Abstract:
An information managing system includes an information providing unit having the promotion information to deliver the promotion information, one terminal device included in a plurality of terminal devices, receiving the promotion information from the information providing unit; other terminal device included in the plurality of terminal devices, receiving at least the promotion information, additional information added by the one terminal device and an identifier indicating that at least the promotion information is transfer information from the one terminal device; and transaction unit for judging whether or not the identifier indicates the transfer information transferred from the one terminal device, if the identifier indicates that the transfer information exists, transmitting at least an information identifier indicating the promotion information and a client identifier indicating the one terminal device to the information providing unit, in accordance with a conclusion of a sales-object transaction performed through the other terminal device.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention relates to an information management for providing users with promotion information providing service using a communications network. Here, the promotion information refers to advertisement information on goods or the like, discount coupons thereon, or the like.  
           [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art  
           [0004]    There has been increasing the number of business dealers that, using the communications network, deliver the promotion information such as the advertisement information or the discount coupons to users&#39; mobile terminals with an intention of having the users utilize the promotion information. Also, users who actually utilize the discount coupons are now increasing in number. Meanwhile, in order to utilize the discount coupons, each user must make the access by himself or herself so as to acquire a discount coupon of the purpose. Accordingly, it is a common practice that each user pays for the communications fee at the time of acquiring the discount coupon.  
           [0005]    The concept that the communications fee is made free-of-charge or discounted has been proposed in, for example, JP-A-6-46175 “CHARGE SYSTEM FOR MULTI MEDIA COMMUNICATION” and JP-A-10-32655 “CHARGING SYSTEM” as the following charge-billing method. At the time when a user receives the advertisement information, a part or the total of the communications fee is imposed onto the information providing dealer or the advertisement sponsor. In either of the proposed cases, however, the part or the total of the communications fee is just imposed onto the information providing dealer or the advertisement sponsor, depending on the received information amount at the time of receiving the information. Namely, in either of the cases, a communications fee that is generated at the time of transferring the received information to a third party is imposed onto neither the information providing dealer nor the advertisement sponsor.  
           [0006]    If a user who has acquired a discount coupon using the communications network likes the discount coupon, the user is more or less likely to inform a third party, e.g., a user&#39;s friend, of the discount coupon. To the discount coupon providing dealer, this user&#39;s behavior can be considered to have the same meaning as a behavior that the user who has received the discount coupon is performing an advertisement of the discount coupon providing dealer toward the third party. Under the existing condition, however, the communications fee needed for the transfer is imposed onto the sender, and onto the receiver as well in some cases. As a result, the spread-out of the advertisement information based on the transfer among the users cannot be expected in the present situation.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0007]    It is an object of the present invention to provide a technology for making it possible to impose a part or the total of the communications fee, which is generated when a user transfers the promotion information to another user such as advertisement information or discount information on goods, onto an information providing dealer that has provided these pieces of information.  
           [0008]    In the present invention, there are provided the following configuration elements. An information providing site for delivering the promotion information such as the advertisement information or the discount coupons in a state of being edited in correspondence with a client to which the promotion information is to be delivered, an information communications terminal for transferring, to another user, the promotion information received from the information providing site, or for automatically adding information thereto at the time of performing the transfer, and a transaction site including an information acquiring-transmitting/receiving device for transmitting the promotion information, which has been delivered to the information communications terminal, to the information providing site along with a purchase performance-record of goods and an introduction fee for the transfer.  
           [0009]    In the present invention, the promotion information, such as the advertisement information or the discount coupons on goods, is delivered from the information providing site to the information communications terminal in the state of being edited so as to be intended for the user to which the promotion information is to be delivered. If the information communications terminal that has received the delivery of the promotion information transfers the delivered promotion information to another information communications terminal, the information communications terminal adds the information to the effect that the promotion information transfer will be executed and a comment made by the user, then transferring the promotion information to the information communications terminal of the transfer destination.  
