Electronic apparatus for providing information of item, and method thereof, and non-transitory computer-readable recording medium comprising a computer program for performing the method

Abstract

The present invention discloses a method for providing item information in a controller of an electronic device, the method comprising: receiving from a first database group information including a main item and a sub-item group to be grouped with the main item; receiving from a second database detailed information associated with the main item and the sub-item group; and providing, based on the group information and the detailed information, a page containing information associated with at least a portion of the main item and the sub-item group.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to an electronic device and a method for providing information about an item. More specifically, this invention relates to a method and an electronic device for providing a page containing information about an item by receiving group information associated with an item from a first database and detailed information associated with the item from a second database. [Previous Technology]

[0002] With the development of electronic technology, e-commerce has become an integral part of shopping. Customers can purchase items online without having to go to a shopping mall or market in person, and items purchased online can be delivered to the destination requested by the customer.

[0003] On a page used to provide information about an item for online sale, various methods may be used to induce a customer to purchase the item. Such methods for inducing purchase of an item may include offering discounts based on the purchase of the item.

[0004] When a user purchases various items, these items correspond to different offers, and offers are given for the purchase of multiple items. Various factors (such as offering offers related to the items purchased by the user, whether the offers overlap, which offer is most favorable to the user, and so on) can be taken into consideration to determine the offers to be offered to the user. Therefore, a method for accurately and efficiently determining the offers to be offered to the user can be suggested.

[0005] In this regard, reference may be made to previous documents such as KR101770935B1, KR101173180B1 and the like. [Summary of the Invention]

[0006] [Technical Objective] An electronic device and method thereof include a controller, the controller: receiving from a first database group information including a main item and a sub-item group to be grouped with the main item; receiving from a second database detailed information associated with the main item and the sub-item group; and providing a page containing information associated with at least a portion of the main item and the sub-item group based on the group information and the detailed information.

[0007] However, the objectives to be achieved by the exemplary embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the technical forms described above, and other objectives can be inferred from the following exemplary embodiments.

[0008] [Technical Solution] According to one embodiment, a method for providing article information in a controller of an electronic device is provided, the method comprising: receiving from a first database group information including a main article and a sub-article group to be grouped together with the main article; receiving from a second database detailed information associated with the main article and the sub-article group; and providing, based on the group information and the detailed information, a page containing information associated with at least a portion of the main article and the sub-article group.

[0009] This page may be provided in response to user input received from a user in relation to the main item.

[0010] The user input may include at least one of the following: a search input related to the main item, an add input for adding the main item to a shopping cart, a purchase request input for the main item, and a payment input for the price of the main item.

[0011] The method may further include: requesting from the second database the detailed information associated with the master item and the sub-item group identified based on the group information.

[0012] The detailed information may include at least one of the following: item name information corresponding to the main item and the sub-item group, item price information corresponding to the main item and the sub-item group, image information corresponding to the main item and the sub-item group, and promotional information associated with the main item.

[0013] The discount information may include at least one of the following: price discount information associated with the main item and the sub-item group, a condition for applying the price discount information, and a threshold value information for a price discount that may be applied in relation to the main item.

[0014] When the details include discount information associated with the main item, the page may include at least one of the following: information that distinguishes between an item with an applied discount and an item without an applied discount, and an interface that distinguishes between an item with an applied discount and an item without an applied discount based on the discount information.

[0015] The method may further include: sending a request to a third database for at least one of the following: discount information associated with the main item and obtaining a result by applying the discount information associated with the main item to the main item and the sub-item group, and the controller may be configured to further provide the page based on response information to the request.

[0016] The sending of the request may be based on whether the details contain promotional information associated with the main item.

[0017] The response information to the request may include promotional information associated with the master item stored in the third database.

[0018] Sending the request may include sending a request to the third database containing at least one of the group information and the details.

[0019] Where the request information includes the details and the details include one of the discount information associated with the main item, when the discount information included in the details matches the discount information associated with the main item stored in the third database, the response information to the request may include an approval response to one of the discount information included in the details, and when the discount information included in the details does not match the discount information stored in the third database, the response information to the request may include a rejection response to one of the discount information included in the details and at least one of the discount information stored in the third database.

[0020] The response information to the request may include purchase condition information for the main item and the sub-item group corresponding to one of the results of one of the applications of the offer information, and the purchase condition information may include at least one of item price information, points earning information and free item information.

[0021] The first database and the second database can each be a scalable non-SQL (NoSQL) database.

[0022] The method may further include: when a user receives user input related to one of a plurality of items containing the main item and selects a sub-item based on the user input, the sub-item does not meet one of the conditions for applying the offer of the main item, the user is advised of additional user input to meet the condition for applying the offer based on the group information.

[0023] The method may further include: receiving a new input from a user to add the main item and at least a portion of the sub-item group to a shopping cart to correspond to the page; and when the user receives a request input for a shopping cart page displaying the shopping cart, requesting from a third database one or more pieces of discount information corresponding to one or more items contained in the shopping cart.

[0024] The method may further include: receiving a new input from a user for adding at least a portion of the main item and the sub-item group to a shopping cart to correspond to the page; and when the user receives a request input for a shopping cart page displaying the shopping cart, requesting a result from a third database by applying one or more discount information corresponding to one or more items included in the shopping cart to the one or more items included in the shopping cart.

