JPH06141100A - Home shopping system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce physical distribution cost by constituting respective system in hierarchical structures and distributing merchadise based on received order data received from an order receiving system. CONSTITUTION:Respective homes 0 and distributed order centers 6 can be connected for 24 hours in real time and the centers 6 receives the order of the merchandise from the homes 0. Ordered merchandise data are transferred from the centers 6 to a received order center computer 7 by a batch processing and the computer 7 transmits all order files to a physical distribution host computer 10 as forwarding instruction data after closing the reception of the order. The computer 10 transmits base forwarding instruction data to the base computers 12 of base centers 11. Respective depots 13 divide the merchandise delivered from the centers 11 every classified forwarding delivery routes, load the merchandise on trucks every classified routes and send out the merchandise to the respective homes 0 placing the order. Thus, lead time from the order to the forwarding delivery can be shortened.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a home shopping system in which an order entry system and a physical distribution delivery system are integrated, and in particular, an integrated system for ordering and distribution of a service providing company for general households is inexpensive. The present invention relates to a home shopping system that can be constructed at low cost and can shorten the lead time from ordering a product to arriving the product.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, products are ordered from ordinary households,
Home shopping, which delivers products to homes, has become widespread, for example, as co-purchase at a co-op and mail order.

In such an order entry method from a general household, a product is often ordered using a telephone, a postcard or the like, and a computer is input for subsequent processing.
It has the disadvantage of requiring a great deal of time and enormous manual input work.

An order entry method using OCR that utilizes character recognition technology is known.
After the description on the OCR sheet, collection processing is required, so
There is a drawback that the lead time from the order to the arrival of the product becomes long because the computer input becomes offline processing.

In order to solve the drawbacks of the above-mentioned method, it is possible to install a multifunctional telephone having a memory function, a personal computer, a captain terminal or the like as a home terminal recently, but these devices are still expensive and are generally used. There is a concern that it is not widely used in households, and even if it can be used, its operability is poor and it is difficult for ordinary households to accept it.

FIG. 24 is a diagram showing the configuration of a conventional technique using this type of terminal.

The illustrated prior art is configured such that each service providing company and each home are directly connected by a public communication network or the like, and an order for products can be made from the above-mentioned terminal provided in each home. There is. In this conventional technology, each service providing company needs to have its own ordering network system between a home ordering terminal and an order receiving center and a distribution system for delivering products from a product supply company to a home. It was something with.

In the shopping system as described above, shortening the delivery time is the most important issue for the customer service of the shopping provider company. Therefore, the time lag conventionally required for order processing can be reduced by shortening the time of the distribution work. In order to cover the order data, the order data is collected in a certain time cycle, for example, several times a day, and a shipping instruction is issued, and the products are shipped in the order received order. However, this method has a drawback that it causes an increase in physical distribution costs due to soaring personnel costs for transportation and transportation costs.

[0009]

Home shopping users are mainly housewives, female customers, etc. at home, and more recently, housewives often work part-time during the daytime and are not at home. Therefore, the order terminal has good operability,
At the same time, it is necessary to have an ordering system that allows customers to place orders for products at any time.

In addition, a home terminal must be inexpensive in order to be installed in a general home. Therefore, the ordering system for home shopping needs to have good operability, can be ordered at any time for 24 hours, and have a low total cost.

Further, the most important issue in home shopping is how to shorten the lead time from order receipt to delivery. For this reason, it is necessary to shorten the time for order processing by processing the order receiving system in real time for 24 hours. In recent years, logistics costs (labor costs, delivery costs, etc.)
Since the price has soared, how to create a mechanism to reduce the cost of delivery to a huge number of households has become a major issue. Therefore, it is necessary to construct a distribution system that shortens the delivery time and suppresses the distribution cost.

However, the conventional technique shown in FIG. 24 can be constructed by many companies because the ordering network and the distribution network to be constructed with the home become enormous in scale and the cost thereof becomes enormous. Not have the problem. Further, in this conventional technology, since each company individually delivers the goods to each home, the number of trucks for delivery increases, the traffic volume increases due to it, and the traffic congestion occurs. However, there is a problem in that

Further, the shopping system according to the prior art described above has a problem that it is not possible to satisfy various demands of the customers as described above.

The object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, to have good operability, and to place an order for a product at any time desired, thereby shortening the lead time from order receipt to delivery. It is possible to provide a home shopping system that can reduce the distribution cost.

[0015]

According to the present invention, the above-mentioned object is to arrange a distributed order receiving computer in each area capable of accepting orders in real time for 24 hours from an order terminal, which is a simple home terminal installed in each home. The order center computer of the head office periodically collects order data from the distributed order receiving computer, and the order data aggregated by the order receiving center computer is used as delivery instruction data to a distribution host computer online connected to the order receiving center computer. It is achieved by transmitting.

