Abstract:
A method and system are provided for effecting electronic commercial transactions using a communication network. Item data specifying an item or items which a user wishes to purchase and user identification data comprising information relating to the user are transmitted from a user terminal to a server computer. The server computer is connected to a database of installation facilities. Based on the user identification data, the database is searched for one or more installation facilities that are convenient to the user. If one of these facilities is selected by the user, the system and method may effectuate purchase of the item(s), such as vehicle parts, and schedule delivery of the item(s) directly to the selected facility where the item(s) can be installed on a product, such as a vehicle. The system and method may also provide a reservation system that schedules an installation time for installation of the item(s) at the installation facility.

Description:
INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE  
       [0001]    The disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-113323 filed on Apr. 14, 2001, including the specification, drawings and abstract, is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    1. Field of Invention  
           [0003]    The invention relates in general to a method, a system and an apparatus for effecting electronic commercial transactions, and more particularly to technologies for conducting commercial transactions for items, such as parts to be installed on automotive vehicles, through a communications network.  
           [0004]    2. Description of Related Art  
           [0005]    Conventionally, a user of an automotive vehicle who wants to purchase some parts to be installed on the vehicle visits a car dealer or local distributor, at which a searching system as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 8-185410 is used to search the parts which are compatible with the user&#39;s vehicle. After the prices of the parts, the cost for installation of the parts on the vehicle, and the delivery time of the parts are presented to the user, the user concludes contracts with the car dealer, regarding the purchase and installation of the desired parts, and the dealer places a purchase order with a supplier for the desired parts.  
           [0006]    However, the user is not able to know details of the parts compatible with the user&#39;s vehicle and the service charges for installation of the parts on the vehicle, until the user actually visits the car dealer. In this sense, it has not been easy for the vehicle user to purchase and install the desired parts on the vehicle. Even after the user concludes contacts with the dealer regarding the purchase and installation of the desired parts, the dealer may not be able to know the exact date of delivery of the parts from the parts supplier when placing a purchase order with the supplier, and thus cannot inform the user of the exact date and time of completion of the installation of the parts on the user&#39;vehicle (e.g., the vehicle pick-up date), service charges required for installation of the desired parts, and other details relating to the purchase and installation of the desired parts.  
           [0007]    In addition, the car dealer uses independent management systems for parts ordering and parts installation, and is not capable of efficiently responding to the user&#39;s inquiries relating to the date and time of completion of the parts installation and the installation cost of the parts, in a satisfactory manner. Thus, the conventional system employed by the car dealer does not provide satisfactory services in terms of the management of the time and cost of parts installation.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0008]    It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a method or a system which permits a user of, for example, an automotive vehicle, to easily and reliably acquire data on items, such as automotive parts to be installed on the vehicle, through a communications network, and have the items installed on a desired object such as the automotive vehicle.  
           [0009]    To accomplish at least part of the above object and/or other objects, the invention provides a method for effecting electronic commercial transactions using a communication network, comprising the steps of: (a) receiving item data and user identification data from a terminal at a server computer, the item data specifying at least one item which a user wishes to purchase, the user identification data comprising information relating to the user; (b) searching, based on at least the user identification data, for a facility at which the user is able to receive the at least one item and obtaining facility data based on the search; and (c) transmitting the obtained facility data from the server computer to the terminal.  