[0025] According to another embodiment, an electronic device for providing article information is also provided, the electronic device comprising: a first database storing group information including a main article and a sub-item group to be grouped with the main article; a second database storing detailed information associated with the main article and the sub-item group; and a controller configured to: receive the group information from the first database; receive the detailed information from the second database; and provide a page containing information associated with at least a portion of the main article and the sub-item group based on the group information and the detailed information.

[0026] Details of other exemplary embodiments are set forth in the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.

[0027] [Effect] According to an exemplary embodiment, an electronic device and a method thereof for providing item information can provide the best offer for an item purchased by a user by effectively managing and applying different offers of the item.

[0028] The effects of the present invention are not limited to those described above, and other effects will be apparent to those skilled in the art as described below.

Implementation Method

[0030] While taking into account the functionality obtained according to the present invention, as many terms as possible are selected from currently widely used general terminology used in the exemplary embodiments. However, these terms may be replaced by other terms based on the intentions and habits of those skilled in the art, the emergence of new technologies, and the like. Moreover, in a particular case, terms arbitrarily chosen by the applicant of the present invention may be used. In this case, the meaning of such terms may be explained in the corresponding descriptive sections of the present invention. Therefore, it should be noted that the terms used herein should be interpreted based on their actual meaning and the entire contents of this specification, and not simply on the name of the term.

[0031] Throughout this specification, when an element is referred to as "containing" another element, that element should not be construed as excluding other elements unless specifically contradictory is stated, and that element may contain at least one other element. Additionally, for example, the terms "unit" and "module" may refer to a component that performs at least one function or operation and may be implemented in hardware or software, or by a combination of hardware and software.

[0032] Throughout this specification, the expression "at least one of a, b and c" may include "only a", "only b", "only c", "a and b", "a and c", "b and c" or "all of a, b and c".

[0033] In this invention, a "terminal" can be implemented as a computer or a portable terminal capable of accessing a server or another terminal via a network. Here, the computer may include, for example, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, and a laptop computer equipped with a web browser. The portable terminal may be a wireless communication device that ensures portability and mobility, and includes any type of handheld wireless communication device, such as a tablet PC, a smartphone, or a communication-based terminal, such as International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), W-CDMA, and LTE.

[0034] In the following description, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, enabling those skilled in the art to readily practice the invention. The present invention may be embodied in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein.

[0035] In the following, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0036] In describing exemplary embodiments, descriptions of technical content known in the art to which this invention pertains and not directly related to this specification will be omitted. This is to convey the subject matter of this specification more clearly by omitting unnecessary descriptions without obscuring it.

[0037] For the same reason, some components are exaggerated, omitted, or schematically illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Furthermore, the size of each component does not perfectly reflect its actual size. Identical or corresponding components in each drawing are given the same element symbols.

[0038] The advantages and features of the present invention, as well as the methods for achieving such advantages and features, will become apparent from the following exemplary embodiments, which will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the following exemplary embodiments and can be implemented in various forms. Therefore, the exemplary embodiments are provided merely to disclose the invention and to inform those skilled in the art of its scope. In the drawings, embodiments of the invention are not limited to the specific examples provided herein and are exaggerated for clarity.

[0039] Throughout this specification, the same component symbols or the same component names indicate the same components.

[0040] In this regard, it will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustration and the combination of flowchart illustrations can be executed by computer program instructions. Since these computer program instructions can be installed on the processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing equipment, the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing equipment can create a means of performing the functions described in the flowchart blocks. These computer program instructions can be stored in a computer-usable or computer-readable memory, which can be directed to a computer or other programmable data processing equipment to perform functionality in a particular manner, and thus stored in the computer-usable or computer-readable memory. It is also possible for the stored instructions to produce a manufactured object containing instruction components for performing the functions described in the flowchart blocks. The computer program instructions can also be installed on a computer or other programmable data processing equipment, enabling a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable data processing equipment to create a computer-implemented program, thereby creating a computer or other programmable data processing equipment. Instructions used to execute processing equipment can also provide steps for executing the functions described in the flowchart blocks.

[0041] Additionally, each block may represent a portion containing a module, segment, or code for performing one or more executable instructions for a specified logical function. It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions mentioned in a block may occur out of order. For example, depending on the corresponding function, two blocks displayed consecutively may actually execute substantially simultaneously, or such blocks may sometimes execute in reverse order.

[0042] Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device for providing article information according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0043] According to various exemplary embodiments, an electronic device 100 for providing article information includes a controller 110, a first database 120, and a second database 130. Additionally, the electronic device 100 may also include a third database 140. In some cases, the electronic device 100 for providing article information may further include a network supporting data transmission and reception between at least a portion of the controller 110, the first database 120, the second database 130, the third database 140, and other external devices.

[0044] Furthermore, even when the first database 120, the second database 130, and the third database 140 are present, at least some of the databases may exist as separate devices distinct from the electronic device 100, or be included in separate devices distinct from the electronic device 100, so as to exist in a form not included in the electronic device 100. However, even in this case, a method for providing article information performed through data transmission and reception between the controller 110, the first database 120, the second database 130, and the third database 140 can be performed similarly or identically. In the following description, for simplicity and convenience, an exemplary embodiment is described based on an electronic device 100 containing the first database 120, the second database 130, and the third database 140. The following description is also applicable to situations where at least some of the first database 120, the second database 130, and the third database 140 are not included in the electronic device 100.

