Method of electronic commerce including receiving an acceptance signal indicating a change in a transaction available period based on a time adjustment day

• US 7,249,061 B1
• Filed: 11/10/2000
• Issued: 07/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Takao
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith; Jeffrey A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MISIASZEK, MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US10/381,430
• Time in Patent Office: 2,447 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27, 705/37, 705/1
• US Class Current: 705/27.2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

An electronic commerce server (10) including a time adjustment information memory unit (10b), an irregular day information comparison circuit (43), and an irregular day notification circuit (44). The time adjustment information memory unit (10b) records information on time adjustment. The irregular day information comparison circuit (43) compares the transaction available period and the time adjustment information. The irregular day notification circuit (44) notifies the occurrence of a day on which time adjustment is performed. The electronic commerce server (10) checks whether there is a region where time adjustment is performed during the transaction available period. If a start-date or end data of Daylight Saving Time occurs, that day is checked by the irregular day information comparison circuit (43). The irregular day notification circuit (44) transmits the occurrence of a time adjustment day to the computer (1a) for the seller. The seller changes that transaction available period, and the buyer learns the fact that an irregular day, that is the start-date or end-date, occurs during the transaction available period and how much the transaction available period will differ from the current clock time.

Claims

1. An electronic commerce method comprising:

recording global regions where time adjustment is performed with respect to clock times in the global regions and time adjustment information related to details of the time adjustment into a time adjustment information memory;

comparing a transaction available period for electronic commerce, provided through an information network, with the time adjustment information recorded in the time adjustment information memory;

sending a first signal for generating a first screen via the information network to a computer of a seller when existence of an applicable time adjustment day in the transaction available period is determined as a result of the comparison, the first screen indicating a region name where the time adjustment is performed, an information notice notifying the seller that a change of the transaction available period for electronic commerce is required with respect to date and region thereof, and a button for selecting whether or not the change of the transaction available period for electronic commerce is acceptable by the seller prior to a start time of an electronic commerce transaction;

notifying the seller on the first screen of an amount of time remaining for a transaction available period with respect to a specific item for sale;

receiving an accept signal provided by the button indicating that the change of the transaction available period for electronic commerce is acceptable, from the computer of the seller via the information network, thereby changing the transaction available period of the specific item for sale using the time adjustment information prior to the start time of the electronic commerce transaction; and

sending a second signal for generating a second screen via the information network to the computer of the seller, after receiving the accept signal, wherein the second screen facilitates the change of the transaction available period for the electronic commerce with respect to the specific item for sale based on the result of the selection of the button, thereby starting the electronic commerce transaction.

2. The electronic commerce method of claim 1, further comprising:

temporarily recording item information with respect to the specific item for sale, which is fed through the information network in an item information temporary memory unit;

recording disclosable item information selected among the item information recorded in the item information temporary memory unit in a disclosable item information memory unit; and

electronically disclosing on the information network, the disclosable item information recorded in the disclosable item information memory unit.

3. The electronic commerce method of claim 1, further comprising changing the transaction available period for electronic commerce with respect to the specific item for sale using information fed through the information network.

4. The electronic commerce method of claim 1, wherein sending the first signal includes information required for determining a finish time of electronic commerce.

5. The electronic commerce method of claim 1, wherein sending the first signal includes information with respect to date and region where the time adjustment is performed.

6. The electronic commerce method of claim 1, wherein a portion of the first screen generated in the sending of the first signal includes item information.

7. The electronic commerce method of claim 1, wherein the time adjustment day includes the start-date or end-date of Daylight Saving Time.

8. The electronic commerce method of claim 1, wherein the existence of the time adjustment day is electronically notified using a screen of a page different from a disclosed web page of the specific item for sale.

9. The electronic commerce method of claim 1, wherein sending the first signal comprises two stages of:

notifying existence of the time adjustment day to a seller side input terminal for the specific item for sale; and

notifying existence of the time adjustment day to a buyer side input terminal for the specific item for sale.

10. The electronic commerce method of claim 1, wherein sending the first signal notifies existence of the time adjustment day onto the top page of a site that discloses the electronic commerce.

11. The electronic commerce method of claim 10, wherein a link module is provided on a disclosed web page of the specific item for sale to jump to the top page of the site that discloses the electronic commerce, and selection of the link module enables jumping to the top page to send the first signal.

12. The electronic commerce method of claim 1, wherein sending the first signal notifies existence of the time adjustment day on a page dedicated to irregular day information that is provided as another page in a site that discloses the electronic commerce.

13. The electronic commerce method of claim 12, wherein a link module is provided on a disclosed web page of the specific item for sale to jump to the dedicated page of irregular day information, and selection of the link module enables jumping to the dedicated page of irregular day information to send the first signal.