           [0010]    The invention is schematically shown in FIG. 1, wherein a center having a server computer stores parts data for each type of vehicle, and the center provides the user with the parts data in response to a request from the user. On the basis of the parts data displayed at the user terminal, the user selects desired parts to be purchased, such as automotive parts to be installed on an automotive vehicle of the user. This selection of desired parts data is transmitted to the center. The user also transmits his/her ID identifying the user to the center. Upon receipt of the desired parts data and the user&#39;s ID, the center searches for facilities which are available for installing the selected parts on the vehicle (e.g., automobile dealers that are located conveniently to the user for the installation of the selected parts), and transmits dealer data indicative of those dealers to the user. Usually, the service charges for installation of the parts by one automobile dealer are different from those for installation of the same parts by another dealer. In view of this, the center transmits to the user service charge data indicative of the service charges for installation of the selected parts as well as the dealer data. When the dealer data indicate a plurality of candidate dealers available for installing the selected parts, the user can select one of the candidate dealers. The user transmits to the center not only selected dealer data indicative of the selected dealer, but also desired installation date data indicative of the user&#39;s desired date of installation of the parts. On the basis of the desired parts data, the desired installation date data and the selected dealer data, the center transmits purchase order data to a parts center, and transmits, to the selected dealer, user data which include the desired parts data indicative of the selected parts and the desired installation date data indicative of the desired date of installation of the selected parts at the dealer. On the basis of the purchase order data and the user data, the parts center delivers the selected parts to the dealer before the desired installation date, and the dealer is informed of the desired installation date, prior to the installation date on which the user visits the dealer with the vehicle, for instance, to have the selected parts installed on the vehicle. This allows the dealer to install the selected parts on the vehicle with high efficiency. In the case of the automotive parts, for example, the selected parts can be installed on the vehicle at the dealer, on the date desired by the user, when the user visits the dealer with the vehicle on the desired date. Further, since the service charge data indicative of the cost for installing the desired parts on the vehicle are supplied to the user, the user is able to be aware of the total cost necessary to purchase and install the parts, before the purchase of the parts, so that the user can readily decide whether the parts are to be purchased.  
           [0011]    Where the parts desired by the user are already in stock at the selected dealer, the dealer need not place a purchase order with the parts center, so that the communication with the parts center and the parts delivery from the parts center are not required.  
           [0012]    The method and system according to the invention permit the user of the vehicle to not only purchase the desired parts to be installed on the vehicle, but also specify the desired dealer for installation of the parts, and the desired date of installation of the parts at the specified dealer. Thus, the present method and system are highly convenient to the user.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0013]    The invention will be described in conjunction with the following drawings in which like reference numerals designate like elements and wherein:  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 1 is a view schematically showing the invention;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 2 is a schematic view illustrating one embodiment of the invention;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an arrangement of a server computer shown in FIG. 2;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating one of the user terminals shown in FIG. 1;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a processing routine for data transmitting operations performed in the embodiment of FIG. 2;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 6 is a view showing a screen display providing a list of vehicle models and years;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 7 is view showing a screen display of aerodynamics parts data;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 8 is a view showing an example of a screen display of detailed data displayed upon clicking a DETAILED INFO button on the display of FIG. 7;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 9 is a view showing an example of a screen display providing a list of parts displayed by an operation on the display of FIG. 7;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 10 is a view showing a screen display of data of another type of parts;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 11 is a view showing an example of a screen display for entering user ID;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 12 is a view indicating an example of a screen display providing a list of car dealers; and  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 13 is a view showing an example of detailed data of a selected dealer. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0027]    Referring to the accompanying drawings, there will be described various embodiments of this invention as applied to a case where a user of an automotive vehicle purchases a part or parts, which is/are installed on the vehicle at a car dealer or local vehicle distributor.  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 2 illustrates an electronic transaction system arranged according to a first embodiment of this invention. This system is a server-client system including a communications network  10 , and a server computer  12 , user terminals  14 ,  16 , dealer terminals  18  and a parts center terminal  20 , which are interconnected via the communications network  10 . The user terminals  14 ,  16 , dealer terminals  18  and parts center terminal  20  are hereinafter referred to simply as “users  14 ,  16 ,” “dealers  18 ” and “parts center  20 ,” respectively, where appropriate. The server computer  12  stores, in a memory, parts data supplied from the parts center terminal  20  and the dealer terminals  18 , and dealer data (vehicle model data indicative of vehicle models available from the dealer, and service charge data indicative of service charges for installing various parts) supplied from the dealer terminals  18 . For instance, the parts data and dealer data are stored in a web page format described in HTML, so that the server computer  12  can transmit appropriate web pages through the network  10  to the user terminals  14 ,  16 , in response to specific requests from the user terminals  14 ,  16 . Each user terminal  14 ,  16  has a display portion adapted to display the supplied parts data in the web page format, using, for example, a World-Wide Web (WWW) browser. The user specifies a desired part or parts to be installed on a vehicle of the user, while viewing the parts data displayed on the display portion of the terminal  14 ,  16 , and supplies that information to the server computer  12 .  