[0045] The controller 110 of the electronic device 100 may include a transceiver, a memory, and a processor. The first database 120, the second database 130, and the third database 140 may each include at least a portion of the transceiver, memory, and processor. Furthermore, each of the controller 110, the first database 120, the second database 130, and the third database 140 may be a unit that processes at least one function or operation, which may be implemented by hardware or software, or a combination of hardware and software. Meanwhile, throughout the exemplary embodiment, the controller 110, the first database 120, the second database 130, and the third database 140 are referred to as separate devices or servers, but they may be logically separate structures and implemented as separate functions within a single server.

[0046] According to an exemplary embodiment, controller 110, first database 120, second database 130, and third database 140 may comprise a plurality of computer systems implemented as network servers or computer software. For example, at least some of controller 110, first database 120, second database 130, and third database 140 may refer to a computer system and computer software connected to a lower-level device that can communicate with another network server via a computer network such as an intranet or the Internet to receive a request to perform a task, perform the task, and provide a result of the task. Furthermore, at least some of controller 110, first database 120, second database 130, and third database 140 may be understood as a broad concept, encompassing a series of applications that can run on a network server and the various databases established therein. At least some of the controller 110, the first database 120, the second database 130, and the third database 140 may be implemented using a network server program, which is provided in various ways based on an operating system such as DOS, Windows, Linux, UNIX, or MacOS.

[0047] Electronic device 100 is a device that provides various information in the form of a web page. Electronic device 100 may be a device used to provide a user with information on the sale of goods and the provision of services, but the function of electronic device 100 is not limited to this. At the same time, in the entire exemplary embodiment, a service may also be referred to as an item, the provision of a service may also be referred to as the provision of an item or the sale of an item, and a user may purchase an item through a service provided by electronic device 100.

[0048] Controller 110 is a functional unit for controlling electronic device 100. Controller 110 can read and interpret instructions, and determine a sequence of data processing. Controller 110 receives group information from a first database, including a main item and a group of sub-items to be grouped together with the main item, and receives detailed information associated with the main item and the sub-item group from a second database. Controller 110 provides a page containing information associated with at least a portion of the main item and the sub-item group based on the group information and the detailed information.

[0049] Providing a page by controller 110 can be interpreted as encompassing various operations by which the user receives the provided page. For example, one operation by which controller 110 provides a page may include an operation by which controller 110 outputs a page on a screen by directly controlling an output device used to provide information to the user, and such an operation may also include an operation by which controller 110 controls the transceiver of electronic device 100 to transmit data for providing the page to an external device such as a user terminal.

[0050] In some cases, the controller 110 may request at least one of the following from a third database: discount information associated with the main item and the result obtained by applying the discount information associated with the main item to the main item and the sub-item group, and further provide a page based on the response information to the request.

[0051] The operation of the controller 110 will be explained in more detail later with reference to Figures 2, 4, etc.

[0052] The first database 120, the second database 130, and the third database 140 may store data, receive a request from the controller 110 or a user, and transmit data to the controller 110, and so on. For example, the first database 120 may transmit to the controller 110 group information including a main item and sub-item groups grouped together with the main item, and the second database 130 may transmit to the controller 110 detailed information associated with the main item and the sub-item groups. In addition, the third database 140 may transmit to the controller 110 at least one of the following: discount information associated with the main item and a result obtained by applying the discount information associated with the main item to the main item and the sub-item groups.

[0053] In some cases, in addition to data transmission and reception, at least some of the first database 120, the second database 130, and the third database 140 may also perform data processing, manipulation, and data-based calculations. For example, the third database 140 may receive information about the main item and sub-item groups from the controller 110, and calculate a result obtained by applying the discount information associated with the main item to the main item and sub-item groups based on the received information about the main item and sub-item groups and previously stored discount information associated with the main item. In addition, the first database 120 and the second database 130 may be a NoSQL (also known as "non-SQL") database that receives data from a relational database (RDB), processes, manipulates, reconstructs, and stores the received data.

[0054] The first database 120 and the second database 130 may be NoSQL databases. In this case, compared with relational databases, the first database 120 and the second database 130 may have relatively high scalability because the capacity can be easily changed using distributed hardware clusters. Furthermore, the first database 120 and the second database 130 can operate without a schema, and therefore may not require a predefined data structure. Additionally, because the data structure is flexibly changed, the first database 120 and the second database 130 can store informal data and enable rapid development. Thus, the first database 120 and the second database 130 may possess the characteristics of NoSQL databases.

[0055] According to various exemplary embodiments, a series of operations related to a method for processing information may be implemented by a single physical device or by a plurality of physical devices organically combined. For example, some of the components included in an electronic device 100 for providing article information may be implemented by one physical device, while the remaining components may be implemented as another physical device. For example, one physical device may be implemented as part of a controller 110, while another physical device may be implemented as part of a first database 120, a second database 130, a third database 140, or part of an external device. In some cases, the components included in the electronic device 100 for providing article information may be distributed and configured in different physical devices. Distributed components may be organically combined to perform the functions and operations of the electronic device 100 for providing article information. For example, the controller 110 of the present invention may include at least one sub-device. Some operations described as being performed by the controller 110 may be performed by a first sub-device, while some other operations may be performed by a second sub-device.

