server is accessed from the terminal device, the server determines whether the terminal device is an access member or not in step S162, and when the result is negative, access is rejected in step S163. When affirmative, it is determined whether the terminal device is a member A or a member B in step S164. When a member A or a member B is determined, transfer of a designated screen for the member A or the member B is requested to the server in step S165 or S166. The server transfers the designated screen (menu screen) for the member A to the member A, and transfers the designated screen (menu) for the member B to the member B, in response thereto. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, and more particularly to an information processing apparatus that controls information provided to a terminal device from a server connected to the Internet in accordance with user personal information.

  FIG. 20 shows a configuration example of a network system in a conventional information processing apparatus. A subscriber (user) has terminal apparatuses 1-1 to 1-12, and is connected to the Internet 3 via predetermined access providers (AP) 2-1 to 2-3, respectively. Information providers (information providers: IP) 4-1 to 4-3 are also connected to the Internet 3. In the Internet 3, computers can communicate with each other in accordance with a protocol defined by Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP / IP).

  On the Internet 3, an information search system called World Wide Web (WWW) is constructed. In this WWW, data is transferred according to a protocol called Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and information is easily retrieved and displayed by describing a screen in HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language). ing. As application software (WWW browser) on the terminal device side for this WWW, Netscape Navigator (trademark) of Netscape Corporation (trade name), Mosaic (trademark) of NCSA, and application software (WWW server) on the information provider side As described above, Netscape Commerce Server (trademark) is known. Each user can use the WWW browser to access the WWW server and receive information and services. Each information provider can provide information and services to a WWW browser using the WWW server.

  Recently, with the increase in the number of Internet 3 subscribers, there is a strong movement to use the Internet 3 commercially. A conventional method of using electric commerce is to display a menu screen transmitted from a WWW server (hereinafter referred to as “server” as appropriate) using a WWW browser (hereinafter simply referred to as “browser”). A user selects a predetermined product or service, receives an explanation thereof, and applies for purchase of the product or service separately by facsimile or telephone. That is, in this example, the Internet 3 is used for explaining products and services.

  As a method for restricting access to information of these servers, an IP address that can be used for each URL in the WWW server can be set. However, in the case of a dial-up connection access provider, the IP address is dynamically allocated. So this method is not available.

As another method, the HTTP authentication function can be used. In this case, the user needs to input personal information as a member for each service to be used and register it in each server. The server also needs to operate a database that manages a lot of member information. In addition, every time a user receives a service, the user needs to input the user ID and password of each service, which is difficult to remember and is troublesome.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-5624 JP 59-185483 A

  In the conventional network system, information that each user can receive from each server is the same for each user, and there is a problem that only uniform information and services can be provided.

  Further, in order to restrict access for each user by the information server, it is necessary to register each user for each information service. Furthermore, each information server also needs to build a large-scale user management database in order to manage many users, and to check credit card credits for billing such as shopping, the information server It will be a big burden.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and is intended to provide information and services that are more varied and to reduce the burden on the server.

  An information processing apparatus of the present invention is connected to a terminal device via the Internet and stores storage means for storing predetermined information, communication means for communicating predetermined data, control means for controlling the storage means and the communication means, and a plurality of servers An information processing apparatus comprising at least a detecting means for detecting access efficiency of a computer and a converting means for converting a domain name into an IP address. The control means accesses when receiving access from a terminal device via the Internet. The domain name specified by the terminal device is acquired, the access efficiency of a plurality of servers corresponding to the domain name is detected by the detecting means, the IP address of the server having advantageous access efficiency is identified by the detection, and the terminal device specifies The domain name is converted into an IP address of a server having advantageous access efficiency.

  In the information processing apparatus of the present invention, when access is received from the terminal device, the domain name specified by the accessing terminal device is acquired, the access efficiency of a plurality of servers corresponding to the domain name is detected, and the detection result Is used to identify the IP address of the server with advantageous access efficiency, and the domain name specified by the terminal device is converted to the identified IP address.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a variety of information and services for each user.

  Further, according to the present invention, it is not necessary to manage a lot of member information and restrict access in the server, so that the load on the server system is reduced.

  FIG. 1 shows a configuration example of a network system to which an information processing apparatus according to the present invention is applied, and the same reference numerals are given to portions corresponding to those in FIG. Also in this system, a plurality of information providers (IP) (information providers) 4-1 to 4-4 are connected to the Internet 3. Each of the terminal devices 1-1 to 1-4 is connected to the charging proxy 11 via a normal telephone line, and the charging proxy 11 is further connected to the Internet 3. The information provider 4-3 is further connected to an external inventory management system 12.

  In this embodiment, the charging proxy 11 also functions as an access provider (AP) and also functions as an information provider. The charging proxy 11 is connected to a plurality of credit card company computer systems (settlement systems) 6-1 to 6-3 via the CAFIS 5. Therefore, the charging proxy 11 also has application software (for example, Netscape Commerce Server) that can be used in the WWW system.

