Marketing system, information communications method, and recording medium with dual communications means for acquiring and transmitting information

• US 6,236,979 B1
• Filed: 12/05/1997
• Issued: 05/22/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Prosper Creative Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Prosper Creative Company Limited
• Inventors: Kawabata, Hideki
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dixon, Thomas A
• Application Number:
  US08/986,197
• Time in Patent Office: 1,264 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27, 705/78, 705/79, 705/64, 705/17
• US Class Current: 705/26.81
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders

Abstract

A marketing system capable of improving security of private information in mail order. Terminal equipment of a client retrieves product information from communications equipment of a provider. The terminal equipment of the client starts a program for an order when the client places an order on a display screen displaying the product information. Receiving order information input by the client, the terminal equipment of the client transmits the order information to terminal equipment of a vendor through a communications network other than WAN (wide area network). When the program is not installed in the terminal equipment of the client, it can be transmitted from the communications equipment of the provider to the terminal equipment.

Claims

1. A marketing system comprising:

an information server for providing a WAN (wide area network) with guidance information including product information about selling a product and instructions information about an order;

terminal equipment connectable to said WAN; and

order accepting equipment, wherein said terminal equipment including;

first communications means for acquiring said guidance information from said information server through said WAN;

display means for displaying said product information and particular information for an order in said guidance information acquired;

a pointing device for pointing said particular information on an image on said display means;

input means for inputting order information about an order;

control means for enabling input of said order information through said input means in response to a pointing of said pointing device; and

second communications means for transmitting said order information input through said input means to said order accepting equipment through a communications network other than said WAN.

2. The marketing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said order information includes an identification number of a credit card.

3. The marketing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said order accepting equipment is installed in a shop of a vendor.

4. The marketing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said information server provides guidance information about products of a plurality of vendors, and said order accepting equipment receives order information about products from said plurality of vendors.

5. The marketing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said control means comprises software, and a CPU for enabling input of said order information by executing said software, and wherein said information sever provides said terminal equipment with said software.

6. The marketing system as claimed in claim 5, further comprising decision means for making a decision whether said software is present in said terminal equipment in response to the pointing of said pointing device to said particular information;

and command means for commanding transfer of said software when said decision means makes a negative decision, wherein said first communications means acquires said software from said information server in response to a transfer command of said command means.

7. The marketing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said second communications means disconnects a connection between said information server and said first communications means.

8. The marketing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said terminal equipment further comprising storing means for cumulatively storing order information transmitted to said order accepting equipment, and display control means for controlling said display means to display said order information stored in said storing means.

9. The marketing system as claimed in claim 8, further comprising selecting means for selecting particular order information from among the order information displayed on said display means under control of said display control means, cancellation command means for commanding cancellation of an order, and cancellation information generating means for generating, in response to a command of said cancellation command means, cancellation information for canceling an order including said particular order information selected by said selecting means, wherein said first communications means transmits said cancellation information to said information server.

21. The marketing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said second communications means disconnects a connection between said information server and said first communication means while maintaining a connection between said terminal equipment and said order accepting equipment through a communications network other than said WAN.

10. An information communications method in a marketing system comprising the steps of:

connecting an information server with a WAN (wide area network), said information server providing guidance information including product information about selling a product and instructions information about an order;

connecting terminal equipment to said WAN;

acquiring said guidance information from said information server through said WAN, and displaying on a display of said terminal equipment said product information and particular information for an order in said guidance information acquired;

pointing, with a pointing device, said particular information on the display of said terminal equipment;

enabling input of order information about an order of a product in response to a pointing of said pointing device;

transmitting said order information from said terminal equipment through a communications network other than said WAN; and

receiving said order information by order accepting equipment through said communications network other than said WAN.

11. The information communications method in the marketing system as claimed in claim 10, wherein said order information includes an identification number of a credit card.

12. The information communications method in the marketing system as claimed in claim 10, wherein said order accepting equipment is installed in a shop of a vendor.

13. The information communications method in the marketing system as claimed in claim 10, wherein said information server provides guidance information about products of a plurality of vendors, and said order accepting equipment receives order information about products of said plurality of vendors.

14. The information communications method in the marketing system as claimed in claim 10, wherein said terminal equipment comprises a storing medium for storing software, and a CPU for enabling input of said order information by reading and executing said software, and wherein said information sever provides said terminal equipment with said software.

15. The information communications method in the marketing system as claimed in claim 14, further comprising the step of making a decision whether said software is present in said terminal equipment in response to a pointing of said pointing device;

commanding transfer of said software when a negative decision is made, and acquiring said software from said information server in response to a transfer command.

16. The information communications method in the marketing system as claimed in claim 10, further comprising the step of disconnecting a connection between said information server and said terminal equipment when carrying out communications between said terminal equipment and said order accepting equipment.

17. The information communications method in the marketing system as claimed in claim 10, further comprising the steps of cumulatively storing, by said terminal equipment, order information transmitted to said order accepting equipment, and enabling said order information stored to be displayed on said display.

18. The information communications method in the marketing system as claimed in claim 10, further comprising the steps of selecting particular order information from among the order information displayed on said display;

commanding cancellation of an order;

generating, in response to a command of cancellation, cancellation information for canceling an order including said particular order information selected; and

transmitting said cancellation information from said terminal equipment to said information server.

22. The information communications method in the marketing system as claimed in claim 10, further comprising the step of disconnecting a connection between said information server and said terminal equipment when carrying out communications between said terminal equipment and said order accepting equipment while maintaining a connection between said terminal equipment and said order accepting equipment through a communications network other than said WAN.

19. A recording medium having program code means readable by a CPU in terminal equipment of a system in which said terminal equipment is connected with an information server through a WAN (wide area network) so that product information is sent from said information server to said terminal equipment, said recording medium comprising:

program code means started when said product information and particular information for an order is displayed on a display of said terminal equipment;

wherein said program code means comprising;

program code means for accepting order information input in said terminal equipment; and

program code means for transmitting said order information from said terminal equipment to order accepting equipment through a communications network other than said WAN.

20. The recording medium as claimed in claim 19, wherein said program code means readable by said CPU further includes program code means for disconnecting connection between said terminal equipment and said information server while communications is carried out between said terminal equipment and said order accepting equipment.