[0056] Figure 2 is a flowchart illustrating one method of processing information in an electronic device for providing article information according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0057] Referring to FIG2, in operation 201, according to an exemplary embodiment, controller 110 may receive from first database 120 group information including a main item and a group of sub-items grouped together with the main item. In this case, the sub-item group may contain one or more sub-items. Additionally, the main item may be an item corresponding to a user input. For example, the main item may be an item corresponding to a user's search input, an item corresponding to a user's shopping cart addition input, an item corresponding to a user's purchase request input, or an item price payment input. Sub-items may include, but are not limited to, additional items and services related to the purchase of the main item. For example, the main item and sub-items may be related items, regardless of hierarchy or master-slave relationship. For example, when the main item is chocolate milk, the sub-items may include strawberry-flavored milk, banana-flavored milk, coffee-flavored milk, and so on.

[0058] Depending on the exemplary embodiment, group information may be information stored by classifying elements into main items and sub-item groups, or it may simply be information stored without classifying the plurality of items contained in the elements. In one example, group information may include information associated with a personal computer (PC) as a main item and a mouse, a keyboard, and a monitor as sub-items. In another example, group information may include information associated with chocolate milk, strawberry-flavored milk, banana-flavored milk, and coffee-flavored milk. In the latter example, the main item and sub-item group may be determined based on which item the user input corresponds to.

[0059] In operation 203, controller 110 may receive detailed information associated with the master item and sub-item group from the second database 130. According to an exemplary embodiment, in operation 202, controller 110 may request detailed information from the second database and receive detailed information as a result. In this case, controller 110 may request detailed information associated with the master item and sub-item group identified based on group information from the second database.

[0060] The detailed information received by the controller 110 from the second database 130 may include at least one of the following: item name information corresponding to the main item and sub-item group; item price information corresponding to the main item and sub-item group; image information corresponding to the main item and sub-item group; and discount information associated with the main item. For example, the detailed information may include information indicating that one of the main items is named "Company A's PC," information indicating that the item price is 900,000 Korean Won, and information indicating that when the main item and sub-items are purchased together, a 2% discount will be applied to the main item for each sub-item purchased.

[0061] In one exemplary embodiment, the details may include item identifier (ID) information used in the service of electronic device 100, item manufacturer information, manufacturing date information, serial number information (for example, serial number information is identification information used by a manufacturer), and the like.

[0062] The discount information associated with the main item included in the detailed information may include at least one of the following: price discount information associated with the main item and the sub-item group; a condition for applying the price discount information; and a price discount threshold information applicable to the main item. For example, the discount information may include information indicating the following: i) a 10% discount on the price of the main item and a 5% discount on the price of the sub-item; ii) the condition for applying the discount is met when the main item and the sub-item group are purchased together; and iii) a maximum discount price of 100,000 Korean Won.

[0063] In operation 204, controller 110 may provide a page containing information associated with at least a portion of the main item and sub-item groups based on group information and detailed information. The page may be provided in a form accessible to the user. The page may be provided based on a result obtained by integrating group information and detailed information. For example, group information may contain information indicating that an item A, an item B, an item C, and an item D are related to each other, and detailed information may contain information indicating that item A is named chocolate milk, item B is named banana-flavored milk, item C is named strawberry-flavored milk, and item D is named coffee-flavored milk. In this example, the page may be provided based on chocolate milk, banana-flavored milk, strawberry-flavored milk, and coffee-flavored milk included in a group. Depending on the exemplary embodiment, group information and detailed information may each contain item ID information used in the service, and it may be determined whether an item matches an ID to determine the group information and detailed information.

[0064] Figure 3 is an illustration of an example of a page displaying information associated with at least a portion of the main item and a group of sub-items when detailed information includes discount information about a main item, according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0065] Figure 3 illustrates an example 300 of a page according to an exemplary embodiment. The page receives a search input from a user for the keyword "banana-flavored milk" and includes a search result corresponding to the keyword. In this case, banana-flavored milk can be determined to be a main item, and the page can include information associated with banana-flavored milk corresponding to the main item. However, in this case, the main item may not be a specific banana-flavored milk product specific to a specific company.

[0066] This page may further include information associated with at least a portion of a sub-item group. Since the main item is not specific to a particular company's product, the main item may include banana-flavored milk items from various companies, thus allowing a sub-item to be identified in different ways. For example, when the main item is banana-flavored milk from company A, sub-items may include strawberry-flavored milk from company A, chocolate-flavored milk from company A, coffee-flavored milk from company A, plain milk from company A, and so on. The page may include information associated with at least a portion of the sub-item group, for example, by displaying information associated with the sub-item in search results, or by displaying information indicating that a discount was applied when the sub-item and the main item were purchased together.

[0067] When the detailed information includes discount information associated with the main item, the page may include at least one of the following: information for distinguishing between an item with an applied discount and an item without an applied discount based on the discount information, and an interface for distinguishing between items with applied discounts and items without applied discounts based on the discount information. Component symbol 310 may indicate an instance of an interface for distinguishing between items with applied discounts and items without applied discounts. Specifically, when a user inputs "Company A's Flavored Milk (Bundled Discount)" applied to component symbol 310, the search results can be recategorized to prioritize displaying Company A's Flavored Milk with the bundled discount, or the search results can be filtered to display only Company A's Flavored Milk. Similarly, when a user inputs "Company B's Banana Flavored Milk (Instant Discount)" applied to component symbol 310, the search results can be recategorized to prioritize displaying Company B's Banana Flavored Milk with the instant discount, or the search results can be filtered to display only Company B's Banana Flavored Milk.

