Book sales system, e-book id allocation system, book sales program, and sales system

Abstract

To provide a sales system for selling sales target books such as textbooks that reduces the burden on three parties: students and parents; schools; and booksellers.SOLUTION: A sales system accepts student information using a sales target book, information identifying the sales target book to be purchased, and selection of a payment method from a purchaser's terminal connected via a network, and stores the information in a memory unit. The sales system generates unique information (for example, bar code) that identifies contents of the purchase and transmits it to the purchaser's terminal. When the unique information is entered at a sales place from a terminal of a sales clerk for the sales target book, the sales system accesses the memory unit and displays the student information and the like on the terminal of the sales clerk.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a system for selling books, such as textbooks designated by a school, to students at the school. [Background technology]

[0002] In Japan, textbooks are supplied to schools in accordance with the Textbook Publication Law and other regulations, and textbook publishers are obligated to supply textbooks to schools. Textbook publishers supply textbooks to schools by entering into a contract with a textbook supplier. In practice, the textbook supplier selects a textbook distributor, which then supplies the textbooks to each school.

[0003] Elementary and junior high school textbooks are distributed free of charge to students, but in high schools, textbooks designated by the school for each subject the student is taking are sold to students or their guardians. Generally, students or guardians purchase textbooks with cash at a special textbook sales point set up by the school or textbook distributor on a sales date or sales period set by the school or textbook distributor. At that time, students circle the subjects or courses they are taking on the printed materials distributed by their high school, write their name on them, and bring them to exchange them for textbooks.

[0004] On the other hand, in order to fulfill their obligation to supply schools with the right amount of textbooks, textbook distributors manually compile a list of purchasers after the sale date or end of the sales period and report this to the schools so that the schools can identify those who have not purchased textbooks.

[0005] In addition, textbook distributors sell general books (general books and specialized books) such as dictionaries that are designated or recommended by the school, either together with the textbooks designated by the school or separately from the textbooks. The textbooks and general books sold are handed over to students at the school or at a special textbook sales outlet. In these cases, the sales staff of the textbook distributor may hand them over directly to the students, or teachers may hand them over to the students, and this unique sales format continues to exist.

[0006] Patent document 1 discloses a system that allows children and parents to order school supplies directly from the system in order to reduce the burden on schools when they order school supplies in bulk, and that also allows the system to see who has purchased which school supplies for each school. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6651089 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] On textbook sales days, all students gather at a special textbook sales counter, which is prone to overcrowding and is undesirable in terms of infection control measures against COVID-19 and other diseases. In addition, sales staff must meet with a large number of students and parents, calculate the total purchase amount for each student in a short amount of time using a calculator, receive the cash, select the correct textbook from a wide variety of textbooks, and hand over the correct amount of change. This places a heavy burden on inexperienced sales staff, and is prone to calculation errors. On the other hand, hiring a large number of experienced sales staff requires a lot of labor and labor.

[0009] In addition, textbooks are expensive to purchase, so parents feel uneasy about letting their children carry cash, and it becomes difficult for schools to manage students carrying large amounts of cash.

[0010] In addition, after the sale, textbook distributors must manually compile a list of purchasers, which places a heavy burden on the distributors. In recent years, from the perspective of protecting personal information, there has been a growing demand for careful handling of personal information such as students' names, which has increased the burden on textbook distributors. Despite the various challenges mentioned above, the number of children is falling, and as a result, textbook distributors are seeing a decline in profits. As a result, they are facing a shortage of successors and an aging workforce.

[0011] In order to continue the current system of supplying textbooks to schools, it would be effective to introduce a system that reduces the workload of textbook distributors and enables them to make a certain amount of profit, without increasing the burden on schools.

[0012] On the other hand, the reality is that it is difficult for textbook distributors, which are struggling with a lack of successors and an aging workforce, to independently introduce any customized system.

[0013] The system disclosed in Patent Document 1 allows children and their guardians to directly order school supplies, but does not solve the above-mentioned problems at the sales point when children receive the ordered school supplies in exchange for cash. In addition, the system in Patent Document 1 cannot solve the labor shortage and succession problems that multiple bookstores face.

[0014] An object of the present invention is to provide a book sales system that can reduce the workload of three parties: students and their parents, schools, and textbook distributors. [Means for solving the problem]

[0015] In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, a book sales system is provided that includes a sales object reception unit, a sales object storage unit, a purchase reception unit, a purchase content storage unit, a payment status confirmation unit, and a sales list generation unit. The sales object reception unit receives registration of one or more bookstores, and receives, for each bookstore, registration of one or more school names in charge of sales, information identifying one or more books for sale for each school, and the price of the books for sale. The sales object storage unit stores the bookstore name, the school name to which the books are sold, the information identifying the books for sale, and the price, which are received by the sales object reception unit, in association with each other. The purchase reception unit receives input of the school name from the purchaser's terminal, displays the books for sale stored in association with the received school name on the purchaser's terminal, and when the purchaser selects a book for sale and selects to purchase it, receives the purchaser's student information and selection of a payment method. The purchase content storage unit stores the purchase content, which is received by the purchase reception unit, in association with the school name, the selected books for sale, the purchaser's student information, and the selected payment method. The payment status confirmation unit confirms whether the payment method selected for the purchase has been executed. When an inquiry about the purchase status is received from one of the registered bookstores, the sales list generation unit extracts the purchase details including the school name corresponding to the bookstore from the purchase details storage unit. Furthermore, the sales list generation unit receives a confirmation result of whether the payment has been executed from the payment status confirmation unit, and generates and outputs a sales list that corresponds the purchasing student information, the information identifying the purchased book for sale, and the school name for the purchase details for which the payment has been executed. Effect of the Invention