           [0010]    If the information communications terminal that has received the transfer utilizes the promotion information, the information acquiring-transmitting/receiving device set up at a shop or the like reads the transfer information transferred to the information communications terminal, then transmitting the transfer information to the information providing site along with the purchase performance-record of goods and the introduction fee for the transfer.  
           [0011]    The information providing site, based on the transfer information transmitted from the information acquiring-transmitting/receiving device, calculates a communications fee for the transferor.  
           [0012]    As described above, according to the present invention, if the promotion information such as the advertisement information or the discount information on goods is transferred, and if the user of the transfer destination has utilized the transfer information, the transfer information can be managed at the information providing site. This condition makes it possible to impose the part or the total of the communications fee, which is generated when transferring the promotion information such as the advertisement information or the discount coupons, onto the information providing dealer that has provided these pieces of information. The amount of the communications fee has been determined by a contract made between the information providing dealer and a communications firm.  
           [0013]    Also, when the information communications terminal transfers the received promotion information such as the advertisement information or the discount information, the information communications terminal transmits the execution of the transfer to the transfer destination and also to the information providing site simultaneously. This operation, even if the user of the transfer destination does not utilize the promotion information, makes it possible to impose the part or the total of the communications fee, which is generated when transferring the promotion information such as the advertisement information or the discount coupons, onto the information providing dealer that has provided these pieces of information.  
           [0014]    Also, when transferring the promotion information such as the advertisement information or the discount coupons, an information amount to be added is calculated, then transferring this information amount as the transfer information simultaneously. This method also makes it possible to impose a part or the total of a communications fee, which is needed for transferring the added information, onto the information providing dealer that has provided these pieces of information.  
           [0015]    Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0016]    [0016]FIG. 1 is a diagram for illustrating the outline of a network environment in the present embodiment;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 2 is a block diagram for illustrating the system configuration of an information providing site in the present embodiment;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 3 is a block diagram for illustrating the system configuration of information communications terminals in the present embodiment;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 4 is a block diagram for illustrating the system configuration of a transaction site in the present embodiment;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 5 illustrates one example of the configuration of a client database in the present embodiment;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 6 illustrates one example of the configuration of a delivery information database in the present embodiment;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 7 illustrates one example of the configuration of a delivery history database in the present embodiment;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 8 illustrates one example of the configuration of an incentive rate database in the present embodiment;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 9 illustrates one example of the configuration of an each-client-basis incentive fee database in the present embodiment;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 10 illustrates one example of the configuration of an each-information-providing-dealer-basis settlement database in the present embodiment;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 11 illustrates one example of the configuration of an information providing dealer/shop database in the present embodiment;  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 12 illustrates a flow of the processing in the case where information is delivered from the information providing site to the information communications terminal in the present embodiment;  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 13 illustrates a flow of the processing in the case where one information communications terminal in the present embodiment transfers, to the other information communications terminal, information that the one information communications terminal has received;  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 14 illustrates a flow of the processing in the case where an information acquiring-transmitting/receiving device set up at the shop in the present embodiment acquires necessary information so as to transmit the information to the information providing site;  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 15 illustrates a flow of the processing by which the information providing site in the present embodiment calculates an incentive fee concerning the transfer;  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 16 illustrates one example of the configuration of the information delivered from the information providing site to the information communications terminal in the present embodiment;  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 17 illustrates one example of the configuration of the information transferred from the one information communications terminal in the present embodiment to the other information communications terminal;  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 18 illustrates one example of the configuration of the information transmitted from the information acquiring-transmitting/receiving device in the present embodiment to the information providing site; and  
         [0034]    [0034]FIG. 19 illustrates a flow of the processing for calculating the incentive fee for an amount needed for the transfer in the present embodiment.  