[0016] Further, the above-mentioned purpose is to send the delivery instruction data received by the physical distribution host computer to each base physical distribution center computer divided into area units,
The base distribution center computer sends the transmitted area-specific delivery instruction data into smaller blocks, for example,
This is achieved by dividing one block into about 10 households and generating delivery instruction data for each block.

The base distribution center picks up and packs the products according to the block-by-block delivery instruction data, and delivers the packed products to each depot with a block-based sorting list attached. Each depot delivers the product to each household according to the sorting list.

According to the present invention, by constructing the hierarchical structure of the ordering system and the distribution system as described above, it is possible to shorten the lead time from the ordering to the delivery of the product and to improve the efficiency of the distribution work. As a result, it is possible to reduce the distribution cost and the delivery time.

The present invention uses the personal ID code recorded in the home terminal as a code for all processing in order to construct the ordering and delivery system described above as an integrated system from ordering to delivery at home. There is.

Further, the object of the present invention is to use an existing public communication network and an existing home telephone to store order data as a cost reduction measure for constructing an ordering network for home shopping. This is achieved by transmitting order data to an order receiving center from a low-priced simple home-use order terminal equipped with a memory function.

The order terminal can store the company ID code of the service providing company, the personal ID code, the product code, and the quantity, which are then stored by the user. After that, the ordering terminal is connected to the ordering center from a home telephone and transmits the registered order data as a PB signal to the ordering center. At this time, by using the NTT toll-free service, it is possible to avoid the burden of home telephone communication charges.

Since the order receiving center side distributes the order receiving processing by a plurality of distributed order receiving computers,
The cost can be reduced as compared with the case where ordering processing is performed in real time for 24 hours from a large number of terminals at one host computer. Also, by setting the company ID code of the service providing company to be different for each company, each household can use a plurality of services by inputting this ID code from one home terminal.

Further, in order to improve the operability of the home-use simple terminal, a large display and a large keyboard are adopted, and the minimum data (catalog code, product code, quantity, etc.) for data input is required. ) Key input,
Alternatively, it can be performed by inputting a barcode scanner, and an input error can be prevented. Further, the data can be confirmed by displaying it on the display from the memory of the terminal, and after the data transmission, it can be confirmed again by voice from the telephone by the response from the voice response unit (ARU).

[0024]

In the home simple terminal, the personal ID code is pre-numbered and stored, and the user inputs the catalog code of the catalog in which the product desired to be purchased, the product code and the quantity. However, an order can be placed by transmitting these with a PB signal from the telephone.

The distributed order receiving center stores this order data in the distributed order receiving computer via the voice response device.
The order data stored in the distributed order-accepting computer accumulates the product and quantity data for each catalog code in units of individual ID code, and is then periodically transmitted to the host computer of the order-accepting center.

The host computer of the order receiving center collects all the order data, and sends this all order data to the host computer of the physical distribution center as delivery instruction data.

The host computer of the physical distribution center divides the received delivery instruction data into units for each area and sends it to the base physical distribution center computer.

The local distribution center computer divides the received area-specific delivery instruction data into smaller blocks.

At the base distribution center, picking work is performed for each data unit, the picked products are packed in block units, and a block-based sorting list is attached to each depot for delivery.

At each depot, the products are delivered to each household who ordered the products according to this sorting list.

[0031]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT An embodiment of a home shopping system according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the system configuration of the first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, 0 is a home,
1 is an ordering terminal, 2 is a telephone, 3 is a public communication network, 4 is a voice response device, 5 is a distributed order receiving computer, 6 is a distributed order receiving center, 7 is an order receiving center computer, 8 is a service providing company, 9 is a product supply company. 10 is a distribution host computer, 11 is a base distribution center computer, 12 is a base distribution center computer, and 13 is a delivery depot (warehouse).

The system according to the first embodiment of the present invention is
As shown in FIG. 1, the order receiving system side includes an order terminal 1 and a telephone set 2 installed in each home 0, a voice response device 4 and a distributed order receiving computer 5 connected to each home 0 through a public communication network 3. A plurality of distributed order receiving centers 6, an order receiving center computer 7 that collects orders from these centers 6, a bank that performs payment processing, and a living cooperative that is connected to the order receiving center computer 7 The logistics system side will be formed by the association and the service provider such as the ticket company that sells tickets.
A distribution host computer 10 that has a product supply company 9 such as a food maker or an agricultural cooperative, processes the order data from the order center computer 7, and area-specific delivery instruction data from the computer 10 in block units. It has a base distribution center computer 12 for dividing and processing, and has a plurality of base distribution centers 11 for sorting products into blocks, and a delivery depot 13 for sorting products for each home and delivering the products. ing.

