Method and system for receiving and handling orders for commodities

• US 7,797,201 B2
• Filed: 05/05/2006
• Issued: 09/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Mori, Hideyuki, Kaneko, Masao
• Primary Examiner(s): Allen; William J
• Application Number:
  US11/418,092
• Publication Number:
  US 20060212365A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,593 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705 26- 27, 705/308, 705330-348
• US Class Current: 705/14.56
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/30 Administration of product recycling or disposal
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0258 Registration
• 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 30/0621 Item configuration or customization
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 90/00 Enabling technologies or technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions mitigation

Abstract

An order-reception system has: an order-reception subsystem which receives, from a customer, customer order information including order-reception information and/or support request information and customer information; a business management subsystem having a customer-information database storing the customer information including information regarding a price of a commodity purchased frequently by the customer, and a cost of a support requested frequently by the customer, the price and the cost set by a seller; an order-entry subsystem which performs an order-reception processing based on the customer order information; and a delivery subsystem which arranges delivery of the commodity and providing of the support.

Claims

1. A method of receiving and handling an order from a customer using an order-reception system which is comprised of at least one computer and has an order-reception subsystem, business management subsystem and order-entry subsystem, comprising the steps of:

registering, by the order-entry subsystem, user information designating a user having filled in an application form, into a database of the business management system with a flag indicating membership of the user;

registering, by the order-entry subsystem, price information designating a price of a commodity, in a database of the business management system;

registering, by the order-reception subsystem, sales-promotion information to be displayed as sales-promotion materials and inquiry information to be displayed as Question and Answer (Q&

A) information;

storing, in a sales-information database by the order-reception subsystem, Bulletin Board System information to be posted on a Bulletin Board System style page according to date and classification, the registered sales-promotion information to be displayed as sales-promotion materials according to date and classification, and the registered inquiry information to be displayed as the Q&

A information according to date, context, and maker;

displaying, by the order-reception subsystem, the Bulletin Board System information on the Bulletin Board System style page;

displaying, by the order-reception subsystem, the sales-promotion materials;

receiving, by the order-reception subsystem, customer order information sent from the customer, said customer order information including customer information regarding the customer and at least one of ordering information representing contents of an order for a commodity ordered by the customer and support request information representing contents of a support request;

performing, by the order-reception subsystem, the order reception processing based on the received customer order information;

determining, by the order-reception subsystem, to deliver the commodity specified in the ordering information and to provide a support specified in the support information, based on a result of the order reception processing;

confirming, by the order-reception subsystem, whether the commodity is delivered and the support is provided; and

charging, by the order-reception subsystem, a price of the commodity specified in the ordering information and a cost of the support specified in the support request information, based on the customer information including information regarding a price of each commodity purchased by the customer with high frequency and a cost of each support requested by the customer with high frequency, wherein the price and the cost are set by a seller of the commodity and support;

wherein the support request information includes information regarding a request for at least one of;

a service for delivering the commodity to a place specified by the customer;

a service for unpacking the ordered commodity at a time of delivery;

a service for collecting an empty box that the customer does not need any more;

a service for delivering commodities that are repeatedly supplied to the customer on a FIFO basis;

a service for specifying a delivery date for delivering the commodity to be delivered;

a service for urgently delivering the ordered commodity; and

a service for periodically delivering a constant number of commodities specified by the customer;

wherein the support request information includes information regarding a request for collecting recyclable items including at least one of a used cartridge, a used toner container and used paper, and

wherein the order-reception system is further comprised of a delivery subsystem;

the method further comprising the step of arranging, by the delivery subsystem, collection of used paper, in response to a support request for collecting used paper from the customer and in response to a determination that a used-paper collection box provided to the customer is filled with used paper.

2. A method of receiving and handling an order from a customer using an order-reception system which is comprised of at least one computer and has an order-reception subsystem, business management subsystem and order-entry subsystem, comprising the steps of:

registering, by the order-entry subsystem, user information designating a user having filled in an application form, into a database of the business management system with a flag indicating membership of the user;

registering, by the order-entry subsystem, price information designating a price of a commodity, in a database of the business management system;

registering, by the order-reception subsystem, sales-promotion information to be displayed as sales-promotion materials and inquiry information to be displayed as Question and Answer (Q&

A) information;

storing, in a sales-information database by the order-reception subsystem, Bulletin Board System information to be posted on a Bulletin Board System style page according to date and classification, the registered sales-promotion information to be displayed as sales-promotion materials according to date and classification, and the registered inquiry information to be displayed as the Q&

A information according to date, context, and maker;

displaying, by the order-reception subsystem, the Bulletin Board System information on the Bulletin Board System style page;

displaying, by the order-reception subsystem, the sales-promotion materials;

receiving, by the order-reception subsystem, customer order information sent from the customer, said customer order information including customer information regarding the customer and at least one of ordering information representing contents of an order for a commodity ordered by the customer and support request information representing contents of a support request;

performing, by the order-reception subsystem, the order reception processing based on the received customer order information;

determining, by the order-reception subsystem, to deliver the commodity specified in the ordering information and to provide a support specified in the support information, based on a result of the order reception processing;

confirming, by the order-reception subsystem, whether the commodity is delivered and the support is provided; and

charging, by the order-reception subsystem, a price of the commodity specified in the ordering information and a cost of the support specified in the support request information, based on the customer information including information regarding a price of each commodity purchased by the customer with high frequency and a cost of each support requested by the customer with high frequency, wherein the price and the cost are set by a seller of the commodity and support;