         [0029]    The server computer  12  which has received data indicative of the parts desired by the user searches a dealer-list database to find out a car dealer or dealers which is/are located conveniently to install the desired parts on the vehicle, for example, a dealer(s) which is/are located near the address of the user. In order to acquire address data of the user, the server computer  12  may request the user to enter ID when using this system, and specifies the user&#39;s address data based on the ID transmitted from the user terminals  14 ,  16 , for example. Where a plurality of dealers are available for installation of the desired parts on the user&#39;s vehicle, the server computer  12  transmits to the user terminal  14 ,  16  dealer data associated with the plurality of dealers. More specifically, name and address data indicative of the names and addresses of those dealers are provided so that a list of the names and addresses of the dealers available for parts installation is displayed on the user terminal  14 ,  16 . The user can select one of these dealers on the basis of the displayed list. Although the user who has been already registered as a member of this transaction system is able to specify the user&#39;s address by simply entering his/her ID as described above, the user who has not been registered, i.e., a new member in this system, is requested to enter his/her name and address so that the server computer  12  can find a convenient dealer or dealers on the basis of the address. In searching for a suitable dealer or dealers, the server computer  12  may use private information associated with the user other than the residence (home address) of the user, which information may include the user&#39;s work address, commuter route, and the address of a given place or places specified by the user. These data may be included in personal data which are transmitted from the user terminal  14 ,  16  to the server computer  12  and stored in a management database  12   d  (which will be described later in FIG. 3) in association with the user ID. Thus, the dealers to be searched are not necessarily located near the residence of the user. Further, the user need not select one of the candidate dealers represented by the dealer data supplied from the server computer  12 , but may designate a dealer desired by the user. In this case, the user may be given an option to inhibit the server computer  12  from transmitting to the user terminal  14 ,  16  the dealer data indicative of a list of the candidate dealers. When the user selects or designates the desired dealer, the user provides the server computer  12  with a desired installation date on which the part or parts is/are to be installed at the selected or designated dealer. The desired installation date may be specified on a daily basis, preferably, on a day-and-o&#39;clock basis. Namely, the date and time of parts installation may be preferably specified.  
         [0030]    When the user transmits information on the selected or designated dealer to the server computer  12 , the server computer  12  transmits, to the parts center terminal  20 , purchase order data in the form of parts data indicative of the parts desired by the user, and dealer data indicative of the dealer at which the parts are to be installed on the user&#39;s vehicle. Then, the parts center  20  delivers the parts in question to the specified dealer  18 , according to the purchase order data supplied from the server computer  12 . Also, the server computer  12  transmits the parts data and the user data to the dealer terminal  18  specified by the user. The user data include vehicle data indicative of the specifications of the vehicle which the user intends to bring to the specified dealer  18 , and desired installation date data indicative of the desired date (and, preferably, hour) on which the parts are to be installed on the vehicle.  
         [0031]    Thus, the user  14 ,  16  transmits to the server computer  12  the user identification data identifying the user, the vehicle data indicative of the specifications of the user&#39;s vehicle, the parts data indicative of the desired parts to be installed, the desired installation date data indicative of the date (and preferably hour) of installation of the parts, and the dealer data indicative of the dealer  18  at which the parts are to be installed. Then, the user  14 ,  16  takes the vehicle to the specified dealer  18 . At the dealer  18 , which has already received from the server computer  12  the vehicle data, parts data, etc. and the desired parts, these parts can be promptly installed on the vehicle.  
         [0032]    It is desirable that after or before receiving the parts, the dealer  18  send an electronic mail, or the like, to the user  14 ,  16  to confirm that the user  14 ,  16  has placed the order in question. The content of such a mail preferably includes the vehicle data, parts data, installation date data, and price data indicative of the parts cost and a service charge for installing the parts on the vehicle.  
         [0033]    The block diagram of FIG. 3 illustrates an arrangement of the server computer  12 . The server computer  12  incorporates an interface (I/F)  12   a  for connection with the communications network  10 , a central processing unit (CPU)  12   b , a memory  12   c , the above-indicated management database (management D/B)  12   d , and a parts database (parts D/B)  12   e . The memory  12   c  includes a read-only memory (ROM), a random-access memory (RAM), a hard disc and the like. The management database  12   d  stores user data relating to the users  14 ,  16  registered for electronic transactions through the server-client system, dealer data relating to the car dealers  18 , and parts center data relating to the parts center  20 . The parts database  12   e  stores parts data associated with automotive parts installed on various vehicles.  
