Abstract:
A commodity order issuing and accepting method is disclosed in which an order issuer requests a first electronic document having first input fields for order issuer information and for commodity order issuance information except for a payment date to an order accepter; the order accepter transmits the first electronic document to the order issuer; the order issuer fills the first input fields; the order issuer transmits the filled information to the order accepter; the order accepter retrieves a transaction condition corresponding to the commodity order issuance information except for the payment date; the order accepter transmits a second electronic document on which the transaction condition is described and which has a second input field for the payment date to the order issuer; the order issuer inputs the payment date to the second input field; and the order issuer transmits the payment date to the order accepter.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a commodity order issuing and accepting method, a system thereof, and a commodity order accepting apparatus, and in particular, to those using the Internet. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     As the Internet is becoming common, transactions using the Internet are being performed using a commodity order issuing and accepting system. 
     However, in a conventional commodity order issuing and accepting system, when an order issuer inputs a commodity name and its quantity, the price is automatically determined. Thus, the order accepter side cannot effectively use the commodity order issuing and accepting system to facilitate the cash flow of the order accepter side. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is made from the above-described point of view. An object of the present invention is to provide a commodity order issuing and accepting method, a system thereof, and a commodity order accepting apparatus thereof that facilitate the cash flow on the order accepter side. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a commodity order issuing and accepting method, a system thereof, and a commodity order accepting apparatus thereof that allow the order accepter side to prompt the order issuer side to designate an early payment date so as to facilitate the cash flow on the order accepter side. 
     According to the present invention, there is provided a commodity order issuing and accepting method, comprising: a step that an order issuer side requests a first electronic document having first input fields for order issuer information and for commodity order issuance information except for an order issuer&#39;s payment date to an order accepter side; a step that the order accepter side transmits the first electronic document to the order issuer side; a step that the order issuer side inputs the order issuer information and the commodity order issuance information except for the order issuer&#39;s payment date to the first input fields; a step that the order issuer side transmits the order issuer information and the commodity order issuance information except for the order issuer&#39;s payment date to the order accepter side; a step that the order accepter side retrieves a transaction condition corresponding to the commodity order issuance information except for the order issuer&#39;s payment date; a step that the order accepter side transmits a second electronic document on which the transaction condition is described and which has a second input field for the order issuer&#39;s payment date to the order issuer side; a step that the order issuer side inputs the order issuer&#39;s payment date to the second input field; and a step that the order issuer side transmits the order issuer&#39;s payment date to the order accepter side. 
     The commodity order issuing and accepting method may further comprises: a step that the order accepter side calculates a reduced price corresponding to the transaction condition and the order issuer&#39;s payment date. 
     The commodity order issuing and accepting method may further comprises: a step that the order accepter side transmits a third electronic document on which the reduced price is described and which has means for inputting an authentication to the order issuer side; a step that the order issuer side activates the means for inputting the authentication; and a step that the order issuer side transmits information representing that the means for inputting the authentication has been activated to the order accepter side. 
     These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent in light of the following detailed description of the best mode embodiment thereof, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a commodity order issuing and accepting system according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a sequence chart showing the operation of the commodity order issuing and accepting system according to the embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram showing an HTML document A according to the embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic diagram showing an HTML document B according to the embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic diagram showing an HTML document C according to the embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Next, with reference to the accompanying drawings, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. 
     First of all, the structure of the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to  FIG. 1 . The commodity order issuing and accepting system comprises an order issuer terminal unit  10  or  20  and a commodity order accepter unit  30  that are connected through the Internet  40 . 
     The order issuer terminal unit  10  is connected to the Internet  40  through a modem  11 . The order issuer terminal unit  20  is connected to the Internet  40  through a router  21 . The commodity order accepter unit  30  is connected to the Internet  40  through a router  31 . 
     The order issuer terminal unit  10  comprises a physical layer  101 , a data link layer  102 , an IP layer  103 , a TCP layer  104 , and a WWW (World Wide Web) browser  105 . Likewise, the order issuer terminal unit  20  comprises a physical layer  201 , a data link layer  202 , an IP layer  203 , a TCP layer  204 , and a WWW browser  205 . 
     The commodity order accepter unit  30  comprises a physical layer  301 , a data link layer  302 , an IP layer  303 , a TCP layer  304 , a WWW server  305 , a CGI (Common Gateway Interface)  306 , a database  307 , an outputting means  308 , and a record medium  309 . The outputting means  308  is for example a printer, a display, or the like. The record medium  309  is for example a hard drive, a magneto-optical disc, or the like. Although the database  307  is stored in the record medium  309 , the database  307  is separated from the record medium  309  in  FIG. 1  for explanation. 