[0068] According to an exemplary embodiment, one example of an interface for distinguishing between items with and without applied discounts may include a type of discount to be applied to an item and may not include an item name. For example, an interface may display a discount type such as "bundled discount" and "instant discount" at a location corresponding to element symbol 310. When a user input is applied to the corresponding interface, a search result may be reclassified to prioritize items with applied bundled discounts, or the search result may be reclassified to prioritize items with applied instant discounts. In this case, the reclassification of search results may correspond to at least a portion of an operation that changes the display order of results obtained by searching for items related to a keyword entered into a search box and a filtering operation that does not display at least a portion of the search results.

[0069] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for providing article information by an electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment, based on data transmission and reception performed using a third database.

[0070] Referring to FIG4, in operation 401, according to an exemplary embodiment, controller 110 may request at least one of the following: discount information associated with a main item from a third database 140, and a result obtained by applying the discount information associated with the main item to a group of main and sub-items. The request information transmitted from controller 110 to the third database 140 may include at least one of group information and detailed information. Depending on the exemplary embodiment, the request information may include at least a portion of the information contained in the group information, or at least a portion of the information contained in the detailed information. For example, the request information may include item name information, item price information, and discount information for an item contained in the detailed information.

[0071] The operation of the controller 110 transmitting a request to the third database 140 can be performed based on whether the detailed information contains discount information associated with the main item. Specifically, a request parameter of the information in the third database 140 can vary based on whether the detailed information contains discount information associated with the main item. For example, when the detailed information contains discount information associated with the main item, the controller 110 can transmit a request for parameter A to the third database 140. When the detailed information does not contain discount information associated with the main item, the controller 110 can transmit a request for parameter B to the third database 140.

[0072] In operation 402, controller 110 may receive response information to a request. In an instance where the request parameters of the information in the third database 140 vary based on whether the detailed information includes discount information associated with the main item, the response information transmitted by the third database 140 receiving the request with parameter A may include one application result of the discount information. In contrast, the response information transmitted by the third database 140 receiving the request with parameter B may include the discount information and one result of transmitting the discount information to controller 110.

[0073] When the request information from controller 110 contains detailed information, and when the detailed information contains discount information associated with the main item, the response information to the request can be determined based on whether the discount information contained in the detailed information matches the discount information associated with the main item stored in the third database 140. Specifically, when the discount information contained in the detailed information matches the discount information stored in the third database 140, the response information to the request may include an approval response to one of the discount information contained in the detailed information. That is, since there is no problem with the discount information contained in the detailed information received by controller 110, the third database 140 can transmit an approval response instead of transmitting the discount information, which saves resources. In contrast, when the discount information contained in the detailed information does not match the discount information stored in the third database, the response information to the request may include a rejection response to one of the discount information contained in the detailed information and at least one of the discount information stored in the third database 140.

[0074] In addition to the group information and detailed information described above, in operation 204, the controller 110 may further provide a page based on the received response information. The response information may include at least one of the following: discount information associated with the main item and a result obtained by applying the discount information associated with the main item to the main item and the sub-item group. The discount information included in the response information may be discount information associated with the main item stored in the third database 140 (as explained above, when the detailed information includes discount information associated with the main item and the controller 110 transmits the request for parameter A to the third database 140, the response information transmitted from the third database 140 may not include discount information). That is, even when the detailed information includes discount information, the controller 110 may update the discount information based on the discount information included in the response information transmitted from the third database 140.

[0075] The discount information included in the response information may include at least one of, for example, price discount information associated with an item A and a sub-item group corresponding to item A, a condition for applying the price discount information, and price discount threshold information. The result of applying the discount information may correspond to a result obtained by calculating the discounted price of an item and the discount amount of item A and the sub-item group corresponding to item A based on the price discount information, the result of determining whether the condition for applying the price discount information is met, and the price discount threshold information.

[0076] Additionally, the response information may include purchase condition information for the main item and the sub-item set, which corresponds to the results of the application discount information. The purchase condition information may include at least one of the following: application discount item price information, information about points earned based on the purchase, and information about an item provided free of charge at the time of purchase. For example, when the main item and the sub-item set are purchased together, the purchase condition information may include one of the following scenarios: deducting 10,000 Korean Won from the payment amount for one item, earning 10,000 points, or providing a pre-ordered sub-item.

[0077] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of obtaining a result by applying promotional information according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0078] Referring to Example 500 of Figure 5, the response information may include purchase condition information for a main item and a sub-item set corresponding to the application result of the discount information. Based on this, the controller 110 can provide a page. As explained above, the purchase condition information includes at least one of the following: item price information for which a discount is applied, information about points earned based on the purchase, and information about an item provided free of charge at the time of purchase. In addition to the purchase condition information, the page may include information indicating that the purchase condition information corresponds to a main item and a sub-item, and that a discount is provided for the sub-item when purchased together with the main item. For example, the page may include the text "Buy a set and get a discount" as indicated by component symbol 501. In addition, the page may include main item information as indicated by component symbol 502, sub-item information as indicated by components symbols 503 and 504, and final order amount information showing that the purchase condition information is fully applicable as shown by component symbol 505. The page may display the discount information together with the sub-item information. For example, as indicated by component symbol 503, the text "Automatically apply a 30,000 KRW discount on a meal deal" may be displayed, and as indicated by component symbol 504, the text "Automatically apply a 4,000 KRW discount on a meal deal" may be displayed. This discount information is not necessarily displayed together with the sub-item information and may be displayed as separate text or images. Furthermore, this discount is not necessarily added to the sub-item, and a discount may be applied to the main item when one of the conditions for applying the discount, such as purchasing sub-items together, is met.