On the order receiving system side of the first embodiment of the present invention, each home 0 and the distributed order receiving center 6 can be connected in real time for 24 hours, and the distributed order receiving center 6 can be connected.
Can accept an order for a product from each home 0 at any time. The distributed order receiving center 6 and the order receiving center computer 7 are connected several times a day, and the product data ordered by the distributed order receiving center 6 is transferred to the order receiving center computer 7 by the badge processing.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the order terminal 1 in the above-described first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 20 denotes a speaker for transmitting a PB signal to the outside, 2
Reference numeral 1 is a display used for displaying the order input process and confirming the contents of the entered order, 22 is a keyboard for inputting an order, and 23, 24 and 25 are interface devices for the speaker 20, the display 21 and the keyboard 22, respectively. , 26 is a CPU, 27 is a ROM in which a program is stored, 28 is a backup battery RAM capable of protecting the memory contents with a backup battery even when the main power is cut off, 29
Is a PB signal oscillator (PBOSC), and the ordering terminal 1
Is configured to include the above-mentioned components.

In the order terminal 1 described above, the PB signal oscillator 29 oscillates a PB signal instructed by the CPU 26, and the PB signal is the speaker interface 2.
3, output as an acoustic signal via the speaker 20.
This acoustic data is sent to the distributed order receiving center 6 via the transmitter of the telephone 2 when the order data is sent.

FIG. 3 shows a voice response unit (ARU) 4 and a distributed order receiving computer (OPS) in the distributed order receiving center 6.
5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3, the voice response unit 4 includes a network control unit (NCU) 41 and a PB signal receiver (PBR) 4.
2, D / A converter 43, CPU 44, memory (MM) 4
5, computer interface 46, disk (D
K) 47 is configured to receive the voice signal of the PB signal output from the order terminal 1 via the telephone 2 and the public communication network 3 such as a telephone line, and the order result by voice. It has a function of notifying the user of the telephone 2.

The distributed order receiving computer 5 includes a computer interface 51, a CPU 52, a memory (M
M) 53 and disk (DK) 54, and is output as a PB signal from the ordering terminal 1 and the telephone 2
The order details sent as a voice signal to the voice response device 4 via the voice response device 4, that is, the ID code of the user, the catalog code describing the product to be ordered, the product code, and the quantity thereof are transmitted via the voice response device 4. It has a function of receiving and receiving data communication, and issuing and issuing order slips to instruct and manage products. Further, the distributed order receiving computer 5 transmits the order information to the order receiving center computer via the communication line 55.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the appearance of the order terminal 1, and FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a catalog.

The order terminal 1 has the internal structure as already described with reference to FIG. 2, and on its operation surface, as shown in FIG. 4, a display 21 using an LCD or the like, a speaker 20, and a ten-key pad. , Power on / off O
A keyboard 22 having N, OFF keys, and other various function keys (these various function keys will be described at the same time as the description of the terminal operation described later) is arranged.

As shown in FIG. 5, the catalog distributed to each household has a catalog code, an ordered item name, a corresponding item number, and a unit price.

Next, an operation example of home shopping of a member by the catalog in the first embodiment of the present invention configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the structure of a data file in the first embodiment of the present invention, FIGS. 7 to 16 are diagrams for explaining the format of various data, and FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a sorting list. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of the delivery list.

(1) The user of the order entry system according to the present invention is given a personal ID of the user in advance at the time of home distribution.
The order terminal 1 in which the code is registered is distributed. This personal ID code is managed by the all-customer master 101 of the distribution center host computer 10 shown in FIG. This personal ID code is unique, and its setting is protected by the end user and cannot be changed, so that security can be ensured.

The user uses the keyboard 22 while looking at the already-distributed product catalog shown in FIG.
Enter the catalog code, product code of the product you want to order, and quantity (data input). However, if the product code in the catalog is converted into a bar code, the bar code scanner of the ordering terminal 1 can also be used for input.

In this input process, since the input numbers are displayed on the display 21 of the order terminal 1 as shown in FIG. 4, the user can perform the work while confirming the input. it can.

The input order data is stored and held in the backup battery RAM 28 of the order terminal 1 as an order file structure 191 as shown in FIG. 6, and even when the main power source of the order terminal 1 is cut off. , Its contents are retained.

The order file 191 has a data format as shown in FIG. 7, and is entered by the user after the fixedly set personal ID code.
It is configured as a file by accumulating the catalog code of the distributed catalog, the product code of the product you want to order, and the quantity of the product. However, the product code and the quantity thereof are repeatedly registered for the number of products to be ordered, and a sequential and automatically assigned order number is added to the head of the record indicating the product code and the quantity.

When inputting this data, an input error or the like can be considered. Therefore, once input data can be corrected or the number of ordered products can be added.

(2) When the above input is completed, the user makes a call to the voice response device 4 by using the telephone 2 (calling).