[0016] According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the burden on three parties: students and their parents, schools, and bookstores. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a textbook sales system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 4(a) and 4(b) are flowcharts showing the operation of the textbook sales system of the first embodiment. [Diagram 3]4(a) and 4(b) are flowcharts showing the operation of the textbook sales system of the first embodiment. [Figure 4] 1 shows a management screen displayed on an administrator terminal 4 by the textbook sales system of embodiment 1. FIG. [Diagram 5] 13A and 13B show example screens displayed on the administrator terminal 4 by the textbook sales system of embodiment 1. [Figure 6] 13A and 13B are diagrams showing example screens displayed on a purchaser terminal 2 by the textbook sales system of embodiment 1. [Figure 7] 13(a) to 13(c) show example screens displayed on a purchaser terminal 2 by the textbook sales system of embodiment 1. [Figure 8] 13(a) to 13(c) show example screens displayed on a purchaser terminal 2 by the textbook sales system of embodiment 1. [Figure 9] 13(a) to 13(c) show example screens displayed on a purchaser terminal 2 by the textbook sales system of embodiment 1. [Figure 10] 13(a) to 13(c) show example screens displayed on a purchaser terminal 2 by the textbook sales system of embodiment 1. [Figure 11] 1 is a diagram for explaining a table in a purchase contents memory area 15c of the memory unit 15 of the textbook sales system of the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 2A shows an example of a screen displayed on a purchaser terminal 2 by the textbook sales system of embodiment 1, and FIG. 2B shows an example of a screen displayed on a salesperson terminal 3 by the textbook sales system of embodiment 1. [Figure 13] 13A and 13B show examples of screens displayed on a salesperson's terminal 3 by the textbook sales system of embodiment 1. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a textbook sales system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] 11 is a flowchart showing the operation of the textbook sales system of the second embodiment. [Figure 16] 13(a) to (d) are diagrams for explaining tables in a storage unit 15 of the textbook sales system of the second embodiment. [Figure 17]13(a) and (b) are diagrams for explaining tables in a memory unit 15 of the textbook sales system of the second embodiment. [Figure 18] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a textbook sales system 100 according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 19] 11(a) and 11(b) are flowcharts showing the operation of the textbook sales system 100 of the third embodiment. [Figure 20] FIG. 13 shows an input screen displayed on the administrator terminal 4 by the textbook sales system 100 of the third embodiment. [Figure 21] 11(a) and 11(b) are flowcharts showing the operation of the textbook sales system 100 of the third embodiment. [Figure 22] FIG. 13 shows an input screen displayed on a purchaser's terminal by the textbook sales system 100 of the third embodiment. [Diagram 23] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining an input screen that the textbook sales system 100 of the third embodiment displays on the purchaser's terminal. [Figure 24] 13 is a diagram for explaining a table in the short-term sales item purchase details memory area 15f of the memory unit 15 of the textbook sales system 100 of the third embodiment. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0019] In this embodiment, a book or the like that a school specifies for students to purchase is called a "textbook." The term "textbook" includes authorized textbooks, textbooks other than authorized textbooks, and general books (adopted books) specified by a school. The form of a "textbook" may be any form that makes a book or book data available, in addition to a printed book. For example, the form of a "textbook" includes a storage medium such as a CD-ROM on which book data is stored, a storage medium on which information data (including audio data and image data) conforming to a book is stored, book data downloaded via a content distribution service or the like via a network, an electronic book that can be viewed on a server provided by an application service provider (ASP) via a network, an application (e.g., a textbook app) that can be used on a server provided by an application service provider via a network, a storage medium on which a textbook app is stored, and purchase proof information (such as a receipt, a password, or an ID) for enabling access to book data and textbook apps on a server are included in the form of a "textbook." In this embodiment, books selected by the school and recommended to students to purchase along with the "textbook" are called "school-designated books." For example, they are dictionaries, reference books, workbooks, and resource books. The form of the "school-designated books," like the form of the "textbook," may be any form that makes the book or book data available, in addition to printed books.

[0020] <<Embodiment 1>> In the first embodiment, a textbook sales system is described in which a textbook wholesaler sells to students "textbooks" that schools (elementary schools, junior high schools, high schools, universities, and vocational schools) specify as must-buy items, and "school-designated books" (dictionaries, etc.) that schools recommend to students to purchase along with textbooks. In this system, students display information on "textbooks" and "school-designated books" that have been registered in advance in the system by a textbook wholesaler on their own terminals (smartphones or computers), and select the textbooks, etc. to purchase. The bookstore can hand over the selected textbooks, etc. at a textbook store in exchange for cash, or if payment has been made in advance, can only hand over the textbooks, etc. at the textbook store, or can deliver them directly to the student's home.

[0021] The textbook sales system 1 of the embodiment 1 will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of the textbook sales system 1 and a terminal connected to the textbook sales system 1.

[0022] <Overall composition> A terminal 2 of a textbook purchaser, who is a student or a guardian, and a terminal 3 of a textbook sales clerk are connected to textbook sales system 1 via a network 5 such as the Internet. In addition, an administrator terminal 4 is directly connected to textbook sales system 1. Note that the sales clerk's terminal 3 may be configured to be directly connected to textbook sales system 1, or the administrator terminal 4 may be connected via network 5.

[0023] The purchaser terminal 2 is, for example, a student's or parent's smartphone, tablet terminal, personal computer (PC), etc., and is equipped with an input unit 21, a display unit 22, and a communication control unit 23 that communicates with the textbook sales system 1.

[0024] Similarly, the salesperson's terminal 3 is, for example, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a personal computer (PC), etc., and includes an input unit 31, a display unit 32, and a communication control unit 33 that communicates with the textbook sales system 1, and further includes a barcode reading unit 34. The barcode reading unit 34 may be a dedicated barcode reader, or may be a combination of a camera built into the smartphone or tablet terminal and an application that reads barcodes from images captured by the camera.

