Product purchase support apparatus, product purchase support method, product purchase support program, information creating apparatus, information creating method, information creating program, and privilege granting system

• US 20050133595A1
• Filed: 12/20/2004
• Published: 06/23/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Inventors: Tanase, Rento
• Granted Patent: US 7,484,660 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/383
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A product purchase support apparatus which is capable of providing detailed information on a product in accordance with a preference and the like of each customer. A detailed information providing server is connected to at least one customer terminal device. A customer database stores attribute information indicative of attributes of a plurality of customers, on a customer-by-customer basis. A product database stores detailed information on each of a plurality of products. A communication section receives a customer ID for identifying a customer, and bar code information for identifying a product detailed information on which is requested by the customer terminal device, from the customer terminal device. A control section identifies attribute information on the customer associated with the customer ID received from the customer terminal device from the attribute information on the customers stored in the customer database, and detailed information on the product associated with the bar code information received from the customer terminal device from the detailed information on the products stored in the product database. An information processing section extracts information related to the attribute information identified by the control section from the detailed information on the product identified by the control section, and processes the extracted information. The communication section transmits the processed information as original detailed information to the customer terminal device.

Claims

1. A product purchase support apparatus connected to at least one customer terminal device, comprising:

a first database that stores attribute information indicative of attributes of a plurality of customers, on a customer-by-customer basis;

a second database that stores detailed information on each of a plurality of products;

a receiving device that receives customer identification information for identifying a customer, and product identification information for identifying a product detailed information on which is requested by the customer terminal device, from the customer terminal device;

a first identification device that identifies attribute information-on the customer associated with the customer identification information from the attribute information on the customers stored in said first database;

a second identification device that identifies detailed information on the product associated with the product identification information from the detailed information on the products stored in said second database;

an extracting and processing device that extracts information related to the attribute information identified by said first identification device from the detailed information on the product identified by said second identification device, and processes the extracted information; and

a transmitting device that transmits the processed information as original detailed information to the customer terminal device.

2. A product purchase support apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the attribute information contains priority evaluation information indicative of at least one item given a higher priority in evaluation of a product by each customer when the customer purchases the product, and

said extracting and processing device extracts information related to the priority evaluation information contained in the attribute information identified by said first identification device from the detailed information on the product identified by said second identification device, and processes the extracted information.

3. A product purchase support apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the attribute information contains basic information indicative of at least one of a customer'"'"'s sex, and age, and

said extracting and processing device extracts information related to the basic information contained in the attribute information identified by said first identification device from the detailed information on the product identified by said second-identification device, and processes the extracted information.

4. A product purchase support apparatus connected to at least one customer terminal device, comprising:

a first database that stores attribute information indicative of attributes of a plurality of customers, on a customer-by-customer basis;

a second database that stores detailed information on each of a plurality of products;

a receiving device that receives customer identification information for identifying a customer from the customer terminal device;

an identification device that identifies attribute information on the customer associated with the customer identification information from the attribute information on the customers stored in said first database;

an extracting and processing device that extracts detailed information on a product matching the attribute information on the customer identified by said identification device from said second database, and processes the extracted information; and

a transmitting device that transmits the processed information as original detailed information to the customer terminal device.

5. An information creating apparatus connected to a product purchase support apparatus that transmits detailed information on each product requested by at least one customer terminal device to the customer terminal device, and an accounting apparatus that performs accounting operations on purchased products, comprising:

a first receiving device that receives product inquiry information indicative of at least one product associated with the detailed information transmitted to the customer terminal device, from the product purchase support apparatus;

a second receiving device that receives purchased product information indicative of at least one product actually purchased by a customer from the accounting apparatus; and

a creation device that creates, based on the product inquiry information and the purchased product information, unpurchased product information indicative of at least one product which was not purchased in actuality although a request for detailed information thereon had been made to the product purchase support apparatus from the customer terminal device.

6. An information creating apparatus as claimed in claim 5, further comprising a storage device that stores the detailed information on each product, and an extracting device that searches the storage device using the unpurchased product information as a retrieval key, to thereby extract detailed information on the unpurchased product.

