Method and system for operating a virtual shopping mall or seller-engaged type

• US 20010007979A1
• Filed: 12/22/2000
• Published: 07/12/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Teshima, Atsushi
• Granted Patent: US 7,266,511 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/208 Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers

Abstract

A virtual shopping mall system of seller-engaged type is provided. A virtual shopping mall operations apparatus E accepts virtual goods information corresponding to real goods from a seller A and registers the virtual goods information to the virtual shopping mall. The virtual shopping mall operations apparatus E presents the virtual goods information to a buyer B and intermediates a trade between the seller A and the buyer B on the virtual shopping mall. When a trade is reached, the virtual shopping mall operations apparatus E achieves the trade on the virtual shopping mall by setting a delivery path for real goods from the seller A to the buyer B. In order to set a delivery path, a terminal base D, which is selected from a plurality of chained real terminal bases, is set up for a buyer B to receive real goods.

Claims

1. A method for operating a virtual shopping mall by using a computer system, comprising:

registering virtual goods information, which corresponds to a seller'"'"'s real goods, to the virtual shopping mall after receiving said virtual goods information from said seller;

intermediating business between said seller and a buyer on said virtual shopping mall by presenting said virtual goods information to a buyer;

setting a delivery path for delivering said real goods from said seller to said buyer by said buyer'"'"'s selection of a terminal base; and

establishing a trading, which achieves business on said virtual shopping mall.

2. The method for operating a virtual shopping mall as claimed in

claim 1

, wherein:

said registering virtual goods information includes capturing an image of said real goods as a part of said virtual goods information; and

said intermediating business intermediates said business by presenting said image to said buyer.

3. The method for operating a virtual shopping mall as claimed in

claim 2

, further comprising:

presenting each of said images, which are included in said virtual goods information of a plurality of registered real goods, to said seller when said seller requests to modify said virtual goods information; and

selecting by said seller whether to modify said virtual goods information about real goods among a plurality of said real goods presented by said presenting.

4. The method for operating a virtual shopping mall as claimed in

claim 3

, wherein said presenting disposes each of said images by demagnifying said images and presents said demagnified images to said seller.

5. The method for operating a virtual shopping mall as claimed in

claim 2

, wherein said trading includes said seller'"'"'s setting said terminal base at said plurality of real terminal bases no bring in said real goods.

6. The method for operating a virtual shopping mall as claimed in

claim 2

, further comprising instructing a physical distribution system, which includes said plurality of real terminal bases, to deliver said real goods.

7. The method for operating a virtual shopping mall as claimed in

claim 2

, wherein said intermediating business presents said virtual goods information to said buyer as securing anonymity of said seller.

8. The method for operating a virtual shopping mall as claimed in

claim 1

, further comprising setting the maximum value of the number of categories of said virtual goods, which can be displayed on said virtual shopping mall, according to the fee charged to said seller.

9. The method for operating a virtual shopping mall as claimed in

claim 1

, further comprising updating said seller'"'"'s database when said trading is established, wherein the computer system stores the trade history for each of said sellers in said seller'"'"'s database and setting the fee for said virtual shopping mall lower for those sellers whose amount of past trades stored in said seller'"'"'s database is large.

10. The method for operating a virtual shopping mall as claimed in

claim 2

, further comprising inspecting goods.

11. The method for operating a virtual shopping mall as claimed in

claim 10

, further comprising giving a penalty based on a predetermined penalty rule on said virtual shopping mall against said seller who requests to register inappropriate virtual goods information.

12. The method for operating a virtual shopping mall as claimed in

claim 11

, wherein said predetermined penalty rule is established to give different penalties against said seller according to the number of registrations of said inappropriate virtual goods information.

13. The method for operating a virtual shopping mall as claimed in

claim 2

, further comprising forming a black list, which shows a buyer who does not arrive to receive said real goods despite that a trade on said virtual shopping mall, has been established.

14. A virtual shopping mall system, which is established by using a computer system, comprising:

a commercial goods managing database, which is provided to each seller and registers virtual goods information corresponding to real goods of said seller; and

a delivery setting section, which achieves a trade on said virtual shopping mall by setting a delivery path for said real goods, from said seller to a buyer, when a trade has been established between said seller and said buyer who is presented with said virtual goods information in said commercial goods managing database.

15. The virtual shopping mall system as claimed in

claim 14

, further comprising a terminal base unit, which is installed at each of a plurality of real terminal bases that forms a physical distribution system, said terminal base unit connecting and communicating with a virtual shopping mall operations apparatus that manages said commercial goods managing database.

16. The virtual shopping mall system as claimed in

claim 15

, further comprising:

a shop managing database, which sets up a virtual shop for selling said goods for each of said sellers on said computer system; and

a section for processing an owner registration procedure for sellers who want to open said virtual shop and be an owner thereof.

17. The virtual shopping mall system as claimed in

claim 15

, wherein said terminal base functions as a place for a seller to bring real goods and for a buyer to receive said real goods, through communication information with said virtual shopping mall operations apparatus.

18. The virtual shopping mall system as clammed in

claim 15

, further comprising a section for generating virtual goods information, which generates virtual goods information that corresponds to real goods of a seller who is an owner of a virtual shop.

19. The virtual shopping mall system as clammed in

claim 18

, wherein said section for generating virtual goods information includes a media equipment device, which reads image data of real goods from a recording medium.

20. The virtual shopping mall system as claimed in

claim 18

, wherein said section for generating virtual goods information includes an image capturing unit, which captures an image of real goods that are brought to said terminal base by said seller.

21. The virtual shopping mall system as claimed in

claim 18

, wherein said section for generating virtual goods information includes a picture reading unit, which obtains image data of said real goods from a picture of said real goods brought in to said terminal base by said seller.,

22. The virtual shopping mall system as claimed in

claim 15

, further comprising a section for managing, which manages information about leasing to a seller, or an owner of a virtual shop, an image capturing unit, which is used for generating virtual goods information that corresponds to real goods.

23. The virtual shopping mall system as claimed in

claim 15

, further comprising a catalog printing apparatus, which prints out a catalog of virtual goods information.

24. The virtual shopping mall system as claimed in

claim 15

, further comprising a section for searching, which searches virtual goods information managed by a virtual shopping mall operations apparatus 25.

25. A recording medium, which stores a program that can be read by a computer, wherein the program is a program to operate a virtual shopping mall, the program comprising;

registering virtual goods information corresponding to real goods of a seller to said virtual shopping mall by receiving said virtual goods information from said seller;

intermediating business between said seller and a buyer on said virtual shopping mall by presenting said virtual goods information to said buyer; and

achieving a trade on said virtual shopping mall by setting a delivery path of said real goods from said seller to said buyer.