PURCHASE SUPPORT SERVER, PURCHASE SUPPORT METHOD, PURCHASE SUPPORT PROGRAM, AND COMPUTER-READABLE RECORDING MEDIUM FOR RECORDING SAID PROGRAM

• US 20130346200A1
• Filed: 02/01/2012
• Published: 12/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rakuten Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Rakuten, Inc. (Rakuten Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bandara, Udana, Chen, James
• Granted Patent: US 9,898,757 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.53
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

A mediation server (30) includes a second request receiving unit (35) that receives first store information for identifying a store visited by a user as a visited store and second store information for identifying a designated store designated as a place to purchase an item recognized by the user at the visited store from a mobile terminal (10) of the user, a response information generating unit (36) that compares the first and second store information and determines whether the visited store and the designated store match, and generates bargaining information indicating a specified service offered for the item by the visited store when the two stores do not match, and a response information transmission unit (37) that transmits the generated bargaining information to the mobile terminal (10).

Claims

1. A purchase support server comprising:

a first receiving unit for receiving visited store information for identifying a store visited by a user as a visited store and item-related information for identifying an item recognized by the user at the visited store from a mobile terminal of the user;

a presented information providing unit for generating presented information indicating a store selling an item corresponding to the item-related information by searching a specified database storing information indicating stores selling the item based on the visited store information and the item-related information for identifying the item received from the mobile terminal, and transmitting the presented information to the mobile terminal, the presented information containing at least one link to access a site for purchasing the item from the store selling the item, where item-selling store information for identifying the store is embedded in the link;

a second receiving unit for receiving the item-selling store information embedded in the link from the mobile terminal of the user when any of the links contained in the presented information displayed on the mobile terminal of the user is designated by the user;

a determining unit for determining whether a store identified by the item-selling store information received by the second receiving unit and the visited store match;

a generating unit for generating service information indicating a specified service offered for the item by the visited store; and

a transmitting unit for transmitting the service information generated by the generating unit to the mobile terminal when the visited store and the store identified by the item-selling store information do not match.

2. The purchase support server according to claim 1, wherein

the generating unit transmits inquiry information for making inquiries about a detail of the service to the visited store to a terminal of the visited store, receives input information indicating the detail of the service input in response to the inquiry information from the terminal, and generates the service information based on the input information.

3. The purchase support server according to claim 2, wherein

the generating unit determines whether the detail of the service indicated by the input information is within a predetermined allowable range, and generates the service information when the detail of the service is within the allowable range.

4. The purchase support server according to claim 1, wherein

the generating unit extracts store service information corresponding to the visited store from a database storing store service information indicating the service offered by a store, and generates the service information based on the extracted store service information.

5. The purchase support server according to claim 4, wherein

the store service information contains an accumulated value related to offer of the service and an upper limit value related to an upper limit of offer of the service, and

the generating unit generates the service information based on the extracted store service information when the accumulated value does not exceed the upper limit value by the service to be offered.

6. The purchase support server according to claim 1, wherein

the generating unit extracts store service information corresponding to the visited store by referring to a database storing store service information containing an accumulated value related to a service offered by a store and an upper limit value set based on remuneration received by the store from another store, and generates the service information based on the store service information when the accumulated value does not exceed the upper limit value by the service to be offered.

8. The purchase support server according to claim 1, further comprising:

a generating unit for generating user remuneration information indicating giving a specified amount of remuneration to the user and storing the user remuneration information into a specified database when the item-related information is information read by the mobile terminal at the visited store.

9. The purchase support server according to claim 1, further comprising:

a payment recording unit for generating payment information indicating a specified amount of payment from the visited store to an administrator of the purchase support server based on information indicating purchase and storing the payment information into a specified database when a user of the mobile terminal having received the service information purchases the item from the visited store.

7. (canceled)

10. A purchase support method executed by a purchase support server, comprising:

a first receiving step of receiving visited store information for identifying a store visited by a user as a visited store and item-related information for identifying an item recognized by the user at the visited store from a mobile terminal of the user;

a presented information providing step of generating presented information indicating a store selling an item corresponding to the item-related information by searching a specified database storing information indicating stores selling the item based on the visited store information and the item-related information for identifying the item received from the mobile terminal, and transmitting the presented information to the mobile terminal, the presented information containing at least one link to access a site for purchasing the item from the store selling the item, where item-selling store information for identifying the store is embedded in the link;

a second receiving step of receiving the item-selling store information embedded in the link from the mobile terminal of the user when any of the links contained in the presented information displayed on the mobile terminal of the user is designated by the user;

a determining step of determining whether a store identified by the item-selling store information received in the second receiving step and the visited store match;

a generating step of generating service information indicating a specified service offered for the item by the visited store; and

a transmitting step of transmitting the service information generated in the generating step to the mobile terminal when the visited store and the store identified by the item-selling store information do not match.

11. (canceled)

12. (canceled)