         [0035]    [0035]FIG. 20 illustrates a flow of the processing when the other information communications terminal receives the information in the present embodiment. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS  
       [0036]    Hereinafter, the explanation will be given below concerning one embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0037]    [0037]FIG. 1 shows an information management system that illustrates the outline of a network environment for implementing the present invention. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the information management system is constituted of an information providing site  101 , one information communications terminal  102 , other information communications terminal  103 , a network  104 , and as a transaction site, a shop  105  and an information acquiring-transmitting/receiving device  106 . The shop  105  may be either a real shop that sales goods practically or a virtual shop that sales goods by using a communications network.  
         [0038]    The information communications terminal  102  and the information communications terminal  103  may be mobile phones.  
         [0039]    [0039]FIG. 2 is a block diagram for illustrating the system configuration of the information providing site  101  in the present embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the information providing site  101  in the present embodiment constitutes the following configuration components: a control device  201  for controlling the device as a whole; a display device  202  for displaying the state of a processing or the result of a processing; a keyboard  203  for giving some instruction from the outside; a main memory  204 ; a communications device  205  for performing communications with the information communications terminals and the shop; a client database (hereinafter, referred to as “DB”)  206  for managing information on clients who wish the delivery of the promotion information; a delivery information DB  207  for managing the promotion information to be delivered; a delivery history DB  208  for managing the history of having actually delivered the promotion information to the clients; an incentive rate DB  209  for managing an incentive rate on each promotion information type basis; a client-basis incentive fee DB  210  for managing a client-basis incentive fee; an information-providing-dealer-basis settlement DB  211  for managing an information-providing-dealer-basis settlement calculated from an introduction fee for the promotion information toward each information providing dealer and the client-basis incentive fee; an information providing dealer/shop DB  212  for managing each information providing dealer and the shop; and a utilization performance-record history DB  213 .  
         [0040]    [0040]FIG. 3 is a block diagram for illustrating the system configuration of the information communications terminals  102  and  103 .  
         [0041]    The information communications terminals  102  and  103  constitute the following configuration components: a control device  301  for controlling each terminal as a whole; a display device  302  for displaying the promotion information transmitted; a keyboard  303  used when instructing a transfer, a termination, and the like; an information storing device  304  for storing the transmitted promotion information; an information expansion/edit processing block  307  including a computer program for transferring the transmitted promotion information and for editing the transmitted promotion information when performing the transfer; a memory  305 ; and a communications device  306 .  
         [0042]    Incidentally, the information expansion/edit processing block  307  may be installed in advance into the information communications terminals, or may be downloaded from the information providing site  101  when applying for the present service, or may be transmitted together with the promotion information such as the advertisement information so as to be processed.  
         [0043]    [0043]FIG. 4 is a block diagram for illustrating the system configuration of the information acquiring-transmitting/receiving device  106 .  
         [0044]    The information acquiring-transmitting/receiving device  106  is a device that is set up at the shop and that is used for transmitting, to the information providing site  101 , the data on and the payment for goods that a user who visited the shop purchased, and the utilization performance-record of the information communications terminal that the user used. The information acquiring-transmitting/receiving device  106  includes the following configuration components: a control device  401  for controlling the information acquiring-transmitting/receiving device as a whole; a promotion information reading device  404  for reading in the promotion information or the like indicated from the user; a goods information reading device  405  for reading in the promotion information on goods or the like; a display device  402  for displaying the read promotion information or the situation of a processing; a keyboard  403  used for inputting additional information or the like; a memory  406 ; a communications device  407 ; and a delivery information DB  408  for managing the promotion information the delivery of which is requested in order to judge the validity of the contents of the promotion information that the user has indicated. The information acquiring-transmitting/receiving device  106  is so configured that the device  106  is capable of receiving the information issued from the information communications terminals  102  and  103 . Namely, through the communications network  104 , the user who has the information communications terminal can transmit the promotion information and the later-described transfer information to the information acquiring-transmitting/receiving device  106  without visiting the shop.  
         [0045]    [0045]FIG. 5 illustrates one example of the configuration of the client DB  206  in the present embodiment.  