  FIG. 2 shows a specific configuration example of the charging proxy 11. The CPU 21 is configured to execute various processes according to programs stored in the ROM 22. In addition, the RAM 23 appropriately stores programs and data necessary for the CPU 21 to execute various processes. The interface 24 is connected to a hard disk (HD) 25, a magneto-optical disk 26, a communication unit 27, an input unit 28, a display 29, and the like.

  The hard disk 25 appropriately stores data, programs, and the like that need to be accessed at a relatively high speed. The magneto-optical disk 26 appropriately stores data, programs, etc. that can be accessed at a slower access speed than the hard disk 25. The communication unit 27 performs communication with the Internet, a dedicated line, a public telephone line, and the like. The input unit 28 includes a keyboard, a mouse, and the like, and is operated when inputting various commands. The display 29 is composed of a CRT, LCD, etc., and displays predetermined characters, images, and the like.

  FIG. 3 illustrates an internal configuration example of the terminal device 1-i. The terminal device 1-i includes a CPU 41 to a display 49, and is basically configured in the same manner as the charging proxy 11 having the CPU 21 to the display 29. However, the charging proxy 11 has a larger capacity and a higher speed than the terminal device 1-i. Although illustration is omitted, the information provider 4-j is basically configured in the same manner as the charging proxy 11.

  In this embodiment, each user (subscriber) accesses a predetermined information provider (hereinafter appropriately referred to as a server) 4-j from the terminal device 1-i, and provides products, services, etc. from there. Payment is made by automatic debit from a credit card or bank account. In this case, the user needs to perform a membership procedure for becoming a member of the predetermined charging proxy 11 in advance. This procedure can be performed by filling in a predetermined item on a predetermined application form and mailing it. However, this procedure can be performed from each terminal device 1-i via a telephone line or as necessary. Accordingly, it is possible to access the charging proxy 11 via the Internet 3 and perform this membership procedure online. 4 and 5 show the online sign-up process in this case.

  First, in step S1, the terminal device 1-i accesses the charging proxy 11 via a normal telephone line. At this time, in step S2, the CPU 21 of the charging proxy 11 reads the online service name, a greeting, a sentence that briefly explains the outline of the service (electric commerce service), and the like from the magneto-optical disk 26, and the terminal device from the communication unit 27. 1-i. These names, greetings, etc. are received by the communication unit 47 of the terminal device 1-i via the telephone line and displayed on the display 49.

  In addition, the billing proxy 11 can accept in step S3, “Individual members will not be accepted unless they have a credit card.” Or “If you are under 20 years of age, a company organization or a group, you must apply separately. We will send the information by mail, so sorry, but please apply by mail.

  In step S4, the user determines whether or not the precautions displayed in step S3 are applicable. If the user determines that they are applicable, the user operates the input unit 48 and inputs that fact. The CPU 41 transmits this input to the communication unit 27 of the charging proxy 11 via the communication unit 47. When the CPU 21 of the billing proxy 11 receives this input via the communication unit 27, it proceeds to step S5. For example, “Request a membership application form by telephone or e-mail to the following window. A message such as “I will send you a membership application form” is transmitted to the communication unit 47 of the terminal device 1-i via the communication unit 27 and displayed on the display 49. At this time, the reception time, telephone number, e-mail address, etc. are further transmitted and displayed. In accordance with this message, the user performs a membership procedure by telephone or e-mail.

  Then, the process proceeds to step S6, the line is disconnected, and the online membership procedure process is terminated.

  Alternatively, if it is determined in step S4 that the application is from a user under the age of 20, a company organization, an organization, etc., the process proceeds to step S7, and the name, address, postal code, telephone number, etc. are displayed in the terminal device. The CPU 21 of the charging proxy 11 transmits the reception date and the reception number to the terminal device 1-i and displays it on the display 49 when receiving the input.

  In step S9, the input in step S7 is registered in, for example, the inquiry-only database formed on the magneto-optical disk 26 of the charging proxy 11, and in step S10, the address and name destination input in step S7 are registered. Process to send out the application form. When the user receives this application form by mail, he / she fills in the prescribed items and returns the application form.

  In each process shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, each user basically performs an input according to the procedure shown in FIG.

  That is, “Please enter **” is displayed on the display 49 of the terminal device 1-i. Furthermore, if there are lists, input formats, etc., these are also displayed. In response to this display, the user operates the input unit 48 to perform a predetermined input. The CPU 21 of the billing proxy 11 checks the input contents, and if it is wrong, makes the input again.

  When a correct input is made, the input content is displayed on the display 49, and further, a confirmation display (1: OK 2: NG) is performed, and the user is made to make an input for this display. When the input is performed, the process proceeds to the next item.

