Information service system using unity code

• US 5,659,740 A
• Filed: 04/30/1993
• Issued: 08/19/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Oosawa, Akira, Ezaki, Hitoshi, Honma, Naoshi, Kawada, Hitoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEWIS, CHERYL RENEA
• Application Number:
  US08/056,492
• Time in Patent Office: 1,572 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 379/88, 364/468, 364/401, 364/408, 395/600
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass

Abstract

This system is applied to a VAS having, as members, apparel makers which manage goods using apparel numbers and retail shops which manage goods using shop goods codes. The system tally manages the goods of all the members using unity codes. The apparel numbers are corrected as needed, and the corrected apparel numbers are incorporated in a unity code system. A code conversion table representing a correspondence between the unity code and the apparel number or the shop goods code is prepared. When this code conversion table is looked up, a management code is converted between the apparel number, the shop goods code, and the unity code, all of which represent the same goods.

Claims

1. An information service system for offering an information service to a plurality of system members, comprising:

a database for storing goods information obtained from one system member together with a unity code corresponding to a member'"'"'s code used by said one system member for specifying the goods information;

means for linking, to the unity code, a member'"'"'s code used by another system member for specifying goods which is equivalent to the goods specified by the goods information corresponding to the unity code;

first obtaining means for obtaining business information with respect to particular goods of one or more system members using the unity code which corresponds to the particular goods;

second obtaining means for obtaining specific business information with respect to particular goods of a specific system member using the system member'"'"'s code which corresponds to the particular goods; and

means for responding to a request of said one system member or of said another system member so as to access said database using the unity code when said one system member or said another system member does not use the member'"'"'s code to access the goods information in said database.

2. A system according to claim 1, further comprising:

means for preparing a conversion table which links the member'"'"'s code of respective goods with a corresponding unity code, said conversion table being hidden from the system members.

3. A code conversion system applied to an information service system, having at least one member who manages information or goods using an original code system, for supervising the information of goods handled by the member, said code conversion system comprising:

means for modifying a member code of the original code system to provide a unity code in a predetermined code system of said information service system, the unity code being obtained in order to supervise the information or goods managed by the member in said information service system;

wherein original code systems of respective system members can assign different member codes to same information or goods corresponding to the unity code;

means for storing code conversion information representing a correspondence between the unity code and the member code with respect to the same information or goods;

means for converting a code for managing the same information or goods between the member code and the unity code; and

means for obtaining business information with respect to particular goods of one or more system members using the unity code which corresponds to the particular goods.

4. A system according to claim 3, wherein the member code has a given management level, the unity code has a prescribed management level, and the unity code includes a code for specifying the member, a code corresponding to the member code, and a code corresponding to the information or goods specified by the member code, and wherein the given management level of the member code does not distinguish variations in the information or goods specified by the member code while the prescribed management level of the unity code distinguishes the variations in the information or goods specified by the member code.

5. A code conversion system applied to an information service system, having a first group including at least one member who manages information or goods using a first group member code obtained by a first original code system and a second group including at least one member who manages information or goods using a second group member code obtained by a second original code system, for supervising the information and goods handled by said first and second groups, said code conversion system comprising:

means for modifying the first group member code to provide a unity code in a predetermined code system of said information service system, the unity code being obtained to supervise the information or goods managed by each member of said first group in said information service system;

wherein original code systems of respective system members can assign different member codes to same information or goods corresponding to the unity code;

means for storing first code conversion information representing a correspondence between the unity code and the first group member code of the same information or goods, and second code conversion information representing a correspondence between the unity code and the second group member code of the same information or goods;

means for converting a code of the same information or goods between the first group member code, the second group member code, and the unity code, using the first or second code conversion information; and

means for obtaining business information with respect to particular goods of one or more system members using the unity code which corresponds to the particular goods.

6. A system according to claim 5, wherein the first group member code has a given management level, the unity code has a prescribed management level, and the unity code includes a code for specifying the first group member, a code corresponding to the first group member code, and a code corresponding to the information or goods specified by the first group member code, and wherein the given management level of the first group member code does not distinguish variations in the information or goods specified by the first group member code while the prescribed management level of the unity code distinguishes the variations in the information or goods specified by the first group member code.