         [0046]    As illustrated in FIG. 5, the client DB  206  constitutes a client ID  501  for uniquely identifying a client to which the delivery is to be performed, a delivery address  502  for indicating the delivery destination of the client, and a client attribute  503  for indicating the attribute of the client. The client attribute  503  constitutes a gender  504 , an age  505 , an occupation type  506 , a hobby  507 , and the like.  
         [0047]    [0047]FIG. 6 illustrates one example of the configuration of the delivery information DB  207  in the present embodiment.  
         [0048]    As illustrated in FIG. 6, the delivery information DB  207  constitutes an information ID  601  (i.e., identification code, which, hereinafter, will be referred to as “ID”) for uniquely identifying promotion information to be delivered, an information providing dealer ID  602  for indicating the information providing dealer of the promotion information, a delivery contents  603  for indicating the contents of the promotion information to be delivered, the number of packets  604  of the promotion information to be delivered, and a delivery condition  605  for indicating the condition or the like of the client to which the delivery is to be performed.  
         [0049]    In FIG. 6, although the delivery condition has been defined as the condition concerning the client, the delivery condition may also include the delivery time-period, the delivery timing, the number of the deliveries, or the like.  
         [0050]    Also, the delivery contents  603  may be of either a text or a motion picture. Also, the delivery contents may be of a mixture of the text and the motion picture.  
         [0051]    [0051]FIG. 7 illustrates one example of the configuration of the delivery history DB  208  in the present embodiment.  
         [0052]    As illustrated in FIG. 7, the delivery history DB  208  constitutes a delivery date  701 , a delivery information ID  702  for indicating the promotion information that has been delivered, and a delivery-destination client ID  703  for indicating the client to which the delivery has been performed.  
         [0053]    [0053]FIG. 8 illustrates one example of the configuration of the incentive rate DB  209  in the present embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 8, the incentive rate DB  209  constitutes an information ID  801  and a calculating expression  802  for calculating an incentive fee for the promotion information. The incentive fee calculating expression  802  may be managed in a manner of being divided into a transfer amount  803  indicating a calculating expression of the amount by which the user has transferred the information, and a goods-purchased amount  804  of the incentive fee calculating expression assigned to the amount by which the user has purchased the goods or the like. Moreover, the incentive rate DB may include a maximum value  805  and a minimum value  806  that are to be assigned as the incentive fee.  
         [0054]    [0054]FIG. 9 illustrates one example of the configuration of the client-basis incentive fee DB  210  in the present embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 9, the client-basis incentive fee DB  210  constitutes a client ID  901 , a conferred incentive fee  902  for indicating an incentive fee conferred on the client so far, a pre-utilized incentive fee  903  utilized by the client so far, and a remaining incentive fee  904  that still remains at the present point-in-time.  
         [0055]    [0055]FIG. 10 illustrates one example of the configuration of the information-providing-dealer-basis settlement DB  211  in the present embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 10, the information-providing-dealer-basis settlement DB  211  constitutes an information providing dealer ID  1001  for indicating an information providing dealer, a settlement time-period  1002 , and a settled amount-of-money  1003 . When wishing to manage the detailed-items of the settled amount-of-money, the settlement DB may also constitute a settlement detailed-items  1004 . The settlement detailed-items  1004  constitutes an initially-delivered amount  1005  as the expense at which the information providing site  101  had performed the delivery at first, a transferring expense amount  1006  that is to be paid as the incentive fee when the user has performed the transfer, a utilization performance-record amount  1007  of the incentive fee which is conferred on the user in correspondence with a amount-of-money with which the user has purchased the goods or the like, and the like.  
         [0056]    [0056]FIG. 11 illustrates one example of the configuration of the information providing dealer/shop DB  212  in the present embodiment.  
