Method and system for operating a virtual shopping mall or seller-engaged type

• US 7,266,511 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2000
• Issued: 09/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Teshima, Atsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Rosen; Nicholas D.
• Application Number:
  US09/742,362
• Publication Number:
  US 20010007979A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,447 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27
• US Class Current: 705/23
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/208 Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers

Abstract

A virtual shopping mall system of seller-engaged type is provided. A virtual shopping mall operations apparatus E accepts virtual goods information corresponding to real goods from a seller A and registers the virtual goods information to the virtual shopping mall. The virtual shopping mall operations apparatus E presents the virtual goods information to a buyer B and intermediates a trade between the seller A and the buyer B on the virtual shopping mall. When a trade is reached, the virtual shopping mall operations apparatus E achieves the trade on the virtual shopping mall by setting a delivery path for real goods from the seller A to the buyer B. In order to set a delivery path, a terminal base D, which is selected from a plurality of chained real terminal bases, is set up for a buyer B to receive real goods.

Claims

1. A method for operating a virtual shopping mall by using a computer system, the computer system being established on a plurality of chain stores which are chained in advance to one another to form a physical distribution system, each of said chain stores including a terminal base unit for registering virtual goods information including an image, said terminal base units being connectable to the virtual shopping mall by a communication line, said method comprising:

registering virtual goods information, which corresponds to a seller'"'"'s real goods, from one of said terminal base units provided in one of said chain stores to the virtual shopping mall after receiving said virtual goods information from said seller, said registering virtual goods information including the image of said real goods as a part of said virtual goods information;

intermediating business between said seller and a buyer on said virtual shopping mall by presenting said virtual goods information to the buyer;

setting a delivery path on the physical distribution system for delivering said real goods from said seller to said buyer in accordance with said buyer'"'"'s selection of a terminal base from which said buyer receives said real goods;

establishing trading between said buyer and said seller, which achieves business on said virtual shopping mall; and

setting a maximum value of a number of categories of virtual goods, which can be displayed on said virtual shopping mall, according to a fee charged to said seller.

2. A shop terminal base unit for registering commercial goods in a virtual shopping mall which is operated by a virtual shopping mall operation apparatus for intermediating business on an Internet, the shop terminal base unit being provided at one of a plurality of real stores which are chained to one another and form a physical distribution system, comprising:

a display device including a touch panel type display screen, which displays a predetermined screen page;

a digital camera which obtains an image data of the goods to be registered in the virtual shopping mall;

an accommodating part for accommodating the digital camera therein;

an input unit including a touch pen used for the touch panel type display screen, the input unit inputting goods information by a seller in accordance with the predetermined screen page displayed in the display device;

a virtual goods information generating unit which generates virtual goods information based on the image data of the goods captured by the digital camera;

a commercial goods registration processing unit which registers the virtual goods information generated by said virtual goods information generating unit in the virtual shopping mall operation apparatus;

a commercial goods purchase processing unit which transmits, into the virtual shopping mall operation apparatus, information of a real shop where the goods are to be delivered, the information of the real shop being selected from the plurality of real stores by a buyer in accordance with a predetermined screen page displayed in said display device and being inputted from the input unit; and

a fee processing unit including a slot for inserting and returning coins and bills for paying an owner registration fee, the fee processing unit demanding the owner registration fee for the seller upon receipt of a notification from the shopping mall operation apparatus that the information from the seller has been registered in the virtual shopping mall operation apparatus.

3. The shop terminal base unit as claimed in claim 2, wherein said capturing device further includes a scanner.

4. The shop terminal base unit as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a media drive for reading out the goods information from a recording medium in which the goods information is stored in advance.

5. The shop terminal base unit as claimed in claim 2, further comprising an owner registration processing unit which registers information of the seller in the virtual shopping mall operation apparatus, said information of the seller being inputted by the seller via said input unit in accordance with a predetermined screen page displayed in said display device.

6. The shop terminal base unit as claimed in claim 5, wherein said information of the seller includes at least one of a telephone number, an address and an &

mail address of the seller.

7. The shop terminal base unit as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a commercial goods searching unit which communicates with the virtual shopping mall operation apparatus and obtains virtual goods information in relation to at least one of a keyword and a price which are inputted by the input device in accordance with a predetermined screen page displayed in said display device.

8. The shop terminal base unit as claimed in claim 2, wherein said commercial goods purchase processing unit registers information of the buyer in the virtual shopping mall operation apparatus and notifies the seller of an order for the goods by the buyer via the virtual shopping mall operation apparatus.

9. The shop terminal base unit as claimed in claim 8, wherein the information of the buyer includes at least one of a telephone number and an e-mail address of the buyer.

10. The shop terminal base unit as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a real goods receiving managing unit which obtains from the virtual shopping mall operation apparatus the information of the real shop where the goods are to be delivered when a trade ID is inputted via said input unit, the trade ID being issued by the virtual shopping mall operation apparatus when a trade between the seller and the buyer is reached.

11. The shop terminal base unit as claimed in claim 10, wherein said real goods receiving managing unit notifies the buyer about an arrival of the goods via the virtual shopping mall operation apparatus when the goods have been delivered to the real shop.

12. The shop terminal base unit as claimed in claim 11, wherein the information about the arrival of the goods includes a trade ID which is related to the information of the buyer.

13. The shop terminal base unit as claimed in claim 2, further comprising:

a printer; and

a catalog printing unit which prints out catalogs of the virtual goods information via said printer.

14. The shop terminal base unit as claimed in claim 2, further comprising an original shop site creating unit for creating an original site on the shopping mall.

15. The shop terminal base unit as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a fee processing unit which demands a fee for the goods from a buyer when a trade ID of the buyer is inputted via the input unit and which pays the fee for the goods to the seller when a trade ID of the seller is inputted via the input unit, wherein both the trade ID of the buyer and the trade ID of the seller are issued by the virtual shopping mall operation apparatus if a trade between the seller and the buyer is reached.

16. The shop terminal base unit as claimed in claim 15, wherein said fee processing unit includes a slot for inserting and returning coins and bills for paying an owner registration fee.

17. The shop terminal base unit as claimed in claim 2, wherein the goods information inputted by the seller is devoid of a name of the seller and the information of the real shop inputted by the seller is devoid of a name of the buyer.