7. An information creating apparatus connected to a product purchase support apparatus that transmits detailed information on each product requested by at least one customer terminal device to the customer terminal device, and an accounting apparatus that performs accounting operations on purchased products, comprising:

a first receiving device that receives product inquiry information indicative of at least one product associated with the detailed information transmitted to the customer terminal device, and customer identification information for identifying a customer carrying the customer terminal device, from the product purchase support apparatus;

a second receiving device that receives purchased product information indicative of at least one product actually purchased by the customer carrying the customer terminal device, and customer identification information for identifying the customer carrying the customer terminal device, from the accounting apparatus; and

a creation device that creates, based on information received by said first and second receiving devices, unpurchased product information indicative of at least one unpurchased product which was not purchased in actuality although a request for detailed information thereon had been made to the product purchase support apparatus from the customer terminal device.

8. A privilege granting system including an information creating-apparatus connected to a product purchase support apparatus that transmits detailed information on each product requested by at least one customer terminal device to the customer terminal device, and an accounting apparatus that performs accounting operations on purchased products, and a privilege granting apparatus connected to the information creating apparatus,

wherein said information creating apparatus comprises:

a first receiving device that receives product inquiry information indicative of at least one product associated with the detailed information transmitted to the customer terminal device, and customer identification information for identifying a customer carrying the customer terminal device, from the product purchase support apparatus;

a second receiving device that receives purchased product information indicative of at least one product actually purchased by the customer carrying the customer terminal device, and customer identification information for identifying the customer carrying the customer terminal device, from the accounting apparatus; and

a creation device that creates, based on information received by said first and second receiving devices, unpurchased product information indicative of at least one unpurchased product which was not purchased in actuality although a request for detailed information thereon had been made to the product purchase support apparatus from the customer terminal device, and

wherein said privilege granting server comprises;

a first storage device that stores pieces of identification information and respective cumulative scores in association with each other, on a customer-by-customer basis;

a second storage device that stores unpurchased products and points to be given in association with each other;

a receiving device that receives the unpurchased product information from said information processing apparatus;

an identification device that searches said first storage device using the identification information on the customer added to the received unpurchased product information, as retrieval keys, to thereby identify a customer to be given points;

a calculating device that searches said second storage device using the unpurchased product indicated by the unpurchased product information, as a retrieval key, to thereby calculate points to be given; and

an updating device that updates a cumulative score associated with the customer identified by said identification device, according to the calculated points.

9. A product purchase support method for a product purchase support apparatus that is connected to at least one customer terminal device and includes a first database, and a second database, comprising:

a first storage step of storing attribute information indicative of attributes of a plurality of customers, on a customer-by-customer basis, in the first database;

a second storage step of storing detailed information on each of a plurality of products in the second database;

a receiving step of receiving customer identification information for identifying a customer, and product identification information for identifying a product detailed information on which is requested by the customer terminal device, from the customer terminal device;

a first identification step of identifying attribute information on the customer associated with the customer identification information from the attribute information on the customers stored in the first database;

a second identification step of identifying detailed information on the product associated with the product identification information from the detailed information on the products stored in the second database;

an extracting and processing step of extracting information related to the attribute information identified in said first identification step from the detailed information on the product identified in said second identification step, and processing the extracted information; and

a transmitting step of transmitting the processed information as original detailed information to the customer terminal device.

10. A product purchase support method for a product purchase support apparatus that is connected to at least one customer terminal device and includes a first database, and a second database, comprising:

a first storage step of storing attribute information indicative of attributes of a plurality of customers, on a customer-by-customer basis, in the first database;

a second storage step of storing detailed information on each of a plurality of products in the second database;

a receiving step of receiving customer identification information for identifying a customer from the customer terminal device;

an identification step of identifying attribute information on the customer associated with the customer identification information from the attribute information on the customers stored in the first database;

an extracting and processing step of extracting detailed information on a product matching the attribute information on the customer identified in said identification step from the second database, and processing the extracted information; and

a transmitting step of transmitting the processed information as original detailed information to the customer terminal device.

11. A information creating method for an information creating apparatus connected to a product purchase support apparatus that transmits detailed information on each product requested by at least one customer terminal device to the customer terminal device, and an accounting apparatus that performs accounting operations on purchased products, comprising:

a first receiving step of receiving product inquiry information indicative of at least one product associated with the detailed information transmitted to the customer terminal device, from the product purchase support apparatus;

a second receiving step of receiving purchased product information indicative of at least one product actually purchased by a customer from the accounting apparatus; and

a creation step of generating, based on the product inquiry information and the purchased product information, unpurchased product information indicative of at least one unpurchased product which was not purchased in actuality although a request for detailed information thereon had been made to the product purchase support apparatus from the customer terminal device.