(3) On the other hand, the voice response device 4 which has detected the incoming call signal from the public communication network 3 by the network control device 41 performs the incoming call operation (call answer) using this network control device 41. , Forms a path with the telephone 2 (incoming call).

(4) At this time, the voice response device 4 normally causes the user who is the calling party to confirm the called side.
The voice of the incoming call response such as "This is XX. Please send." Is returned. The voice output for this purpose is obtained by the CPU 44, which has received the incoming call report from the network control device 41, searches the digital voice file stored in the disk 47 and converts it into an analog signal by the D / A converter 43. And is sent to the telephone set 2 via the network control device 41 and the public communication network 3.

(5) When the user can confirm the incoming call to the voice response device 4 as described above, the user puts the mouthpiece of the telephone 2 on the position of the speaker 20 of the order terminal 1 and stores it in the backup battery RAM 28. The order data is converted into a PB signal by the PB signal oscillating device 29, a trigger for sending to the speaker 20 is given by the keyboard 22, and the order data is transmitted (transmission).

(6) On the other hand, the voice response device 4 receives and analyzes the voice signal of the PB signal oscillated from the order terminal 1 using the PB receiver 42, converts it into a digital value, and stores it in the memory 45. Store.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a format of data transmitted from the order terminal 1.

This data includes a personal ID code for identifying the orderer, a catalog code, an order number which is a serial number automatically added to the ordering terminal 1 for each product ordered, and a product code. , Its quantity, a check digit, and a delimiter code (for example, #) which is a code indicating the end of data transmitted from the ordering terminal.

The voice response device 4 checks the received order data for an error by the above-mentioned check digit to improve the reliability of the data, and determines the end of the received data by receiving the delimiter code.

If there is an error in the received data, the voice response device 4 outputs a voice requesting retransmission to the telephone 2, and when the data transmission from the ordering terminal 1 is completed, the completion is completed. However, the user is notified by, for example, a buzzer sound. For this reason, the user is prompted by the voice response device 4
You will put the handset on your ear to hear the answer voice output from.

(7) The voice response device 4 notifies the order receiving computer 5 of the order data received from the order terminal 1 as described above via the computer interface device 46 (order).

(8) The distributed order receiving computer 5 receives the order data from the voice response device via the computer interface device 51, and the individual ID code of the order data and the individual I registered in the branch-specific customer master 543.
Check the collation with the D code. Then, the distributed order receiving computer 5 gives a voice message "This service cannot be used" if the user has an unregistered personal ID code.
And answer.

The distributed order receiving computer 5 checks the order product code of the order data that has passed the verification check of the individual ID code and the product master file 541 corresponding to the catalog code stored in the disk 54 (the received order is received). Whether the data is a catalog order during the acceptance period is checked by the catalog code, and if it is outside the acceptance period, order processing is not performed), and each product corresponding to the catalog code stored in the disk 54 Check the number of items in stock (if the item is not in stock, give a voice response "The item is sold out" and do not process the order.) If you pass these checks, each personal ID code will be supported. The order file 542 is created in the disk 54.

The order file 542 is updated and added every time there is an additional order until the period when the corresponding catalog code is valid, that is, immediately before the ordering process is performed based on the corresponding order file.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the data format of the product master 541.
The "product and inventory quantity in catalog units" managed by the product inventory master 103 of the host computer 10 is downloaded, and is updated regularly, for example, about several times a day. In addition, in the product master 541,
As the data, the products handled in catalog units, the stock quantity, and the valid period of the catalog are accumulated.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the data format of the customer master 543 for each branch. This customer master 543 for each branch is all the customer masters 1 of the host computer 10.
"Customer information (personal ID code, name, address, etc.), delivery route, block" managed by 01 in each branch is downloaded, and periodically,
For example, it is updated several times a day.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the data format of the order file 542. This order file 542 is
Order data from customers in each branch area is collected in catalog units, and the product code and quantity are accumulated using the personal ID code as a key code.

(9) By the above processing, the processing of one order is completed, the voice response device 4 and the telephone set 2 are hooked on, the public communication network 3 is opened, and all the order processing is completed. (On hook).

(10) The order file created by each distributed order receiving center 6 is transmitted to the order receiving center computer 7 in units of several times a day and collected by the order receiving center computer 7. Then, the order receiving center computer 7 creates an all order file 771 for each catalog code and each ID code. The order center computer 7 is connected to the computer of the service providing company 8 and receives information about the order result,
Only data necessary for each service company, such as information for payment processing, is transmitted to each service company.

