Sales apparatus, sales method and program

• US 8,429,017 B2
• Filed: 05/17/2006
• Issued: 04/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ishibashi, Yoshihito, Kusakabe, Susumu, Kubono, Fumio
• Primary Examiner(s): ADE, OGER GARCIA
• Application Number:
  US11/435,208
• Publication Number:
  US 20060277114A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,533 Days
• Field of Search: 705 26- 28
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/123 Shopping for digital content
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/16 for devices exhibiting advertisements, announcements, pictures or the like

Abstract

A sales apparatus for selling content to a purchaser wearing a communication terminal is provided. The apparatus includes a content selection section allowing selection of content for sale; a communication section built in the content selection section for communicating with the communication terminal; a detection section detecting a selection operation of the purchaser pressing the content selection section; an identifying section identifying content selected by the purchaser based on a detection result; a settlement section executing a settlement process for the content identified by the identifying section, with the communication terminal via the communication section and the human body of the purchaser who is depressing the content selection section; and a supply section adapted to supply the communication terminal with data of the content identified by the identifying section, via the communication section and the human body of the purchaser who is depressing the content selection section.

Claims

1. A sales method for use by a sales apparatus for selling content to a purchaser wearing a communication terminal, the sales method comprising:

communicating between the communication terminal and the sales apparatus using;

dielectric material, including a human body, as a communication medium, and a communication signal transmission path without a physical reference point path;

detecting a content selection of the purchaser, the content being selected by depressing a content selection section of the sales apparatus, the content selection section being configured to allow the purchaser to select content for sale, and comprising a communication section configured to communicate with the communication terminal;

using a processor to identify the content selected by the purchaser;

executing a settlement process for the identified content, wherein the communication terminal communicates with the communication section of the content selection section via the purchaser'"'"'s body while the purchaser is depressing the content selection section; and

supplying the communication terminal with data of the identified content selected by the purchaser via the communication section and the body of the purchaser depressing the content selection section.

2. A program stored on a computer readable medium, and configured to sell content to a purchaser wearing a communication terminal, the program causing a computer comprising a processor to perform a method comprising:

communicating between the communication terminal and the processor using;

dielectric material, including a human body, as a communication medium, and a communication signal transmission path without a physical reference point path;

detecting a content selection of the purchaser, the content being selected by depressing a content selection section configured to allow the purchaser to select content for sale, the content selection section comprising a communication section configured to communicate with the communication terminal;

using the processor to identify the content selected by the purchaser;

executing a settlement process for the identified content, wherein the communication terminal communicates with the communication section of the content selection section via the purchaser'"'"'s body while the purchaser is depressing the content selection section; and

supplying the communication terminal with data of the identified content selected by the purchaser via the communication section and the body of the purchaser depressing the content selection section.

3. A sales apparatus for selling content to a purchaser wearing a communication terminal, the apparatus comprising:

a processor comprising;

a content selection section configured to allow the purchaser to select content for sale;

a communication section provided for in the content selection section configured to communicate with the communication terminal using;

dielectric material, including a human body, as a communication medium, and a communication signal transmission path without a physical reference point path;

a detection section configured to detect a content selection operation of the purchaser;

an identifying section configured to identify content selected by the purchaser;

a settlement section configured to execute a settlement process for the identified content, wherein the communication terminal communicates with the communication section of the content selection section via the purchaser'"'"'s body while the purchaser is depressing the content selection section; and

a supply section configured to supply the communication terminal with data of the content selected by the purchaser and identified by the identifying section via the communication section and the body of the purchaser while purchaser is depressing the content selection section,

wherein the content selection section includes a display section configured to display an image corresponding to the selectable content.

4. The processor according to claim 3, wherein:

the communication section is stacked on the display section;

the detection section detects a selection operation of the purchaser, while the purchaser is pointing to the image of the selected content in the display section;

the settlement section executes the settlement process for the content with the communication terminal via the communication section and the human body of the purchaser, while the purchaser is pointing to the image of the selected content; and

the supply section supplies the communication terminal with the data of the selected content, via the communication section and the human body of the purchaser while the purchaser is pointing to the image of the selected content.

5. The processor according to claim 3, further comprising:

a merchandise selection section configured to allow the purchaser to select merchandise for sale, wherein

the detection section is configured to detect a merchandise selection operation of the purchaser, the merchandise being selected by depressing of the merchandise selection section;

a second communication section is provided in the merchandise selection section;

the identifying section identifies the merchandise selected by the purchaser; and

the settlement section executes the settlement process for the identified merchandise, wherein the communication terminal communicates with the second communication section of the merchandise selection section via the body of the purchaser while purchaser is depressing the merchandise selection section.

6. The processor according to claim 3, further comprising:

a cancel selection section configured to cancel a content purchase made by the purchaser, and

a data delete section configured to delete data of the content stored in the communication terminal via the communication section and the body of the purchaser, while the purchaser is depressing the cancel selection section, wherein;

the detection section is configured to detect a cancel selection operation of the purchaser, the content being canceled being selected by depressing the cancel selection section;

a second communication section is provided in the cancel selection section;

the identifying section identifies the content of the canceled purchase selected by the purchaser;

the data delete section is configured to delete data of the content identified by the identifying section from the communication terminal via the communication terminal and the body of the purchaser, while the purchaser is depressing the cancel selection section; and

the settlement section executes the settlement process for the canceled content, wherein the communication terminal communicates with the second communication section of the cancel selection section via the body of the purchaser while the purchaser is depressing the cancel selection section.

7. The processor according to claim 3, further comprising:

an advertisement display section configured to display an advertisement corresponding to the selectable content; and

a storage section configured to store data of the selectable content.

8. The processor according to claim 7, further comprising:

an advertisement data supply section configured to supply data of the advertisement to the advertisement display section, by using data of the content stored in the storage section, wherein;

the advertisement display section displays the advertisement corresponding to the content, in accordance with the advertisement data supplied from the advertisement data supply section.

9. The processor according to claim 8, wherein:

the advertisement data supply section changes the advertisement data in accordance with preference information acquired from the communication terminal and supplies the changed advertisement data to the advertisement display section via the communication section and the body of the purchaser while the purchaser is depressing the content selection section.

10. The processor according to claim 8, wherein:

the advertisement data supply section acquires the advertisement data from the selectable content stored in the storage section, and supplies the advertisement data to the advertisement display section.

11. The processor according to claim 8, wherein:

the advertisement data supply section extracts predetermined data from the selectable content data stored in the storage section, generates advertisement data, and supplies the generated advertisement data to the advertisement display section.