7. A system according to claim 6, wherein the first code conversion information includes the unity code and the first group member code and defines a correspondence between a number of variations distinguished by the management level of the first group member code and a number of variations distinguished by the management level of the unity code.

8. A system according to claim 6, wherein the second code conversion information includes the unity code and the second group member code and defines a correspondence between a number of variations distinguished by the management level of the second group member code and a number of variations distinguished by the management level of the unity code.

9. An information management system using a unity code system, comprising:

a first group of system members including at least one member who manages goods including information by a first code system;

a second group of system members including at least one member who manages goods by a second code system;

means for supervising the goods by the unity code system;

means for storing code system association information for associating the first code system, the unity code system, and the second code system;

first modifying means for modifying a first original code of the first code system assigned to same goods to a first unity code including a portion which is common to the same goods;

second modifying means for modifying a second original code of the second code system assigned to other of same type of goods to a second unity code including a portion which is common to the other of the same type of goods; and

means for obtaining business information with respect to particular goods of one or more system members using the first or second unity code which corresponds to the particular goods.

10. A system according to claim 9, wherein said storing means includes a predetermined file containing the code system association information.

11. A system according to claim 10, wherein said predetermined file includes a unity code which includes first information for specifying the member of the first group, second information used to cause the member of the first group to specify the goods, and third information used by said supervising means for the goods specified by the second information.

12. A system according to claim 10, wherein said predetermined file further includes fourth information for causing the member of the second group to specify the goods.

13. An information service method, adopting at least one system member who manages information or goods using an original code system, for supervising the information or goods handled by the at least one system member, comprising:

using a corrected member code as a unity code in a predetermined code system of said information service system, the unity code being obtained in order to supervise the information or goods managed by the at least one system member in said information service system;

wherein the original code system of respective system members can assign different member codes to same information or goods;

storing code conversion information representing a correspondence between the unity code and the member code with respect to the same information or goods;

converting a code for managing the same information or goods between the member code and the unity code; and

obtaining business showing with respect to particular goods of one or more different members using the unity code which corresponds to the particular goods.

14. An information service system for offering an information service to a plurality of system members, comprising:

a database for storing goods information obtained from one system member together with a unity code corresponding to a member'"'"'s code used by said one system member for specifying the goods information;

means for linking, to the unity code, a member'"'"'s code used by another system member for specifying goods which is equivalent to the goods specified by the goods information;

means for obtaining business information with respect to particular goods of one or more system members corresponding to the unity code using the unity code which corresponds to the particular goods; and

means for responding to a request of said one system member or of said another system member so as to access said database using the unity code when said one system member or said another system member does not use the member'"'"'s code to access the goods information in said database.

15. A system according to claim 14, further comprising:

means for preparing a conversion table which links the member'"'"'s code of respective goods with a corresponding unity code, said conversion table being hidden from the system members.

16. An information service system for offering an information service to a plurality of system members, comprising:

a database for storing goods information obtained from one system member together with a unity code corresponding to a member'"'"'s code used by said one system member for specifying the goods information;

means for linking, to the unity code, a member'"'"'s code used by another system member for specifying goods which is equivalent to the goods specified by the goods information;

means for obtaining specific business information with respect to particular goods of a specific system member corresponding to the unity code, using the member'"'"'s code with corresponds to the particular goods; and

means for responding to a request of said one system member or of said another system member so as to access said database using the unity code when said one system member or said another system member does not use the member'"'"'s code to access the goods information in said database.

17. A system according to claim 16, further comprising:

means for preparing a conversion table which links the member'"'"'s code of respective goods with a corresponding unity code, said conversion table being hidden from the system members.

18. A code conversion system applied to an information service system, having at least one member who manages information or goods using an original code system, for supervising the information of goods handled by the member, said code conversion system comprising:

means for modifying a member code of the original code system to provide a unity code in a predetermined code system of said information service system, the unity code being obtained in order to supervise the information or goods managed by the member in said information service system;

wherein original code systems of respective system members can assign different member codes to same information or goods corresponding to the unity code;

means for storing code conversion information representing a correspondence between the unity code and the member code with respect to the same information or goods;

means for converting a code for managing the same information or goods between the member code and the unity code; and

means for obtaining specific business information with respect to particular goods of a specific system member using the member'"'"'s code which corresponds to the particular goods.

