System for placing orders having mechanism for replacing an item in an electronic catalog
First Claim
1. A system for placing orders for items, comprising a database having various masters, and a server for controlling data communications with a plurality of terminals via a network, and extracting or storing data to or from the various masters in response to requests from the terminals;
- wherein the database comprises;
a merchandise master in which is registered information relating to items provided from a dealer to a customer, for each unique item number for the respective items; and
an MD related master in which is registered, as merchandise assortment (MD) related information, a list of traded items, whose trades have been agreed upon beforehand between that customer and dealer, among those items stored in that merchandise master, for each purchase unit of the customer and for each dealer providing the items to that customer; and
wherein the server comprises an item replacing controller for, when an item stored in the merchandise master is to be replaced with an item that is a replaceable item but is not contained in the MD related information, controlling the replacement of items provided to the dealers from the customers, according to an automatic replace level defined beforehand in the MD related information.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system for executing and managing purchases of items at low cost is disclosed. This system comprises a database 9 which stores various kinds of masters and a server 10 connected to prescribed terminals 1 via a network such as the Internet. When items stored in a merchandise master are to be replaced with items that are replaceable and not contained in a customer specific electronic catalog (MD related information), the server controls the replacement of items provided from the dealers to the customers according to predefined automatic replace levels. Thus changes are made in items according to predetermined contract, and manufacturing suspensions and introduction of new products and the like can be coped with.
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Citations
30 Claims
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1. A system for placing orders for items, comprising a database having various masters, and a server for controlling data communications with a plurality of terminals via a network, and extracting or storing data to or from the various masters in response to requests from the terminals;
wherein the database comprises;
a merchandise master in which is registered information relating to items provided from a dealer to a customer, for each unique item number for the respective items; and
an MD related master in which is registered, as merchandise assortment (MD) related information, a list of traded items, whose trades have been agreed upon beforehand between that customer and dealer, among those items stored in that merchandise master, for each purchase unit of the customer and for each dealer providing the items to that customer; and
wherein the server comprises an item replacing controller for, when an item stored in the merchandise master is to be replaced with an item that is a replaceable item but is not contained in the MD related information, controlling the replacement of items provided to the dealers from the customers, according to an automatic replace level defined beforehand in the MD related information. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A system for placing orders for items, comprising a database having various masters, and a server for controlling data communications with a plurality of terminals via a network, and extracting or storing data to or from the various masters in response to requests from the terminals;
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wherein the database comprises a merchandise master in which is registered information relating to items provided to a customer by item numbers unique to those items; and
wherein the server comprises an item replacement controller for, when an item stored in the merchandise master is to be replaced with a replaceable item, controls replacement of item provided to the customer according to automatic replace level defined beforehand for each of the customers.
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9. A method for controlling item replacement using an order placing system, said order placing system comprising a database wherein are stored various masters, and a server for controlling data communications with a plurality of terminals via a network, and extracting or storing data to or from the various masters in response to requests from the terminals;
wherein the database comprises;
a merchandise master in which is registered information relating to items such as goods or services provided from a supplier through a retail outlet or other dealer to a customer, for each unique item number for those items; and
an MD related master in which is registered a list of traded items whose trades have been agreed upon beforehand between that customer and dealer, among those items stored in that merchandise master, as MD related information, for each purchase unit of the customer, for each dealer providing the items; and
the replacement control method comprises the steps of;
(a) specifying beforehand a replacement form, when an item among items provided from the dealer to a customer is to be replaced by a new item, as an automatic replace level, for each set of MD related information wherein unit thereof is made a list of those items handled;
(b) referencing a certain automatic replace level, when a proposal for adopting a new product or the like has been made to the customer by a sales activity entity such as a supplier or dealer or the like, namely the automatic replace level defined in MD related information for that customer;
(c) defining a form for determining price of old item, based on the MD related information, before or after step (b);
(d) calculating price difference between price of old item and price of new item, when price of that new item can be calculated, based on price determining form specified in step (c); and
(e) determining whether or not to implement item replacement, or whether or not a query is to be made to the dealer, according to combination of whether or not a price calculation was made in step (d), that price difference when such was calculated, and the automatic replace level. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 14, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26, 27, 28, 30)
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12. A Computer program product comprising a recording medium storing a program for controlling item replacement using an order placing system;
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wherein the order placing system comprises a database which stores various masters, and a server for controlling data communications with a plurality of terminals via a network, and extracting or storing data to or from the various masters in response to requests from the terminals;
the database comprises;
a merchandise master in which is registered information relating to items provided from a dealer to a customer, for each unique item number for the items; and
an MD related master in which is registered a list of traded items whose trades have been agreed upon beforehand between that customer and dealer, among those items stored in that merchandise master, as MD related information for each purchase unit of the customer, and for each dealer providing the items to that customer; and
wherein the program for item replacement control causes the server to;
specify a replacement form, when an item among handled items provided from the dealer to a customer is to be replaced by a new item, as an automatic replace level, for each set of MD related information in which unit thereof is made a list of those items handled;
reference the automatic replace level defined in MD related information for that customer, when a proposal for adopting a new product or the like has been made to the customer by a sales activity entity for the customer such as supplier or dealer or the like;
reference MD related information and specify a form for determining price of old item;
calculate price difference between price of old item and price of new item, when price of that new item can be calculated, based on specified price determining form; and
determine whether or not to implement item replacement, or whether or not a query is to be made to the dealer, according to combination of whether or not a price calculation was made, that price difference when such was calculated, and the automatic replace level.