     The WWW browser  105  or  205  communicates with the WWW server  305  with the HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) through the physical layer, the data link layer, the IP layer, and the TCP layer. 
     Next, with reference to  FIGS. 2 to 5 , the operation of the embodiment will be described. With reference to  FIG. 2 , when the URL of HTML document A ( 401 ) is directly input to the WWW browser  105  (or  205 ) or a link to HTML document A ( 401 ) is activated, WWW browser  105  (or  205 ) requests the WWW server  305  for the HTML document A ( 401 ) (at step A 1 ). 
     With reference to  FIG. 3 , described in the HTML document A ( 401 ) is a form A ( 402 ). Described in the form A ( 402 ) are: order issuer information input fields  403  to  406 , which include an order issuer&#39;s name, the order issuer&#39;s address, the order issuer&#39;s telephone number, and the order issuer&#39;s e-mail address; commodity order issuance information input fields  407  to  409 , which include an order issuance commodity name, an order issuance commodity quantity, and a payment method and which does not include an order issuer&#39;s payment date; a submit button  410  named “TRANSMIT”; and a reset button  411  named “CANCEL”. In the example, the input fields  403  to  406  and  408  are text boxes. The input field  407  is a drop-down list. The input field  409  is a set of radio buttons. 
     When the WWW server  305  receives a transmission request for the HTML document A at step A 1 , the WWW server  305  transmits the HTML document A ( 401 ) to the WWW browser  105  (or  205 ) (at step A 2 ). 
     When the WWW browser  105  (or  205 ) receives the HTML document A ( 401 ), the order issuer inputs the order issuer information and the commodity order issuance information except for the order issuer&#39;s payment date to the input fields  403  to  409  of the form A ( 402 ) of the HTML document A ( 401 ) (at step A 3 ). When the submit button  410  is pressed, the order issuer information and the commodity order issuance information except for the order issuer&#39;s payment date that have been input to the input fields  403  to  409  of the form A ( 402 ) and a start request for a CGI program  1  are submitted from the WWW browser  105  (or  205 ) to the WWW server  305  (at step A 4 ). 
     If the reset button  411  is pressed, the contents in the input fields are reset. 
     When the form A is submitted to the WWW server  305 , the WWW server  305  starts the CGI program  1  (at step A 5 ). 
     The CGI program  1  causes the database  307  to be queried for the ordered commodity using SQL (Structured English Query Language) (as query  1 ) (at step A 6 ). As a result, the delivery date of the ordered commodity, the regular price thereof, and the maximum discount rate thereof are obtained as data  1  (at step A 7 ). Thereafter, the CGI program  1  causes the database  307  to be queried using the SQL (at step A 8 ). As a result, the due payment date corresponding to the delivery date of the ordered commodity is obtained as data  2  (at step A 9 ). Thereafter, the CGI program  1  sends an HTML document ( 501 ) shown in  FIG. 4  to the WWW server  305  (at step A 10 ). 
     With reference to  FIG. 4 , there is described in the HTML document ( 501 ) a form B ( 502 ). In addition, there are described in the HTML document ( 501 ): order issuer information, which includes the order issuer&#39;s name  503 , the order issuer&#39;s address  504 , the order issuer&#39;s telephone number  505 , and the order issuer&#39;s e-mail address  506 ; commodity order issuance information, which includes the order issuance commodity name  507 , the order issuance commodity quantity  508 , and the payment method  509  and which does not include an order issuer&#39;s payment date; the results of queries  1  and  2 , which include the order issuance commodity delivery date  510 , the regular price  511 , the maximum discount rate  512 , and the due payment date  513 ; a reduced price calculation formula  514 ; and link characters  518  named “RETURN”. When the link characters  518  are clicked, the HTML document A ( 401 ) returns. Described in the form B ( 502 ) are an “order issuer&#39;s payment date” input field  515  as a text box, a submit button  516  named “TRANSMIT”, and a reset button  517  named “cancel”. 
     When the WWW browser  105  (or  205 ) receives the HTML document ( 501 ), the order issuer checks for the contents of the HTML document ( 501 ) including the reduced price calculation formula and then inputs the order issuer&#39;s payment date in the input field  515  (at step A 12 ). Thereafter, when the submit button  516  is pressed, information that represents the order issuer&#39;s payment date that has been input in the input field  515  and a start request for a CGI program  2  are submitted from the WWW browser  105  (or  205 ) to the WWW server  305  (at step A 13 ). 