         [0034]    The user personal data stored in the management database  12   d  may include, for example, the user ID, name and address, and the number of a credit card used by the user for payment. The parts data stored in the parts database  12   e  may include, for example, data transmitted from the parts center  20  and data transmitted from the dealers  18 . It is preferable that the parts data are stored in the form of a table, which lists the parts in association with the type of vehicles to which the parts can be installed. The parts data further includes prices of the parts. When the CPU  12   b  receives vehicle data, more specifically, data indicative of the model and year of the user&#39;s vehicle, from the user terminal  14 ,  16 , the CPU  12   b  searches the parts database  12   e  to find parts that match the model and year of the user&#39;s vehicle, and transmits to the user terminal  14 ,  16  parts data indicative of the matching parts. When the CPU  12   b  receives parts data from the user terminal  14 ,  16  indicative of parts to be installed on the vehicle, the CPU  12   b  searches the management database  12   d  to find the dealers  18  which are capable of installing the user-specified parts on the vehicle, and transmits dealer data listing such dealers  18  to the user terminal  14 ,  16 . The dealers capable of installing the parts on the vehicle are equivalent to dealers that usually deal with (sell and/or service) the model (type) of the vehicle on which the parts are to be installed. In this respect, the dealer data stored in the management database  12   d  preferably include data indicative of the vehicle models which the dealers  18  normally handle.  
         [0035]    In searching the management database  12   d  to find out the candidate dealers  18 , the CPU  12   b  uses the user ID stored in the database  12   d . Described in detail, the CPU  12   b  reads, from the management database  12   d , the residence (home address) of the user (or other addresses specified by the user such as a work address, commuter route, or other place specified by the user), and selects the candidate dealers  18  from the management database  12   d . This arrangement prevents an undesirable nomination of dealers which are inconvenient to the user, for example, dealers that are distant from the user. When there are a plurality of candidate dealers  18  that meet the conditions (in terms of the location and the types of vehicles handled, for example), the user terminal  14 ,  16  is informed of all of these candidate dealers  18 . When the user  14 ,  16  selects one of the candidate dealers  18 , the CPU  12   b  transmits the parts data and the selected dealer data to the parts center  20 , and also transmits the user data to the selected dealer  18 .  
         [0036]    The arrangement of an exemplary user terminal  14  is illustrated in the block diagram of FIG. 4. The user terminal  16  is identical in arrangement with the user terminal  14  and thus its detailed description is omitted. The user terminal  14  includes an interface (I/F)  14   a  for connection with the communications network  10 , a central processing unit (CPU)  14   b , a memory  14   c , an input portion  14   d  and a display portion  14   e . The input portion  14   d  may include, for instance, a keyboard or touch switches used for entering vehicle model and year data indicative of the model and year of the vehicle on which the desired parts are to be installed. The input portion  14   d  is further used for specifying the desired parts, and for entering the user ID and the desired installation date (and, preferably, time). These various kinds of data entered through the input portion  14   d  are transmitted from the user terminal  14  through the communications network  10  to the server computer  12 . The display portion  14   e , which can be any conventional or subsequently developed display such as a cathode ray tube or a liquid crystal display, is provided to display various kinds of data such as the parts data and the dealer data which are supplied from the server computer  12 . The parts data preferably include image data for displaying images of the parts, and the image data preferably include vehicle image data used for displaying a vehicle on which the parts desired by the user are actually installed.  
         [0037]    The flow chart of FIG. 5 shows a processing routine for data transmitting operations in the server-client system of this embodiment. The routine is initiated with step S 101  in which the user specifies the model type and year of the user&#39;s vehicle, through the user terminal  14  (or user terminal  16 ), so that the vehicle model and year data are transmitted to the server computer  12 . The server computer  12  is desirably arranged to provide the user terminal  14  with a list of the models and years of vehicles on which certain parts can be installed, so that the user can easily specify the model and year of his/her vehicle from the list. For instance, the display portion  14   a  displays a list of vehicle models and years in the web page format, so that the user specifies, by clicking, the model and year of the vehicle on which the desired parts are to be installed. The vehicle model and year data indicative of the specified model and year are then transmitted from the user terminal  14  to the server computer  12 .  
