Car sale information providing system and method, and car dealing system

• US 7,028,002 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2001
• Issued: 04/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tsubasa System Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Tsubasa System Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Wakabayashi, Akira, Onoue, Masashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Garg, Yogesh C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lewis, Patricia
• Application Number:
  US09/867,158
• Publication Number:
  US 20010054017A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,778 Days
• Field of Search: 705/4, 705/26, 705/27, 705/35, 705/13, 705/14, 705/400, 235/380, 345/473, 340/901, 701/29, 701/207, 706/50
• US Class Current: 705/26.62
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0625 Directed, with specific intent or strategy
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

An information processing technology of the present invention is capable of speeding up a process that a prospective buyer of a used car determines an intention of purchasing the car. A car sale information providing system of the present invention includes a car information storage unit (13, 14) stored with mappings of car information containing a name, a type, a year model etc of a car to car inspection information obtained as a result of inspecting the car concerned. A car information input device (27, 28) is provided for inputting the car information and getting the car information stored in the car information storage unit (13, 14). A search unit (12) is provided for outputting an input screen for searching the car information stored in the car information storage unit (13, 14), and searching based on conditions inputted. The system includes a car information output unit (26), for outputting display information, including a purchase indication interface for transmitting car purchase information containing the searched car information and the car inspection information corresponding to the car information.

Claims

1. A car sale information providing system comprising:

a car information storage unit stored in a host device and including mappings of car information containing at least a name, a type, a year and a model of a car to car inspection information obtained as a result of inspecting the car concerned, said car information storage unit comprising a search database and a wait-for-registration database;

a car information input device connected to the host device, the car information input device inputting the car information;

a checking unit which checks whether or not the car information input by the car information input device contains the inspection information corresponding to the car information;

a number generating unit which generates a car management number in accordance with a predetermined rule if the car information input by the car information input device does not contain the inspection information;

a registering unit which registers the input car information together with the car management number in the wait-for-registration database if the input car information does not contain the inspection information and which registers the input car information in the search database if the inputted car information contains the inspection information;

an inspection indication output unit which searches the wait-for-registration database and which transmits inspection indicative information for prompting an inspection of a car for which the car information does not contain the inspection information together wit the car management number corresponding to said car information input by the input device to an inspector terminal;

a receiving unit which receives the inspection information together with the car management number and which transfers the car information indicated by the received car management number to the search database from the wait-for-registration database;

a search unit included within the host device which outputs an input screen in response to input conditions when searching the car information stored in said search database of said car information storage unit, and which searches based on conditions input via the input screen; and

a car information output unit included within the host device which outputs display information, including a purchase indication interface which transmits car purchase information containing the searched car information and the car inspection information corresponding to the car information.

2. A car sale information providing system according to claim 1, further comprising:

an exhibit information storage unit included in the host device which stores mappings of plural categories of exhibit information containing at least one of animated image data and sound data to the car information;

a header search unit included in the host device which searches a header of the car information;

a header display unit included in the host device which displays said header of each of the items of car information as a result of the search, the header being displayed in a selectable manner; and

a display unit included in the host device which outputs car screen information when the header is selected, including an output indication interface giving an indication of outputting the car information with its header selected and an indication of outputting exhibit information corresponding to the car information output.

3. A car sale information providing system according to claim 2, wherein said car information storage unit stores mappings of the car information to car inspection information as a result of inspecting the car concerned, and

said display unit further displays the car inspection information corresponding to the car information.

4. A car sale information providing method comprising:

inputting car information into a storage unit included within a host device, the car information containing at least a name, a type, a year and a model of a car, said storage unit including a search database and a wait-for-registration database;

checking whether or not the car information input contains the inspection information corresponding to the car information;

generating a car management number in accordance with a predetermined rule if the car information input does not contain the inspection information;

registering the input car information together with the car management number in the wait-for-registration database if the input car information does not contain the inspection information and registering the input car information in the search database if the input car information contains the inspection information;

searching the wait-for-registration database and transmitting inspection indicative information for promoting an inspection of the car for which the car information does not contain the inspection information together with the car management number corresponding to said car information input to an inspector terminal;

receiving the inspection information together with the car management number and transferring the car information indicated by the received car management number to the search database from the wait-for-registration database;

outputting an input screen to a terminal device connected to the host device for searching the car information and searching based on conditions input via the input screen;

displaying, on a terminal device connected to the host device, the searched car information and the car inspection information corresponding to the same car information; and

transmitting car purchase information from the host device.

5. A car sale information providing method according to claim 4, further comprising:

searching car information stored in a storage unit within a host device and containing at least a name, a type, a year and model of a car;

displaying a header of each item of car information output from the host device as a result of the search, the header being displayed in a selectable manner;

outputting, when the header is selected, the car information with its header selected;

searching plural categories of exhibit information containing at least one of animated image data and sound data, which are stored corresponding to the car information; and

outputting the exhibit information from the host device.