Search method in a used car search support system

• US 6,772,145 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2001
• Issued: 08/03/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tsubasa System Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hironobu Shishido
• Inventors: Shishido, Hironobu
• Primary Examiner(s): Mizrahi, Diane D.
• Application Number:
  US09/823,352
• Publication Number:
  US 20020023076A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,222 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/2, 707/3, 707/4, 707/5, 707/10, 705/26
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

A search method in a used car search support system in which when search conditions are inputted from a client, a server delivers the hit number for each price range to the client and when a user designates a desired price range via the client, the server sends the used car information of the designated price range to the client.

Claims

1. A search method in a used car search support system that includes a database storing used car information, receives search conditions from an external device, and provides the external device with used car information satisfying the search conditions, the search method in which the used car search support system executes steps of:

searching firstly for price information in the used car information that satisfies search conditions other than prices of the search conditions;

providing the external device with price range information based on search results of the first search;

inputting a price condition from the external device;

searching secondly in said search results of the first search with the inputted price condition;

providing the external device with search results of the second search;

dividing the used car information that satisfies the search conditions other than the price of the search conditions into prescribed price ranges;

counting the number of data in each price range of the used car information;

providing the external device with the number of data counted and a corresponding price range as the price range information;

receiving information about the price range from the external device;

supplying the external device with the used car information corresponding to the price range indicated by the received information about the price range wherein the number of data of the used car information satisfying the search conditions is greater than a predetermined number, the division in accordance with the prescribed price ranges is skipped, and all the data of the used car information that satisfy the search conditions are output.

2. The search method in the used car search support system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the price range information is about a maximum price and a minimum price.