  Returning to FIG. 4, when it is determined in step S4 that the application is not from a user under 20 years old, or from a company organization or organization, the process proceeds to step S11 and online sign-up processing is started. In step S12, a message “Do you want to see the terms and conditions?” Is displayed on the display 49 of the terminal device 1-i. When the user inputs to view the contract, the process proceeds to step S13, and the CPU 21 transmits the contract to the terminal device 1-i and displays it on the display 49.

  In step S14, a message “Do you agree with the terms and conditions?” Is displayed on the display 49. When the user inputs that he / she does not agree to the terms and conditions, the process proceeds to step S15 and further inputs whether or not it is certain (does not agree to the terms and conditions). When it is input that it is not certain, the process returns to step S14 and the message “Do you agree to the terms and conditions” is displayed again. If it is confirmed that you do not agree to the terms and conditions again, from step S15 Proceeding to step S16, for example, a message such as "Thank you for joining again. Thank you." Is displayed, proceeding to step S6, the line is disconnected, and the process is terminated.

  In step S14, when the user inputs an agreement to the terms and conditions, the process proceeds to step S17, where the name, its furigana, gender, date of birth, occupation, current address (prefecture), current address (address below the prefecture), Enter phonetic, postal code, telephone number, telephone type (public line or ISDN), fax number, communication environment used.

  Next, proceeding to step S18, the user is made to input the presence / absence of an emergency contact. If the emergency contact exists, the process proceeds to step S19, and the name and telephone number of the emergency contact are further input. When this input is performed, or when it is input in step S18 that there is no emergency contact, the process proceeds to the user ID input routine process of FIG.

  In the user ID input routine, first, in step S31, the user is requested to input a desired user ID. When this input is made, the CPU 21 of the billing proxy 11 proceeds to step S32 to access the member master (user ID database) formed on the magneto-optical disk 26, and the user ID just entered is already another. It is searched whether it is used by the member of. Furthermore, in step S33, the temporary member master (member master from the time of applying for membership until the completion of admission examination) is also accessed on the magneto-optical disk 26. Search whether it is already registered in the temporary member master.

  In step S34, it is determined whether or not the user ID input in step S31 overlaps with the user ID already registered in the member master or temporary member master. Return and let the user enter a new user ID.

  If it is determined in step S34 that the input user ID is a user ID that is not registered in the member master or temporary member master, the process proceeds to step S35, and the user is prompted to input a password. In step S36, the password is input again. In step S37, it is confirmed whether or not the two passwords input in steps S35 and S36 match. If the two passwords do not match, the process proceeds to step S38, the message “Password is incorrect.” Is displayed on the display 49 of the terminal device 1-i, the process returns to step S35, and the password is input again. .

  If it is determined in step S37 that the two passwords input in step S35 and step S36 match, the process proceeds to step S39 to display a “password confirmation OK” message.

  Next, proceeding to step S40, the charging proxy 11 causes the terminal device 1-i to display a list of usage prices of the A and B members. For example, if you become an A member, you will be charged a predetermined basic fee every month, but the unit price of each product or service will be lower than that of the B member. On the other hand, if you become a B member, you will not be charged a basic fee, but when you purchase individual goods or services, the unit price will be higher than that of the A member. In addition, the type of member is classified according to the type of service received.

  In step S41, the user selects and inputs whether to become an A member or a B member. Furthermore, in step S42, the user operates the input unit 48 to input the type, number, and expiration date of a credit card that is used for payment when purchasing goods, services, and the like.

  Further, in step S43, the CPU 21 of the charging proxy 11 displays, for example, a magazine advertisement, a magazine article, an introduction, a WWW, a message “What did you know about this service?” And a list display for answering the message. Display items such as store campaigns and other items. The user selects any item and answers.

  Next, in step S 44, a message “Do you have a membership registration code” is displayed on the display 49. When the membership registration code is already possessed, the process proceeds to step S45, and the user inputs the membership registration code. This membership registration code is, for example, a campaign code or an introducer ID.

  Following the processing of step S45, or when an input indicating that no membership registration code is possessed is made in step S44, the process proceeds to step S46, where “up to five items of interest (10 characters each) Within)) please write the message. In step S47, the user inputs hobbies such as golf, music, movie watching, and the like as necessary.

  When input is made as described above, in step S48, for example, “Thank you for the enrollment procedure. * We will contact you by mail within a day of the results of the enrollment examination. If you have any inquiries, questions, etc. If there is a problem, please send a message such as "Please contact the next window" on the terminal device 1-i and further display a telephone number, an e-mail address, and the like. In step S49, line disconnection processing is performed. In step S50, the items input by the above processing are registered in the temporary member master formed on the magneto-optical disk 26.

