Product information supplying method, product information acquiring method, product information registering method and recording medium

• US 7,249,057 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2001
• Issued: 07/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Hatakama, Hiroshi, Koike, Hiroji
• Primary Examiner(s): Laneau; Ronald
• Application Number:
  US09/817,289
• Publication Number:
  US 20020065735A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,310 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27
• US Class Current: 705/26.61
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

There is provided a product information supply method for supplying a user who desires to purchase a product with proper information about a related product that could be bought in combination with the product, so that the user is assisted in purchasing products. Registration of combination information to be supplied to the user is made with a database managed by a service provider server by a person who has bought the above product by means of a registration page so that a lot of combination information is accumulated in the database. The registered information includes not only information specifying a combinable product but also information about the effects of the combination and the ways of using products in combination. The database is searched in response to inquiry information from the user who makes reference to a page of products. Thus, corresponding combination information is extracted from the database and is sent to the user.

Claims

1. A product information supply method comprising:

receiving combination information about combinations of products from a terminal of an individual who has bought the combination of products, wherein the combination information comprises a relationship between combined products, the relationship comprises at least one of compatibility, complement, and added value, and a type of use which indicates a use and a scene of which a related product of the combined products is useful to and a profile about the individual;

making registration of said combination information in a database, so that the combination information can be accumulated;

searching the database in response to inquiries about the combination information extracted from the database, wherein each of the inquiries corresponds to a choice signal that indicates a product chosen at a terminal of a consumer in order to specify a candidate for at least one purchase and place a buy order, and the combination information extracted from the database has been registered by an individual having a similar profile to the profile of the consumer;

supplying the terminal of the consumer the combination information which comprises the relationship between the combined products, a type of use, and a degree of usefulness of the combination information;

allowing a plurality of consumers to each purchase a same combination of products via a network, as that of the combination of products purchased by the individual; and

determining priority of supplying a consumer with the combination information and the degree of usefulness based on a number of times a purchase of the same combination of products have been made based on the combination information, and based on a number of times reference has been made to a Web page that introduces the same combination of products described in the combination information as link information.

2. The product information supply method according to claim 1, wherein said inquiries are sent from terminals of said consumers.

3. The product information supply method according to claim 1, wherein said inquiries are sent by the terminals of the consumers via a Web server that provides an online shop that sells the products included in the combination of products.

4. The product information supply method according to claim 1, further comprising providing the individual who has made registration of the combination information with a reward based on the number of times a purchase of the same combination of products have been made on the basis of the combination information registered by said individual, or based on the number of times reference has been made to the Web page by the combination information.

5. The product information supply method according to claim 1, further comprising providing, from a seller who sells the combination of products or an operating person who operates the Web site, a managing person who manages the database, with a reward based on the number of times a purchase of the same combination of products have been made on the basis of the combination information registered by said individual, or based on the number of times reference has been made to the Web page by the combination information.

6. The product information supply method according to claim 1, wherein the combination information stored in the database is registered by an e-mail or a Web page for making registration.

7. The product information supply method according to claim 1, further comprising:

confirming that a buy order of the same combination of products is placed on the basis of the corresponding combination information extracted from the database and sent to the consumer; and

sending an e-mail to the terminal of the consumer to ask the consumer to make registration of combination information to be stored in the database after a predetermined period lapses from confirmation.

8. The product information supply method according to claim 1, further comprising producing marketing information from the combination information, the marketing information being sold to another person or organization.

9. A computer readable recording medium storing a program for supplying a plurality of users who operate terminals to purchase a combination of products via a network, said program causing a computer to perform:

storing combination information about the combination of products that could be bought together;

registering combination information that has been supplied by a person who has bought the product, wherein the combination information comprises a relationship between combined products, the relationship comprises at least one of compatibility, complement, and added value, and a type of use which indicates a use and a scene of which a related product of the combined products is useful to, and a profile about the person;

searching the database on the basis of inquiries about the combination of products from the users, wherein each of the inquiries corresponds to a choice signal that indicates a product chosen at a terminal of a user in order to specify a candidate for at least one purchase and to place a buy order, extracting the combination information from the database that has been registered by a user having a similar profile to the user and sending the extracted corresponding combination information comprising the relationship between the combined products, a type of use, and a degree of usefulness of the combination information to the terminals of the users as requested; and

storing a value indicating a reward based on a number of times a purchase of the same combination of products has been made by the users or a number of times reference has been made to a Web page that introduces the combination of products, when reference is made by another user to the combination information that has been registered by said person or reference is made to the Web page described in the combination information as link information; and

determining priority of supplying a user with the combination information and the degree of usefulness based on the number of times a purchase of the same combination of products have been made based on the combination information, and based on the number of times reference has been made to the Web page by the corresponding combination information.

10. A product information supply apparatus comprising:

a database storing combination information about a combination of products purchased by a person, wherein the combination information comprises a relationship between combined products, the relationship comprises at least one of compatibility, complement, and added value, and a type of use which indicates a use and a scene of which a related product of the combined products is useful to, and a profile about the person;

registration making unit for making registration of combination information that has been supplied by the person who has bought the combination of products;

information outputting unit for searching the database on the basis of inquiry information about the combination of the products from users, wherein each of the inquiries corresponds to a choice signal that indicates a product chosen at a terminal of a consumer in order to specify a candidate for at least one purchase and to place a buy order, and the combination information extracted from the database has been registered by a consumer having a similar profile to the profile of the consumer and sending the extracted corresponding combination information comprising the relationship between the combined products, a type of use, and a degree of usefulness of the combination information to terminals of the users;

reward storing unit for storing a value indicating a reward based on a number of times a purchase of a same combination of products has been made by the users or a number of times reference has been made to a Web page that introduces the combination of products, when reference is made by another user to the combination information that has been registered by said person or reference is made to the Web page described in the combination information as link information; and

priority determining unit for determining priority of supplying a user with the combination information and the degree of usefulness based on the number of times a purchase of the same combination of products have been made based on the combination information, and based on the number of times reference has been made to the Web page by the corresponding combination information.