Electronic business transaction system

• US 20050010526A1
• Filed: 08/11/2004
• Published: 01/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Akira Okamura, Hiromitsu Shiina, Masahito Matsunawa, Masasuke Tominaga, Naoki Takahashi, Shinichi Yamada, Tsuyoshi Miyake, Yoshiharu Kamada
• Original Assignee: Akira Okamura, Hiromitsu Shiina, Masahito Matsunawa, Masasuke Tominaga, Naoki Takahashi, Shinichi Yamada, Tsuyoshi Miyake, Yoshiharu Kamada
• Inventors: Miyake, Tsuyoshi, Okamura, Akira, Takahashi, Naoki, Yamada, Shinichi, Shiina, Hiromitsu, Kamada, Yoshiharu, Matsunawa, Masahito, Tominaga, Masasuke
• Granted Patent: US 7,428,511 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/44
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/00 Payment architectures, schemes or protocols apparatus for performing or posting payment transactions G07F7/08, G07F19/00; electronic cash registers G07G1/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/389 Keeping log of transactions for guaranteeing non-repudiation of a transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0615 Anonymizing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/188 Electronic negotiation
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/002 Vending machines being part of a centrally controlled network of vending machines

Abstract

A center site is disposed to intervene in a business transaction achieved through a network. The center site includes an open business information database in which open business information received from member sites connected to the network is accumulated to be opened to the sites and a notarization database to keep therein contents of contracts of transactions between the sites. The center site receives a transaction request from a transaction partner site in accordance with the open business information and notifies the request to an information supply site associated therewith. The center site intervenes in a transaction resultantly accomplished between the information supply site and the transaction partner site and conducts a notarization process for the contents of contract for the transaction to accumulate the contract in a notarization database.

Claims

1. A method of achieving electronic business transactions in an electronic business transaction system including a plurality of member sites, a center site, and a network to connect the member sites and the center site to each other, said method comprising:

storing, in an open business information database included in said center site, information of open businesses issued by a plurality of member sites to find business partners, said information of open businesses describes products and/or services desired to be purchased or being offered for purchase by said member sites, thereby permitting said member sites to be either a seller or a purchaser of products and/or services;

receiving, in said center site, a request from a member site to access said information of open businesses of said open business information database so as to search said information of open businesses to determine products and/or services of interest;

receiving, at said center site, an order specification from said member site, said order specification representing an order by said member site to sell or purchase products and/or services of interest described by the requested information received from said center site,

wherein said member site selects another member site as an order destination member site with which a transaction is to be conducted based on the requested information;

wherein when contents of said order specification from said order destination member site coincides with contents of the requested information provided by said member site in said center site, storing contract information of a contract corresponding to said contents in a contract database,

transmitting, from said center site to said order destination member site, said order specification based on the requested information from said open business information database to permit the conduct of the transaction between said member site and said order destination member site; and

transmitting, from said center site to said member site and said order destination member site, information on completion of said contract.

2. An electronic business transaction system, comprising:

a center site;

a plurality of member sites; and

a network which connects said center site and said member sites to each other,

wherein said center site comprises;

an open business information database which stores information of open businesses issued by said member sites to find business partners, said information of open businesses describes products and/or services desired to be purchased or being offered for purchase by said member sites, thereby permitting said member sites to be either a seller or a purchaser of products and/or services,

means for receiving a request from a member site to access information of open businesses of said open business information database so as to search said information of open businesses to determine products and/or services of interest,

means for receiving an order specification from said member site, said order specification representing an order by said member site to sell or purchase products and/or services of interest described by the requested information received from said center site,

wherein said member site selects another member site as an order destination member site with which a transaction is to be conducted based on the requested information;

wherein when contents of said order specification from said order destination member site coincides with contents of the requested information provided by said member site in said center site, storing contract information of a contract corresponding to said contents in a contract database;

means for transmitting, from said center site to said order destination member site, said order specification based on the requested information from said open business information database to permit the conduct of the transaction between said member site and said order destination member site; and

means for transmitting, from said center site to said member site and said order destination member site, information on completion of said contract.

3. A method of achieving electronic business transactions in an electronic business transaction system including a plurality of member sites, a center site, and a network to connect the member sites and the center site to each other, said method comprising:

storing, in an open business information database included in said center site, information of open businesses issued by a plurality of member sites to find business partners, said information of open businesses describes products and/or services desired to be purchased or being offered for purchase by said member sites, thereby permitting said member sites to be either a seller or a purchaser of products and/or services;

receiving, in said center site, a request from a member site to access information of open businesses of said open business information database stored in said center site so as to search said information of open business to determine products and/or services of interest;

receiving, at said center site, an order specification from said member site, said order specification representing an order by said member site to sell or purchase products and/or services of interest described by the requested information received from said center site,

wherein said member site selects another member site as an order destination member site with which a transaction is to be conducted based on the requested information;

wherein when contents of said order specification from said order destination member site coincides with contents of the requested information provided by said member site in said center site, storing contract information of a contract corresponding to said contents in a contract database;

receiving, at said center site, a request from an order destination member site to access said order specification so as to respond to said order specification based on said open business information database to permit the conduct of the transaction between said member site and said order destination member site; and

transmitting, from said center site to said member site and said order destination member site, information on completion of said contract.

4. An electronic business transaction system, comprising:

a center site;

a plurality of member sites; and

a network which connects said center site and said member sites to each other,

wherein said center site comprises;

an open business information database which stores information of open businesses issued by said member sites to find business partners, said information of open businesses describes products and/or services desired to be purchased or being offered for purchase by said member sites, thereby permitting said member sites to be either a seller or a purchaser of products and/or services,

means for receiving a request from a member site to access information of open businesses of said open business information database so as to search said information of open business to determine products and/or services of interest,

means for receiving an order specification from said member site, said order specification representing an order by said member site to sell or purchase products and/or services of interest described by the requested information received from said center site,

wherein said member site selects another member site as an order destination member site with which a transaction is to be conducted based on the requested information;

wherein when contents of said order specification from said order destination member site coincides with contents of the requested information provided by said member site in said center site, storing contract information of a contract corresponding to said contents in a contract database;

means for receiving a request from said order destination member site to access said order specification so as to respond to said order specification based on the requested information from said open business information database to permit the conduct of the transaction between said member site and said order destination member site; and

means for transmitting, from said center site to said member site and said order destination member site, information on completion of said contract.