  As a result of the admission examination, when accepting the admission, the user is notified by mail and the registration information is transferred from the temporary member master to the member master and stored. Further, if the membership cannot be permitted for some reason as a result of the membership examination, the user is notified by mail and the registration in the temporary member master is deleted.

  As described above, for example, a user ID database as shown in FIG. 7 is formed in the member master of the magneto-optical disk 26 of the charging proxy 11. In the user ID database, the items input in the steps of FIGS. 4 and 5 described above are registered for each user ID. In addition to the above items, the user ID database also stores an access history such as an assigned IP address assigned to each terminal device, a server accessed by each terminal device, and an accessed file.

  Here, the assigned IP address means an IP address assigned to each terminal apparatus 1-i. That is, one information processing apparatus connected to the Internet 3 is assigned one IP (Internet Protocol) address from the Network Information Center (NIC) (Japan Network Information Center (JPNIC) in Japan). The charging proxy 11 that also functions as an access provider assigns a predetermined number of IP addresses in advance from NIC, JPNIC or the like in order to assign to the terminal device 1-i of the member that it manages. Since the charging proxy 11 does not always receive access from all members, the user who uses the terminal device connected to the access point via the telephone line inputs the ID and password. Then, it is confirmed whether or not the user of the terminal device is a member. When it is confirmed that the user is a member, an IP address that is free at that time is assigned to the terminal device.

  Therefore, the CPU 21 of the charging proxy 11 stores the IP address allocation table at that time in, for example, the RAM 23 as shown in FIG. When an access is made from a predetermined terminal device, an unused IP address is searched from this assignment table and assigned to the terminal device.

  Accordingly, when each terminal device accesses the Internet 3 by dial-up connection, the IP address changes each time. In the user ID database, the assigned IP address assigned to each user is also stored as one access history.

  Note that the IP address assignment can be executed by connecting a computer system having a modem supporting the PPT protocol, as represented by the ASEND (trademark) system, to the charging proxy 11. .

  In the case of this embodiment, the charging proxy 11 also functions as an access provider, so that members who only allow access services to the Internet 3 are similarly registered in advance. This access member is allowed to access a predetermined server via the Internet 3, but cannot receive an online shopping service (billing service). Members of the online shopping service automatically become access members.

  Next, referring to the flowcharts of FIGS. 9 to 11, a predetermined user terminal device 1-i accesses a predetermined information provider 4-j via the charging proxy 11 and purchases a product online. The processing in the case will be described. For convenience, in these drawings, each of the terminal device 1-i (subscriber) (WWW browser), charging proxy 11 (charging company), and information provider 4-j (online shopping company) (WWW server) performs. The processing is shown separately in different columns.

  As described above, since this system also uses the WWW search system, each terminal device includes a WWW browser (for example, Netscape Navigator), the information provider 4-j includes a WWW server, and the charging proxy 11 also includes , And an application (for example, Netscape Commerce Server) that operates on the WWW.

  First, in step S71, the terminal device (WWW browser) 1-i designates the menu screen (homepage) of the online shopping company (information provider 4-j). In the WWW system, a predetermined screen (file) placed on the Internet 3 is designated by a kind of address called URL (Uniform Resource Locator). In the URL, the WWW server is usually designated by the domain name. For example, if the URL is http: // www. sony. co. When it is jp / sonicdrive / index / html, the domain name is www. sony. co. jp. Since the actual access to the server is performed by the IP address, there is a DNS (Domain Name Server) as a system for obtaining the IP address from this domain name, and the WWW browser makes an inquiry there.

In this case, the URL may be directly input on the screen, or a screen linked to the menu screen by HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) is displayed on the display 49 of the terminal device 1-i. In some cases, the screen can be designated by clicking with the mouse of the input unit 48 or the like.

  When this designation is made, the terminal device 1-i outputs a corresponding request to the WWW server. However, since the terminal device 1-i is actually transferred through the charging proxy 11 set in the terminal device in advance, This request is input to the charging proxy 11. When this request is received, the charging proxy 11 receives an input of a user ID and a password in accordance with the HTTP authentication function in step S72, determines whether the access is from a previously registered access member, and is registered. If it is not a registered access member, access is denied. This determination can be performed by the IP address assigned to the terminal because the user ID and password are used for recognition when connecting to the access point. When the access is from a registered access member, the charging proxy 11 directly transfers the request from the WWW browser to the WWW server via the Internet 3.

  For example, when the cursor 53 is moved and displayed on the shopping button 51, for example, while the shopping and VOD (Video On Demand) buttons are displayed on the display 49 as shown in FIG. The URL corresponding to the shopping button 51 is displayed on the URL display section 52 of the display 49. When the user clicks the mouse with the cursor 53 positioned on the shopping button 51, the URL displayed on the URL display unit 52 is accessed (accessed to the online shopping server).