[0079] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method for achieving one of the conditions for applying a discount to a user, based on an exemplary embodiment, using additional user input.

[0080] Referring to Figure 6, when a user receives user input related to a plurality of items including a main item, a sub-item selected based on the user input may not meet the condition for applying a discount to the main item. For example, the user input used to select the main item and the user input used to select the sub-item may be different user inputs or the same user input. When multiple items are selected by the same user input, all selected items may be candidates for the main item. In this case, when each of the selected items is the main item, it can be determined whether to apply a discount to the corresponding item. For example, when receiving user input to select strawberry-flavored milk and chocolate milk, the discount information provided when strawberry-flavored milk is the main item and the discount information provided when chocolate milk is the main item can be taken into consideration, respectively.

[0081] When a sub-item selected based on user input does not meet the conditions for applying a discount to a main item, the controller 110 may suggest additional user input to the user based on group information to meet one of the conditions for applying the discount. When multiple items are considered candidates for a main item, the condition for applying a discount to a non-main item may be determined based on whether the condition for applying a discount to all of them being a main item is met. For example, when user input of selecting either strawberry-flavored milk or chocolate milk is received, and when one of the conditions for applying a discount to strawberry-flavored milk being a main item and another of the conditions for applying a discount to chocolate milk being a main item are not met, it may be determined that the sub-item selected based on user input does not meet the condition for applying a discount to a main item.

[0082] The additional user input suggested by controller 110 may correspond to one of the inputs used to achieve the application offer by means of the corresponding user input. Controller 110 may determine items that are grouped together based on group information and suggest a user input based on the determined items. In an exemplary embodiment, controller 110 may also further suggest a user input based on at least one of detailed information and offer information transmitted from third database 140.

[0083] Referring to an example indicated by reference element symbol 600, the application of a discount condition can correspond to the situation of purchasing strawberry-flavored milk, banana-flavored milk, and chocolate milk from Company A. A discount can correspond to a discount of getting one of three items at the price of purchasing two items, as indicated by element symbol 601. In this case, when an input received from the user is input 602 to add to the shopping cart of strawberry-flavored milk from Company A and input 603 to add to the shopping cart of chocolate milk from Company A, if the user adds more banana-flavored milk from Company A to a shopping cart, the user can obtain more banana-flavored milk from Company A without additional cost. Therefore, the controller 110 can suggest a user input to the user for adding banana-flavored milk from Company A to the shopping cart, as indicated by element symbol 604.

[0084] Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method, according to an exemplary embodiment, for obtaining a result of applying discount information to an item in a shopping cart by performing data transmission and reception using a third database when a user enters a shopping cart page.

[0085] Referring to FIG7, in operation 701, according to an exemplary embodiment, controller 110 may receive from a user an input to add at least a portion of a main item and a sub-item group to a shopping cart, corresponding to an add input on a provided page. In operation 702, controller 110 may receive from a user a request input for a shopping cart page displaying a shopping cart. In this case, in operation 703, controller 110 may request from a third database 140 one or more discount information corresponding to one or more items included in the shopping cart to provide the shopping cart page to the user. In operation 704, controller 110 may request a result obtained by applying one or more discount information corresponding to one or more items included in the shopping cart to one or more items included in the shopping cart from the third database to provide the shopping cart page to the user.

[0086] The third database 140 can transmit to the controller 110 at least one of the following: discount information provided when each of the one or more items included in the shopping cart page corresponds to the main item, and a result obtained by applying the discount information to the items. In this case, the controller 110 can provide the user with at least a portion of the discount information provided for each item through the shopping cart page. Alternatively, the controller 110 can calculate the best discount provided for the shopping cart page by comprehensively comparing the discount information provided for each item, and provide the calculated discount to the user.

[0087] When a request is received from a third database to obtain a result by applying one or more discount information corresponding to one or more items included in the shopping cart to one or more items included in the shopping cart, the third database 140 can calculate the best discount to be provided to the shopping cart page by comprehensively comparing the discount information provided when each of the one or more items included in the shopping cart page corresponds to the main item, and provide the best discount information obtained as a result of the calculation to the controller 110. In this case, the controller 110 can provide the user with the best discount information received from the third database 140.

[0088] Thus, when a user receives a request for input on the shopping cart page, the discounts for one or more items included on the shopping cart page can be determined again, so that the best discount can be provided to a user by taking into account the relationship between an item that has been previously added to the shopping cart and an item that has been newly added to the shopping cart in response to a user's input.

[0089] Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating one example of a method for operating a database according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0090] Figure 8 illustrates an example of a method for operating a database including a first database 120, a second database 130, and a third database 140. In the figure, a Star 801 is a function, element, or device (hereinafter referred to as a "function" for ease of explanation) that handles data transmission and reception between a front-end and a back-end in a service, and specifically relates to an operation of providing a service to a user at the front-end, and can be understood as a function included in controller 110 or a function that communicates directly with controller 110.

[0091] A Product Bundled Service - CDS (PBSCDS) 802 is a database corresponding to the first database 120. PBSCDS 802 can receive and store group information from a PBS containing a master item and a sub-item group to be grouped with the master item, and transmit the group information to StarCraft 801. A Product CDS 803 is a database corresponding to the second database 130. Product CDS 803 can contain detailed information associated with a plurality of items and transmit the detailed information to StarCraft 801. Product CDS 803 can further receive and store promotional information from the PBS, and transmit detailed information containing the promotional information received from the PBS to StarCraft 801.