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13. A system for placing orders for items, comprising a database wherein are stored various masters, and a server for controlling data communications with a plurality of terminals via a network, and extracting or storing data to or from the various masters in response to requests from the terminals;
wherein the database comprises;
a merchandise master in which is registered information relating to items provided from a dealer to a customer, for each unique item number for the items;
an MD related master which a list of traded items whose trades have been agreed upon beforehand between that customer and dealer, among those items stored in that merchandise master, as MD related information, for each purchase unit of the customer and for each dealer providing the items to that customer;
an item replacement master for managing the replacement of item numbers, item by item, proposed by a sales activity entity for the customer such as a supplier or dealer of items provided to the customer; and
an item replacement judgment master for managing condition of advance of item replacements stored in that item replacement master; and
wherein the server comprises;
an automatic replace level storage controller for storing an automatic replace level determined beforehand between that customer and dealer in the MD related information when the MD related information is stored in the MD related master;
an item specific item replacement storage controller which, when replacement of an item stored in the merchandise master is proposed by the sales activity entity, stores the old item number of that item replacement and a new item number that is a new item in the item replacement master;
a replacement object extraction controller which, after the old and new item numbers have been stored in the item replacement master, extracts the MD related information in which that old item number is assorted from the MD related information;
an MD specific item replacement determinator for determining whether or not to automatically implement an item replacement, for each set of MD related information, based on automatic replacement implementation level stored in the MD related information extracted by that replacement object extraction controller;
an automatic replacement controller which, when it has been determined by that MD specific item replacement determinator to perform an item replacement automatically, stores the new item number in the MD data specified by the old item number in plurality of sets of MD data in that MD related information; and
a replacement study controller which, when it has been determined by the MD specific item replacement determinator not to perform an automatic item replacement, prompts the dealer corresponding to that MD related information to store information relating to that item replacement.
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15. A system that places orders for items, comprising a database wherein are stored various masters, and a server for controlling data communications with a plurality of terminals via a network, and extracting or storing data to or from the various masters in response to requests from the terminals;
wherein the database comprises;
a merchandise master in which is registered information relating to items provided from a dealer to a customer, for each unique item number for the items; and
an MD related master in which is registered a list of traded items whose trades have been agreed upon beforehand between that customer and dealer, among those items stored in that merchandise master, as MD related information for each purchase unit of the customer and for each dealer providing the items to that customer; and
the server comprises;
a received order item replacing controller that, when an order placement request for ordering an item is received from a terminal used by a user belonging to the purchasing unit, references the MD related information, and, when a new item number is stored in that item, notifies user for receiving order for item of that new item number; and
an out of production item order changing controller for, when the MD related information is referenced and the item number for which the order placement request was received has gone out of production, prompting the user to change or cancel the order placed for that item.