[0025] Administrator terminal 4 includes an input unit 41, a display unit 42, and a communication control unit 43 that communicates with textbook sales system 1, and is, for example, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a personal computer (PC), etc. Administrator terminal 4 may be operated directly by a textbook distributor, or, if the administrator of textbook sales system 1 and the textbook distributor are different, it may be operated by the administrator of textbook sales system 1 upon request from the textbook distributor.

[0026] <Textbook Sales System 1 Configuration and Functions> As shown in Figure 1, the textbook sales system 1 includes a reception unit 10, a purchase content specific information generation unit 11, a salesperson information transmission unit 12, a payment status confirmation unit 13, a purchase amount calculation unit 14, a memory unit 15, a communication control unit 16, and a purchaser list creation unit 17.

[0027] The reception unit 10 accepts registration of "textbooks" and "school-recommended books" (atlases, dictionaries, etc.) to be sold from the administrator terminal 4. The reception unit 10 also accepts the purchaser's student information, information specifying the textbooks and school-recommended books to be purchased, and the selection of the payment method from the purchaser's terminal connected via the network. The reception unit 10 can accept the selection of either cash or advance payment as the payment method.

[0028] The memory unit 15 stores purchase details that correspond to the student information accepted by the acceptance unit 10, information specifying the textbooks etc. to be purchased, and the selected payment method.

[0029] The purchase content identification information generation unit (hereinafter referred to as the barcode generation unit in embodiment 1) 11 generates unique purchase content identification information (one-dimensional barcode, two-dimensional barcode, code number, character string, etc.) that identifies the purchase content, and transmits it to the purchaser's terminal.

[0030] When purchase content specification information is input to a salesperson's terminal at a textbook sales outlet, the salesperson information transmission unit 12 transmits and displays to the salesperson's terminal the student information of the purchase content stored in the memory unit 15, information specifying the textbooks etc. to be purchased, and the payment method, in correspondence with each other.

[0031] If the selected payment method is advance payment, the payment status confirmation unit 13 confirms whether advance payment has been executed.

[0032] The purchase amount calculation unit 14 calculates the total purchase amount of the purchased textbooks and the like from the purchase details accepted by the acceptance unit 10, and stores the calculated total in the storage unit 15 in association with the purchase details.

[0033] The operations of the memory unit 15, the communication control unit 16, and the purchaser list creation unit 17 will be made clear in the following flow chart.

[0034] The hardware configuration of the textbook sales system 1 includes a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), and a memory. The processor executes a program stored in advance in the memory, thereby realizing the functions of the reception unit 10, barcode generation unit 11, salesperson information transmission unit 12, payment status confirmation unit 13, purchase amount calculation unit 14, storage unit 15, communication control unit 16, and purchaser list creation unit 17 through software. It is also possible to realize the above functions not only through software, but also through hardware in part or in whole. For example, a circuit design can be performed to realize the functions of each unit using a custom IC such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or a programmable IC such as an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array). The functions of each part of the textbook sales system 1 will be explained below using Figures 2(a) and (b), the flowcharts of Figures 3(a) and (b), screen examples of Figures 4 to 8, and an example table in memory unit 15 of Figure 9.

[0035] <Registering textbooks and school-recommended books> First, a user of a textbook wholesaler, or an administrator of textbook sales system 1 who has received a request from a textbook wholesaler (hereinafter referred to as the operator of administrator terminal 4), registers textbooks and the like sold by the textbook wholesaler in textbook sales system 1 via administrator terminal 4. It is possible to register textbooks one by one, or, if the multiple textbooks to be used for each course are predetermined, it is also possible to sell textbooks as a set for each course. The following explanation describes the registration method when selling textbooks as a set for each course.

[0036] <Steps 231 and 232> When textbook sales system 1 is accessed from administrator terminal 4, reception unit 10 displays an administration screen as shown in Fig. 4 on display unit 42 of administrator terminal 4. The administration screen in Fig. 4 displays information edit button 451 for opening a screen for registering and editing school names, course registration button 452 and course edit button 453 for registering and editing grades for each school, product registration button 454 and product edit button 455 for registering and editing textbooks or school-recommended books (products) for each grade, purchase history confirmation button 456 for opening, confirming and editing student purchase history for each school, and student information confirmation button 457 for confirming and editing information of students registered for each school.

[0037] The operator of the manager terminal 4 operates the information edit button 451 to open a screen (not shown) for registering the school name, and registers and edits the school name.

[0038] The operator also operates the course registration button 452 and the course edit button 453 to open a screen (not shown) for registering the school year, and registers the school year (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.) for which textbooks, etc. will be sold by the textbook sales system 1 of this embodiment.

[0039] <Step 233> 4, when the operator operates the product registration button 454, an input screen (not shown) opens and accepts the selection of whether to register a textbook or a book designated by the school. When the operator of the administrator terminal 4 selects to register a textbook, the process proceeds to step 234, and when the operator selects to register a book designated by the school, the process proceeds to step 235.

[0040] <Step 234> If the operator of the administrator terminal 4 selects to register textbooks, an input screen for a list of textbook products is displayed as shown in Figure 5 (a), and the operator registers, for each school, the grade and the products (textbooks) to be sold to that grade.

[0041] In this case, in order to sell a set of a plurality of textbooks that are predetermined for each course of study for each school year, the operator registers the name of the textbook set that indicates the course of study as the product name.

[0042] Specifically, the product names (textbook set names) sold to first-year students are registered as three types of textbook sets: "S Advanced (new first-year students)", "Advanced (new first-year students)", and "Preparatory School (new first-year students)", along with their respective prices. The product names sold to second-year students are registered as three types of textbook sets: "[1] S Advanced Science / Physics (new second-year students)", "[2] S Advanced Science / Biology (new second-year students)", and "[3] Advanced Science / Physics (new second-year students)", along with their respective prices.