For example, the order center computer 7 uses the personal ID code as a key code to the bank with which the orderer has a contract when the order reception deadline time is reached, in order to automatically settle the price of the ordered product. As a result, the product purchase amount data is transmitted, the bank is asked to deduct the price from the orderer's account, and the processing result is received by the order receiving center and accumulated in the price payment status of all the customer masters 101. Also, for the ticket reservation company, the order center computer 7
Transmits the ticket reservation data, and after the reservation is completed, payment is made in the same manner as described above.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a data format of the total order file 771. The total order file 771 is shown in FIG.
Is to collect the order data of the order file 542 transmitted from all branches in catalog units, and store the product code and the quantity using the personal ID code as a key code.
Created by the order center computer 7.

(11) The order receiving center computer 7 stores the entire order file 771 in the physical distribution host computer 1
0 as the delivery instruction data, which is transmitted after the order acceptance deadline. The physical distribution host computer 10 registers the transmitted order data of the total order file 771 with the individual ID code as a key in the all-customer master 101 that manages the customer information of all members (base center). The delivery instruction data 102 is created by dividing the delivery instruction data 102 into different items, depots, delivery routes, and blocks.

The delivery instruction file 102 divided into units of the base center 11 in charge of delivery to this divided area.
Is transmitted from the physical distribution host computer 10 to each base physical distribution center computer 12 as delivery instruction data for this base. Further, the distribution host computer 10 manages the inventory quantity of all the products by the product inventory master 103, and after receiving the order data of all the order files 771, subtracts the quantity of the order data from the inventory quantity of the product inventory master 103. Update.

At this time, if the stock at the base center 11 is insufficient, the physical distribution host computer 10 determines that the product supply company 9
As the purchase instruction data, the “product code and quantity of the desired product” is transmitted to the computer of the product supply company 9 to procure the product.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the data format of the customer master 101.
Manages customer information of all members who subscribe to the system according to the present invention, and stores data such as customer's name and address, delivery route by customer address, and jurisdiction block using the personal ID code as a key. is doing.

FIG. 14 is a view showing the data format of the product inventory master 103. This product inventory master 1
In 03, the number of products handled in catalogs and the number of stocks, the supply company code that supplies the products, and the valid period of this catalog are accumulated.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the data format of the delivery instruction file 102. This delivery instruction file 1
02 is classified according to the base center, and further classified into depot units under the jurisdiction of this base center. For example,
A plurality of order data of several blocks handled by one depot are stored by being represented by a personal ID code, a product code, and a quantity.

In the above description, the physical distribution host computer 1
0 and the order center computer 7 may be configured by the same computer. In this case, the processing functions of (10) and (11) described above may be configured on the same computer.

(12) The site center computer 12 of the site center 11 receives the site-specific delivery instruction data 102 from the distribution host computer 10 and creates a site-specific delivery instruction file 121. Next, at the base center 11,
According to the delivery instruction data divided into a block of smaller households than the area, for example, one block of 10 households, the product is picked and packed in each household, and then packed in the block.

At this time, the base center 11 sorts the packed products into the sorting list 122 corresponding to the block.
(Items ordered in units of ID code and quantity are attached) are attached and delivered to the depot 13 having jurisdiction over this block. One depot has jurisdiction over multiple blocks.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing the data format of the delivery instruction file 121 for each site, and FIG. 17 is the sorting list 1
FIG. 22 is a diagram showing an example of No. 22, which is a delivery instruction file for each site 12
1 is the same as the site-specific delivery instruction data 102. A sorting list 122 as shown in FIG. 17 is created from this file 121.

(13) In each depot 13, according to the sorting list 122, the products delivered from the base center 11 are sorted by delivery route, for example, into several blocks of one route, placed on a truck by route, and ordered. Home 0
Deliver the goods to.

In many cases, the branch 6 and the depot 13 are usually provided in the same building. In this case, the distributed order receiving computer 5 of the branch 6 uses the personal ID code in the branch-specific customer master 543 managed by itself. And the personal ID code of the product sorting list sent from the base center 11,
It is checked whether the product sent is for a member under the jurisdiction of this depot, and also whether the product matches the order data by checking it against the order file 542 and erroneous delivery. Check that there is no.

The distributed order receiving computer 5 of the branch 6
Outputs the delivery list 131 in which the delivery order of the optimal route is recorded from the address data of the customer master 543 by branch according to the individual ID code sorted by route, and instructs the delivery route of the product. This enables efficient delivery.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of the delivery list 131 described above.

As the delivery route of the product according to the first embodiment of the present invention described above, various routes can be used in consideration of the form of the product, the freshness, etc. For example, a product supply company--base center It is possible to use routes such as: -depot-household goods supply company-base center-household goods supply company-depot-household goods supply company-household.

FIG. 19 is a diagram for explaining the outline of the second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 20 is a block diagram showing the schematic configuration of a system according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 21 is the second embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of a system according to the exemplary embodiment of FIG.

