Electronic commerce system and method for providing commercial information in electronic commerce system

• US 7,031,934 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2002
• Issued: 04/18/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Kumomura, Akira, Okojima, Masafumi, Mori, Daisaku
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Jeffrey A.
• Application Number:
  US10/152,835
• Publication Number:
  US 20020133428A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,426 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27, 705/14, 705/41
• US Class Current: 705/26.7
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/105 involving programming of a portable memory device, e.g. IC cards, "electronic purses"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3221 Access to banking information through M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3226 Use of secure elements separate from M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

Log information concerning an electronic transaction performed between a transaction device and a business connection server through a network is compared with information concerning a predetermined business connection down-loaded from the server, and the log information is recorded in an IC card accepted by the transaction device when the log information is related to the information concerning a predetermined business connection. Predetermined commodity information is provided to a user in accordance with a request by the user of the IC card when the log information stored in the IC card satisfies a predetermined condition.

Claims

1. An access managing method in an apparatus coupled to a plurality of contents servers through a network, comprising the steps of:

specifying, in response to insertion of an IC card into a first unit of said apparatus, a predetermined contents servers of said plurality of contents servers which corresponds to the IC card;

monitoring, by a second unit of said apparatus, whether or not an access is made to the predetermined contents server, and updating, by said second unit, history of the access to the predetermined contents server when the access is made to the predetermined contents server;

recording, by a third unit of said apparatus in the IC card a transaction amount settled or spent in an electronic commerce transaction and a settlement method used for the transaction; and

retrieving, by a fourth unit of said apparatus, goods information relating to goods that may be more suitable for purchase by the user of the IC card based on a combination of the transaction amount and the settlement method used for the transaction recorded in the IC card and providing, by said fourth unit, the goods information thus retrieved to permit purchase of the goods identified by the goods information by the user of the IC card.

2. A method of providing information by a system including a business connection server and a transaction device connected to each other by a network, comprising the steps of:

detecting, by the transaction device, an address of a business connection accessed by a customer in an electronic commerce transaction and determining whether or not the detected address of the business connection is a pre-selected address;

updating, by the transaction device, a number of accesses to the business connection accessed by the customer when the detected address of the business connection is the pre-selected address;

providing, by the business connection server, information concerning the business connection to the customer when the number of accesses to the business connection reaches a predetermined number;

recoding, by the transaction device, in an IC card a transaction amount settled or spent in the electronic commerce transaction and a settlement method used for the transaction; and

retrieving, by the transaction device, goods information relating to goods that may be more suitable for purchase by the user of the IC card based on a combination of the transaction amount and the settlement method used for the transaction recorded in the IC card and providing the goods information thus retrieved to permit purchase of the goods identified by the goods information by the user of the IC card.

3. An information providing method, in an electronic commerce system including a transaction device and a business connection server for performing a transaction between the business connection server and the transaction device through a network, for providing information concerning a commodity related to the transaction to a user operating the transaction device, the method comprising the steps of:

accepting, by the transaction device, a portable information recording medium of a user of the transaction device;

obtaining, from the portable information recording medium, by the transaction device, information concerning a business connection in a transaction performed by the transaction device;

obtaining, by the transaction device history of information concerning a transaction performed between the transaction device and the business connection;

determining whether or not the transaction history satisfies a predetermined condition, and providing, by the transaction device, information concerning a commodity related to the transaction when the transaction history satisfies the predetermine condition;

recording, by the transaction device, in an IC card a transaction amount settled or spent in an electronic commerce transaction and a settlement method used for the transaction; and

retrieving, by the transaction device, goods information relating to goods that may be more suitable for purchase by the user of the IC card based on a combination of the transaction amount and the settlement method used for the transaction recorded in the IC card and providing the goods information thus retrieved to permit purchase of the goods identified by the goods information by the user of the IC card.

4. A method of providing information, comprising the steps of:

showing, to a user operating a transaction device coupled to a server through a network, first information provided by the server on a first screen, of a display of the transaction device, in an electronic commerce transaction;

showing to the user a second screen, on the display of the transaction device, in order to provide second information on the first screen when a number of times the first screen is shown to the user reaches a predetermined number in a case where the second information related to the first information is managed by the transaction device;

recording, by the transaction device, in an IC card a transaction amount settled or spend in the electronic commerce transaction and a settlement method used for the transaction; and

retrieving, by the transaction device, goods information relating to goods that may be more suitable for purchase by the user of the IC card based on a combination of the transaction amount and the settlement method used for the transaction recorded in the IC card and providing the goods information thus retrieved to permit purchase of the goods identified by the goods information by the user of the IC card.

5. An electronic commerce method in a transaction device coupled to a plurality of business connection servers through a network, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) monitoring, by the transaction device, whether a transaction has been performed on a particular one of said business connection servers;

(b) when the transaction has been performed on a particular one of said business connection servers, updating, by the transaction device, transaction information relating to the particular one of said business transaction servers within an IC card;

(c) obtaining, by the transaction device, an address of one of said plurality of business connection servers from said IC card;

(d) performing, by the transaction device, electronic commerce with said one of said plurality of business connection servers by using the address obtained in said step (c);

recording, by the transaction device, in the IC card a transaction amount settled or spent in the electronic commerce transaction and a settlement method, used for the transaction; and

retrieving, by the transaction device, goods information relating to goods that may be more suitable for purchase by the user of the IC card based on a combination of the transaction amount and the settlement method used for the transaction recorded in the IC card and providing, by the transaction device, the goods information thus retrieved to permit purchase of the goods identified by the goods information by the user of the IC card.

6. An electronic commerce method according to claim 5, wherein said step (c) obtains an URL address of said one of said plurality of business connection servers as said address of said one of said plurality of business connection servers.

7. A transaction device coupled to a plurality of business connection servers through a network for performing electronic commerce, comprising:

a unit which monitors whether a transaction has been performed on a particular one of said business connection servers;

a unit which when the transaction has been performed on a particular one of said business connection server, updates transaction information relating to the particular one of said business transaction servers within an IC card;

a unit which obtains an address of one of said plurality of business connection servers from said IC card;

a unit which performs electronic commerce with said one of said plurality of business connection servers by using the address thus obtained;

wherein said unit which updates transaction information also records in the IC card a transaction amount settled or spent in the electronic commerce transaction and a settlement method used for the transaction; and

a unit which retrieves goods information relating to goods that may be more suitable for purchase by the user of the IC card based on a combination of the transaction amount and the settlement method used for the transaction in the IC card and providing the goods information thus retrieved to permit purchase of the goods identified by the goods information by the user of the IC card.

8. A transaction device according to claim 7, wherein said address is a URL address of said one of said plurality of business connection servers.