[0043] Furthermore, the operator registers the display period (sales period) and the display order for each product (textbook set). When the purchaser terminal 2 accesses the textbook sales system 1 during the registered display period, the products (textbook sets) are displayed on the display unit 22 of the purchaser terminal 2 in the order specified by the display order.

[0044] The information on the product (textbook set) registered on the input screen of FIG. 5(a) is stored in the product list storage area 15a of the storage unit 15.

[0045] Although an example of selling a textbook set has been described here, it is of course possible to register the name of each textbook as the product name.

[0046] <Step 235> On the other hand, if the operator selects to register books designated by the school in step 233, an input screen for a list of textbook products is displayed as shown in FIG. 5(b), and the operator registers, for each school, the grade and the products (books designated by the school) to be sold to that grade.

[0047] Specifically, for example, as school-recommended books sold to all students in the target grades 1 to 3, two product names (school-recommended book names) are registered: "Electronic Dictionary [A] 5-Dictionary Set" and "Electronic Dictionary [B] 2-Dictionary Set," along with their prices.

[0048] Furthermore, the operator registers a display period (sales period) for each product (book designated by the school). When the purchaser terminal 2 accesses the textbook sales system 1 during the registered display period, the products (books designated by the school) are displayed on the display unit 22 of the purchaser terminal 2 in the order specified by the display order.

[0049] The information on the product (books designated by the school) registered on the input screen of FIG. 5(b) is stored in the product list storage area 15a of the storage unit 15.

[0050] <Order acceptance> Next, the operation of textbook sales system 1 to receive an order from a purchaser (a student or a guardian) will be described with reference to the flow in FIG. 2(b).

[0051] <Step 201> When the textbook sales system 1 is accessed from the purchaser terminal 2, the reception unit 10 proceeds to step 202.

[0052] For example, a textbook distributor distributes printed materials with two-dimensional barcodes to students at a school, and the purchaser terminal 2, which is a student or a guardian, can access the textbook sales system 1 by reading the two-dimensional barcode (URL (Uniform Resource Locator) for accessing the textbook sales system 1) on the printed materials. The URL may also be entered directly from the purchaser terminal 2.

[0053] <Step 202> When the textbook sales system 1 is accessed from the purchaser terminal 2, it sends an input screen for inputting an email address, as shown in FIG. 6(a), to the purchaser terminal 2 and displays it, prompting the purchaser to input (register) their email address. When the email address is registered from the purchaser's purchaser terminal 2, the textbook sales system 1 sends an email for official registration to the registered email address. The email address contains the URL of the textbook sales system 1 and a temporary password, as shown in FIG. 6(b). The purchaser can access the member registration screen of the textbook sales system 1 by accessing it from the purchaser terminal 2 (step 201).

[0054] <Step 203> When accessed from the purchaser terminal 2, the reception unit 10 transmits input screens (Figures 7(a)-(c), Figures 8(a)-(c), Figures 9(a)-(c), Figures 10(a)-(c)) for accepting input such as student information identifying the student who will use the textbook, information identifying the textbook etc. to be purchased, selection of receipt method and payment method to the purchaser terminal 2 via the communication control unit 16, and displays them on the display unit 22 of the purchaser terminal 2.

[0055] The purchaser operates the input unit 21 of the purchaser terminal 2 to input student information on the input screens of Figs. 7(a)-(c). Next, the purchaser inputs information identifying the textbook to be purchased on the input screens of Figs. 8(a)-(c), confirms the purchased items on the input screens of Figs. 9(a)-(c), and inputs the method of receipt. Furthermore, the purchaser inputs the selection of the payment method on the input screens of Figs. 10(a)-(c). The reception unit 10 of the textbook sales system 1 accepts these inputs. The reception unit 10 associates the student information, information identifying the textbook etc. to be purchased, and the selected payment method, and stores them as purchase details in the student information storage area 15b of the storage unit 15 in the format of a table shown in Fig. 11, for example.

[0056] A specific description will be given below. For example, the reception unit 10 of the textbook sales system 1 displays the input screen for receiving student information shown in Figures 7(a) to (c) on the purchaser terminal 2, and receives input of a new password, student ID number (or freshman test number), grade, class name (course), attendance number, student name, phonetic pronunciation, email address, and address. In addition, it receives input of a guardian's name, phonetic ...

[0057] When the reception unit 10 of the textbook sales system 1 receives the input of the student information, it stores it in the student information storage area 15b of the storage unit 15 as shown in FIG. 11, and then displays an input screen on the purchaser terminal 2 to allow the purchaser to select the textbook and the school-designated book (here, a dictionary) to be purchased as shown in FIG. 8(a). At this time, it is preferable to display only the products corresponding to the student's grade. In the input screen (2) of FIG. 8(a), the "Textbook" tab or the "Dictionary (School-designated book)" tab is selected. When the "Textbook" tab is selected, a list of product names (textbook sets) of textbooks that can be purchased is displayed in the input screen (3) of FIG. 8(a). In the input screen of the purchaser terminal 2, the purchaser selects the product name (textbook set) to be ordered in the screen (3) of FIG. 8(a).

[0058] Furthermore, if the purchaser wishes to purchase a book designated by the school (dictionary), the purchaser further selects the "Dictionary (Book Designated by the School)" tab in (2) of Figure 8(a). This will display a list of books designated by the school (dictionaries) as shown in Figure 8(b), so the purchaser can select one of the books designated by the school (dictionaries) they wish to purchase. This will then display only the selected books designated by the school (dictionaries) as shown in Figure 8(c), so the purchaser can enter the number of books to purchase using the pull-down menu.