In the second embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 19, a backbone system is constructed by a home ordering terminal, an information processing center (ordering center), and a distribution center. It is made available for shared use by service providers.

When the number of households used increases,
In the second embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 20, by decentralizing the order receiving process and the physical distribution process of the backbone system, it is possible to improve the efficiency of the entire system. Therefore, the second embodiment of the present invention constructs a backbone system having a hierarchical structure for both the order receiving center and the distribution warehouse.

In this case, as the hierarchical structure, it is necessary to determine the optimum number of layers in consideration of the overall processing efficiency, work efficiency, cost and the like. The order receiving center and the warehouse in the distributed processing center may be provided in the same building or may be provided separately.

Next, details of the second embodiment of the present invention as described above will be described with reference to FIG. 21 are the same as those in FIG. 1, and the service providing company 8 and the product supply company 9 are shown as a group of companies, respectively.
Further, the distributed order receiving center 6 is shown as a distributed processing center including a warehouse.

The home shopping system according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes an order terminal 1 and an order processing function 61.
And a distributed processing center 6 that also has a delivery processing function 62,
An information processing center 7 that comprehensively manages all information and a distribution center 10 that comprehensively manages all products constitute a basic system, which is a consistent system that enables orders from homes to be delivered to homes as products.

A home shoveling company that constructs this basic system concludes a service provision contract with a group of companies 8 that provide various services. The group of companies 8 and the information processing center 7 are connected via a computer. As a result, each home will have a contract with the service providers A to C8.
1 service is introduced.

Also, the product supply companies a to c91 of the product supply company group 9 of the products provided by the service providing company group 8
Is connected to the information processing center 7 and supplies products to the distribution center 10. As a result, service companies A to C81
The products introduced by the company are delivered from the distribution center 10 to each home through the warehouse 62.

Next, the processing operation of the system according to the second embodiment of the present invention configured as described above will be explained.

(1) An order terminal 1 is installed in each home, and the order terminal 1 can be connected to the distributed processing center 6 via a public communication network 3 such as a telephone network and a digital communication network. The ordering terminal 1 is pre-assigned with a unique number in the system according to the present invention as a personal ID code, which is managed by the information processing center 7 for security reasons and cannot be changed at home. ing.

The ordering terminal 1 has a memory function and is capable of performing data communication via the public communication network 3, for example, a personal computer, a multifunction telephone,
It may be a fax machine, a home game machine, a terminal that can be connected or acoustically coupled with a normal telephone, and the like.

The ordering terminal 1 can also introduce products from the service providing companies by displaying them on the display of the ordering terminal 2 via the information processing center 7 and the distributed processing center 6.

(2) At each home, if there is a product to be purchased, the company ID code of the service providing company of the product, the product code, and the quantity are input to the ordering terminal 1. The order data is transmitted to the order receiving computer 61 in the distributed processing center 6 as an order message automatically added with the personal ID code A as described with reference to FIG.

(3) The order-accepting computer 61 transmits this order data to the information processing center 7 via the line. In the information processing center 7, the company ID code in the order data is judged and the corresponding service providing company file 71
Store order data for navel.

(4) The information processing center 7 uses the personal ID code of the file 71 of the service providing company as a key code and transmits the data of the product and quantity to the distribution center 10 as the delivery instruction data. The distribution center 10 creates the file 101 based on the received delivery instruction data, transmits the same data to the service providing company 81 as a sales record, and further, sends this same data to the product supplying company 91. Send as order data.

(5) The distribution center 10 delivers the ordered product to the warehouse 62 of the distributed processing center 6 which controls the home according to the individual ID code of the product orderer.
Then, in the distributed processing center 6, the order receiving computer 61
The order data (personal ID code, product, quantity of the product) and the arrived product are checked, and then the product is delivered from the warehouse 62 to the home.

(6) In the above-mentioned processing, when it is desired to purchase the products of various service providing companies at each home, it is sufficient to input the ID codes of those companies into the ordering terminal 1, and each home is provided with the present invention. You can receive the services of all 8 service provider companies that are affiliated with the system. In addition, management of order data of these service providers is
It is performed by the file 71 of the information processing center 7.

(7) The distributed processing center 6 has both functions of load distribution of computer processing and distribution of delivery processing capacity of the information processing center 7. The distributed processing center 6 is installed for each area. In charge of order processing and delivery processing for homes entering the area. Further, the distributed processing center 6 has both the functions of the order receiving computer 61 and the warehouse 62, so that the data processing capacity and the system can be simplified.

(8) Further, the personal ID code, the service providing company ID code, and the product supplying company ID code, which are the key codes in the above-described embodiment of the present invention, are centrally managed by the information processing center 7. With the key code of, the order data and the shipping of the product can be matched.