wherein the support request information includes information regarding a request for at least one of;

a service for delivering the commodity to a place specified by the customer;

a service for unpacking the ordered commodity at a time of delivery;

a service for collecting an empty box that the customer does not need any more;

a service for delivering commodities that are repeatedly supplied to the customer on a FIFO basis;

a service for specifying a delivery date for delivering the commodity to be delivered;

a service for urgently delivering the ordered commodity; and

a service for periodically delivering a constant number of commodities specified by the customer;

the method further comprising the steps of;

in response to a determination to deliver the commodity specified in the ordering information, assigning, by the order-reception subsystem, a delivery of the commodity to a service person who can execute maintenance service for one of a plurality of apparatuses including office automation apparatuses, wherein the customer has made a contract of maintenance service for at least one of the plurality of office automation apparatuses; and

determining, by the order-reception subsystem, to execute the maintenance service based on the contract of maintenance service at a time of delivering the commodity, based on the customer information and customer order information.

3. An order-reception system comprising:

an order-reception subsystem configured to receive customer order information sent from a customer, wherein the customer order information includes customer information regarding the customer and at least one of ordering information representing contents of an order for a commodity ordered by the customer and support request information representing contents of a support request;

a business management subsystem including a customer information database configured to store customer information regarding a price of a commodity purchased by the customer with high frequency and a cost of a support requested by the customer with high frequency, wherein the price and cost are set by a seller; and

an order-entry subsystem configured to register user information designating a user having filled in an application form, into a database of the business management system with a flag indicating membership of the user, register price information designating a price of a commodity in the database of the business management system, and execute an order-reception processing based on the customer order information received by said order-reception subsystem;

wherein said order-reception subsystem is further configured to;

register sales-promotion information to be displayed as sales-promotion materials and inquiry information to be displayed as question and answer (Q&

A) information;

store, in a sales-information database, Bulletin Board System information to be posted on a Bulletin Board System style page according to date and classification, the registered sales-promotion information to be displayed as sales-promotion materials according to date and classification, and the registered inquiry information to be displayed as the Q&

A information according to date, context, and maker;

display the Bulletin Board System information on the Bulletin Board System style page;

display the sales-promotion materials;

determine to deliver the commodity specified in the ordering information and to provide the support specified in the support information, based on a result of the order reception processing;

confirm whether the ordered commodity is delivered and whether the support is provided; and

charge the price of the commodity and the cost of the support specified in the ordering information; and

wherein, the support request information includes information regarding a request for at least one of;

a service for delivering the commodity to a place specified by the customer;

a service for unpacking the ordered commodity at a time of delivering the ordered commodity ordered;

a service for collecting an empty box that the customer does not need any more;

a service for delivering commodities which are repeatedly supplied to the customer on a FIFO basis;

a service for specifying a delivery date for delivering the commodity to be delivered;

a service for urgently delivering the ordered commodity; and

a service for periodically delivering a constant number of commodities specified by the customer,

wherein said order-reception system is further comprised of a delivery subsystem configured to arrange collection of used paper, in response to a support request for collecting used paper from the customer and in response to a determination that a used-paper collection box provided to the customer is filled with used paper.

4. An order-reception system comprising:

an order-reception subsystem configured to receive customer order information sent from a customer, wherein the customer order information includes customer information regarding the customer and at least one of ordering information representing contents of an order for a commodity ordered by the customer and support request information representing contents of a support request;

a business management subsystem including a customer information database configured to store customer information regarding a price of a commodity purchased by the customer with high frequency and a cost of a support requested by the customer with high frequency, wherein the price and cost are set by a seller; and

an order-entry subsystem configured to register user information designating a user having filled in an application form, into a database of the business management system with a flag indicating membership of the user, register price information designating a price of a commodity in the database of the business management system, and execute an order-reception processing based on the customer order information received by said order-reception subsystem;

wherein said order-reception subsystem is further configured to;

register sales-promotion information to be displayed as sales-promotion materials and inquiry information to be displayed as question and answer (Q&

A) information;

store stores, in a sales-information database, Bulletin Board System information to be posted on a Bulletin Board System style page according to date and classification, the registered sales-promotion information to be displayed as sales-promotion materials according to date and classification, and the registered inquiry information to be displayed as the Q&

A information according to date, context, and maker;

display the Bulletin Board System information on the Bulletin Board System style page;

display the sales-promotion materials;

determine to deliver the commodity specified in the ordering information and to provide the support specified in the support information, based on a result of the order reception processing;

confirm whether the ordered commodity is delivered and whether the support is provided; and

charge the price of the commodity and the cost of the support specified in the ordering information;

assign, in response to a determination to deliver the commodity specified in the ordering information, a delivery of the commodity to a service person who can execute a maintenance service for one of a plurality of apparatuses including office automation apparatuses, wherein the customer has made a contract of maintenance service for at least one of the plurality of office automation apparatuses;

determine to execute the maintenance service based on the contract of maintenance service at a time of delivering the commodity, based on the customer information and customer order information;

wherein, the support request information includes information regarding a request for at least one of;

a service for delivering the commodity to a place specified by the customer;

a service for unpacking the ordered commodity at a time of delivering the ordered commodity ordered;

a service for collecting an empty box that the customer does not need any more;

a service for delivering commodities which are repeatedly supplied to the customer on a FIFO basis;

a service for specifying a delivery date for delivering the commodity to be delivered;

a service for urgently delivering the ordered commodity; and

a service for periodically delivering a constant number of commodities specified by the customer.