Information processing apparatus and method, and recording medium on which a program for executing the information processing is recorded

• US 7,334,260 B1
• Filed: 05/19/2000
• Issued: 02/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Inadate, Toshio
• Primary Examiner(s): Zand; Kambiz
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran; Tongoc
• Application Number:
  US09/575,864
• Time in Patent Office: 2,832 Days
• Field of Search: 713/155, 713168-170, 713/201, 705/1, 705/10, 705/14, 705/26, 705/27, 705/37, 705/80, 726/4, 726/7, 726/12, 726/17, 726/21
• US Class Current: 726/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/188 Electronic negotiation

Abstract

An agent server registers a request information for purchasing from an authorized member in a request information data base by way of the Internet. The request information stored in the request information data base is searched by an authorized shop, and the shop serves related goods information available to the authorized member. In this way a direct sale of goods is done with high reliability on the Internet between the authorized member and the authorized shop.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus connected to a plurality of information terminals by way of a network, comprising:

storing means for storing user information;

authenticating means for authenticating a user;

recording means for recording one or more non-binding requests for an offer to sell goods transmitted by a first customer, the first customer authenticated by said authenticating means;

supplying means for supplying a service list of the non-binding requests recorded by said recording means to one or more shops, the shops being authenticated by said authenticating means;

recording means for recording submitted offers to sell goods, the submitted offers transmitted by the shops in response to the non-binding requests in said service list;

searching means for searching for the submitted offers to sell goods, in response to a demand from the first customer; and

transferring means for transferring, to the first customer, a submitted requests list of the non-binding requests transmitted by the first customer;

wherein the searching means, in response to a demand from a second customer, allows the second customer to search the non-binding requests for an offer to sell goods submitted by the first customer, and

wherein the transferring means transfers contents of first customer'"'"'s non-binding requests to the second customer, and the second customer views and checks the contents of the first customer'"'"'s non-binding requests before making a purchase.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second customer can purchase goods using non-binding requests for an offer to sell goods from the first customer.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the user information includes a user ID, a password, and an electronic mail address.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the authenticating means uses the user information stored in the storing means to authenticate the user.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the submitted offers include direct links to web pages specified by the shops.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the submitted requests list transferred to the first customer indicates the availability of submitted offers corresponding to the non-binding requests.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transferring means transfers the submitted requests list to the first customer using electronic mail.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the submitted offers indicate whether the corresponding shop has the goods in stock.

9. A method for processing information among a plurality of information terminals connected to a network, said method comprising the steps of:

storing user information for each of said information terminals;

authenticating a user based on said user information;

authenticating one or more shops;

recording one or more non-binding requests for an offer to sell goods transmitted by a first customer authenticated in said authenticating step,

supplying a service list of the non-binding requests recorded in said recording step to the one or more shops;

recording submitted offers to sell goods transmitted by the shops in response to the non-binding requests in said service list;

searching for the submitted offers to sell goods in response to a demand from the first customer,

transferring, to the first customer, a submitted requests list of the non-binding requests transmitted by the first customer; and

searching, in response to a demand from a second customer, the non-binding requests for an offer to sell goods submitted by the first customer,

transferring contents of first customer'"'"'s non-binding requests to the second customer, wherein the second customer views and checks the contents of the first customer'"'"'s non-binding requests before making a purchase.

10. The information processing method according to claim 9, including a step where the second customer purchases goods using non-binding requests for an offer to sell goods from the first customer.

11. The information processing method according to claim 9, wherein the user information includes a user ID, a password, and an electronic mail address.

12. The information processing method according to claim 9, wherein the authenticating step is done using the user information stored during the storing step.

13. The information processing method according to claim 9, wherein the submitted offers include direct links to web pages specified by the shops.

14. The information processing method according to claim 9, wherein the submitted requests list of non-binding requests transferred to the first customer indicates the availability of submitted offers corresponding to the non-binding requests.

15. The information processing method according to claim 9, wherein the step of transferring the submitted requests list to the first customer is done by electronic mail.

16. The method for processing information according to claim 9, wherein the submitted offers indicate whether the corresponding shop has the goods in stock.