Patent ID: 7735133
Filing Date: 2010-06-08
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A web server for providing a terminal used by a log-in authenticated user with a service via the Internet, comprising: a log-in authentication unit configured to transmit, to the terminal, log-in authentication dialog display data of a log-in screen for a user to input log-in authentication information, to receive log-in authentication information input by the user to the log-in screen, and to perform log-in authentication of the user based on the received log-in authentication information; an order screen transmission unit configured to transmit, to the terminal in a case where the user has been successfully authenticated by the log-in authentication unit, a first web page comprised of an order screen for the user to order an article, the first web page including an article identification input field for an article to be ordered and a coupon entry field through which coupon information related to the article to be ordered can be input; a receiving unit configured to receive article identification information of an article being ordered and coupon information associated to the article being ordered from the terminal, the article identification information and the coupon information being input by the user through the first web page; a first determination unit configured to determine, based on the received article identification information and the coupon information, whether or not the received coupon information is valid; a count unit configured to, in a case where the first determination unit determines that the coupon information is invalid, count a number of times that the first determination unit determines that the received coupon information is invalid; a second determination unit configured to determine, in a case where the number of times counted by the count unit exceeds a predetermined number, whether or not a predetermined time period has elapsed since the latest determination by the first determination unit that the coupon information is invalid; and an error dialog transmission unit configured to transmit to the terminal, in a first case where the number of times counted by the count unit does not exceed a predetermined number greater than 1, and in a second case where the number of times counted by the count unit exceeds the predetermined number and the second determination unit determines that the predetermined time period has elapsed, error dialog display data for displaying an error dialog requesting that the user confirm the error, wherein, when the user confirms the error through the displayed error dialog, the order screen transmission unit re-transmits the first web page to the terminal for the user to input again the article identification information and the coupon information, wherein, when the number counted by the count unit exceeds the predetermined number greater than 1, and the second determination unit determines that the predetermined time period has not elapsed, the order screen transmission unit transmits to the terminal, for replacing the first web page, a second web page comprised of an order screen that includes the article identification information input field but does not include the coupon entry field through which coupon information can be input, thereby inhibiting the user from being able to input the coupon information, and wherein, when a log-in authentication of the user is performed again by the log-in authentication unit after the user is inhibited from inputting the coupon information due to transmission of the second web page by the transmission unit, the order screen transmission unit re-transmits the first web page to again allow the user to input the coupon information.