[0059] When the reception unit 10 of the textbook sales system 1 receives input of textbooks to be purchased, it stores the input in the purchase details storage area 15c of the storage unit 15, and then displays a list of purchased items and the total amount as shown in FIG. 9(a), and displays an input screen for receiving the receipt method on the display unit 22 of the purchaser terminal 2 as shown in FIG. 9(b). The receipt method can be selected from three types: "Delivery to home (home delivery)", "Pickup by the student at the textbook sales store", and "Pickup by someone other than the student at the textbook sales store". When "Delivery to home (home delivery)" is selected, the reception unit 10 of the textbook sales system 1 displays an input screen for receiving the delivery address on the display unit 22 of the purchaser terminal 2 as shown in FIG. 9(c), and receives the input of the delivery address from the purchaser terminal 2. When the reception unit 10 of the textbook sales system 1 receives the selection of the receipt method, it stores the selection in the purchase details storage area 15c of the storage unit 15.

[0060] The method of receipt may be limited in advance depending on the grade. For example, new first-year students can only select "home delivery." In other words, when a student is a new first-year student, the input screen in FIG. 9(b) displays "home delivery only," or the textbook sales system 1 is configured to control the display so that "home delivery only" can be selected. This eliminates the need for new first-year students who are not yet attending school to come to a textbook sales outlet to receive their textbooks, and also prevents congestion at the textbook sales outlet.

[0061] In the above explanation, the grade is directly entered on the student information input screen in Figure 7(a), but if the ID or student ID number contains information indicating the grade, it is possible to configure the configuration so that the grade does not need to be entered. In this case, the textbook sales system can determine the grade from the ID or student ID number and display only products (textbook sets) that can be purchased for each grade, and display the delivery methods that can be selected for each grade.

[0062] In this way, by configuring the system to determine the school year from the ID or student ID number, when a purchaser tries to enter the school year in March, they may be confused as to whether they should enter the new school year or the old school year, which can prevent input errors. Note that this embodiment is not limited to a configuration in which the school year is determined from the ID or student ID number, and the purchaser may be allowed to directly enter the school year as shown in Figure 7(a).

[0063] 7(a)-(c) may be any information that allows the school to identify the student who purchased the textbook when the textbook distributor reports the list of textbook purchasers to the school after the textbook is sold. As an example, one or more pieces of information such as name, entrance examination number, and student ID number may be determined in advance in consultation with the school and input as student information.

[0064] In addition, when a textbook store uses identification to verify whether a student who comes to pick up a textbook is the same person as the student who applied to purchase the textbook, the type of student information to be accepted is preset so that the information written on the identification (e.g., ID, name, student ID number) is included in the student information accepted by the reception unit 10.

[0065] Furthermore, when the reception unit 10 receives the selection of "Delivery to home" as the method of receiving the textbook on the input screen of Fig. 9(b), the address of the student information input on the input screen of Fig. 7(c) may be used as the delivery address. In this case, the input of the address on the input screen of Fig. 9(c) can be omitted.

[0066] In addition, when "Pick up by someone other than the student at the textbook store" is selected as the receiving method on the input screen of Fig. 9(b) above, the reception unit 10 can receive input of recipient information from the purchaser terminal 2 on the input screen of Fig. 9(b). For example, when a guardian receives a textbook on behalf of a student, the purchaser inputs the recipient's name (guardian) from the purchaser terminal 2 as shown in Fig. 9(b), and the reception unit 10 receives this. The reception unit 10 stores the recipient information in the purchase details memory area 15c of the memory unit 15 in association with the student information (see Fig. 9).

[0067] <Step 204> Next, the reception unit 10 displays the total price of the purchased items on the purchaser terminal 2, as shown in Figures 10(a) to (c), accepts the selection of the payment method, and stores it in the purchase details memory area 15c of the memory unit 15 in correspondence with the student information (step 204).

[0068] Specifically, the purchase amount calculation unit 14 identifies the products (textbook sets (order type) and books designated by the school) accepted by the acceptance unit 10 from the information stored in the memory unit 15, and calculates the total purchase amount of the products to be purchased (textbook sets and books designated by the school). The calculated purchase amount is stored in the purchase content memory area 15c of the memory unit 15 in association with the student information, as shown in FIG.

[0069] The reception unit 10 displays an input screen on the purchaser terminal 2, showing the total purchase amount stored in the memory unit 15 and the payment method, as shown in Figures 10(a) to (c), and accepts the selection of the payment method.

[0070] As shown in Figures 10(a) to (c), the payment method can be selected from among credit card payment, convenience store payment, and cash payment. In addition to credit card payment and convenience store payment, other payment methods such as bank transfer payment and code payment (including two-dimensional barcode payment and barcode payment) may be selected for advance payment. These payment methods are determined in advance by the textbook distributor and displayed on the input screen as available payment methods.

[0071] <Step 205> The barcode generation unit 11 generates unique purchase content identification information that identifies the purchase content, such as student information, in the memory unit 15, and transmits it to the purchaser terminal 2 as shown in FIG. 12(a) (step 205). The unique purchase content identification information is used when receiving textbooks, etc. at the textbook sales outlet. The unique purchase content identification information may be any information that corresponds one-to-one with an individual purchase content, and may be displayed, for example, using a code number, a character string, a one-dimensional barcode, a two-dimensional barcode, etc. Here, a two-dimensional barcode is used. As an example of the purchase content identification information, information corresponding to the address where the purchase content, such as student information, in the memory unit 15 is stored is used.

[0072] The barcode may be sent by displaying it on the purchaser terminal 2 in step 205, or by sending an email containing the barcode, since the email address is included in the student information, etc., input of which is accepted in step 203. The purchaser saves the displayed barcode in the purchaser terminal 2 as necessary.

[0073] The unique purchase specification information is also used when canceling an order or making an inquiry.

[0074] <Textbook handover> The operation of the textbook sales system 1 when a textbook is handed over to a student or the like at a textbook sales outlet will be described.

