DELIVERY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

• US 20090313064A1
• Filed: 07/04/2007
• Published: 12/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Rakuten, Inc. (Rakuten Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rakuten, Inc. (Rakuten Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Nakai, Katsunori, Mizuno, Kaori, Homma, Yuka, Inomata, Toshihiro, Miyazawa, Kazunobu, Ito, Kenichi, Watanabe, Koichi, Okamoto, Ken, Maeda, Yoshiaki
• Application Number:
  US12/307,434
• Publication Number:
  US 20090313064A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083

Abstract

An item delivery service capable of distributing items while maintaining anonymity between an exhibitor (vendor) and a successful bidder (purchaser) is provided.

According to a delivery management system (when used for an escrow system) of the present invention, an exhibitor terminal 240 is notified only of information about a delivery service base in charge of an address of a successful bidder for delivery of an item. Accordingly, the item can be delivered up to the delivery service base even when the exhibitor does not know personal information such as the address and name of the successful bidder.

On the other hand, a service base terminal 232 of the delivery service base where the item arrives is notified of personal information of the successful bidder. Accordingly, the item can be delivered from the delivery service base to the successful bidder even if personal information of the exhibitor is not described on a delivery form or the like of the item (without notifying the successful bidder of personal information of the exhibitor). That is, according to the present invention, items can be distributed while maintaining anonymity between the exhibitor and the successful bidder.

Claims

1. A delivery management system for delivering an auction item from an auction exhibitor to a successful auction bidder via an acceptance service base and a delivery service base using a delivery form on which identification information is described, comprising:

a server connected to a terminal of the auction exhibitor and a terminal of the delivery service base which delivers the auction item,

the server comprising;

user storage means for storing address and name information of the auction exhibitor and the successful auction bidder;

transaction storage means for storing the auction exhibitor and the successful auction bidder in association with each other based on each auction ID of the auction item;

service base storage means for storing location information of the delivery service base and delivery service area information taken charge of by the delivery service base in association with each other;

identification information registration means for, when identification information described on the delivery form of the auction item is input from the terminal of the auction exhibitor after a successful bid of the auction item, storing the identification information in the transaction storage means in association with the auction ID;

delivery service base information notification means for searching for the delivery service base whose delivery service area includes the address of the successful auction bidder stored in the user storage means after the successful bid of the auction item, and transmitting the location information of the delivery service base to the terminal of the auction exhibitor; and

successful auction bidder information notification means for, when an inquiry based on the identification information is received from the terminal of the delivery service base at the delivery service base to which the auction item is delivered from the acceptance service base, searching the identification information registration means for the auction ID associated with the identification information, searching the transaction storage means for the successful auction bidder associated with the auction ID, and transmitting the address and name of the successful auction bidder to the terminal of the delivery service base.

2. The delivery management system according to claim 1,

wherein the location information stored in the service base storage means includes a zip code, and

the delivery service base information notification means transmits the zip code of the searched service base to the terminal of the auction exhibitor.

3. The delivery management system according to claim 1,

wherein the address information stored in the user storage means includes the zip code,

the service base storage means stores the delivery service area information as the zip code, and

the delivery service base information notification means searches for the delivery service base of the delivery service area corresponding to the zip code of the successful auction bidder.

4. The delivery management system according to claim 1, further comprising:

identification information generation means for generating identification information corresponding to each transaction,

wherein the identification information registration means stores the generated identification information in the service base storage means in association with the auction ID, and

the delivery service base information notification means generates electronic data of the delivery form having the identification information and the location information of the searched service base and transmits the electronic data to the terminal of the auction exhibitor.

5. The delivery management system according to claim 1,

wherein the delivery service base information notification means transmits the auction ID to the terminal of the auction exhibitor together with the location information of the delivery service base or instead of the location information of the delivery service base.

6. The delivery management system according to claim 1,

wherein when the identification information or auction ID transmitted from the terminal of the delivery service base at the delivery service base to which the auction item with the delivery form attached thereto is delivered is received, the successful auction bidder information notification means transmits the address and name of the associated successful auction bidder from the user storage means to the terminal of the delivery service base.