     When the WWW server  305  receives the information that represents the order issuer&#39;s payment date and the start request of the CGI program  2 , the WWW server  305  starts the CGI program  2  (at step A 14 ). 
     The CGI program  2  calculates the reduced price using the reduced price calculation formula  514  substituted with the values of the regular price of the commodity, the maximum discount rate, the delivery date, the order issuer&#39;s payment date, and the due payment date (at step A 15 ), and then sends an HTML document C ( 601 ) shown in  FIG. 5  to the WWW server  305 . 
     With reference to  FIG. 5 , there is described in the HTML document C ( 601 ) a form C ( 602 ). In addition, there are described in the HTML document C ( 601 ): order issuer information, which includes the order issuer&#39;s name  603 , the order issuer&#39;s address  604 , the order issuer&#39;s telephone number  605 , and the order issuer&#39;s e-mail address  606 ; commodity order issuance information, which includes the order issuance commodity name  607 , the order issuance commodity quantity  608 , the payment method  609 , and the order issuer&#39;s payment date  614 ; results of queries  1  and  2 , which includes the order issuance commodity delivery date  610 , the regular price  611 , the maximum discount rate  612 , and the due payment date  613 ; the reduced price  615 ; and link characters  617 . If the link characters  617  are clicked, the HTML document ( 501 ) returns. Described in the form C ( 602 ) is an authentication button  616  named “AUTHENTICATE”. 
     After the WWW browser  105  (or  205 ) receives the HTML document C ( 601 ), when the order issuer checks for the content of the order issuance commodity and then presses the authentication button  616 , a start request for a CGI program  3  is submitted from the WWW browser  105  (or  205 ) to the WWW server  305 . 
     If the order issuer wants to change the content of the order, he or she clicks the link characters  617  so as to return from the HTML document C ( 601 ) to the HTML document ( 501 ). Likewise, if the order issuer clicks the link characters  518  on the HTML document ( 501 ), the HTML document A ( 401 ) returns. 
     When the WWW server  305  receives the form C at step A 18 , the WWW server  305  starts the CGI program  3  (at step A 19 ). 
     The CGI program  3  causes all data described in the HTML document C ( 601 ) to be output to the outputting means  308  or recorded to the record medium  309  (at step A 20 ). 
     There may be described in the form B ( 502 ) the order issuer&#39;s name, the order issuer&#39;s address, the order issuer&#39;s telephone number, the order issuer&#39;s e-mail address, the commodity name, the commodity quantity, the payment method, the delivery date, the regular price, the maximum discount rate, and the due payment using objects of “TYPE hidden”. In this case, these data are submitted along with an order issuer&#39;s payment date from the WWW browser  105  (or  205 ) to the WWW server  305 . Likewise, there may described in the form C ( 503 ) the order issuer&#39;s name, the order issuer&#39;s address, the order issuer&#39;s telephone number, the order issuer&#39;s e-mail address, the commodity name, the commodity quantity, the payment method, the delivery date, the regular price, the maximum discount rate, the due payment date, the order issuer&#39;s payment date, and the reduced price using objects of “TYPE=hidden”. In this case, these data are submitted from the WWW browser  105  (or  205 ) to the WWW server  305  (at step A 18 ). In the above case, the CGI program  2  obtains all the items input by the issuer and retrieved from database  307  at the concerned time, and the CGI program  3  obtains all the items input by the issuer and retrieved from database  307  at the concerned time and the reduced price. Alternatively, CGI Side Includes, Netscape Persistence Cookies, or Magic Cookies may be used instead of the above-described method. 
     According to the embodiment, the reduced price was calculated by the formula:
 
Reduced price=(1−(due payment date−order issuer&#39;s payment date)/(due payment date−delivery date)×maximum discount rate)×regular price
 
     Instead, the following formula may be used.
 
Reduced price=(1−((due payment date−order issuer&#39;s payment date)/(due payment date−delivery date)) 2 ×maximum discount rate)×regular price
 
     As was described above, according to the present invention, after the order issuer knows that the reduced price varies depending on the order issuer&#39;s payment date, the order issuer designates the order issuer&#39;s payment date. Thus, the order issuer is prompted to designate an early payment date so as to facilitate the cash flow on the order acceptor side. 
     Although the present invention has been shown and described with respect to the best mode embodiment thereof, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and various other changes, omissions, and additions in the form and detail thereof may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.