Electronic business transaction system

• US 7,590,597 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2008
• Issued: 09/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Miyake, Tsuyoshi, Okamura, Akira, Yamada, Shinichi, Shiina, Hiromitsu, Kamada, Yoshiharu, Matsunawa, Masahito, Tominaga, Masasuke, Takahashi, Naoki
• Primary Examiner(s): Poinvil; Frantzy
• Application Number:
  US12/219,799
• Publication Number:
  US 20080313093A1
• Time in Patent Office: 413 Days
• Field of Search: 705 10- 44
• US Class Current: 705/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/00 Payment architectures, schemes or protocols apparatus for performing or posting payment transactions G07F7/08, G07F19/00; electronic cash registers G07G1/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/389 Keeping log of transactions for guaranteeing non-repudiation of a transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0615 Anonymizing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/188 Electronic negotiation
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/002 Vending machines being part of a centrally controlled network of vending machines

Abstract

A center site is disposed to intervene in a business transaction achieved through a network. The center site includes an open business information database in which open business information received from member sites connected to the network is accumulated to be opened to the sites and a notarization database to keep therein contents of contracts of transactions between the sites. The center site receives a transaction request from a transaction partner site in accordance with the open business information and notifies the request to an information supply site associated therewith. The center site intervenes in a transaction resultantly accomplished between the information supply site and the transaction partner site and conducts a notarization process for the contents of contract for the transaction to accumulate the contract in a notarization database.

Claims

1. An electronic business transaction system comprising:

a plurality of member sites; and

a center site connected to the member sites via a network,

wherein each member site comprises;

(a) an information transceiver unit which transmits information to the center site and receives information from the center site via the network; and

(b) a control unit comprising;

means for transmitting purchase information or sale information to the center site via the network, the purchase information including information specifying a product and indicating that the member site desires to purchase the product, and the sale information including information specifying a product and indicating that the member site desires to sell the product;

means for transmitting a search request to the center site via the network to search the purchase information or the sale information;

means for receiving the searched information from the center site as a search result of the search request and displaying the received searched information;

means for transmitting sale proposal information or purchase proposal information to the center site via the network, the sale proposal information indicating that the member site desires to sell the product in response to the displayed purchase information and including information specifying the member site, and the purchase proposal information indicating that the member site desires to purchase the product in response to the displayed sale information and including information specifying the member site;

means for receiving information on other member site which proposes to sell or purchase the product in response to the purchase or sale information from the center site via the network, the information on the member site being searched using the member site specifying information in the proposal information received by the center site;

means for accepting an input of information on whether or not the member site determines to make a contract for the purchase or the sale with the other member sites based on the received other member site information; and

means for transmitting information that the member site determines to make the contract with the other member site to the center site,

wherein the center site comprises;

(x) an information transceiver unit which transmits information to each of the member sites and receives information from the member site via the network;

(y) a memory unit which stores the purchase information, the sale information and the information on the member sites; and

(z) a control unit comprising;

means for receiving the search request of the purchase information or the sale information from the member site via the network;

means for searching the information stored in the memory unit in response to the search request, and transmitting the searched information to the request transmitted member site to display the searched information on the member site;

means for receiving the sale proposal information or the purchase proposal information from the member site via the network;

means for searching the member site information stored in the memory unit using the information specifying the member site in the received purchase or sale proposal information;

means for transmitting the searched member site information to the member site which has transmitted the purchase or sale information; and

means for transmitting information that the contract is made between the purchase or sale proposal transmitted member site and the sale or purchase information transmitted member site to both sites via the network after receiving information that the member site determines to make the contract with the other member site from both of the member sites.

2. The electronic business transaction system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit of the center site further comprises:

means for notarizing the information that the contract is made between the member sites by adding an electronic sign, and storing the notarized information into the storing unit before transmitting information that the contract is made to both of the member sites.

3. An electronic business transaction method for performing a business transaction between member sites in a system including a plurality of member sites and a center site connected to the member sites via a network, the method comprising the steps of:

a) transmitting, by a member site which desires to purchase a product in the member sites, purchase information to the center site via the network, the purchase information including information specifying a product and indicating that the member site desires to purchase the product;

b) registering, by the center site, the received purchase information in a storing unit, and receiving, by the center site, a search request of the purchase information stored in the storing unit from a member site which desires to sell the product, searching the information stored in the memory unit in response to the search request, and transmitting the searched information to the member site which desires to sell the product to display the searched information on the member site;

c) transmitting, by the member site which desires to sell the product, sale proposal information to the center site via the network, the sale proposal information indicating that the member site desires to sell the product in response to the displayed purchase information and including information specifying the member site;

d) receiving, by the center site, the sale proposal information from the member site via the network, searching, by the center site, the member site information stored in the memory unit using the information specifying the member site in the sale proposal information, and transmitting, by the center site, the searched member site information to the member site which desires to purchase the product;

e) accepting, by the member site which desires to purchase the product, an input of information on whether or not the member site determines to make a contract for the purchase with the member site which desires to sell the product based on the received member site information, and transmitting, by the member site which desires to purchase the product, information that the member site determines to make the contract with the member site which desires to sell the product to the center site; and

f) transmitting, by the center site, information that the contract is made between the member site which desires to purchase the product and the member site which desires to sell the product to both member sites via the network after receiving information that the member site determines to make the contract with the other member site from both of the member sites.

4. The electronic business transaction method according to claim 3, further comprising the step of:

notarizing, by the center site, the information that the contract is made between the member sites by adding an electronic sign, and storing the notarized information into the storing unit before transmitting information that the contract is made to both of the member sites.

5. An electronic business transaction method for performing a business transaction between member sites in a system including a plurality of member sites and a center site connected to the member sites via a network, comprising the steps of:

a) transmitting, by a member site which desires to sell a product in the member sites, sale information to the center site via the network, the sale information including information specifying a product and indicating that the member site desires to sell the product;

b) registering, by the center site, the received sale information in a storing unit, and receiving, by the center site, a search request of the sale information stored in the storing unit from a member site which desires to purchase the product, searching the information stored in the memory unit in response to the search request, and transmitting the searched information to the member site which desires to purchase the product to display the searched information on the member site;

c) transmitting, by the member site which desires to purchase the product, purchase proposal information to the center site via the network, the purchase proposal information indicating that the member site desires to purchase the product in response to the displayed sale information and including information specifying the member site;

d) receiving, by the center site, the purchase proposal information from the member site via the network, searching, by the center site, the member site information stored in the memory unit using the information specifying the member site in the purchase proposal information, and transmitting, by the center site, the searched member site information to the member site which desires to sale the product;

e) accepting, by the member site which desires to sell the product, an input of information on whether or not the member site determines to make a contract for the sale with the member site which desires to purchase the product based on the received member site information, and transmitting, by the member site which desires to sell the product, information that the member site determines to make the contract with the member site which desires to purchase the product to the center site; and

f) transmitting, by the center site, information that the contract is made between the member site which desires to sell the product and the member site which desires to purchase the product to both member sites via the network after receiving information that the member site determines to make the contract with the other member site from both of the member sites.

6. The electronic business transaction method according to claim 5, further comprising the step of:

notarizing, by the center site, the information that the contract is made between the member sites by adding an electronic sign, and storing the notarized information into the storing unit before transmitting information that the contract is made to both of the member sites.