  When receiving a request for transferring this menu screen (online shopping menu screen), the WWW server outputs the corresponding menu screen data to the WWW browser in step S73. This data is transferred to the charging proxy 11 via the Internet 3. In step S74, the charging proxy 11 further transfers this menu screen data to the WWW browser.

  As described above, in the WWW system, since the screen is composed of data in a text format called HTML, the HTML text is exchanged among the WWW browser, the charging proxy 11, and the WWW server. Will be.

  In step S74, when the proxy proxy 11 further transfers the menu screen data transferred from the WWW server to the terminal device 1-i, the display 49 of the terminal device 1-i displays, for example, as shown in FIG. A menu screen for purchasing predetermined products for online shopping (products W to Z in FIG. 13) is displayed.

  In this WWW system, various processes are executed with a series of processes (one response to one request) shown in steps S71 to S75 as a unit (session).

  In step S75, in a state where the menu screen for product purchase as shown in FIG. 13 is displayed on the display 49 of the WWW browser, the user determines whether there is a product desired to be purchased and desires purchase. When there is no product, for example, the end button of FIG. 13 is clicked with the mouse. This completes the online shopping process.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that there is a product desired to be purchased on the menu screen, the process proceeds to step S76, and the product desired to be purchased is selected from the menu screen. That is, in the example of FIG. 13, the product 53 is selected by moving the cursor 53 onto a predetermined button among the products W to Z and clicking the mouse.

  When this selection is made, the WWW browser transfers a signal corresponding to the selection to the charging proxy 11. When receiving the selection data, the charging proxy 11 further executes a process of transferring the selection data to the WWW server in step S77. Details of the processing in step S77 are shown in FIG.

  In the process of FIG. 14, first, in step S121, the CPU 21 obtains an IP address assigned to the terminal device 1-i that has transmitted the data. As described with reference to FIG. 8, this IP address is assigned to the terminal device 1-i by the charging proxy 11 and can be known from the IP address assignment table shown in FIG. In step S122, member information (for example, credit card type, number, card validity period) is acquired from the user ID database corresponding to the IP address. The user ID corresponding to the IP address can also be acquired from the IP address assignment table shown in FIG. And the member information (card valid period etc.) corresponding to this user ID can be acquired from the user ID database shown in FIG.

  In addition, when acquiring the data of the validity period of the credit card, not only is acquired from the user ID database, but the CAFIS 5 is accessed as necessary to determine whether there is any change. The CAFIS 5 accesses the computer system 6-1 to 6-3 of the corresponding credit card company, and acquires data on the current validity period of the card. Then, this is transferred to the charging proxy 11.

  As described above, the data on the validity period of the card is not performed by individual information providers but by the charging proxy 11. Therefore, it is not necessary for an information provider to conclude a contract with each credit card company, and the system configuration can be simplified accordingly.

  Next, it progresses to step S123 and CPU21 sets category ID and a password corresponding to the member information acquired by step S122. For example, if it is determined from the card validity period acquired in step S122 that the card is currently valid, valid is set as the category ID and ok is set as the password. If the card has expired, expire is set as the category ID and ok is set as the password.

  Also, if the service of the WWW server is only for a specific member and the currently accessing member cannot receive this service, “denied” as the ID, “OK” as the password, Set. This determination can be made based on whether the URL requested by the WWW browser is a URL of a service registered in advance.

  In step S124, the selected data input from the WWW browser is transferred to the WWW server according to HTTP, and the IP address of the charging proxy 11, the category ID set in step S123, and the password are transferred to the server. .

  Returning to FIG. 9, when the charging proxy 11 transfers the selected data in step S77, the WWW server receives the data transferred from the charging proxy 11 in step S78, and has now accessed from the data. Then, it is determined whether the member who performs the online shopping is registered in advance in the WWW server. Details of this determination are shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 15, first, in step S141, the data, the IP address, the category ID, and the password from the charging proxy 11 are acquired. The billing contractor not only contracts with many users and makes it an online shopping member, but also contracts with many online shopping providers (WWW servers), and himself (billing proxy 11) in the WWW server Become a member of online shopping. The WWW server has the same configuration as the charging proxy 11 (FIG. 2), and its member information is registered in advance in a built-in magneto-optical disk or hard disk. Then, in step S142, it is determined whether or not the IP address of the charging company acquired in step S141 is an IP address registered in advance as a member.

  When it is determined that the IP address acquired in step S141 is different from the IP address registered in advance, the process proceeds to step S143, and this access is determined to be an access from a non-member.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S142 that the IP address acquired in step S141 is equal to the IP address of the billing company registered in advance, the process proceeds to step S144, and the category ID acquired in step S141 is It is determined whether it is registered as an accessible ID.