[0075] <Step 211> At the textbook sales outlet, the purchaser displays the barcode received from the textbook sales system 1 on the display unit 22 of the purchaser terminal 2 as shown in FIG. 12(a) and presents it to the salesperson.

[0076] When a salesperson accesses textbook sales system 1 from salesperson terminal 3, a display screen for the salesperson, such as that shown in FIG. 12(b), is displayed. When the salesperson presses read button 101 on the display screen of salesperson terminal 3, the barcode becomes readable by barcode reader 34 of salesperson terminal 3. The salesperson reads the barcode presented by the purchaser using barcode reader 34 and inputs the barcode information into salesperson terminal 3. Salesperson terminal 3 transmits the read barcode information to textbook sales system 1 via communication control unit 33 (step 211).

[0077] <Step 212> The salesperson information transmission unit 12 of the textbook sales system 1 receives the barcode information, accesses the memory unit 15, and transmits the purchase details (student information, information identifying the textbook to be purchased (book title), information identifying the school-required book (name of the book specified by the school (only if a school-required book is to be purchased)), selected payment method, and total price of the textbook to be purchased (total price of the textbook and the school-required book if a school-required book is to be purchased)) stored in the purchase details memory area 15c of the memory unit 15 which corresponds one-to-one to the barcode, to the salesperson's terminal 3, and displays it on the display unit 32 as shown in Figure 13(a) (step 212).

[0078] In addition, when information of a person who is not a student is stored as a recipient in the memory unit 15, the salesperson information transmission unit 12 transmits the recipient information in addition to the student information to the salesperson's terminal and displays it.

[0079] Furthermore, when the selected payment method stored in the memory unit 15 is cash, the salesperson information transmission unit 12 causes the salesperson terminal 3 to highlight the display area of ​​the student information (student name) by coloring it in red or the like. This allows the salesperson to easily understand that cash needs to be received.

[0080] Furthermore, if the selected payment method is prepayment, the payment status confirmation unit 13 confirms whether prepayment has been made before the salesperson information transmission unit 12 transmits information to the salesperson's terminal 3. If the payment method stored in the storage unit is prepayment, the salesperson information transmission unit 12 receives a confirmation result of whether prepayment has been made from the payment status confirmation unit 13, and if prepayment has not been made, causes the salesperson's terminal to highlight the display area of ​​the student information by coloring it, for example. This allows the salesperson to easily know whether prepayment has been made.

[0081] While looking at display unit 32, the salesperson checks whether the displayed student information or recipient information matches the information on the identification presented by the student or recipient, and then, if the payment method displayed on display unit 32 is cash, receives cash for the total amount of the textbooks (and school-required books) displayed on display unit 32 and hands over the textbooks (and school-required books). If the payment method is prepayment and payment has already been made, the salesperson hands over the textbooks (and school-required books) without receiving cash. Thus, the salesperson does not need to calculate the total amount, but simply receives the amount displayed on display unit 32 and hands over the textbooks (and school-required books) as displayed.

[0082] <Steps 213 and 214> On the other hand, if the payment method is prepayment and payment has not yet been made, the reception unit 10 can accept a change in the payment method from prepayment to cash payment via the salesperson's terminal 3 (see the screen in FIG. 13(a)). That is, the salesperson will check with the student at the sales point, and if the student wishes to change to cash payment, the salesperson can input a change to cash payment on the screen in FIG. 13(a) by operating the input unit 31 to check the "change to cash" check box displayed on the salesperson's terminal 3. The reception unit 10 accepts this and stores it in the memory unit 15.

[0083] The salesperson then receives cash from the student and hands over the textbook.

[0084] <Steps 215 and 216> When the salesperson hands over the textbook, presses the confirmation button in area (1) on the screen in Figure 13(b), and then presses the "OK" button on the confirmation screen (2) displayed on the screen, the reception unit 10 accepts this and stores in the memory unit 15 the fact that the sale has been completed.

[0085] This completes the sale of textbooks (and school-required books) to students.

[0086] <Create a customer list> In order to fulfill its obligation to supply schools with the right amount of textbooks, the textbook sales system 1 creates a list of purchasers on the sales date or after the end of the sales period and reports it to the school. The school compares the purchaser list with its student list to identify those who have not purchased textbooks.

[0087] <Step 221> When the sales date or sales period ends, the textbook distributor instructs the textbook sales system 1 from the administrator terminal 4 to create a list of students who have purchased the textbooks.

[0088] <Step 222> The purchaser list creation unit 17 extracts student information, information on purchased textbooks, school-required books, etc. from the table (Figure 11) stored in the purchase details memory area 15c of the memory unit 15, and creates a list in the format desired by the school.

[0089] <Step 223> The purchaser list creation unit 17 outputs the created textbook purchaser list. For example, the list is printed and handed to the school, or the list is sent to the school by email.

[0090] This allows the system to report the status of supply of textbooks (and school-approved books) to students to the school. The school will then compare the purchase list with the school's student list to identify those who have not yet purchased the textbooks and encourage them to do so.

[0091] To check whether those who have not yet purchased the textbook have subsequently purchased the textbook, the school again requests the textbook distributor for a list of purchasers. In this case, the textbook distributor again executes steps 221 to 223 in FIG. 3 in textbook sales system 1 to create a list of purchasers, but the difference from the previous list of purchasers is that this time only students who have purchased textbooks but did not purchase them the previous time. Therefore, if a list of all purchasers is handed over to the school as the list of purchasers from the second time onwards, the school must compare the list of all purchasers with the student list that the school has in order to know only the purchasers who have changed from the previous time.