         [0057]    As illustrated in FIG. 11, the information providing dealer/shop DB  212  constitutes an information providing dealer/shop ID  1101  for uniquely identifying an information providing dealer or a shop, the information providing dealer&#39;s name or the shop&#39;s name  1102 , the information providing dealer&#39;s address or the shop&#39;s address  1103 , the telephone number  1104 , and the like.  
         [0058]    Next, referring to flow charts in FIGS.  12 ,  13 ,  14 ,  15 , and  19 , the explanation will be given below relating to flows of the processings to which the present invention has been applied.  
         [0059]    [0059]FIG. 12 illustrates the flow chart that proceeds until the information providing site  101  has delivered the promotion information to the client.  
         [0060]    The information providing site  101  extracts, from the client DB  206 , clients who satisfy the delivery condition  605  in the delivery information DB  207  (step  1201 ). Moreover, the site creates promotion information to be delivered on each extracted-client basis (step  1202 ). FIG. 16 illustrates one example of the configuration of the promotion information created on each client basis. As illustrated in FIG. 16, the promotion information created on each client basis constitutes a flag  1601  for indicating that the delivery service of advertisement information or the like will be performed, a delivery information ID  1602 , an advertisement/discount contents  1603  as the promotion information to be delivered, and a delivery client ID  1604 . It is desirable to transmit these pieces of information in the following manner, for example: the user finds it impossible to edit the information at the time of transferring the information from the information communications terminal  102  to the one  103 ; and the information acquiring-transmitting/receiving device  106  at the shop  105  finds it easy to read the information. The system corresponding to this manner is, for example, a bar code or the like. The information acquiring-transmitting/receiving device  106  can convert, into the bar code, the transfer information from the information communications terminals  102  and  103 . After having created the promotion information to be delivered, the site delivers the promotion information to the applicable clients (step  1203 ).  
         [0061]    Next, referring to the flow chart in FIG. 13, the explanation will be given below relating to a flow of the processing that ranges from the information communications terminal  102  which receives the delivered promotion information and transfers the promotion information to the information communications terminal  103 .  
         [0062]    The information communications terminal  102  receives the delivered promotion information, then displaying the information on the display device  302  (step  1301 ). Having received a transferring instruction from the information communications terminal  103 , the information communications terminal  102  adds, to the delivered promotion information, comment information newly added by the user of the information communications terminal  102  and a transfer flag for indicating the transfer, thereby creating the transfer information (step  1302 ). FIG. 17 illustrates one example of the configuration of the information to be transferred. The information to be transferred turns out to have a configuration obtained by adding the newly-added comment information  1701  added by the user and the transfer flag  1702  indicating the transfer information to be transferred, to the promotion information illustrated in FIG. 16, which had been delivered at first from the information providing site  101 . A communications flag  1703  is a flag for indicating that the information communications terminal  103  transfers the transfer information to the information acquiring-transmitting/receiving device  106  via the communications network  104 .  
         [0063]    The information communications terminal  102  transmits the created transfer information to the information communications terminal  103  (step  1303 ).  
         [0064]    Incidentally, in the present embodiment, the transfer information is transmitted to only the information communications terminal  103  of the transfer destination. However, the information expansion/edit processing block  307  in the information communications terminal  102  also makes it possible to transmit the performance-record of the transfer to the information providing site  101 . In this case, regardless of whether or not the user of the transfer destination has utilized the promotion information including the advertisement information, the discount information, or the like, it becomes possible to cause the information providing dealer to pay for the incentive fee relating to the transfer.  
         [0065]    Processing will be explained with reference to a flowchart illustrated in FIG. 20 when the information communications terminal  103  receives the transfer information. The information communications terminal  103  receives the transfer information transferred from the information communications terminal  102  (step  2001 ). In the case of using the transfer information by a user through the information communications terminal  103 , the communications flag  1703  illustrated on FIG. 17 is set to “1” (step  2002 ). The transfer information is transmitted to the information acquiring-transmitting/receiving device  106  (step  2003 ).  