  When the WWW server makes a contract with the charging proxy 11, when accessing from a user whose card is valid, the category ID is valid, and when accessing from a user whose card is expired, It is decided in advance so that expire is transmitted as an ID. When it is determined that the category ID is valid, the WWW server proceeds to step S145, determines that the access is from an online shopping member, and when the category ID is determined to be expired, step S143. Proceed to, and determine that access is from a non-member.

  Returning to FIG. 9, when it is determined in step S <b> 78 that the access is not from a member, the process proceeds to step S <b> 79, and the WWW server reads an unusable screen and transfers it to the charging proxy 11. When receiving the transfer of the unavailable screen data, the charging proxy 11 further transfers it to the WWW browser in step S80. When the WWW browser receives a transfer of an unusable screen from the billing proxy 11 in step S81, the purchase of the product by online shopping is given up.

  Although member access is restricted in step S78 of FIG. 9, it is also possible in step S77 to make a determination based on the member information directly and transfer a screen in which charging proxy 11 cannot be used in step S80. is there. In this case, the burden of access restriction on the WWW server is reduced.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S78 that the access is from a member, the process proceeds to step S82, and the WWW server determines whether the product is in stock. For this inventory confirmation process, the WWW server uses the Common Gateway Interface (CGI) mechanism to access the inventory management system 12 as an external program and inquires about the presence of inventory in real time. If it is determined in step S82 that the designated product is not in stock, the process proceeds to step S83, and screen data indicating that there is no stock is transferred to the billing proxy 11. When the charging proxy 11 receives the supply of screen data that is out of stock, it transfers this to the WWW browser in step S80. In step S81, the WWW browser displays the screen data indicating that there is no inventory, and displays it, and gives up the purchase of the product from this display.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S82 that the product is in stock, the process proceeds to step S84, and the WWW server generates data on the confirmation screen displaying the product designated as the product to be purchased and its price. Is transferred to the charging proxy 11. Note that this processing can also be executed by an external program using CGI as necessary. When the charging proxy 11 receives the transfer of the screen data in step S85, the charging proxy 11 temporarily stores the product and the amount of money on the hard disk 25, for example. As described above, the screen data for confirmation is temporarily stored in the charging proxy 11 before being actually transferred to the user, so that the data is transferred to the terminal device 1-i. Therefore, it is prevented from being altered.

  In step S86, the charging proxy 11 transfers the confirmation screen data to the WWW browser. In step S87, the WWW browser receives the screen data, outputs it to the display 49, and displays it. Thereby, for example, a product purchase confirmation screen as shown in FIG. 16 is displayed on the display 49.

  In this display example, it is displayed that a product W of 1200 yen and a product Y of 3500 yen are ordered, and the total amount is 4700 yen. In addition, on the lower right of the screen, there are displayed buttons each displaying a character of YES and a character of NO for inputting whether or not to agree to purchase the product.

  In this way, in the data on the confirmation screen, the total price, the detailed price, etc., of the purchased product are described as HTML comments or display data. Which display format is used is determined in advance between the charging proxy 11 and the WWW server. When describing in HTML, for example, SUM = 4700 UNIT = YEN YES = “shopping / ok” NO = “shopping / no” Pairs of keywords (SUM, UNIT, etc.) and values (4700, YEN, etc.) I can keep it. “Shopping / ok” and “shopping / no” are URLs of screens to be displayed next when consent for confirmation is obtained and when consent is not obtained.

  The charging proxy 11 analyzes the data on this confirmation screen, calculates the billing amount, and stores it. Further, since these pieces of information are stored together with the IP address and member information obtained from the WWW browser, the charging proxy 11 can perform charging processing for a plurality of WWW browsers.

  In step S88, the user views a confirmation screen as shown in FIG. 16 and determines whether or not he / she agrees to purchase the product. If the user does not wish to purchase the product, the process proceeds to step S89, and the user selects a reject button (a button on which the letter NO is displayed in FIG. 16). When this operation is performed, the terminal device 1-i outputs a signal requesting transfer of the screen (designated screen) of the URL corresponding to the operated button to the WWW server via the charging proxy 11.

  In step S90, the charging proxy 11 that has received the request for transferring the designated screen transfers this request to the WWW server. When the WWW server receives a request to transfer the designated screen in step S91, the WWW server reads the rejection acceptance screen in response to the request and transfers the data to the charging proxy 11. In step S92, the charging proxy 11 further transfers this rejection acceptance screen data to the WWW browser. In step S93, when the WWW browser receives the data of the rejection acceptance screen, the WWW browser outputs it to the display 49 and displays it. The user can confirm that the refusal to purchase the product has been accepted by viewing this display.