[0092] The PBS can receive and store group information, offer information, and the like from an NPS (PMS) 804, or acquire group information and offer information by integrating information received from multiple terminals such as PMS 804, WING, RCC, and the like. The PBS is not a necessary component for transmitting group information to PBSCDS 802 or offering information to product CDS 803. In some cases, instead of the PBS, PBSCDS 802 and product CDS 803 can directly transmit data to and receive data from PMS 804, WING, RCC, and the like. However, when the PBS is further included in the configuration, the PBS can acquire group information and offer information by integrating information received from multiple terminals and transmit the group information and offer information to PBSCDS 802. Furthermore, when considering the various operations that can be performed on terminals such as PMS 804, WING, RCC, and similar devices, in addition to generating and managing group information and promotional information, one potential advantage is that the load on one terminal can be reduced by further configuring the PBS.

[0093] In one exemplary embodiment, when product CDS 803 retrieves detailed information or transmits detailed information to StarCraft 801, operations can be performed in an indexing section and a galaxy section. For example, by performing indexing at a supplier item level, the indexing section can perform filtering to distinguish between an item with an applied discount and an item without an applied discount, or it can process information to distinguish between corresponding items and transmit the information to StarCraft 801. In other words, the indexing section can be adapted to a structure for storing or retrieving information to index the data. Additionally, the galaxy section can provide an intermediate stage for serving the indexed data by integrating a filter, an icon, a badge, and the like output when an item is queried into the data indexed in the indexing section.

[0094] PMS 804 is a database corresponding to the third database 140, and may contain discount information for multiple items corresponding to a service provided by electronic device 100, as well as grouping information among the items. Additionally, based on a request transmitted from StarCraft 801, PMS 804 can calculate discounts to be applied to items selected by a user and provide the calculated discounts to StarCraft 801. For example, PMS 804 may receive detailed information about an item from StarCraft 801 and perform a calculation based on the received detailed information, or perform a calculation based on grouping information and discount information, without using detailed information about a separate item. Alternatively, detailed information about an item may be stored in PMS 804. In this case, PMS 804 may not receive detailed information for each item from StarCraft 801.

[0095] When PMS 804 receives detailed information about an item from StarCraft 801, the detailed information transmitted by StarCraft 801 can correspond to the detailed information stored in the product CDS 803.

[0096] Figure 9 is a flowchart illustrating one method of processing information by a controller according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0097] Referring to FIG9, in operation 910, according to an exemplary embodiment, controller 110 receives from a first database 120 group information including a master item and a sub-item group grouped together with the master item. In operation 920, controller 110 receives from a second database 130 detailed information associated with the master item and the sub-item group.

[0098] In operation 930, based on the received group information and detailed information, controller 110 provides one of the pages containing information associated with at least a portion of the main item and the sub-item group.

[0099] In one exemplary embodiment, the controller 110 may request at least one of the following results: requesting discount information associated with the main item from the third database 140 and obtaining such information by applying the discount information associated with the main item to the main item and the sub-item group, and further providing a page based on the response information to the request.

[0100] Figure 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an electronic device for providing advertising content according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0101] Referring to FIG10, the controller 110 includes a transceiver 1010, a processor 1020 and a memory 1030. The controller 110 is connected to the first database 120 and other external devices through the transceiver 1010 to perform data exchange.

[0102] The processor 1020 may include at least one of the devices described above with reference to Figures 1 to 9, or be capable of performing at least one of the methods described above with reference to Figures 1 to 9. The memory 1030 may store information for performing at least one of the methods described above with reference to Figures 1 to 9. The memory 1030 may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory.

[0103] The processor 1020 can execute a program and control the controller 110 to provide information. The code of the program executed by the processor 1020 can be stored in the memory 1030.

[0104] Moreover, in an exemplary embodiment, the controller 110 may further include an interface for providing information to a user.

[0105] This specification and accompanying drawings have been described with reference to exemplary embodiments of the invention. Although specific terminology has been used, it is used in a general sense only to readily explain the technical content of the invention and to aid in understanding the invention, and is not intended to limit the scope of this specification. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that other modifications based on the technical spirit of the invention may be implemented in addition to the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0106] According to the embodiments described above, an electronic device or terminal may include a processor, a memory for storing and executing program data, a permanent memory such as a disk drive, a communication port for communicating with an external device, and a user interface device such as a touch panel, a button, and a keypad. Methods implemented by software modules or algorithms can be stored as computer-readable code or program commands executable by a processor in a computer-readable recording medium. Here, the computer-readable recording medium may be a magnetic storage medium (e.g., a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a floppy disk, or a hard disk) or an optical reading medium (e.g., a CD-ROM or a digital multifunction disc (DVD)). The computer-readable recording medium can be distributed to a computer system connected via a network, allowing for distributed storage and execution of computer-readable code. The medium can be read by a computer, stored in a memory, and executed by a processor.

[0107] This embodiment can be represented by functional blocks and various processing steps. These functional blocks can be implemented by various numbers of hardware and / or software configurations performing specific functions. For example, this embodiment can employ direct circuit configurations, such as a memory, a processor, a logic circuit, and a lookup table, that can perform various functions by controlling one or more microprocessors or other control devices. Similar elements can be implemented by software programming or software components; this embodiment can be implemented by programming or instruction code languages ​​(such as C, C++, Java, and compilers, including various algorithms implemented by combinations of data structures, programs, conventions, or other programming configurations). Functional configurations can be implemented by algorithms executed by one or more processors. Additionally, this embodiment can employ related technologies such as electronic environment setup, signal processing, and / or data processing. The terms "mechanism," "element," "component," and "configuration" are used extensively and are not limited to mechanical and physical components. For example, such terms may encompass the meaning of a set of software conventions associated with a processor.

