Method and system for selling or purchasing commodities via network

• US 20020116295A1
• Filed: 05/24/2001
• Published: 08/22/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Nakajima, Toshiya, Sonda, Genichi, Shino, Hiroyasu, Hirano, Yasuhiro, Tanno, Kazuhira
• Application Number:
  US09/863,254
• Publication Number:
  US 20020116295A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers

Abstract

The present invention provides a selling system for providing an interface for customers in the online sale of commodities as if the customer actually went to a shop and evaluated each article according to the purchase request. This selling system has a receiver for receiving instruction information regarding an arbitrary display manner of an arbitrary individual commodity selected by a user from a user terminal, means for outputting to a photographing robot, a first photographing request for acquiring image information at this moment according to the arbitrary display manner of the selected individual arbitrary commodity itself, which is designated in the instruction information, and a transmitter for transmitting to the user terminal, the image information of the selected individual commodity itself, which is photographed by the photographing apparatus.

Claims

1. A method for selling a commodity via a network, said method comprising the steps of:

if instruction information regarding an arbitrary display manner of an arbitrary individual commodity selected by a user is received from a user terminal, outputting to an apparatus for photographing, a first photographing request for acquiring image information at this moment according to said arbitrary display manner of the selected individual commodity itself; and

transmitting to said user terminal, said image information of the selected individual commodity itself, said image information photographed by said apparatus for photographing.

2. The method set forth in claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

if information regarding a selected purchase plan commodity is received from said user terminal, outputting to said apparatus for photographing, a second photographing request for acquiring image information for said selected purchase plan commodity; and

transmitting to said user terminal, image information for said selected purchase plan commodity, which is photographed by said apparatus for photographing, and image information until said selected purchase plan commodity is photographed by said apparatus for photographing.

3. The method set forth in claim 1, wherein said apparatus for photographing includes a robot provided for a shop, and

said method further comprises the steps of:

according to said first photographing request, controlling said robot to change a photographing method for the selected individual commodity itself; and

if a purchase instruction of the selected individual commodity is received from said user terminal, instructing said robot to convey said selected individual commodity within said shop.

4. The method set forth in claim 2, wherein said apparatus for photographing includes a robot provided for a shop, and

said method further comprises a stop of:

according to said second photographing request, controlling said robot to move while photographing until said robot reaches an exhibition position of said selected purchase plan commodity.

5. The method set forth in claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

if a purchase instruction of the selected individual commodity is received from said user terminal, acquiring identification information of said selected individual commodity itself; and

transmitting said identification information of said selected individual commodity itself to said user terminal.

6. A method for purchasing a commodity via a network, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving from a server, and displaying on a display device, image information for an arbitrary individual commodity itself selected by a user;

according to an instruction input for an arbitrary display manner of the individual commodity itself by the user, transmitting to said server, instruction information regarding said arbitrary display manner; and

receiving from said server, and displaying on said display device, image information according to said arbitrary display manner of said individual commodity itself.

7. A computer program embodied on a medium, for causing a computer to sell a commodity via a network, said program comprising the steps of:

if instruction information regarding an arbitrary display manner of an arbitrary individual commodity selected by a user is received from a user terminal, outputting to an apparatus for photographing, a first photographing request for acquiring image information at this moment according to said arbitrary display manner of the selected individual commodity itself; and

transmitting to said user terminal, said image information of the selected individual commodity itself, said image information photographed by said apparatus for photographing.

8. The computer program set forth in claim 7, further comprising the steps of:

if information regarding a selected purchase plan commodity is received from said user terminal, outputting to said apparatus for photographing, a second photographing request for acquiring image information for said selected purchase plan commodity; and

transmitting to said user terminal, image information for said selected purchase plan commodity, which is photographed by said apparatus for photographing, and image information until said selected purchase plan commodity is photographed by said apparatus for photographing.

9. The computer program set forth in claim 7, wherein said apparatus for photographing includes a robot provided for a shop, and

said computer program further comprises the steps of:

according to said first photographing request, controlling said robot to change a photographing method for the selected individual commodity itself; and

if a purchase instruction of the selected individual commodity is received from said user terminal, instructing said robot to convey said selected individual commodity within said shop.

10. The computer program set forth in claim 8, wherein said apparatus for photographing includes a robot provided for a shop, and

said computer program further comprises a stop of:

according to said second photographing request, controlling said robot to move while photographing until said robot reaches an exhibition position of said selected purchase plan commodity.

11. The computer program set forth in claim 7, further comprising the steps of:

if a purchase instruction of the selected individual commodity is received from said user terminal, acquiring identification information of said selected individual commodity itself; and

transmitting said identification information of said selected individual commodity itself to said user terminal.

13. The computer system set forth in claim 12, further comprising:

a second receiver for receiving information regarding a selected purchase plan commodity from said user terminal;

means for outputting to said apparatus for photographing, a second photographing request for acquiring image information for said selected purchase plan commodity in the received information; and

a second transmitter for transmitting to said user terminal, image information for said selected purchase plan commodity, which is photographed by said apparatus for photographing, and image information until said selected purchase plan commodity is photographed by said apparatus for photographing.

14. The computer system set forth in claim 12, wherein said apparatus for photographing includes a robot provided for a shop, and

said computer system further comprises:

a controller for controlling said robot to change a photographing method for the selected individual commodity itself, according to said first photographing request;

a third receiver for receiving a purchase instruction of the selected individual commodity from said user terminal; and

means for instructing said robot to convey said selected individual commodity within said shop in response to said purchase instruction.

15. The computer system set forth in claim 13, wherein said apparatus for photographing includes a robot provided for a shop, and

said computer system further comprises:

a second controller for controlling said robot to move while photographing until said robot reaches an exhibition position of said selected purchase plan commodity, according to said second photographing request.

16. The computer system set forth in claim 12, further comprising:

a fourth receiver for receiving a purchase instruction of the selected individual commodity from said user terminal;

means for acquiring identification information of said selected individual commodity itself in response to said purchase instruction; and

a third transmitter for transmitting said identification information of said selected individual commodity itself to said user terminal.

12. A computer system for selling a commodity via a network, comprising:

a receiver for receiving an instruction information regarding said arbitrary display manner of said arbitrary individual commodity selected by a user from a user terminal;

means for outputting to an apparatus for photographing, a first photographing request for acquiring image information at this moment according to said arbitrary display manner of said selected individual commodity itself, which is designated in said instruction information; and

a transmitter for transmitting to said user terminal, said image information of the selected individual commodity itself, said image information photographed by said apparatus for photographing.