Sales supporting system associated with navigation system and method thereof

• US 20030004826A1
• Filed: 11/06/2001
• Published: 01/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Nishiwaki, Takeshi, Nishida, Minoru
• Granted Patent: US 7,177,826 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation

Abstract

To provide a sales supporting system capable of providing information on stores suitable for purchasers without troubling the purchasers. The sales supporting system includes: a store information transmitting unit 101 for transmitting store information including information on at least goods and prices that stores are dealing in, and positions of the stores; a unit 105 for guiding routes to destinations of purchasers; a unit 103 for listing stores that deal in goods for desired purchase according to inputs of the purchasers based on store the information transmitted by the store information transmitting unit; a unit 107 for calculating costs C₂ necessary for movements to the destinations via the listed stores respectively; a unit 109 for calculating priority level judging parameters P from sums of the costs C₂ and prices of the goods to give priority to stores for purchase in order of smaller priority level judging parameters P; and a unit 111 for notifying the purchasers of store information based on the set priority.

Claims

1. A sales supporting system associated with a navigation system to provide store information, said sales supporting system comprising:

store information transmitting means for transmitting store information including information on at least goods and prices that stores are dealing in, and positions of the stores;

means for guiding routes to destinations that purchasers set optionally;

store listing means for listing stores that deal in goods for desired purchase according to inputs of the purchasers based on the store information transmitted by said store information transmitting means;

means for calculating costs C₂ necessary for movements to the destinations via the listed stores respectively;

priority setting means for calculating priority level judging parameters P from sums of the costs C₂ and prices of the goods to give higher priority to stores for purchase in order of smaller priority level judging parameters P; and

means for notifying the purchasers of store information based on the set priority.

5. The sales supporting system associated with a navigation system according to claim 1, wherein said store information transmitting means comprises means for setting prices based on positions of the purchasers.

6. The sales supporting system associated with a navigation system according to claim 1, wherein said store information transmitting means transmits store information through a server that is brought into connection with a general-purpose data communication system.

7. The sales supporting system associated with a navigation system according to claim 1, wherein said store information transmitting means transmits store information through a narrow area communication apparatus that is provided on a movement route in the vicinity of the stores.

8. The sales supporting system associated with a navigation system according to claim 1, wherein said store listing means comprises store information storage means for storing the store information transmitted from said store information transmitting means, and said store listing means lists stores that are dealing in goods for desired purchases from the store information stored in said store information storage means.

9. The sales supporting system associated with a navigation system according to claim 8, wherein said store information storage means comprises:

means for counting a lapsed time from the time when store information is transmitted from said store information transmitting means or from the time when said store listing means receives store information; and

means for disposing of, among the store information stored, pieces of store information for which said lapsed time exceeds a threshold value set in advance.

10. The sales supporting system associated with a navigation system according to claim 8, wherein said store information transmitting means transmits a period of validity on store information together with the store information, and said store information storage means comprises means for storing the period of validity on store information together with the store information and disposing of, among the store information stored, pieces of store information for which said period of validity is exceeded.

11. The sales supporting system associated with a navigation system according to claim 8, wherein said store information storage means comprises:

means for counting distances that the purchasers move from the time when the store information is transmitted from said store information transmitting means or from the time when said store listing means receives the store information; and

means for disposing of, among the store information stored, pieces of store information for which said distances exceed a threshold value set in advance.

12. The sales supporting system associated with a navigation system according to claim 8, said sales supporting system further comprising means for specifying current positions of the purchasers, wherein said store information storage means comprises:

means for giving distances between the current positions of the purchasers and the stores based on information on the current positions of the purchasers, which are given by said means for specifying current positions of the purchasers, and positions of the stores included in the store information; and

means for deleting, among the store information stored, pieces of store information for which said distances exceed a threshold value set in advance.

13. The sales supporting system associated with a navigation system according to claim 8, wherein said store information storage means comprises means for deleting, among the store information currently stored, the oldest pieces of information in terms of received time thereof from storage when a region to store information is fulfilled so as to store newly received pieces of store information.

14. The sales supporting system associated with a navigation system according to claim 8, said sales supporting system further comprising means for specifying current positions of the purchasers, wherein said store information storage means comprises:

store-to-purchaser distance calculation means for giving distances between the current positions of the purchasers and the stores based on information on the current positions of purchasers, which are given by said means for specifying current positions of the purchasers, and positions of the stores included in the store information;

means for comparing the largest distance among the distances of the currently stored store information given by said store-to-purchaser distance calculation means with the distance of newly received store information given by said store-to-purchaser distance calculation means when a region to store information is fulfilled; and

means for deleting from storage a piece of information of the largest distance given by said store-to-purchaser distance calculation means among the distances of the store information currently stored so as to store newly received store information in the case where the distance of the newly received store information is smaller than or equal to any of the distances of the store information currently stored.

15. The sales supporting system associated with a navigation system according to claim 1, said sales supporting system further comprising:

means for confirming purchase intentions of the purchasers;

booking fare charging means for charging booking fares to the purchasers based on the purchase intentions of the purchasers; and

booking fare charging certifying means for certifying to stores that booking fares are already charged to the purchasers who visited the stores.

