Product Purchase System, Product Purchase Method, a Storage Medium for Storing a Program for Executing the Product Purchasing Method, and a Server Used Therefor

• US 20080015957A1
• Filed: 07/18/2007
• Published: 01/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Shunichi Mukai
• Inventors: Mukai, Shunichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,542,927 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0605 Supply or demand aggregation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting

Abstract

A product purchase system using a network comprises a server connected to a network 1, a database 5 included in the server 2 for storing order sheet data for each user, means connected to the network 1 for updating the order sheet data via the network 1, means for inhibiting the updating of the order sheet data after a predetermined date, means for aggregating the order sheet data of all users by summing up the quantities of ordered products for each type of the ordered products to obtain aggregated data after the predetermined date, and means for fixing, as order data, the order sheet data for each user and the aggregated data after the predetermined date.

Claims

1-6. -6. (canceled)

7. A product purchase method using a network comprising the steps of:

updating, via said network, order sheet data stored in a database included in a server, said order sheet data being prepared for each user;

inhibiting the updating of said order sheet data after a predetermined date;

aggregating said order sheet data of all users by summing up the quantities of ordered products for each type of the ordered products to obtain aggregated data after said predetermined date; and

fixing, as order data, said order sheet data for each of said users and said aggregated data after said predetermined date.

8. The product purchase method according to claim 7, wherein said step of updating said order sheet data via said network includes a step of permitting said users to refer to said order sheet data at any time before a predetermined date is reached.

9. The product purchase method according to claim 7 or 8, wherein, even after said predetermined date has been reached, said order sheet data can be referred to by the users at any time via the network.

10. The product purchase method according to one of claims 7 to 9, further comprising the steps of:

summing up the quantities of ordered products for each type of the ordered products included in the order sheet data of each user to obtain temporary aggregated data before said predetermined date is reached; and

providing said temporary aggregated data as order reception status data to be referred to.

11. The product purchase method according to one of claims 7 to 10, which is used in an order receiving and placing system of a cooperative, a direct delivery system for farm products, or mail order.

12. The product purchase method according to one of claims 7 to 11, further comprising the step of:

delivering the products to the respective users based on said order sheet data, and storing delivery confirmation as information corresponding to said order sheet data for each user in said server when the users confirm the delivery of said products, whereby the users can refer to the delivery status at any time via the network.

13. A computer-readable storage medium on which a program for executing a product purchase method using a network is stored, said program executing the steps of:

updating, via said network, order sheet data for each user stored in a database included in a server;

inhibiting the updating of said order sheet data after a predetermined date;

aggregating the quantities of ordered products of all users to obtain aggregated data after said predetermined date; and

fixing, as order data, said order sheet data for each user and said aggregated data after said predetermined date.

14. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 13, wherein said step of updating said order sheet data via the network is performed by the users at any time before a predetermined date is reached.

15. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 13 or 14, wherein, even after said predetermined date has been reached, said order sheet data can be referred to by the users at any time via the network.

16. The computer-readable storage medium according to one of claims 13 to 15, which is used for an order receiving and placing system of a cooperative, a direct delivery system for farm products, or mail order.

17. The computer-readable storage medium according to one of claims 13 to 16, wherein the products are delivered to the respective users based on said order sheet data, and, when the users confirm the delivery of said products, the delivery confirmation is stored as information corresponding to said order sheet data for said users in said server, whereby the users can refer to the delivery status at any time via the network.

18. A server used for purchasing products via a network comprising:

a database for storing order sheet data for each user;

means, connected to said network, for updating said order sheet data via said network;

means for inhibiting the updating of said order sheet data after a predetermined date;

means for aggregating said order sheet data of all users by summing up the quantities of ordered products for each type of the ordered products to obtain aggregated data after said predetermined date;

means for fixing, as order data, said order sheet data for each of said users and said aggregated data after said predetermined date; and

means for ordering products based on said fixed order sheet data.

19. The server according to claim 18, wherein, until said predetermined date is reached, said order sheet data for each user can be corrected by the users at any time via the network.

20. The server according to claim 18 or 19, wherein, even after said predetermined date has been reached, said order sheet data can be referred to by the users at any time via the network.