[0092] Therefore, it is preferable that in step 223, the reception unit 10 stores the created purchaser list in the memory unit 15, and when creating a purchaser list for the second or subsequent time, in step 223, it calculates the difference between the created purchaser list this time and the previous purchaser list stored in the memory unit 15, and generates a purchaser list of only those purchasers included in the difference.

[0093] By providing the school with a list of only those who have purchased a ticket since the previous time, the burden on the school of identifying those who have not purchased a ticket can be reduced.

[0094] <Effects> As described above, by using the textbook sales system of this embodiment, students and parents can place orders by simply selecting the textbooks and school-required books they wish to purchase in advance on their own (the purchaser's) terminal 2, and can receive the textbooks by simply presenting the two-dimensional barcode at the textbook sales outlet.

[0095] By scanning the two-dimensional code, the salesperson at the textbook distributor can view student information, the textbook to be purchased, and the payment status. This reduces the time it takes for one student to purchase a textbook at the textbook store, improving work efficiency. In addition, improved work efficiency means that the store is less likely to become overcrowded. Specifically, by scanning the barcode, the salesperson's terminal 3 can display the purchased item, payment status, and amount at a glance, making it possible for even part-time staff to make sales reliably and quickly.

[0096] Schools do not need to be involved in the exchange of cash, and after sales are over, they can receive a list of textbook purchasers from the textbook distributor. In addition, schools only need to distribute flyers to students, and textbooks are handed over to students in the same way that schools have been supplying textbooks for many years, so there is no increase in the workload of school teachers and it does not become complicated.

[0097] Therefore, by using the textbook sales system 1 of this embodiment, it is possible to reduce the workload of three parties: students and their parents, schools, and textbook distributors.

[0098] More specifically, at a textbook sales outlet, if the advance payment is unpaid, the student information column is highlighted in red or other colors, and if the payment has been made, it is displayed without being highlighted, so that the salesperson can tell at a glance whether or not they need to accept cash.

[0099] Furthermore, because the system of this embodiment allows for advance payment, students do not need to bring cash to the textbook store, which can alleviate the concerns of parents and schools about students having to carry cash. On the other hand, advance payment also reduces the amount of cash received by textbook distributors on the day of sales, making it easier for them to store the cash.

[0100] In addition, the system of this embodiment can automatically create a purchaser list after the sales period for the textbook ends.

[0101] Based on the purchaser list, schools can easily check whether students have purchased all of the textbooks they need for their classes, making it possible for them to contact students who have not yet purchased them by email or phone to urge them to do so.

[0102] In addition, since it is possible for purchasers to input student information such as grade and class on the purchaser terminal 2, the textbook distributor can also create lists by grade and class, reducing the cumbersome task of identifying students' classes for teachers at the school that receives the textbooks, while also protecting personal information.

[0103] In addition, the system of this embodiment can automatically calculate the sales by payment type on the day of the textbook sales from the table in the storage unit 15 of FIG. 11. Since the handling of cash is reduced, the time required for calculating cash is also significantly reduced. This reduces the workload of the textbook distributor from an accounting standpoint.

[0104] <<<Embodiment 2>>> A textbook sales system according to the second embodiment will be described.

[0105] The textbook sales system of the second embodiment has a similar configuration to the textbook sales system 1 of the first embodiment, but differs from the first embodiment in that it further includes an ID assignment unit 18.

[0106] As shown in Figure 8(b), books designated by the school may not be printed books, but rather, like an electronic dictionary, e-books (e.g., electronic dictionary data) stored on a server may be downloaded from a student's device using an ID and password, or the books may be an application (e.g., a dictionary app) that can be used to access e-book data (dictionary data) on the server.

[0107] In this case, the ID and password provided by the electronic dictionary manufacturer must be communicated to the students. However, electronic dictionaries and other materials sold together with textbooks as educational materials are generally offered at a discount by the manufacturer for group purchases, and in return, the IDs and passwords are generally notified to the textbook distributor at a later date in bulk for the number of students who purchase the materials.

[0108] Moreover, as described in embodiment 1, electronic dictionaries that can be purchased as school-required books often come in multiple types (for example, two types: "Electronic Dictionary [A] 5-dictionary set" and "Electronic Dictionary [B] 2-dictionary set").

[0109] Therefore, it is necessary to properly assign and notify IDs and passwords only to students who have purchased electronic dictionaries. Since notifying students of this ID and other information is not possible without a list of students for each class, school teachers have had to take on the cumbersome task of allocating student names and IDs for each class and notifying students through the school. In addition, in the case of first-year students who have just enrolled, their classes have not yet been decided when they purchase textbooks, making things even more complicated for school teachers.

[0110] In the second embodiment, this task is automatically performed and output by the ID assignment unit 18. The processing of the ID assignment unit 18 will be explained using the flow in Fig. 15 and tables such as lists in Figs.

[0111] <Step 801> The administrator of the textbook distributor inputs user ID and password data (for example, see the table in FIG. 16(a)) for the number of purchasers assigned for each type of school-designated book into the textbook sales system from the administrator terminal 4. The ID assignment unit 18 receives this data and stores it in the memory unit 15. This data is the user IDs and passwords notified to the textbook distributor by the manufacturer of the electronic dictionary in bulk for the number of students who will purchase the books.

[0112] <Step 802> The administrator of the textbook distributor uses the administrator terminal 4 to input data showing the relationship between students' classes, attendance numbers, and student ID numbers (for example, see the table in Figure 16(b)) into the textbook sales system. The ID assignment unit 18 receives this data and stores it in the memory unit 15. This data is provided to the textbook distributor by the school. Note that Figure 16(b) shows a table that also includes student names for ease of understanding, but the student names are not necessary.

