Patent ID: 7451100
Filing Date: 2008-11-11
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
1. A method of determining in a transaction center a product delivery date and to facilitate a transaction between a customer buying a product and a retailer selling the product through a network, said method comprising: connecting the transaction center with a customer terminal of the customer, a retailer terminal for each of a plurality of retailers as one kind of corporation, at least one distributor-client of a distributor as another kind of corporation and at least one delivery service terminal through the network, and each having a corporation information file; providing information concerning the product to said customer, the information being stored in a product information master and comprising a product name, a product image, a product price, a shipping method and a payment method grouped together for each of a plurality of retailers, simultaneously; receiving information showing the product selected by the customer to buy and searching for related corporations, which handle the product to buy, from the product information master; searching for a location of a transaction condition information file of the each of the searched related corporations by referring to a corporation information location file storing information of the location of the transaction condition file which stores a transaction condition including information indicating a stock state and information concerning a retailer and a distributor of each of the related corporations; determining whether the stock state indicates that the product to buy is stocked by referring to the transaction condition information, which exists at the searched location, of each of the related corporations; calculating a shipping lead-time based on a current time and shipping lead-time information obtained from a lead-time information file being maintained in the corporation information file, if the product to buy is stocked; calculating a delivery service lead-time based on a delivery service lead-time information obtained based on a combination of a shipping destination and a shipping-out location from a product location information file being maintained in the corporation information file, if the product to buy is stocked; obtaining the delivery date corresponding to a total sum of the shipping lead-time and the delivery service lead-time, if the product to buy is stocked; conducting the calculating a shipping lead-time, the calculating a delivery service lead-time, and the obtaining the delivery date for each of the retailer and the distributor as the related corporations if the product to buy is not stocked; providing to the customer a delivery schedule including the delivery date of the product; receiving an order from the customer, the order including a retailer code, a distributor code, a product code, a product attribute, a product price, a shipping destination code, a shipping corporation code, a shipping-out location code, a shipping lead-time, a delivery service code and a freight from the customer terminal; referring to a slip issue requirement file storing information for issuing a slip to the retailer, the distributor and the delivery service, independently; and conducting relative processes for the retailer, the distributor, and the delivery service, whereby all processes for the corporations related to the product are completed simultaneously, and no further transaction has to be conducted among the corporations.