19. A system according to claim 18, wherein the member code has a given management level, the unity code has a prescribed management level, and the unity code includes a code for specifying the member, a code corresponding to the member code, and a code corresponding to the information or goods specified by the member code, and wherein the given management level of the member code does not distinguish variations in the information or goods specified by the member code while the prescribed management level of the unity code distinguishes the variations in the information or goods specified by the member code.

20. A code conversion system applied to an information service system, having a first group including at least one member who manages information or goods using a first group member code obtained by a first original code system and a second group including at least one member who manages information or goods using a second group member code obtained by a second original code system, for supervising the information and goods handled by said first and second groups, said code conversion system comprising:

means for modifying the first group member code to provide a unity code in a predetermined code system of said information service system, the unity code being obtained to supervise the information or goods managed by each member of said first group in said information service system;

wherein original code systems of respective system members assigns different member codes to same information or goods;

means for storing first code conversion information representing a correspondence between the unity code and the first group member code of the same information or goods, and second code conversion information representing a correspondence between the unity code and the second group member code of the same information or goods;

means for converting a code of the same information or goods between the first group member code, the second group member code, and the unity code, using the first or second code conversion information; and

means for obtaining specific business information with respect to particular goods of a specific system member using the first or second group member code which corresponds to the particular goods.

21. A system according to claim 20, wherein the first group member code has a given management level, the unity code has a prescribed management level, and the unity code includes a code for specifying the first group member, a code corresponding to the first group member code, and a code corresponding to the information or goods specified by the first group member code, and wherein the given management level of the first group member code does not distinguish variations in the information or goods specified by the first group member code while the prescribed management level of the unity code distinguishes the variations in the information or goods specified by the first group member code.

22. A system according t0 claim 21, wherein the first code conversion information include the unity code and the first group member code and defines a correspondence between a number of variations distinguished by the management level of the first group member code and a number of variations distinguished by the management level of the unity code.

23. A system according to claim 21, wherein the second code conversion information includes the unity code and the second group member code and defines a correspondence between a number of variations distinguished by the management level of the second group member code and a number of variations distinguished by the management level of the unity code.

24. An information management system using a unity code system, comprising:

a first group of system members including at least one member who manages goods including information by a first code system;

a second group of system members including at least one member who manages goods by a second code system;

means for supervising the goods by the unity code system;

means for storing code system association information for associating the first code system, the unity code system, and the second code system,

first modifying means for modifying a first original code of the first code system assigned to same goods to a first unity code including a portion which is common to the same goods;

second modifying means for modifying a second original code of the second code system assigned to other of same type of goods to a second unity code including a portion which is common to the other of the same type of goods; and

means for obtaining specific business information with respect to particular goods of a specific member using the first or second original code which corresponds to the particular goods.

25. A system according to claim 24, wherein said storing means includes a predetermined file containing the code system association information.

26. A system according to claim 25, wherein said predetermined file includes a unity code which includes first information for specifying the member of the first group, second information used to cause the member of the first group to specify the goods, and third information used by said supervising means for the goods specified by the second information.

27. A system according to claim 25, wherein said predetermined file further includes fourth information for causing the member of the second group to specify the goods.

28. An information service method, adopting at least one system member who manages information or goods using an original code system, for supervising the information or goods handled by the at least one system member, comprising:

using a corrected member code as a unity code in a predetermined code system of said information service system, the unity code being obtained in order to supervise the information or goods managed by the at least one system member in said information service system;

wherein the original code system of respective system members assigns different member codes to same information or goods;

storing code conversion information representing a correspondence between the unity code and the member code with respect to the same information or goods;

converting a code for managing the same information or goods between the member code and the unity code; and

obtaining specific business information with respect to particular goods of a specific system member using the member code which corresponds to the particular goods.