[0108] The embodiments described above are merely examples, and other embodiments may be implemented within the scope of the following claims. [Simplified Explanation of the Diagram]

[0029] Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device for providing information about an item according to an exemplary embodiment. Figure 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method for processing information in an electronic device for providing item information according to an exemplary embodiment. Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a page displaying information associated with at least a portion of the main item and a group of sub-items when detailed information includes discount information about a main item, according to an exemplary embodiment. Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for providing item information by an electronic device for providing item information based on data transmission and reception performed using a third database, according to an exemplary embodiment. Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a result obtained by applying discount information, according to an exemplary embodiment. Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method for proposing additional user input to achieve a condition for applying a discount to a user, according to an exemplary embodiment. Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method, according to an exemplary embodiment, for obtaining a result of applying discount information to an item in a shopping cart by utilizing data transmission and reception based on a third database when a user enters a shopping cart page. Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for operating a database, according to an exemplary embodiment. Figure 9 is a flowchart illustrating a method for a controller to process information, according to an exemplary embodiment. Figure 10 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a controller for an electronic device to provide item information, according to an exemplary embodiment.

Claims

1. A method for providing article information in a controller of an electronic device, the method comprising: Receive group information from a primary database, which includes a primary item and a group of sub-items grouped together with the primary item; Receive detailed information associated with the main item and the sub-item group from a second database; and provide a page containing information associated with at least a portion of the main item and the sub-item group based on the group information and the detailed information, wherein providing the page includes at least one of: requesting discount information associated with the main item from a third database and obtaining a result by applying the discount information to the main item and the sub-item group; and configuring the page to include an interface for distinguishing between items with applied discounts and items without applied discounts based on a response from the third database, wherein the interface includes a function that prioritizes displaying items with applied discounts over those without applied discounts.

2. The method of request item 1, wherein the page is provided in response to user input received from a user in relation to the main item.

3. The method of request item 2, wherein the user input includes at least one of a search input related to the main item, an add input for adding the main item to a shopping cart, a purchase request input for the main item, and a payment input for the item price of the main item.

4. The method of request item 1, further comprising: The second database requests the detailed information associated with the master item and the sub-item group identified based on the group information.

5. The method of request item 1, wherein the detailed information includes at least one of the following: item name information corresponding to the main item and the sub-item group, item price information corresponding to the main item and the sub-item group, image information corresponding to the main item and the sub-item group, and the discount information associated with the main item.

6. As in claim 5, the discount information included in the details includes at least one of the following: price discount information associated with the main item and the sub-item group; a condition for applying the price discount information; and a threshold value information for a price discount that may be applied in relation to the main item.

7. The method of request item 1, wherein the page further includes information that distinguishes between items with applied offers and items without applied offers.

8. The method of request item 1, wherein the sending of the request is based on whether the details contain the offer information.

9. The method of request item 1, wherein sending the request includes transmitting request information containing at least one of the group information and the details to the third database.

10. The method of request item 9, wherein in the case where the request information includes the details and the details include discount information associated with the main item, the response of the third database includes, when the discount information included in the details matches the discount information stored in the third database, an approval response to one of the discount information included in the details, and the response of the third database includes, when the discount information included in the details does not match the discount information stored in the third database, a rejection response to one of the discount information included in the details, and at least one of the discount information stored in the third database.

11. The method of request item 1, wherein the response of the third database contains purchase condition information corresponding to the result of one application of the offer information for the main item and the sub-item group, and the purchase condition information contains at least one of item price information, points earning information, and free item information.

12. The method of request item 1, wherein the first database and the second database are scalable non-SQL (NoSQL) databases.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising: When a user receives user input related to one of a plurality of items containing the main item and selects a sub-item based on the user input, but the sub-item does not meet one of the conditions for applying the offer to the main item, additional user input is suggested based on the group information to meet one of the conditions for applying the offer to the user.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising: When a user receives a new input to add the main item and at least a portion of the sub-item group to a shopping cart to correspond to the page; and when the user receives a request for input on a shopping cart page displaying the shopping cart, requests one or more discount information corresponding to one or more items contained in the shopping cart from a third database.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising: When a user receives a new input to add the main item and at least a portion of the sub-item group to a shopping cart to correspond to the page; and when the user receives a request input for a shopping cart page displaying the shopping cart, requests a result from a third database to obtain a result by applying one or more discount information corresponding to one or more items included in the shopping cart to one or more items included in the shopping cart.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium comprising a computer program for performing one of the methods as claimed in claim 1.

17. An electronic device for providing information about an article, the electronic device comprising: A first database storing group information including a master item and a sub-item group grouped together with the master item; a second database storing detailed information associated with the master item and the sub-item group; and a controller configured to: receive the group information from the first database; receive the detailed information from the second database; and provide a page containing information associated with at least a portion of the master item and the sub-item group based on the group information and the detailed information, wherein the controller is configured to provide the page by: requesting at least one of a third database for discount information associated with the master item and a result obtained by applying the discount information to the master item and the sub-item group; and, based on a response from the third database, configuring the page to include an interface for distinguishing between items with applied discounts and items without applied discounts, wherein the interface includes a function that prioritizes displaying items with applied discounts over those without applied discounts.

Images