7. The delivery management system according to claim 1,

wherein the service base storage means further stores a service base ID of the delivery service base, and

when the identification information or auction ID is received from the terminal of the service base, the successful auction bidder information notification means searches the service base storage means for the transmitted service base ID of the service base, and

if the service base ID and that the service base ID identifying the service base searched by the delivery service base information notification means match each other, the successful auction bidder information notification means transmits delivery service base information to the terminal of the service base, and

14. A recording medium having a program computer-readably recorded therein, the program causing a computer to realize each means of the delivery management system according to claim 1 as a function.

8. A delivery management system for delivering an item from a sender to a receiver, comprising:

a server connected to a terminal of the sender and a terminal of each service base which collects/delivers the item,

the server comprising;

delivery information storage means for storing information identifying each of the sender and the receiver and item identification information identifying the item in association with each other;

service area storage means for storing location information of the service base so that the service base in charge of collection/delivery from/to a collection/delivery destination of the item can be identified;

service base information notification means for, when the item identification information is input from the terminal of the sender, searching the delivery information storage means for information about the receiver associated with the item identification information, further searching the service area storage means for information about the delivery service base in charge of delivery to the receiver, and transmitting the information about the service base to the terminal of the sender; and

receiver information notification means for, when the identification information about the item delivered based on the service base information obtained by the service base information notification means as a destination is input from the terminal of the delivery service base, searching the delivery information storage means for receiver information of the item, and transmitting the receiver information to the terminal of the service base.

9. The delivery management system according to claim 8, further comprising:

delivery completion confirmation means for checking at the service base whether or not delivery is completed by setting the receiver information obtained by the receiver information notification means as a new delivery destination of the item.

10. The delivery management system according to claim 8,

wherein the receiver information notification means identifies from which service base input from the terminal of the service base comes and searches the service area storage means for the delivery service base to take charge of delivery when the receiver is set as a delivery destination,

if the two service bases match each other, the receiver information notification means transmits the receiver information searched from the delivery information storage means to the terminal of the service base, and

if the two service bases do not match each other the receiver information notification means searches the service area storage means for information about the delivery service area, and transmits, instead of the receiver information, the information about the delivery service area to the terminal of the service base.

11. The delivery management system according to claim 8,

wherein the information to identify the sender and the receiver includes at least a name and an address,

the item identification information includes at least one of a form number related to delivery of the item and a transaction ID related to a transaction of the item, and

the information related to the service base includes at least one of a name, a location, or a zip code of the service base.

12. A delivery management method for delivering an item from a vendor to a purchaser,

wherein address and name information of the vendor and the purchaser is stored in user storage means,

the vendor and the purchaser are stored in transaction storage means in association with each other based on each transaction ID of transaction of the item, and

location information of the service base and collection/delivery service area information taken charge of by the service base are stored in service base storage means in association with each other,

the method comprising:

a form number registration step of, when a form number of the item is input from the terminal of the vendor, storing the form number in the transaction storage means in association with the transaction ID;

a delivery service base information notification step of searching for the delivery service base whose collection/delivery service area includes the address of the purchaser stored by the user storage means, and transmitting the location information of the delivery service base to the terminal of the vendor; and

a purchaser information notification step of, when an inquiry based on the form number is received from the terminal of the delivery service base, searching the form number registration means for the transaction ID associated with the form number, searching the transaction storage means for the purchaser associated with the transaction ID, and transmitting the address and name of the purchaser to the terminal of the delivery service base.

13. A delivery management method for delivering an item from a sender to a receiver,

wherein information identifying each of the sender and the receiver and item identification information identifying the item are stored in delivery information storage means in association with each other, and

location information of the service base is stored in service area storage means so that the service base in charge of collection/delivery from/to a collection/delivery destination of the item can be identified,

the method comprising:

a service base information notification step of, when the item identification information is input from the terminal of the sender, searching the delivery information storage means for information about the receiver associated with the item identification information, further searching the service area storage means for information about the delivery service base in charge of collection/delivery from/to the receiver, and transmitting the information about the delivery service base to the terminal of the sender; and

a receiver information notification step of, when the identification information about the item delivered based on delivery service base information obtained at the service base information notification step as a destination is input from the terminal of the delivery service base, searching the delivery information storage means for the receiver information of the item, and transmitting the receiver information of to the terminal of the delivery service base.

15. (canceled)