22 and 23 show the first embodiment of the present invention described above.
In the second and second embodiments, the order terminal 1 is used, and FIG.
6 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the terminal when making an order by referring to the catalog described above, and the operation of the terminal will be described below with reference to this flow.

(1) First, press the ON key to turn on the power
And As a result, the personal ID code is displayed on the display 21 and the menu selection screen is displayed (box
A).

(2) Next, when the order button among the "order", "inquiry" and "send" buttons used for menu selection is pressed, whether or not an order has been placed before this operation. If it is checked and there is no previous order data, the catalog code will be entered and the “catalog code” on the display will blink (box a).

(3) At this point, a catalog code (4 digits) is entered on the ten keys to identify the type of catalog. At this time, an underbar is displayed on the display 21 so that the required input digit can be seen. When the user inputs, for example, the catalog code 1234 with the ten keys, the input catalog code “1234” is displayed on the display 21. When you confirm that this display matches the catalog code and press the "Register" key, a beeping sound will sound, the entered catalog code will be stored in the memory, the display data will disappear, and the product code input mode will be activated. Become. As a result, the "product code" blinks and the required digit is displayed as an underscore. At this time, the order numbers 01 to 50 are automatically numbered and displayed in the left two digits of the screen (box C). (4) In this state, for example, when ordering bread, the order product code 123 is input,
Similarly to the above, the ten keys 1, 2, 3 are pressed. After entering this product code, it will automatically enter the next quantity input mode,
“Quantity” flashes and the required digit is displayed as an underscore (Box D).

(5) Input the quantity (two digits). For example, when inputting 10 quantities, the ten keys 1 and 0 are pressed. When the "Register" key is pressed after inputting the quantity, a beeping sound sounds and the entered product code and quantity are stored in the memory. After that, the order number is incremented by 1, and the product code blinks. By inputting the product code and quantity of the next ordered product in the same manner as described above, the order data is input, and when the input of the order number 50 is completed, END is displayed (box E).

(6) By repeating the above operation and inputting all the data to be ordered, by pressing the △ key and ∇ key, the order number NO. Of the order entered so far is entered.
The number displayed will decrease or increase, and any order number NO.
You can check your order (box box).

(7) In addition, when the order input is temporarily terminated, the power is turned off, and then the power is turned on again, if the order key is pressed in the state of the above box (box key)
The display will be as shown in, and the order details can be confirmed by pressing the ∇ and Δ keys.

(8) If an error is found in the above-mentioned confirmation operation, the order details can be corrected by pressing the correction key while the order details are displayed. For example, when the ordered product code 129 is corrected to 123, when the product code 129 is displayed and the correction key is pressed, the product code “129” blinks. Here, a new product code 123 is input. This allows
The display will be the correct code. After that, as in the case above, the quantity is automatically entered, so if you need to correct the quantity, enter a new quantity. If you do not need to correct the quantity, press the "Register" key. Push. At this time, a beeping sound sounds and the entered product code and quantity are registered in the memory. When the quantity is one digit (0 to 9), even if the "registration" key is pressed after inputting only that one digit, it is similarly registered in the memory.

(9) Next, when only the quantity is to be corrected, the order details to be corrected are displayed by using the ∇ and Δ keys, and the "correction" key is pressed.
For example, “123” flashes, so at this time, “Register”
Press the key. By pressing this "register" key, the quantity correction mode is entered, and "quantity" and "10" blink. Here, for example, when correcting the quantity from 10 to 01, the ten key 1 is pressed. As a result, the display on the display becomes "01", and then, when the "register" key is pressed, a beeping sound is emitted and the corrected quantity is registered in the memory.

By the order input operation as described above, the order data can be input, confirmed and corrected to the order terminal, and the order data can be stored in the memory of the order terminal.

When the order data is stored, if there is a telephone, call the decentralized order center to confirm the response, and then press the send button to send the order data through, for example, an acoustic coupler. The order data can be input directly to the computer.
The order data can be transmitted by the transmission button any number of times, and the data can be easily retransmitted.

Although the product code and quantity are input in the above-described product order input operation, the unit price of the product may be further input thereafter.

In this case, at the end of the input operation, the total amount of orders can be calculated and displayed in the order terminal, and the user can check the total amount of the products ordered by the user. Further, after the order data is transmitted, the total amount of ordered products, which is returned from the voice response device, can be heard and checked.

Further, in general, the product catalog is changed within a certain period, and thus the catalog number is changed. When such a change is made, the order data with the previous catalog number stored in the order terminal becomes unnecessary and needs to be deleted.

In the present invention, when a new catalog number is input to the ordering terminal, the order data of the previous plan number is cleared from the memory so that the memory can be cleared when an order is placed by a new catalog. The operation of can be eliminated.

In the ordering operation described above, it is assumed that a maximum of 50 items can be ordered, but the number of items can be set arbitrarily according to the memory capacity.