         [0038]    [0038]FIG. 6 shows a screen display  100  provided on the display portion  14   e  of the user terminal  14 . The screen display  100  provides a list of vehicle models and years. More specifically, the list includes the model name, grade, spec code, identification code, year, and engine type of each vehicle model, for which a selector button “SELECT” is also provided. The user can transmit the model and year of his/her own vehicle to the server computer  12 , by selecting and clicking the selector button corresponding to the model of his/her own vehicle.  
         [0039]    When the server computer  12  receives the above-described vehicle data from the user terminal  12 , the control flow advances to step S  102  in FIG. 5, in which the server computer  12  searches the parts database  12   e  to find out the parts which are compatible with the vehicle model and year received from the user terminal  12 , and transmits parts data indicative of the compatible parts, to the user terminal  14 .  
         [0040]    [0040]FIG. 7 shows a screen display  200  provided on the display portion  14   e  of the user terminal  14 . The screen display  200  shows so-called “aerodynamics parts,” and provides images of the external appearance of the vehicle when different packages of aerodynamics parts are installed on the vehicle. The screen display  200  also include descriptions or explanations of the respective packages of aerodynamics parts, and provides selector buttons  200   a . In FIG. 7, the selector buttons  200   a  are labeled “INSTALL”. Buttons  200   b  labeled “DETAILED INFO” are provided corresponding to the selector buttons  200   a . When the user wishes to have detailed information or data on a selected one of the aerodynamics packages, the user clicks the corresponding button  200   b  so that detailed data indicative of the details of the selected package of aerodynamics parts are transmitted from the server computer  12  to the user terminal  14 , and are displayed on the screen of the display portion  14   e.    
         [0041]    [0041]FIG. 8 shows an example of a screen display  300  providing the details of the selected package of aerodynamics parts. The screen display  300  includes an image of the appearance of the vehicle, the name of the aerodynamics parts package, and descriptions of the package. The screen display  300  also includes a plurality of image selector buttons for selecting respective different images of the vehicle as viewed in respective different directions. When the user clicks the image selector button “IMAGE  1 ,” for example, the server computer  12  transmits to the user server  14  image data representative of an image of the appearance of the vehicle as viewed in a direction from the front left toward the rear right position of the vehicle, and this image is provided on the screen display  300  on the display portion  14   e . The screen display  300  also includes selector buttons for highlighting respective aerodynamics parts of the package. When the front spoiler selector button is pressed by clicking, the front spoiler as installed on the vehicle is highlighted in the displayed vehicle image. By pressing those selector buttons for highlighting the desired aerodynamics parts, the user can easily check the appearance and performance of the vehicle with the desired aerodynamics parts installed thereon. Thus, the vehicle image with the selective highlighting of the parts provided in the screen display  300  is helpful to the user in determining which parts are to be selected for installation.  
         [0042]    Where the user desires to change the contents of the aerodynamics parts package, the user clicks a button labeled “CHANGE PACKAGE CONTENTS” so that the server computer  12  transmits to the user terminal  14  package data representative of a list of the aerodynamics parts included in the selected package, and the list is displayed on the screen of the display portion  14   e.    
         [0043]    [0043]FIG. 9 shows a screen display  400  providing such a list of the aerodynamics parts included in the selected package. The screen display  400  includes the names and prices of the respective parts, and selector buttons for indicating a determination as to whether each part is to be installed on the vehicle. If the user does not wish to have the front bumper installed, the user turns off the corresponding selector button to exclude the front bumper from the selected package.  
         [0044]    When the user desires to install parts other than the aerodynamics parts on the vehicle, the user clicks an appropriate one of selector buttons  200   c  provided in the screen display  200  of FIG. 7. Where the user clicks the selector button  200   c  labeled, for example, “WHEEL,” the server computer  12  searches the parts data base  12   e  to find out wheels compatible with the user&#39;s vehicle, and transmits wheel data indicative of these wheels to the user terminal  14 .  
