E-commerce system and method

• US 20020055885A1
• Filed: 11/06/2001
• Published: 05/09/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kindo, Toshiki, Yoshida, Hideyuki, Takase, Hiroshi, Shida, Takehiko
• Granted Patent: US 7,024,380 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0256 User search
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access

Abstract

In an e-commerce system which rearranges merchandise information pieces distributed to a consumer to match preferences of the consumer based on a personal profile with which various keywords contained in the merchandise information pieces and evaluation values corresponding to the keywords are registered where the evaluation values are learned in advance based on preferences of the consumer, while withdrawing a charge of merchandise from an account designated by the consumer to pay to the seller when receiving an order from the rearranged merchandise information pieces, an order for merchandise from the merchandise information pieces distributed to one consumer is placed using the personal profile of another consumer.

Claims

1. An e-commerce system comprising:

a merchandise information distribution unit having a merchandise information storage section that stores merchandise information pieces provided from a seller, and a merchandise information server that distributes the merchandise information pieces from said merchandise information storage section to a consumer;

a plurality of consumer terminals each having a storage section that stores a personal profile with which various keywords contained in the merchandise information pieces and evaluation values corresponding to the keywords are registered, the evaluation values learned in advance based on a preference of a consumer, and an information filtering section that ranks the merchandise information pieces distributed from said merchandise information server to match the preference of the consumer, based on the personal profile; and

a clearing unit that withdraws a charge of merchandise from an account designated by the consumer to pay to the seller when receiving an order for merchandise from either of said consumer terminals,

wherein an order for merchandise from the merchandise information pieces distributed to one of said consumer terminals that places an order for merchandise using said e-commerce system is placed using the personal profile stored in said storage section in another one of said consumer terminals.

2. The e-commerce system according to claim 1, wherein the merchandise information pieces distributed to the one of said consumer terminals are ranked based on the personal profile stored in said storage section of the another one of said consumer terminals, and an order for merchandise is placed using the ranked merchandise information pieces.

3. The e-commerce system according to claim 2, wherein the merchandise information pieces distributed to the one of said consumer terminals are transferred to said information filtering section of the another one of said consumer terminals, and said information filtering section of the another one of said consumer terminals ranks the merchandise information pieces based on the personal profile stored in said storage section of the another one of said consumer terminals to return to the one of said consumer terminals.

4. The e-commerce system according to claim 3, wherein the one of said consumer terminals has a querying section that queries whether the utilization of the personal profile stored in said storage section of the another one of said consumer terminals is permitted, said merchandise information distribution unit has a managing section which has utilization criteria registered therein of the personal profile stored in advance in said storage section of the another one of said consumer terminals, and which judges whether or not to permit the utilization of the personal profile stored in advance in said storage section of the another one of said consumer terminals when receiving the query from said querying section, and

when said managing section permits the utilization of the personal profile stored in said storage section of the another one of said consumer terminals, the merchandise information pieces distributed to the one of said consumer terminals are transferred to said information filtering section of the another one of said consumer terminals.

5. The e-commerce system according to claim 4, wherein when permitting the utilization of the personal profile stored in said storage section of the another one of said consumer terminals, said managing section notifies the permission to said clearing unit, and said clearing unit withdraws a utilization charge from the account designated by the consumer using the one of said consumer terminals, while paying the utilization charge to another consumer that uses the another one of said consumer terminals and that provides the personal profile.

6. The e-commerce system according to claim 2, wherein the consumer that uses the one of said consumer terminals is capable of designating the another consumer that has the personal profile stored in said storage section of the another one of said consumer terminal to rank the merchandise information pieces distributed from said merchandise information server.

7. The e-commerce system according to claim 6, wherein the another consumer is a celebrity.

8. The e-commerce system according to claim 1, wherein the various keywords contained in the merchandise information pieces include identification information of the seller.

9. The e-commerce system according to claim 2, wherein said information filtering section of the one of said consumer terminals receives the personal profile stored in said storage section of the another one of said consumer terminals, and ranks the merchandise information pieces distributed to the one of said consumer terminals based on the personal profile received from the another one of said consumer terminals.

10. The e-commerce system according to claim 1, wherein a specific mark corresponding to the evaluation value registered with the personal profile stored in said storage section of the another one of said consumer terminals is assigned to each of the merchandise information pieces distributed to the one of said consumer terminals, and an order for merchandise is placed from the merchandise information pieces each assigned the specific mark.

11. The e-commerce system according to claim 1, wherein the merchandise information pieces distributed to the one of said consumer terminals are ranked based on the personal profile stored in said storage section of the one of said consumer terminals and the personal profile stored in said storage section of the another one of said consumer terminals, and an order for merchandise is placed from the ranked merchandise information pieces.

12. The e-commerce system according to claim 11, wherein the merchandise information pieces distributed to the one of said consumer terminals each are ranked based on a sum of a value calculated from the evaluation value registered with the personal profile stored in said storage section of the one of said consumer terminals, and a value calculated from the evaluation value registered with the personal profile stored in said storage section of the another one of said consumer terminals.

13. The e-commerce system according to claim 1, wherein the merchandise information pieces distributed to the one of said consumer terminals are ranked based on the personal profile stored in said storage section of the one of said consumer terminals, while the ranked merchandise information pieces are each assigned a specific mark corresponding to the evaluation value registered with the personal profile stored in said storage section of the another one of said consumer terminals, and an order for merchandise is placed from the ranked merchandise information pieces each assigned the specific mark.

14. The e-commerce system according to claim 1, wherein the merchandise information pieces distributed to the one of said consumer terminals are ranked based on the personal profile stored in said storage section of the another one of said consumer terminals, while the ranked merchandise information pieces are each assigned a specific mark corresponding to the evaluation value registered with the personal profile stored in said storage section of the one of said consumer terminals, and an order for merchandise is placed from the ranked merchandise information pieces each assigned the specific mark.