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step S88 that the user agrees to purchase the product, the process proceeds to step S94, and an consent button (a button displaying the letter YES in FIG. 16) is selected. At this time, the WWW browser requests the transfer of the URL screen corresponding to the consent button selection. When the charging proxy 11 receives a request for transfer of the consent button selection designation screen from the WWW browser in step S95, the charging proxy 11 stores user information such as name, address, and telephone number corresponding to the user ID in the user ID database. Get more. Then, the process proceeds to step S96, and the transfer request signal for the designated screen received from the WWW browser is transferred to the WWW server together with the user information acquired in step S95.

  When the WWW server receives a request for transferring the designated screen by selecting the consent button from the charging proxy 11, the WWW server generates a screen for accepting consent in step S97, and transfers this to the charging proxy 11. Further, the product delivery procedure is executed in accordance with the user information transmitted from the billing proxy 11.

  If the shipping destination of the product is different from the registered address of the user, the address of the delivery destination is input by the user in step S94.

  Online shopping companies use the information acquired by the WWW server to perform product delivery, accounting accounting processing, etc., but if these processes are troublesome, the billing company will also be responsible for creating order slips. It is also possible to make it happen. Although the order slip can be sent by mail, e-mail, etc., the order slip dispatch process itself is automated by connecting the system of the charging proxy 11 and the system of the online shopping company online. It is also possible.

  Next, in step S98, the charging proxy 11 acquires the credit card number corresponding to the user ID from the user ID database. Then, in step S99, a process of charging the amount calculated and stored in step S85 to the credit card company acquired in step S98 is executed. However, in practice, the billing company charges the credit card company a predetermined amount lower than the purchase price of the merchandise based on a contract between the credit card company and the billing trader who owns the billing proxy 11. Then, the credit card company charges the user for the purchase price of the product.

  In step S100, the charging proxy 11 transfers the consent acceptance screen data supplied from the WWW server to the WWW browser. In step S101, the WWW browser receives the data of this screen and displays it on the display 49. Thereby, for example, a consent acceptance screen as shown in FIG. 17 is displayed. The user can confirm purchase completion from this display screen.

  In the case of HTTP, the request from the WWW browser and the corresponding response from the WWW server constitute one session, and connection and disconnection of the line are performed for each session. Therefore, the charging proxy 11 can monitor a user's IP address and process requests from a plurality of WWW browsers. If the above process is canceled for some reason, it is determined that the input of the consent button selection signal in step S94 described above has not been obtained, and the shopping process is terminated.

  In the above-described embodiment, if the purchase of the product is selected in the WWW browser in step S76, the selection data is transferred from the charging proxy 11 to the WWW server in step S77, and the WWW server accesses the member. In the case of access from a non-member, the screen that cannot be used is transferred from the WWW server to the charging proxy 11 in step S79, but the processing in steps S78 and S79 is performed in the charging proxy 11 It can also be made to perform in.

  Further, in the case where it is not automated so that the inventory check is performed in real time in step S82, a product that is not in stock is not displayed on the menu screen, or the inventory check process is performed later. You can also. In this case, if it is determined that there is no stock as a result of checking the stock, the server issues a voucher for canceling the order acceptance to the billing company, and the user is also notified by e-mail, letter, phone, etc. , So that the purpose of order acceptance cancellation is communicated.

  In the above-described embodiment, it is also possible to perform the shopping process and the registration process such as the credit card number in an encrypted manner.

  In addition to a credit card, a bank account or the like can be used as a settlement account for settlement of charges.

  In the above embodiment, the charging proxy 11 is made to function as an access provider and an information provider. In this case, the data supplied from the information providers 4-1 to 4-3 to the charging proxy 11 is transmitted to the terminal. A caching function may be executed to supply the devices 1-1 to 1-4. At this time, data that the terminal device has received in the past is stored in the charging proxy 11. Thereby, when a predetermined terminal device receives the supply of the same data, instead of actually accessing the corresponding information provider 4-j, the data stored in the charging proxy 11 is transferred. Providing information more quickly is possible.

  Of course, the charging proxy 11 may not have a function as an access provider or an information provider.

  Furthermore, the member information database function of the billing proxy 11 can be provided with a dedicated member information server, which can be burdened with it.

  In the embodiment of FIG. 1, only one charging proxy 11 is provided for the Internet 3. However, as shown in FIG. 18, charging proxies 11-1 to 11-3 are provided for the Internet 3. A plurality of charging proxies 11-1 to 11-3 may be connected to each other via a dedicated line 81.

  In this way, each user can select the nearest charging proxy and access a desired information provider from the nearest charging proxy.

  In this case, the charging proxy to be used causes the WWW browser to set the domain name of the charging proxy. Therefore, in the DNS that converts this domain name into an IP address, the charging proxy is made the same by notifying the WWW browser of the IP address of the charging proxy that is advantageous in access efficiency corresponding to the IP address of the terminal device of the WWW browser. It can be specified by domain name. Therefore, it can be virtually seen as one billing proxy. Also, according to this method, access from a large number of WWW browsers can be distributed by a plurality of charging proxies.

  Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the case where a predetermined product is purchased is taken as an example, but the present invention can be applied to the case where other services are provided, such as receiving a pay broadcast.

  It is also possible to statistically process the access history stored in the charging proxy 11 and analyze the order of popularity of products, services, predetermined products, users who have purchased services, etc., and use this as marketing information.

  In the above embodiment, information such as the credit card type, number, address of the owner, name, etc. is registered from the terminal device 1-i via the telephone line (or the Internet 3) when registered in the charging proxy 11. It is only transmitted first, and is not transmitted in the subsequent purchase stage of actual goods or services. Therefore, there is less risk that such information will be leaked to other people and misused.

  In addition, since the charging proxy 11 grasps the credit status of the cards of a plurality of credit card companies, the information provider 4-j does not need to make an individual contract with the credit card company, and the system is simplified. Companies and individuals with a relatively small business scale can easily become information providers.

  In the above embodiments, different services are provided to the user, particularly corresponding to the validity period of the credit card, among the member information (personal information) of the user. In other words, online shopping cannot be used for users whose validity period has expired, and online shopping services can be received only for users who have a valid credit card. I did it. In addition, for example, different menu screens can be transferred between the A member and the B member.

  In order to do this, for example, the processing for requesting transfer of the designated screen of the charging proxy 11 in step S72 of FIG. 9 is performed as shown in the flowchart of FIG.

  That is, in step S161 in FIG. 19, the CPU 21 of the charging proxy 11 acquires the user ID and password of the WWW browser according to the HTTP authentication function. In step S162, it is determined whether the user ID and password acquired in step S161 are registered in the user ID database described with reference to FIG. 7, that is, whether the user is an access member. If it is determined that the accessing user is not an access member, the process advances to step S163 to execute access rejection processing.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S162 that the user who has just accessed is an access member, the process proceeds to step S164 to determine whether the user is an A member or a B member. This determination can also be made from the membership type registered in the user ID database.

  If it is determined that the user is an A member, the process advances to step S165, and the CPU 21 outputs a transfer request for the designated screen from the WWW browser to the WWW server as a transfer request for the designated screen for the A member. On the other hand, if it is determined that the user is a B member, in step S166, the WWW server is requested to transfer a designated screen for the B member.

  Other processes are the same as those shown in FIGS. Accordingly, in this case, in step S73, the menu screen transferred from the WWW server to the WWW browser is the menu screen for the A member if the accessing user is an A member, and the accessing user is a B member. In this case, the menu screen is for the B member. As a result, the WWW server can provide different products and services according to the type of member, or can provide the same products and services at different prices.

  Alternatively, it is also possible to provide different products and services corresponding to the user's age and interest. For example, the provision of an adult-oriented movie may be rejected for a user under 20 years old, and an adult-oriented movie may be provided only for a user over 20 years old.

It is a figure which shows the structural example of the network system to which the information processing apparatus of this invention is applied. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the accounting proxy 11 of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the terminal device 1-i of FIG. It is a flowchart explaining the online sign-up process in the accounting proxy 11 of FIG. It is a flowchart following FIG. It is a figure explaining the basic text base input in the network system of FIG. It is a figure which shows the structural example of a user ID database. It is a figure explaining an IP address allocation table. It is a flowchart explaining the operation | movement of the Example of FIG. It is a flowchart following FIG. It is a flowchart following FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of a display in step S71 of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of a display in step S75 of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the process of the selection data transfer of step S77 of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the access determination process from the member in step S78 of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of step S87 of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of step S101 of FIG. It is a figure which shows the other structural example of the network system with which the information processing apparatus of this invention is applied. It is a flowchart explaining the detail of the process in step S72 of FIG. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the conventional network system. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the conventional online shopping. It is a figure which shows the other example of a display of the conventional online shopping.

Explanation of symbols

  1-1 to 1-12 terminal device, 2-1 to 2-3 access provider, 3 Internet, 4-1 to 4-5 information provider, 5 CAFIS, 6-1 to 6-3 computer system, 11, 11- 1 to 11-3 charging proxy, 81 leased line

Claims (1)

Connected to the terminal device via the Internet, storage means for storing predetermined information, communication means for communicating predetermined data, control means for controlling the storage means and the communication means, and detecting access efficiency of a plurality of servers In an information processing apparatus including at least a detecting unit and a converting unit that converts a domain name into an IP address,
The control means includes
When receiving access from a terminal device via the Internet, obtain a domain name specified by the terminal device that has accessed,
Detecting the access efficiency of a plurality of servers corresponding to the domain name by the detecting means;
Identifying the IP address of the server with advantageous access efficiency by the detection,
A domain name specified by the terminal device is converted into an IP address of a server that is advantageous in the access efficiency.

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