When the number of orders that can be set at one time or more is to be set, the maximum number of order data is once transmitted, the host computer as the center device is made to accept the order data, and then the same order is again performed. Just create and send the data. In this case, the previous order data can be automatically cleared from the memory.

According to the above-described first and second embodiments of the present invention, the ordering system for home shopping and the distribution system can be linked with each other, thereby shortening the lead time from receiving an order to delivering a product. Can be planned. For example, when the present invention is applied to the joint purchase system of the co-op, the lead time that was conventionally 2 weeks can be shortened to 1 week or less.

Further, the cost for constructing a home network with a home simple terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention is also as follows.
The order terminal can be provided at a price about 1/100 that of a personal computer, and the distribution cost can be significantly reduced. Also, the distribution cost can be reduced by consolidating the picking base distribution center and reducing the inventory amount. Therefore, the cost can be reduced.

Further, by adopting a large-sized display, a keyboard or a bar code input device as a household simple terminal, it is possible to prevent an error input, and moreover, a voice response device from a distributed order center is used to send order data. Since the confirmation can be performed by listening to the telephone by voice, anyone can easily perform the operation and confirm the order.

Further, according to the second embodiment of the present invention described above, the backbone system is composed of a home terminal, an information processing center, and a distribution center, and this backbone system is used by many service providers. Since it can be used, the system construction cost does not become a burden on each service providing company, and the service providing cost to the consumer, that is, the price of the product can be reduced.

Further, since the number of delivery trucks to each home can be reduced, it is possible to bring public benefits such as reduction of traffic congestion and exhaust gas.

[0127]

As described above, according to the present invention, the operability is good, and the product can be ordered at any time at any time, and the lead time from order receipt to delivery can be shortened. It is possible to provide a home shopping system that can reduce the distribution cost.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an ordering terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[Fig. 3] Voice response device (AR
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configurations of U) and a distributed order receiving computer (OPS).

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an appearance of an order terminal.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a catalog.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a structure of a data file.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a data format of an order file.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a format of data transmitted from an ordering terminal.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a data format of a customer master by branch.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a data format of a product master.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a data format of an order file.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a data format of an all order file.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a data format of a customer master.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a data format of a product inventory master.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a data format of a delivery instruction file.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a data format of a delivery instruction file for each site.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a sorting list.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of a delivery list.

FIG. 19 is a diagram for explaining the outline of the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 21 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of a system according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the ordering terminal.

FIG. 23 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the ordering terminal.

FIG. 24 is a block diagram showing an example of a conventional system.

[Explanation of symbols]

 0 home 1 ordering terminal 2 telephone 3 public communication network 4 voice response device 5 distributed order receiving computer 6 distributed order receiving center 7 order receiving center computer 8 service provider 9 product supply company 10 logistics host computer 11 logistics center 12 logistics center computer 13 delivery Depot (warehouse) 20 Speaker 21 Display 22 Keyboard 23 Speaker interface 24 Display interface 25 Keyboard interface 26 CPU 27 ROM 28 Backup battery RAM 29 PB signal oscillator (PBOSC)

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Yasuo Nakajima 12 890 Kashimada, Sachi-ku, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture Hitachi Information Systems Division (72) Inventor Yoshiaki Yoshikawa 800 Tomita, Ohira-machi, Shimotsuga-gun, Tochigi Prefecture Hitachi, Ltd. Living Equipment Division (72) Inventor Yasaku Akatsuka 216 Totsuka-cho, Totsuka-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture Hitachi Ltd., Information & Communication Division

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. In a home shopping system using a public communication network, an ordering system including a home ordering terminal, an order processing center computer and a distributed order receiving computer, a distribution host computer, a center center computer and a delivery depot. And a physical distribution system, each system having a hierarchical structure, and the physical distribution system delivers merchandise based on order data received from the order receiving system. 2. The distributed order receiving computer carries out order processing in real time for 24 hours, and the order processing center computer collects order data received by the distributed order receiving computer in batch. Home shopping system. 3. The home shopping system according to claim 1, wherein a voice response device is connected to the distributed order receiving computer, and a response to an order from a home order terminal is made by voice. . 4. The home shopping system according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the order terminal for home use and the distributed order receiving computer can be connected by toll-free dialing via a public communication network. 5. The order-accepting system registers company ID codes of a plurality of service-providing companies.
The home shopping system according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of services can be provided from one terminal. 6. The home-use ordering terminal is provided with a memory function and is capable of transmitting order data using an existing public communication network and an existing telephone. The home shopping system according to claim 1, wherein: 7. The home-use ordering terminal comprises a large-sized display and a large-sized keyboard, and data is input by keying in the minimum necessary data or by inputting with a bar code scanner. 7. The home shopping system according to claim 1, wherein the home shopping system is provided.