12. An information creating method for an information-creating apparatus connected to a product purchase support apparatus that transmits detailed information on each product requested by at least one customer terminal device to the customer terminal device, and an accounting apparatus that performs accounting operations on purchased products, comprising:

a first receiving step of receiving product inquiry information indicative of at least one product associated with the detailed information transmitted to the customer terminal device, and customer identification information for identifying a customer carrying the customer terminal device, from the product purchase support apparatus;

a second receiving step of receiving purchased product information indicative of at least one product actually purchased by the customer carrying the customer terminal device, and customer identification information for identifying the customer carrying the customer terminal device, from the accounting apparatus; and

a creation step of generating, based on information received in said first and second receiving steps, unpurchased product information indicative of at least one unpurchased product which was not purchased in actuality although a request for detailed information thereon had been made to the product purchase support apparatus from the customer terminal device.

13. A computer-readable product purchase support program applied to a product purchase support apparatus that is connected to at least one customer terminal device and includes a first database, and a second database, comprising:

a first storage module for storing attribute information indicative of attributes of a plurality of customers, on a customer-by-customer basis, in the first database;

a second storage module for storing detailed information on each of a plurality of products in the second database;

a receiving module for receiving customer identification information for identifying a customer, and product identification information for identifying a product detailed information on which is requested by the customer terminal device, from the customer terminal device;

a first identification module for identifying attribute information on the customer associated with the customer identification information from the attribute information on the customers stored in the first database;

a second identification module for identifying detailed information on the product associated with the product identification information from the detailed information on the products stored in the second database;

an extracting and processing module for extracting information related to the attribute information identified by said first identification module from the detailed information on the product identified by said second identification module, and processing the extracted information; and

a transmitting module for transmitting the processed information as original detailed information to the customer terminal device.

14. A computer-readable product purchase support program applied to a product purchase support apparatus that is connected to at least one customer terminal device and includes a first database, and a second database, comprising:

a first storage module for storing attribute information indicative of attributes of a plurality of customers, on a customer-by-customer basis, in the first database;

a second storage module for storing detailed information on each of a plurality of products in the second database;

a receiving module for receiving customer identification information for identifying a customer from the customer terminal device;

an identification module for identifying attribute information on the customer associated with the customer identification information from the attribute information on the customers stored in the first database;

an extracting and processing module for extracting detailed information on a product matching the attribute information on the customer identified by said identification module from the second database, and processing the extracted information; and

a transmitting module for transmitting the processed information as original detailed information to the customer terminal device.

15. A computer-readable information creating program applied to an information creating apparatus connected to a product purchase support apparatus that transmits detailed information on each product requested by at least one customer terminal device to the customer terminal device, and an accounting apparatus that performs accounting operations on purchased products, comprising:

a first receiving module for receiving product inquiry information indicative of at least one product associated with the detailed information transmitted to the customer terminal device, from the product purchase support apparatus;

a second receiving module for receiving purchased product information indicative of at least one product actually purchased by customers from the accounting apparatus; and

a creation module for creating, based on the product inquiry information and the purchased product information, unpurchased product information indicative of at least one unpurchased product which was not purchased in actuality although a request for detailed information thereon had been made to the product purchase support apparatus from the customer terminal device.

16. A computer-readable information creating program applied to an information creating apparatus connected to a product purchase support apparatus that transmits detailed information on each product requested by at least one customer terminal device to the customer terminal device, and an accounting apparatus that performs accounting operations on purchased products, comprising:

a first receiving module for receiving product inquiry information indicative of at least one product associated with the detailed information transmitted-to the customer terminal device, and customer identification information for identifying a customer carrying the customer terminal device, from the product purchase support apparatus;

a second receiving module for receiving purchased product information indicative of at least one product actually purchased by the customer carrying the customer terminal device, and customer identification information for identifying the customer carrying the customer terminal device, from the accounting apparatus; and

a creation module for creating, based on information received by said first and second receiving modules, unpurchased product information indicative of at least one unpurchased product which was not purchased in actuality although a request for detailed information thereon had been made to the product purchase support apparatus from the customer terminal device.