         [0045]    [0045]FIG. 10 shows a screen display  500  provided on the display portion  14   e  of the user terminal  14  according to the wheel data received from the server computer  12 . Like the screen display  300  showing the aerodynamics parts package, the screen display  500  includes images of the wheels, and selector buttons labeled “INSTALL.” With the screen display  500  thus provided, the user selects one of the wheels displayed, and clicks the corresponding selector button thereby to transmit purchase order data to the server computer  12 .  
         [0046]    Referring back to the flow chart of FIG. 5, the parts compatible with the specific user&#39;s vehicle are displayed at the user terminal  14  in step S 102  according to the parts data received from the server computer  12 . Step S  102  is followed by step S 103  in which the user selects the parts (package) to be installed on the vehicle, and enters the user&#39;s own ID so that the parts data and the user ID are transmitted from the user terminal  14  to the server computer  12 . The user ID may be entered before step S 101  is executed.  
         [0047]    [0047]FIG. 11 shows a screen display  600  that permits the user to enter the user ID. Namely, the user enters a membership ID and a password of the user, and clicks a button labeled “log in”. As a result, the user ID is transmitted to the server computer  12 . The server computer  12  may allocate IDs (which may or may not include passwords) to the respective users upon membership registration, for example. On the basis of the user ID received from the user terminal  14 , the server computer  12  searches the management database  12   d  for the address of the user, namely, the location of the vehicle on which the parts are to be installed. It is noted that the screen display  600  may be given in the initial stage in which the user gains access to the server computer  12 .  
         [0048]    After the parts data and the user ID are transmitted to the server computer  12 , step S 104  is executed in which the server computer  12  searches the management database  14   d  to find a candidate dealer or dealers available for installing the parts selected by the user, and transmits dealer data indicative of the candidate dealer(s) to the user terminal  14 . Described in detail, the server computer  12  searches for a car dealer or dealers which is/are available for installing the selected parts on the user&#39;s vehicle and is/are also located conveniently to the user, for instance, the dealer(s) located near the residence of the user. Where two or more dealers are found as candidates, dealer data indicative of all of these candidates are transmitted to the user terminal  14 .  
         [0049]    [0049]FIG. 12 shows a screen display  700  provided on the display portion  14   e  of the user terminal  14  when the dealer data are received from the server computer  12 . The screen display  700  provides a list of the candidate car dealers, which includes the names and addresses of the dealers, and selector buttons labeled “SELECT.” The user selects the most convenient or suitable one of the candidate dealers which are all available for installing the selected parts on the user&#39;s vehicle and are located near the residence of the user.  
         [0050]    When one of the candidate dealers is selected in the screen display  700  of FIG. 12, selected dealer data indicative of the selected dealer are transmitted in step S 105  from the user terminal  14  to the server computer  12 . Step S 105  is followed by step S 106  in which the server computer  12  transmits to the user terminal  14  detailed dealer data indicating the details of the selected dealer  18 , so that the detailed dealer data are displayed at the user terminal  14 .  
         [0051]    [0051]FIG. 13 shows a screen display  800  provided at the user terminal  14  when the selected dealer data are received from the server computer  12 . The screen display  800  includes the name of the selected dealer, and a list of the parts to be installed on the user&#39;s vehicle, and service charges required to install the respective parts, as well as the prices of the parts. The service charges are represented by service charge data included in the management database  12   d . The service charge data have been transmitted from the individual dealers to the server computer  12 . The screen display  800  including the service charges for installation of the parts as well as the prices of the parts permits the user to easily recognize the total cost for purchasing and installing the desired parts. Furthermore, the screen display  800  including the price and service charge for each of the selected parts is useful for the user to make a final decision on the parts to be purchased, in view of the intended budget of the user. Where the user wants to cancel any of the selected parts, as a result of consideration of the prices and service charges of the parts, the user may click or otherwise select an appropriate cancel button or buttons labeled “CANCEL.” 
         [0052]    In the embodiment of FIG. 5, the screen display  800  including the service charge data is provided in step S 106  after one of the candidate dealers has been selected in step S 105 . However, the service charge data may be provided in step S 104  when the list of the candidate dealers is displayed. In this case, the service charge data are displayed for each of the candidate dealers, so that the service charges of the two or more candidates are taken into consideration in selecting one of the candidates for installing the parts.  