         [0066]    Next, referring to the flow chart in FIG. 14, the explanation will be given below relating to a flow of the processing in the information acquiring-transmitting/receiving device  106  set up at the shop  105  or the like when the information communications terminal  103  has utilized the transferred promotion information such as the advertisement information or the discount information at the shop or the like.  
         [0067]    The information acquiring-transmitting/receiving device  106 , using the promotion information reading device  404 , reads in the transfer information displayed on the display device  302  in the information communications terminal  103  (step  1401 ). The communications flag  1703  in the transfer information is judged whether or not the flag indicates “1” (step  1405 ). That is, the information acquiring-transmitting/receiving device  106  judges whether or not the transfer information is received from the information communications terminal  103 . If the communications flag  1703  does not indicate “1”, the information acquiring-transmitting/receiving device  106  has read the bar-coded transfer information directly from the information communications terminal  103 . If the communications flag  1703  is “1”, the communications flag  1703  is set to “2” (step  1406 ). Next, the price and the number of the purchased goods are inputted using the goods information reading device  405  and the keyboard  403  (step  1402 ). Moreover, based on the information read in at the step  1401  and the information inputted at the step  1402 , the purchasing amount-of-money and the like are calculated, then being displayed on the display device  402  (step  1403 ). The transfer information read in from the information communications terminal  103  and the utilization performance-record information such as the purchasing amount-of-money are transmitted to the information providing site  101  (step  1404 ).  
         [0068]    Here, at the step  1402 , the information acquiring-transmitting/receiving device  106  has a function of converting, into a signal corresponding to the bar code, the promotion information, the added comment information  1701 , and the transfer flag  1702  which the information communications terminal  103  that has visited the shop  105  has. Making a comparison between this bar-code corresponding signal and the bar code of the purchased goods allows a transaction to be concluded between the user of the information communications terminal  103  and the shop  105 .  
         [0069]    If the user of the information communications terminal  103  wishes to purchase the desired goods from the shop  105  without visiting the shop  105 , the information communications terminal  103  transmits the transfer information transferred from the information communications terminal  102  to the information acquiring-transmitting/receiving device  106  set up at the shop  105 . The information acquiring-transmitting/receiving device  106  converts the transfer information into the bar-code corresponding the signal. Then, the comparison is made between this bar-code corresponding the signal and the bar code of the goods, thereby allowing the transaction to be concluded.  
         [0070]    At the step  1404 , the transfer information, which the information communications terminal  103  had transmitted to the information acquiring-transmitting/receiving device  106  via the communications network  104 , and the transfer amount of the transfer information are also transmitted to the information providing site  101 .  
         [0071]    Next, FIG. 15 illustrates a flow of the processing by which the information providing site  101  receives the information transmitted from the information acquiring-transmitting/receiving device  106  and then calculates a client-basis incentive fee, i.e., the communications fee. At steps  1503 ,  1504 , and  1505 , the following communications fees will also be calculated: the communications fee with which the information communications terminal  102  had transferred the transfer information to the information communications terminal  103 ; and the communications fee with which the information communications terminal  103  had transmitted the transfer information to the information acquiring-transmitting/receiving device  106  via the communications network  104 .  
         [0072]    The utilization performance-record information transmitted from the information acquiring-transmitting/receiving device  106  is received by the communications device  205  in the information providing site  101 , then being stored into the utilization performance-record history DB  213  (step  1501 ). FIG. 18 illustrates one example of the configuration of the utilization performance-record history DB  213 .  
         [0073]    As illustrated in FIG. 18, the utilization performance-record history DB  213  includes a reception date  1801 , a flag  1802  for indicating that the delivery service of the advertisement information has been performed, an information ID  1803 , a delivery client ID  1804 , a transfer flag  1805  for indicating whether or not there exits the transfer of the utilization performance-record information, a shop code  1806  for uniquely identifying the shop  105  that has transmitted the utilization performance-record information, a purchasing amount-of-money  1807 , and the like.  
