Online merchandising system, server, estimation managing method, computer program product, and computer data signal

• US 7,979,325 B2
• Filed: 12/26/2002
• Issued: 07/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Misumi, Sachiko, Hanai, Atsushi, Torikai, Tatsuto, Kamimura, Shizuo, Kataoka, Keisuke, Shinohara, Eiji
• Primary Examiner(s): Zeender; F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Haider; Fawaad
• Application Number:
  US10/328,160
• Publication Number:
  US 20030126046A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,120 Days
• Field of Search: 705/28
• US Class Current: 705/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• 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 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/188 Electronic negotiation

Abstract

A shopping server accepts a request for estimation of arbitrary designated items given by a client terminal, and generates estimation data for the designated items in accordance with the accepted request. The shopping server stores the generated estimation data at a shopping DB system. In response to retrieval of inventory status information for the items indicated by the estimation data stored in the shopping DB system, the shopping server updates the estimation data concerned in accordance with the retrieved inventory status information. The shopping server presents the updated estimation data to other client terminal in response to a request given by the client terminal which requested the estimation.

Claims

1. An online merchandising system for merchandising items in response to request from user terminals connected via a telecommunications network, comprising:

a server configured with;

an estimation request acceptor for accepting a request for generating an estimate for arbitrary items designated by the user terminal;

an estimation generator for generating information of an estimate of the designated items based on the request accepted by said estimation request acceptor;

an estimation storage for storing the estimate information generated by said estimation generator;

a reference request acceptor for accepting a request for making reference to the prepared estimate information, the request being given from an other user terminal;

an inventory status retriever for retrieving information of inventory status of the items indicated by the estimate information stored in said estimation storage, the retrieving being performed when the reference request acceptor receives the request for making reference;

an estimation updater for updating the estimate information in said estimation storage based on the inventory status information retrieved by said inventory status retriever; and

an estimation presenter for presenting the estimate information updated by said estimation updater to the other user terminal from which the request for making reference is received.

2. The online merchandising system according to claim 1, wherein

said reference request acceptor receives the request for making reference, from said other user terminal, a consultation with which is requested by said user terminal;

and

said estimation presenter

provides the user terminal with the updated estimate information by sending the updated estimate information.

3. The online merchandising system according to claim 1 further comprising:

a reply acceptor for accepting reply information indicating whether the estimate is approved or rejected from the user terminal to which the estimate information was presented by said estimation presenter; and

an order acceptor for accepting an order for the items included in the estimate presented by said estimation presenter when said reply acceptor accepts the reply information indicating that the estimate has been approved.

4. The online merchandising system according to claim 1 further comprising a notice provider for providing the user terminal which requested the estimate of notice information indicating that the estimate has been approved, when said reply acceptor accepts the reply information indicating that the estimate has been approved.

5. A server being connected to user terminals via a telecommunications network, comprising:

a processor configured with;

an estimation request accepting unit which transmits an item menu data to said user terminal, and accepts a request for estimating selected items given by said user terminal concerned;

an estimation generating unit which generates estimation data representing estimate of the selected items based on the estimation request accepted by said estimation request acceptor;

an estimation storage unit which stores the estimation data generated by said estimation generating unit;

a presentation request accepting unit which;

sends a consultant specifying page to prompt specifying a consultant who is responsible for authorizing the estimation to said user terminal; and

accepts a request for presenting the estimation data to the specified consultant;

a prompting information sending unit which sends information prompting making reference to the generated estimation data to said other user terminal operated by the consultant;

a reference request accepting unit which accepts a request for making reference to the generated estimate information, the request being given from said other user terminal, to which said prompting information sending unit has sent the prompting information;

an inventory data retriever which retrieves information representing inventory status of the items indicated by the estimation data stored in said estimation storage unit;

an estimation updating unit which, when said reference request accepting unit accepts the request for making reference, updates the estimation data stored in said estimation storage unit in accordance with the inventory status information retrieved by said inventory data retriever;

an estimation presenting unit which presents the estimation data updated by said estimation updating unit to said other user terminal having requested making reference to the estimation data.

6. The server according to claim 5, wherein

said prompting information sending unit

acquires address information indicating the

estimation data stored in said estimation storage unit and sends the information prompting making reference, containing said address information, to said other user terminal;

said reference request accepting unit accepts a request for making reference to the estimate information, from said other user terminal accessing the estimate information in accordance with the address information contained in the prompting information prompting making reference; and

said estimation presenting unit presents the estimation data updated by said estimation updating unit by sending the updated estimate information to said other user terminal.

7. The server according to claim 5 further comprising:

a reply accepting unit which accepts reply information indicating whether the estimate is approved or rejected, from the user terminal to which the estimation data was presented by said estimation presenting unit; and

an order accepting unit which accepts order for the items indicated by the estimation data presented by said estimation presenting unit, when said reply accepting unit accepts the reply information indicating that the estimate was approved.

8. The server according to claim 5 further comprising a notice transmitting unit which transmits information notifying that the estimate was approved to said user terminal which requested the estimate, when said reply accepting unit accepts the reply information indicating that the estimate was approved.

9. An estimation managing method applicable to a system for online merchandising in response to user terminals being connected to a telecommunications network, comprising the steps of:

accepting a request for estimation of designated items given by said user terminal;

generating estimation data representing estimation of the designated items in accordance with the accepted request for estimation;

storing the generated estimation data at a predetermined storage;

accepting a request for making reference to the prepared estimate information, the request being given from an other user terminal;

retrieving information representing inventory status of the items indicated by the stored estimation data, the retrieving performed when the accepting step accepts the request for making reference;

updating the stored estimation data in accordance with the retrieved inventory status information; and

presenting the updated estimation data updated in said updating step to said other user terminal having requested making reference.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein

said accepting step accepts a request for making reference, from said other user terminal, a consultation with which is requested by said user terminal;

and

said presenting step

presents said estimate information to the consultant by sending the updated estimation data updated in said updating step to said other user terminal.

11. The method according to claim 9 further comprising the steps of

accepting reply information indicating whether the estimate was approved or rejected, given by said user terminal to which the estimation data was presented;

and

accepting an order for the items indicated by the presented estimation data in a case where the accepted reply information represents that the estimate was approved.

12. The method according to claim 9 further comprising the step of transmitting notice information indicating that the estimate was approved to said user terminal which requested the estimate in a case where the accepted reply information represents that the estimate was approved.

13. A computer program product including a non-transitory computer readable medium for causing a computer to execute an estimation managing method comprising the steps of:

accepting a request for estimation of designated items given by said user terminal;

generating estimation data representing estimation of the designated items in accordance with the accepted request for estimation;

storing the generated estimation data at a predetermined storage;

accepting from a request for making reference to the prepared estimate information, the request being given from an other user terminal;

retrieving information representing inventory status of the items indicated by the stored estimation data;

updating the stored estimation data in accordance with the retrieved inventory status information, the retrieving performed when the accepting step accepts the request for making reference; and

presenting the updated estimation data to said other user terminal in accordance with a request given by said user terminal which requested making reference to the estimation information.