Data processing: financial – business practice – management – or co – Automated electrical financial or business practice or... – Electronic shopping
Reexamination Certificate
1997-12-05
2001-05-22
Trammell, James P. (Department: 2161)
Data processing: financial, business practice, management, or co
Automated electrical financial or business practice or...
Electronic shopping
Reexamination Certificate
active
06236979
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a marketing system, an information communications system and a recording medium thereof, in which terminal equipment of a client refers to (retrieves) product information of a vendor through a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet, or through radio communications facilities like satellite broadcasting, TV broadcasting, etc., and the client transmits order information including information about payment to the vendor through a communications system other than the WAN.
2. Description of Related Art
As one of such conventional systems, a system is known, in which terminal equipment of a client retrieves product information from an information server connected to the Internet, and displays the product information. The software for displaying the product information consisting of a combination of images and characters is called a browser on the World Wide Web, and Netscape produced by Netscape Communications Corporation is known as one of them, for example. The client decides products to buy watching the product information displayed on the terminal equipment. Then, the client orders the products from the vendor. The order is placed by phone, facsimile or WWW browser.
The order by phone is carried out through talking between the client and a clerk, in which case, the clerk must manually operate a computer to enter and register order information such as product names, client's name and address, and a method of payment. Thus, this method cannot respond to orders of a large number of clients.
In view of this, a marketing system is proposed in which terminal equipment of a vendor or a communication system of a commercial provider is used as information server and order accepting equipment at the same time, and terminal equipment of a client receives product information therefrom, and transmits order information thereto as needed. In this case, however, since the order information includes the identification (ID) number of a credit card when the client wishes to complete payment by the credit card, such important information is transmitted through the Internet. Thus, the ID number of the credit card is exposed to risks of theft and abuse. As a result, this method has a problem with security.
One of the most popular information communications method in the case where the product information is provided through the Internet is to send the order information from a client to a vendor individually by facsimile. Since this obviates talking between the client and the clerk, it can respond to a large number of orders. The problem still remains, however, of inputting the order information into the computer by manual operation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, a first object of the present invention to provide a marketing system that can display product information on terminal equipment of a client using a browser, and transmit order information from the terminal equipment of the client to terminal equipment of a vendor or a paying agent like a credit company through a communications system other than the WAN.
A second object of the present invention is to provide an information communications method with improved security in the marketing system.
A third object of the present invention is to provide a recording medium that enables terminal equipment to install the software recorded thereon, and to add a function to place an order.
To accomplish the foregoing objects, the present invention provides a marketing system comprising: an information server for providing a WAN (wide area network) with guidance information including product information about selling a product and instructions information about an order; terminal equipment connectable to the WAN; and order accepting equipment, wherein the terminal equipment including: first communications means for acquiring the guidance information from the information server through the WAN; display means for displaying the product information and particular information for an order in the guidance information acquired; a pointing device for pointing the particular information on an image on the display means; input means for inputting order information about an order; control means for enabling input of the order information through the input means in response to a pointing of the pointing device; and second communications means for transmitting the order information input through the input means to the order accepting equipment through a communications network other than the WAN.
Here, the order information may include an identification number of a credit card. This will not impair protection of personal information about the client because the order information is transmitted through the communications network other than the WAN.
The order accepting equipment may be installed in a shop of a vendor, or may be installed in an order accepting center to receive order information about products from a plurality of vendors. This will make it possible to provide a marketing system which meets various needs of clients.
The terminal equipment may automatically carry out the input control of the order information, and the switching of communications from that between the information server and the terminal equipment to that between the order accepting equipment and the terminal equipment, or vice versa, by reading and executing a program. This will improve the security of the order information because the order accepting equipment cannot be accessed by terminal equipment without the program. In addition, enabling the program to be transmitted from the information server to the terminal equipment can save trouble of the client. This will induce the client to buy through the marketing system.
The marketing system may make a decision whether the software is present in the terminal equipment, command transfer of the software when the decision is a negative one, and acquire the software from the information server in response to the transfer of the command. This will free the client from checking whether the program is installed in the terminal equipment each time he or she places an order.
The terminal equipment may disconnect the connection with the information server when carrying out communications with the order accepting equipment. This can prevent the order information from being erroneously transmitted to the WAN.
The terminal equipment may cumulatively store order information transmitted to the order accepting equipment, and display the order information stored. This will enable the client to learn the history of the orders up to now.
The terminal equipment may select particular order information from among the order information displayed on a display, command cancellation of an order, generate, in response to the cancellation command, cancellation information for canceling the order including the particular order information selected, and transmit the cancellation information to the information server. This will save trouble of the client for generating the cancellation information at the terminal equipment.
The above and other objects, effects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of the embodiments thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
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Abstract for Japanese Patent No. JP 9167220 A, Patented Jun. 24, 1997.
Dixon Thomas A
Prosper Creative Co., Ltd.
Sterne Kessler Goldstein & Fox P.L.L.C.
Trammell James P.
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