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16. Order placement data used in a system that controls order placing and receiving between a customer to whom a user using a terminal belongs and a dealer providing items such as goods or services to that customer, wherein
the order placing and receiving system comprises: -
a database storing various masters; and
a server for controlling data communications with a plurality of terminals via a network, and extracting or storing data to or from the various masters in response to requests from the terminals;
the order placing and receiving system data are used by the order placing and receiving system for specifying a dealer handling an item ordered by a user; and
the order placement data comprise;
a data structure consisting of MD related master data;
a data structure consisting of MD unit master data; and
a data structure consisting of MD master data;
the MD related master data have;
an MD unit master wherein is stored an MD unit data group indicating an MD list defined for the dealer and each of the purchasing units of the customer; and
an MD master wherein is stored an MD data group wherein is stored information relating to distribution of items belonging to the MD unit in each of those MD units;
the MD master data have an automatic replace level for specifying a replacement form when performing a replacement of an item stored in the merchandise master in each of those MD units by an item that is a replaceable item and that is not contained in the MD related information; and
the MD related master data have new item number data in that item number belonging to that MD related information when item replacement has been performed for an item according to the automatic replace level.
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17. A system for placing orders for items, comprising a database storing various masters;
- and a server that is connected via a network to a customer terminal for a customer and a dealer terminal for a dealer, for controlling data communications with those terminals, and extracting or storing data to or from the various masters in response to requests from the terminals;
wherein the database comprises;
a merchandise master in which is registered information relating to items supplied from a supplier through the dealer to a customer, for each unique item number for those items; and
an MD related master in which is registered a list of traded items whose trades have been agreed upon beforehand between that customer and dealer, among those items stored in that merchandise master, as MD related information, for each purchase unit of the customer and for each dealer providing the items to that customer; and
the server comprises;
a free form order controller which, when an order is placed from a particular customer terminal for an item not stored in MD related information oriented toward that customer of the one or plurality of dealers, controls an order placement or estimate request in a free form to a dealer group having MD related information oriented toward that customer; and
a dealer specifying controller for prompting the customer to specify a dealer to provide that customer with an item for which an order was placed or is scheduled to be placed by that free form order controller, from the plurality of dealer groups.
- and a server that is connected via a network to a customer terminal for a customer and a dealer terminal for a dealer, for controlling data communications with those terminals, and extracting or storing data to or from the various masters in response to requests from the terminals;
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25. A dealer application service provider system for providing order placement functions to terminals of one or a plurality of users belonging to a purchasing unit of a customer, and providing order receiving functions to terminals of a plurality of dealers providing items identified by item number to that customer, comprising a database which stores various masters such as a merchandise master in which is registered information relating to items that are goods or services;
- and a server, connected to terminals via a network such as Internet, for controlling sending and receiving of data with those terminals, and extracting or storing data from or to the various masters in response to requests at those terminals;
wherein the server comprises, as functions to be provided to a terminal used by the dealer;
an order receiving control function that, when an order has been placed for one or a plurality of items from the customer terminal, for each item, makes an item stored in MD related information for that customer of that dealer an order received by that dealer;
a delivery control function that controls arrangements for transferring one or plurality of items for which order was received by the order receiving control function, based on data stored beforehand in the MD related information;
a sales management control function for controlling accounting of sales by that dealer to that customer in response to the arrangements made by that delivery control function; and
a laying-in management control function for controlling accounting of dealer laying in related to those items, based on data stored beforehand in the MD related information.
- and a server, connected to terminals via a network such as Internet, for controlling sending and receiving of data with those terminals, and extracting or storing data from or to the various masters in response to requests at those terminals;
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29. A dealer application service provider system for providing order placement functions to terminals of one or a plurality of users belonging to a purchasing unit of a customer, and providing order receiving functions to terminals of a plurality of dealers providing items identified by item number to that customer, comprising a database which stores various masters such as a merchandise master in which is registered information relating to items that are goods or services;
- and a server, connected to terminals via a network such as Internet, for controlling sending and receiving of data with those terminals, and extracting or storing data from or to the various masters in response to requests at those terminals;
wherein the server comprises, as functions to be provided to a terminal used by the dealer;
an MD related information storing function that stores, for each purchasing unit to which a user of a customer belongs, a list of items provided to that purchasing unit, as MD related information, for each purchasing unit of that customer;
an order receiving control function that, when an order has been placed for one or a plurality of items from the customer terminal, for each item, makes an item stored in the MD related information for a purchasing unit of that customer of that dealer an order received by that dealer; and
an out of production effect retrieval function that, in cases where an item stored in the merchandise master has been taken out of production, retrieves the MD related information wherein that item is defined from the database.
- and a server, connected to terminals via a network such as Internet, for controlling sending and receiving of data with those terminals, and extracting or storing data from or to the various masters in response to requests at those terminals;
Specification