Sales activity management system, sales activity management apparatus, and sales activity management method

• US 6,910,015 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2001
• Issued: 06/21/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kawai, Eiji
• Primary Examiner(s): Weiss, John G.
• Application Number:
  US09/819,210
• Publication Number:
  US 20010047277A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,546 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/26, 705/14, 705/38, 705/53, 345/776
• US Class Current: 705/56
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• 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 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/03 Credit; Loans; Processing thereof

Abstract

To automatically manage payment of charge produced between an apparatus manufacturer and an information provider, and to promote sales of an information processing apparatus and information contents.

There are provided: a terminal device 11 to managed so as to manufacture and manage an information processing apparatus 16 and so as to sell to a user 14 an information processing apparatus at a price lower than a desired sales price of an apparatus manufacturer 15; a terminal device 12 managed so as to provide to the user 14 available information contents 18 at the information processing apparatus 16, and then, collect charge; and a sales activity management apparatus 13 for managing the terminal devices 11 and 12 based on a license agreement made in advance between an apparatus manufacturer 15 and an information provider 17, wherein this sales activity management apparatus 13 issues an instruction for the terminal device 12 to return to the terminal device 11 an amount of money corresponding to a difference produced because the apparatus manufacturer 15 has provided the information processing apparatus 16 to the user 14 at a low price according to an amount of money for a charge collected from the user 14.

Claims

1. A sales activity management method for selling an information processing apparatus from an apparatus manufacturer to a user, and selling information contents available at the information processing apparatus from the information provider to the user, comprising the steps of:

managing manufacture of said information processing apparatus, and selling said information processing apparatus to a user at the sales price less than manufacturer'"'"'s desired selling price of said apparatus manufacturer;

providing available information contents at said information processing apparatus;

collecting in a provision management terminal a charge base upon at least content sale information according to sales of said information contents provided to said user available at said information processing apparatus; and

Sales Activity Management Apparatus setting an amount of money to be remitted to said apparatus manufacturer based at least upon said content sales information collected by said provision management terminal as compensation for difference between manufacturer'"'"'s desired selling price and actual sales price of said information processing apparatus.

2. A sales activity management method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that a license agreement is made with respect to sales of essential parts, an information processing apparatus and information contents among the part manufacturer for manufacturing essential parts of said information processing apparatus, said apparatus manufacturer and information provider.

3. A sales activity management method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that essential parts to be incorporated in said information processing apparatus are supplied from a part manufacturer to said apparatus manufacturer.

4. A sales activity management method as claimed in claim 3, wherein said management control means sets the sales price of said essential parts according to an amount of money collected from said user.

5. A sales activity management method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said information provider is a broadcast service provider that provides charged information contents to said user, and collects a reception charge from the user.

6. A sales activity management method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said information provider is a communication service provider that collects a base charge and an actual telephone call charge from the user.

7. A sales activity management method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said information provider is an information medium sales provider that manufactures and sells an information medium having information contents recorded therein to said user, and collects a payment of a product from the user.

8. The sales activity management method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

providing content use information according to use of said information contents provided to said user available at said information processing apparatus; and

setting an amount of money also based upon said content use information.