         [0074]    Next, from the transfer flag  1805  for the utilization performance-record information, it is judged whether or not there exits the transfer of the received utilization performance-record information (step  1502 ). If there exits the transfer, then, it is judged whether or not the utilization performance-record information has been received via the communications network  104  (step  1507 ). If the communications flag  1703  (FIG. 17) is 2, the transfer incentive fee for the information communications terminal  103  is calculated (step  1508 ). Next, based on the information of the transfer amount  803  out of the incentive fee calculating expression in the incentive rate DB  209 , the transfer incentive fee for the information communications terminal  102  is calculated (step  1503 ). Moreover, based on the information of the goods-purchased amount  804  out of the incentive fee calculating expression in the incentive rate DB  209 , the incentive fee at the time of purchasing the goods is calculated (step  1504 ). Furthermore, the summation of the incentive fee for the transfer and the incentive fee for the goods purchasing is calculated (step  1505 ). Finally, the conferred incentive fee  902  and the remaining incentive fee  904  for the delivery client ID  1804  in the client-basis incentive fee DB  210  are calculated, thereby updating the client-basis incentive fee DB  210  (step  1506 ).  
         [0075]    Incidentally, although, in the present embodiment, the incentive fee for the goods-purchased amount has been also conferred on the client indicated by the delivery client ID, the incentive fee for the goods-purchased amount may be conferred on the purchaser, or on both the information communications terminal  102  of the transferor and the information communications terminal  103  of the purchaser. At that time, the information on the users is inserted into the utilization performance-record information transmitted from the information acquiring-transmitting/receiving device  106 .  
         [0076]    Also, in the case where there exists a plurality of information transfers, all the transfers are managed, and the incentive fees may be conferred on the transferor related with the transfers.  
         [0077]    [0077]FIG. 19 illustrates a flow of the processing for imposing, onto the information providing dealer, the incentive fee generated when the user of the information communications terminal  102  has performed the transfer.  
         [0078]    In the information providing site, the settlement time-period is judged based on the reception date  1801  (FIG. 18) in the utilization performance-record history DB  213  (FIG. 2). Within the same settlement time-period, the clients indicated by the delivery client IDs  1804  (FIG. 18) have the transfer information indicated by the same information IDs  1803  (FIG. 18) and indicated by the transfer flags  1805 . The record number of this transfer information is counted (step  1901 ). Next, the incentive fee by the transfer amount indicated by the counted information IDs  1803  is calculated based on the data in the incentive rate DB  209  (FIG. 2) (step  1902 ). Moreover, of the information providing dealers entering the information providing site, the incentive fee for each of the information providing dealers of the same information IDs  1803  indicated by the transfer information is calculated (step  1903 ). Furthermore, the calculation result is stored into the information-providing-dealer-basis settlement DB  211  (step  1904 ).  
         [0079]    Here, the calculation of the incentive fee can be executed in correspondence with the communications fee contracted on each information-providing-dealer basis.  
         [0080]    Also, the transfer information, the incentive fee of the transfer information, and the transmission history of the transfer information can be stored into the client DB  206 , the delivery information DB  207 , and the delivery history DB  208  illustrated in FIG. 2 on the basis of each user who utilizes the information communications terminals  102  and  103 .  
         [0081]    Incidentally, the present embodiment has indicated only the calculation of the incentive fee related with the transfer. The initially delivered amount and an incentive fee saved by the user can also be charged in much the same way.  
         [0082]    As having been explained so far, according to the present invention, even in the case where the promotion information such as the advertisement information or the discount coupons has been transferred between the users who utilize the communications, a part or the total of the communications fee generated at the time of the transfer is imposed onto the information providing site. This condition allows the invigoration of the sales communications for the promotion information such as the advertisement information or the discount coupons.  
         [0083]    It should be further understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing description has been made on embodiments of the invention and that various changes and modifications may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit of the invention and scope of the appended claims.