Goods delivery method, online shopping method, online shopping system, server, and vender server

• US 20020022967A1
• Filed: 04/26/2001
• Published: 02/21/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ohkado, Akira
• Application Number:
  US09/843,501
• Publication Number:
  US 20020022967A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

[Object]

It is one object of the present invention to provide a goods delivery method for improving the anonymity of a customer, and an online shopping method, an online shopping system, a server, and a shop server therefor.

[Constitution]

A customer 3 orders an article from a shop 2 by using an anonymous ID. The shop 2 attaches, to the article, a slip 100 on which not personal information for the customer 3 is printed, and dispatches the article to an anonymous service provider 1. Thereafter, the anonymous service provider 1 replaces the slip 100 with a slip 200 on which the name and address of the customer 3 is printed, and delivers the article to the customer 3.

Claims

1. A goods delivery method, whereby an article ordered by a customer via a network is delivered to the customer by a service provider, comprising the steps of:

(a) the shop obtaining article information that specifies the article to be delivered to the customer and an anonymous code that specifies the delivery address of the customer;

(b) the shop transmitting, to the service provider, the article that corresponds to the article information so as to correlate anonymous code with the article;

(c) the service provider obtaining the delivery address for the customer based on the anonymous code; and

(d) the service provider delivering the article to the customer based on the delivery address obtained at the step (c).

2. A goods delivery method, whereby an article ordered by a customer via a network is delivered to the customer by a service provider, comprising the steps of:

(a) from a shop that obtains article information for specifying an article to be delivered to the customer and anonymous code for specifying a delivery address for the customer, receiving an article that corresponds to the article information correlated with the anonymous code;

(b) employing the anonymous code to obtain the delivery distribution for the customer; and

(c) transporting the article to the customer based on the delivery address obtained at the step (b).

3. The goods delivery method according to claim 2, wherein, upon receipt of a request from the customer, the anonymous code is issued by the service provider via the network.

4. The goods delivery method according to claim 2, wherein the anonymous code is issued by the customer, and is stored by the service provider correlated with delivery address information for the customer.

5. The goods delivery method according to claim 2, wherein, upon receipt of a request from the shop, the anonymous code is issued to the shop by the service provider via the network, and wherein the anonymous code is transmitted by the shop to the customer via the network.

6. The goods delivery method according to claim 2, wherein the service provider attaches, to the article, a delivery slip on which the delivery address is printed, and delivers the article to the customer.

7. The goods delivery method according to claim 2, wherein the service provider pays the shop the price charged for the article.

8. An online shopping method, employed between a shop for an article and a customer of the article via a network, comprising the steps of:

a server at the shop receiving, via the network, an order for an article from the customer and anonymous code that is supplied; and

the shop transferring the article to a third party that holds the anonymous code information and personal information for the customer, and that delivers the article to the customer based on the personal information.

9. The online shopping method according to claim 8, wherein the personal information includes the name and address of the customer.

10. The online shopping method according to claim 8, wherein the customer employs electronic money to pay the shop for the article via the network.

11. An online shopping system, whereby a customer issues an order to a shop via a network, comprising:

a server for the shop;

a terminal for the customer; and

a server for a service provider, connected to the network, for storing personal information for the customer correlated with an anonymous code provided for the customer,

wherein the customer employs the terminal to issue an order for an article and to supply the anonymous code to the server for the shop,

wherein the shop attaches the anonymous code to the article that is ordered, and transfers the article to the service provider, and

wherein the service provider employs the server for the service provider to output the personal information for the customer that is correlated with the anonymous code attached to the article, and to attach the personal information to the article and transport the article to the customer.

12. The online shopping system according to claim 11, wherein the shop employs the server for the shop to output a first slip on which the anonymous code is printed, and to transfer to the service provider the article with the first slip attached thereto;

and

wherein the service provider employs the server for the service provider to output a second slip on which the personal information for the customer is printed, and to replace the first slip on the article with the second slip and transport the article to the customer.

14. The server according to claim 13, further comprising:

code generation means for generating the anonymous code upon the receipt of a remotely sourced request.

15. The server according to claim 13, wherein the information storage means deletes the anonymous code when a predetermined period of time has elapsed.

16. The server according to claim 13, wherein the information storage means deletes the anonymous code when the anonymous code has been used once.

17. The server according to claim 13, further comprising:

solvency confirmation means for confirming the solvency of the customer; and

payment proxy means for paying a price charged for the article to the shop when the solvency of the customer is confirmed by the solvency confirmation means.

13. A server comprises:

information storage means for an anonymous code, which is used as information for a customer when the customer purchases an article from a shop, correlated with delivery address information for the customer;

anonymous code input means for, upon the receipt of an article to which an anonymous code is attached, printing the anonymous code; and

delivery address information output means for examining the information storage means to output the delivery address information for the customer that is correlated with the anonymous code.

18. A server for a shop, which delivers an article that is ordered by a customer who supplied an anonymous code, to the customer via a third party that manages the anonymous code and personal information for the customer, comprising:

an order acceptance unit for accepting an order from the customer via a network;

an anonymous code inquiry unit for querying the third party via the network concerning the anonymous code supplied by the customer; and

a slip output unit for, when the anonymous code inquiry unit obtains a conformation for the anonymous code from the third party, printing the anonymous code on a slip to be attached to the article and outputting the slip.