16. The sales supporting system associated with a navigation system according to claim 15, wherein said booking fare charging means comprises means for setting periods of validity of bookings at the time of charging, and said booking fare charging certifying means comprises means for certifying that bookings are within the periods of validity.

2. A sales supporting system associated with a navigation system to provide store information, said sales supporting system comprising:

store information transmitting means for transmitting store information including information on at least goods and prices that stores are dealing in, and positions of the stores;

means for guiding routes to destinations that purchasers set optionally;

store listing means for listing stores that deal in goods for desired purchase according to inputs of the purchasers based on the store information transmitted by said store information transmitting means;

means for calculating predicted values of required times T₂ necessary for movements to the destinations via the listed stores respectively;

priority setting means for calculating priority level judging parameters P from the predicted values of required times T₂ to give higher priority to stores for purchase in order of smaller priority level judging parameters P; and

means for notifying the purchasers of store information based on the set priority.

3. A sales supporting system associated with a navigation system to provide store information, said sales supporting system comprising:

store information transmitting means for transmitting store information including information on at least goods and prices that stores are dealing in, and positions of the stores;

means for guiding routes to destinations that purchasers set optionally;

means for calculating costs C₁ necessary for movements to the destinations and predicted values of required times T₁ necessary for movements to the destinations;

store listing means for listing stores that deal in goods for desired purchase according to inputs of the purchasers based on the store information transmitted by said store information transmitting means;

means for calculating costs C₂ necessary for movements to the destinations via the listed stores respectively and the predicted values of required times T₂ necessary for movements to the destinations via the listed stores respectively;

means for calculating priority level judging parameters P_c on costs, in the case where a route undergoes changes, based on sums of balances between the costs C₂ subject to route changes and the costs C₁ prior to route changes and prices of the goods;

means for calculating priority level judging parameters P_t on time from increased portions of required times given by the required times T₁ and T₂;

priority setting means for calculating comprehensive priority level judging parameters P according to a formula P=W_c×

P_c+W_t×

P_t with weighting W_c toward priority levels on costs and weighting W_t toward priority levels on time that are set in advance, to give higher priority to stores for purchase in order of smaller comprehensive priority level judging parameters P; and

means for notifying the purchasers of store information based on the set priority.

4. The sales supporting system associated with a navigation system according to claim 3, said sales supporting system further comprising means for enabling the purchasers to set both or either one of weighting W_c toward priority levels on costs and weighting W_t toward priority levels on time in accordance with situations.

17. A sales supporting method associated with a navigation system to provide store information, said method comprising:

a step of transmitting store information including information on at least goods and prices that stores are dealing in, and positions of the stores;

a step of guiding routes to destinations that purchasers set optionally;

a step of listing stores that deal in goods for desired purchase according to inputs of the purchasers based on store information transmitted by said store information transmitting process;

a step of calculating costs C₂ necessary for movements to the destinations via the listed stores respectively;

a step of calculating priority level judging parameters P from sums of the costs C₂ and prices of the goods to give higher priority to stores for purchase in order of smaller priority level judging parameters P; and

a step of notifying the purchasers of store information based on the set priority.

18. A sales supporting method associated with a navigation system to provide store information, said method comprising:

a step of transmitting store information including information on at least goods and prices that stores are dealing in, and positions of the stores;

a step of guiding routes to destinations that purchasers set optionally;

a step of listing stores that deal in goods for desired purchase according to inputs of the purchasers based on the store information transmitted by said store information transmitting step;

a step of calculating predicted values of required times T₂ necessary for movements to the destinations via the listed stores respectively;

a step of calculating priority level judging parameters P from the predicted values of required times T₂ to give higher priority to stores for purchase in order of smaller priority level judging parameters P; and

a step of notifying the purchasers of store information based on the set priority.

19. A sales supporting method associated with a navigation system to provide store information, said method comprising:

a step of transmitting store information including information on at least goods and prices that stores are dealing in, and positions of the stores;

a step of guiding routes to destinations that purchasers set optionally;

a step of calculating costs C₁ necessary for movements to the destinations and predicted values of required times T₁ necessary for movements to the destinations;

a step of listing stores that deal in goods for desired purchase according to inputs of the purchasers based on the store information transmitted by said store information transmitting step;

a step of calculating costs C₂ necessary for movements to the destinations via the listed stores respectively and predicted values of required times T₂ necessary for movements to the destinations via the listed stores respectively;

a step of calculating priority level judging parameters P_c on costs, in the case where a route undergoes changes, based on sums of balances between the costs C₂ subject to route changes and the costs C₁ prior to route changes and prices of the goods;

a step of calculating priority level judging parameters P_t on time from increased portions of required times given by the required times T₁ and T₂;

a step of calculating comprehensive priority level judging parameters P according to a formula P=W_c×

P_c+W_t×

P_t with weighting W_c toward priority levels on cost and weighting W_t toward priority levels on time that are set in advance, to give higher priority to stores for purchase in order of smaller comprehensive priority level judging parameters P; and

a step of notifying the purchasers of store information based on the set priority.