         [0053]    After the dealer for installing the parts and the parts to be installed are finally determined and selected, the process proceeds to step S 107  in which the user specifies a desired date on which the selected parts are to be installed at the selected dealer, so that the desired installation date data are transmitted to the server computer  12 . The transmission of the desired installation date data to the server computer  12  means reservation for the installation of the selected parts at the selected dealer. However, the server computer  12  may determine the candidate installation dates at the selected dealer and inform the user of those candidate installation dates, so that the user may select one of the candidate installation dates. It is desirable to permit the user to specify the desired time of the desired day. It is also desirable that the screen display  800  provide the time (duration) required for the selected dealer to install the parts on the vehicle. This arrangement is convenient to the user in estimating the time when the user must bring in the vehicle, for instance.  
         [0054]    After receiving the parts data, dealer data and desired installation date data, the sever computer  12  transmits these sets of data to the selected dealer  18  in step S  108 , so that the dealer  18  is informed in advance of the scheduled installation prior to the date of the actual installation. This permits the dealer  18  to readily schedule the installation works, for improved efficiency of the installation.  
         [0055]    Preferably, the payment for the purchase and installation of the selected parts is effected through the communications network  10 . For instance, when the parts data indicative of the selected parts and the dealer data indicative of the selected dealer are transmitted from the user terminal  14  to the server computer  12 , the user terminal  14  may shift to a screen display for the payment or settlement. The payment may be made by using the credit card of the user, the number of which is stored in the management database  12   d  of the server computer  12 . If desired, the user may pay the cost in cash upon completion of the parts installation at the dealer.  
         [0056]    It will be understood from the foregoing description of the embodiment of the invention that the present server-client system permits the user to perform on-line operations at the user terminal  14 , for easily selecting the desired parts to be installed on the vehicle of the user, specifying the desired dealer  18  for installation of the parts, and making a reservation for the installation on a desired date. This server-client system eliminates the conventional need for the user to bring the vehicle in to a plurality of dealers for checking the availability of the desired parts and negotiating with the dealers for the installation of the parts. Thus, the present system assures efficient and easy selection of the desired parts and reliable installation of the desired parts at the desired dealer on the desired date.  
         [0057]    Further, the present server-client system provides the users upfront with the service charges for the installation at the selected dealer  18 , so that the user may know the required total cost including the service charges, before the user makes a final determination regarding the purchase of the desired parts. This arrangement assures an improved ease on the side of the user.  
         [0058]    While the preferred embodiment of this invention has been described above, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the details of the illustrated embodiment, but may be embodied with various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention. For instance, while the illustrated embodiment is arranged to provide the server computer  12  with the desired installation date after the desired dealer is specified by the user, it is possible to provide the server computer  12  with the desired installation date before the desired dealer is specified. In this case, the server computer  12  searches the management database  12   d  to find out the dealers which are available for installing the specified parts on the specified date and which are located, e.g., near the residence of the user, and the dealer data indicative of these dealers are transmitted to the user terminal  14 . To this end, the management database  14   d  may include work load data indicative of the work loads of the individual dealers, so that the server computer  14  can check if the installation on the date desired by the user is possible at the specified dealer.  
         [0059]    Each of the terminals included in the system of the above embodiment may of course be a personal computer, but may also be a cellular or portable telephone, a PDA (personal digital assistant), or any other device having data entering, displaying and processing functions.  
         [0060]    Although the server-client system of the illustrated embodiment is adapted for electronic commercial transactions of parts to be installed on automotive vehicles, the principle of the invention is equally applicable to any other items or products in commerce.  
         [0061]    As described above, the system according to the invention permits the users to acquire the desired items at the desired place or location. Further, the present system permits reservation for installation of desired vehicle parts at the desired place, as well as purchasing of the parts, assuring orderly arrangement for improved efficiency of the installation. In addition, the present system permits the users to know the total cost including the cost for the installation of the parts, before the users have to make decisions as to whether the parts are to be purchased, so that the users feel easy upon purchasing the parts.