19. The e-commerce method according to claim 18, wherein the merchandise information pieces distributed to the one of the consumers are ranked based on the personal profile of the another one of the consumers, and an order for merchandise is placed from the ranked merchandise information pieces.

20. The e-commerce method according to claim 18, wherein the merchandise information pieces distributed to the one of the consumers are ranked based on the personal profile of the one of the consumers and the personal profile of the another one of the consumers, and an order for merchandise is placed from the ranked merchandise information pieces.

21. The e-commerce method according to claim 18, wherein the merchandise information pieces distributed to the one of the consumers are ranked based on the personal profile of the one of the consumers, while the ranked merchandise information pieces are each assigned a specific mark corresponding to the evaluation value registered with the personal profile of the another one of the consumers, and an order for merchandise is placed from the ranked merchandise information pieces each assigned the specific mark.

22. The e-commerce method according to claim 18, wherein the merchandise information pieces distributed to the one of the consumers are ranked based on the personal profile of the another one of the consumers, while the ranked merchandise information pieces are each assigned a specific mark corresponding to the evaluation value registered with the personal profile of the one of the consumers, and an order for merchandise is placed from the ranked merchandise information pieces each assigned the specific mark.

24. The e-commerce system according to claim 23, wherein said information filtering section rates the merchandise information pieces distributed from said merchandise information server based on the personal profile to rearrange the merchandise information pieces to match the preference of the consumer.

25. The e-commerce system according to claim 24, wherein said information filtering section ranks the merchandise information pieces according to the rate rated on each of the merchandise information pieces.

15. A consumer terminal for use by a consumer to place an order for merchandise, comprising:

a storage section that stores a personal profile with which various keywords contained in merchandise information pieces provided from a seller and evaluation values corresponding to the keywords are registered, the evaluation values learned in advance based on a preference of a consumer;

an information filtering section that ranks the merchandise information pieces distributed from a merchandise information server that distributes the merchandise information pieces corresponding to search criteria of the consumer, to match the preference of the consumer based on the personal profile; and

a utilization querying section that queries whether the utilization of the personal profile is permitted which is stored in said storage section of another consumer terminal used by another consumer different from the consumer that uses said consumer terminal,

wherein when the utilization of the personal profile of the another consumer is permitted, said consumer terminal transfers the merchandise information pieces distributed corresponding to the search criteria of the consumer to said information filtering section of said another consumer terminal, while receiving the merchandise information pieces which are ranked based on the personal profile of the another consumer and then returned, and receives an order for merchandise from the ranked merchandise information pieces.

16. A consumer terminal for use by a consumer to place an order for merchandise, comprising:

a storage section that stores a personal profile with which various keywords contained in merchandise information pieces provided from a seller and evaluation values corresponding to the keywords are registered, the evaluation values learned in advance based on a preference of a consumer; and

an information filtering section that ranks the merchandise information pieces distributed from a merchandise information server that distributes the merchandise information pieces corresponding to search criteria of the consumer, to match the preference of the consumer based on the personal profile,

wherein when merchandise information pieces are transferred from another consumer terminal with permission of the personal profile of stored in said storage section, said information filtering section ranks the merchandise information pieces based on the personal profiled stored in said storage section to return to said another consumer terminal.

17. An e-commerce system that distributes merchandise information pieces provided from a seller to a plurality of consumers and that receives an order for merchandise from either consumer, comprising:

a merchandise information server that distributes the merchandise information pieces provided from the seller to the consumers;

an information filtering section that ranks the merchandise information pieces distributed from said merchandise information server, based on a personal profile with which various keywords contained in the merchandise information pieces and evaluation values corresponding to the keywords are registered, the evaluation values learned in advance based on a preference of the consumer; and

a clearing mechanism that withdraws a charge of merchandise from an account designated by the consumer to pay to the seller when receiving an order for the merchandise from the merchandise information pieces ranked in said information filtering section,

wherein an order for merchandise from the merchandise information pieces distributed to one of the consumers that places an order for merchandise using said e-commerce system is placed using the personal profile of another one of the consumers.

18. An e-commerce method for distributing merchandise information pieces provided from a seller to a plurality of consumers and receiving an order for merchandise from either consumer, comprising the step of:

ranking the merchandise information pieces distributed to each of the consumers to match a preference of each of the consumers based on a personal profile with which various keywords contained in the merchandise information pieces and evaluation values corresponding to the keywords are registered, the evaluation values learned in advance based on the preference of the consumer; and

withdrawing a charge of merchandise from an account designated by the consumer to pay to the seller when receiving an order for the merchandise from the ranked merchandise information pieces,

wherein an order for merchandise of from the merchandise information pieces distributed to one of the consumers is placed using the personal profile of another one of the consumers.

23. An e-commerce system comprising:

a merchandise information distribution unit having a merchandise information storage section that stores merchandise information pieces provided from a seller, and a merchandise information server that distributes the merchandise information pieces from said merchandise information storage section to a consumer;

a plurality of consumer terminals each having a storage section that stores a personal profile with which various keywords contained in the merchandise information pieces and evaluation values corresponding to the keywords are registered, the evaluation values learned in advance based on a preference of a consumer, and an information filtering section that rearranges the merchandise information pieces distributed from said merchandise information server to match the preference of the consumer, based on the personal profile; and

a clearing unit that withdraws a charge of merchandise from an account designated by the consumer to pay to the seller when receiving an order for merchandise from either of said consumer terminals, wherein an order for merchandise from the merchandise information pieces distributed to one of said consumer terminals that places an order for merchandise using said e-commerce system is placed using the personal profile stored in said storage section in another one of said consumer terminals.