[0113] <Step 803> The ID assignment unit 18 generates data by extracting the name of the student who purchased the school-mandated book, the student ID number, and the type of the school-mandated book (electronic dictionary A or B) from the table (see FIG. 11) in the purchase details storage area 15c of the storage unit 15. Specifically, this extraction operation can be realized by the ID assignment unit 18 extracting a row in which the type of the school-mandated book is written in the column of the school-mandated book in the table of the storage unit 15, and further extracting the columns of the student name, student ID number, and type of the school-mandated book.

[0114] <Step 804> The ID allocation unit 18 uses the type of school-designated book in the table generated in step 803 as a key, and sequentially assigns user IDs and passwords for the corresponding type of school-designated book from the table of types of school-designated books, user IDs, and passwords stored in step 801. In this way, a table is generated in which user IDs and passwords are assigned for each student depending on whether the type of school-designated book purchased is electronic dictionary A or B, as shown in Fig. 16(d).

[0115] <Step 805> The ID assignment unit 18 uses the student ID number as a key in the table generated in step 804 to sequentially assign the corresponding class and attendance number from the table of class, attendance number, and student ID number stored in step 802. This allows the class and attendance number to be associated with each student, as shown in Fig. 17(a).

[0116] <Step 806> The ID assignment unit 18 sorts the table of FIG. 17(a) generated in step 805 using the student classes as a key to generate the table of FIG. 17(b).

[0117] <Step 807> The ID assignment unit 18 outputs a table (Figure 17(b)) in which students who have purchased school-required books are sorted by class and assigned user IDs and passwords, or sends it by attaching it to an email to the school.

[0118] This allows the school to assign and distribute electronic dictionary IDs and passwords only to students assigned to the new classes who have purchased electronic dictionaries designated by the school.

[0119] This reduces the burden on textbook distributors or schools as they are no longer required to carry out cumbersome tasks.

[0120] In the second embodiment, in step 802, the student's class and attendance number are received from the school and stored. However, if class input is accepted from the student in step 203 of FIG. 2(b) in the first embodiment, it is possible to omit steps 802 and 805.

[0121] Also, in step 807, it is possible for the textbook sales system to directly send the user ID and password to the student by email or the like, rather than distributing the user ID and password to the student via the school.

[0122] <<<Embodiment 3>>> In embodiment 1, we described a textbook sales system 1 in which one textbook distributor delivers textbooks and school-recommended books to students at the school it is responsible for or hands them over at a special textbook sales outlet.In embodiment 3, we describe a textbook sales system 100 in which multiple bookstores other than the administrator register in a textbook sales system similar to embodiment 1, so that each bookstore can provide the same services as embodiment 1 by simply registering with the textbook sales system without having to install their own textbook sales system.

[0123] Here, we will explain the case where the administrator of textbook sales system 100 is also a textbook wholesaler and also sells textbooks, but it is also possible for the administrator of textbook sales system 100 to be a system that only handles management and is not a textbook wholesaler.

[0124] The textbook sales system 100 of embodiment 3 has two functions: a "textbook sales mode" in which multiple registered books sell textbooks and school-designated books as in embodiment 1, and a "short-term sales mode" in which multiple general books for short-term sales registered by the administrator are sold by all bookstores.

[0125] Short-term general books are books that schools, educational organizations, bookstores, etc. recommend or specify for reading to children and students during long holidays. They include general books such as picture books and novels, as well as specialized books. Short-term books may also include summer vacation craft kits, independent study kits, and school supplies such as recorders and colored pencils, in addition to books.

[0126] A plurality of textbook distributors can use both the "textbook sales mode" and the "short-term sales mode," or can use only one of the modes. When using the "short-term sales mode," textbook distributors can also choose whether or not to participate in the current short-term sale.

[0127] In the past, when schools wanted students to purchase recommended books to read before a long vacation, they would distribute printed materials listing those recommended books to students. Previously, students who wanted to purchase recommended books would apply to their schools with cash attached, and later the textbook distributor that supplies the school would deliver the recommended books to the school, and teachers would hand them over to the students who had applied. In this case, the burden on schools and textbook distributors was heavy, as teachers were involved in the ordering and delivery, and also handled cash.

[0128] In the "textbook sales mode" of the textbook sales system 100 of this embodiment, multiple textbook wholesalers can sell textbooks and school-designated books for each school they are responsible for, in the same way as in embodiment 1, even if they do not have their own systems. In the "short-term sales mode," multiple books that are short-term sales items registered by the administrator of the textbook sales system 100 are commonly sold by each textbook wholesaler, orders from students and parents are accepted and payments are made by the textbook sales system 100, and deliveries are made by each textbook wholesaler for each class at the school they are responsible for. In the "short-term sales mode," textbook wholesalers can choose whether or not to participate in each short-term sale for each short-term sale.

[0129] This allows schools to avoid the hassle of accepting orders and making cash payments for recommended or designated books before summer or winter vacations, and allows students to purchase recommended or designated books without changing the traditional delivery process. This reduces the burden on schools. Textbook distributors can also reduce their burden by eliminating cash payments.

[0130] A textbook sales system 100 according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 18 is a diagram showing the configuration of the textbook sales system 100. The textbook sales system 100 has the same configuration as the textbook sales system 1 (Figure 1) according to the first embodiment, so only the differences from Figure 1 will be described.

[0131] This differs from embodiment 1 in that multiple textbook distributor bookstores A, B, and C are connected to textbook sales system 100 via terminals 3a-3c (three in FIG. 18). The bookstore-specific terminals 3a-3c have the same configuration as the salesperson's terminal 3 in embodiment 1, but each terminal has some of the functions of administrator terminal 4 and is capable of registering products.

[0132] Therefore, textbook distributors A, B, and C can operate their own terminals 3a-3c as administrator terminals and register the product names of textbooks and school-recommended books sold by their own bookstores for each school by following the operation of the flow in Fig. 2(a). Note that textbook distributors A, B, and C can also request the administrator of textbook sales system 100 to register the product names of textbooks and school-recommended books from administrator terminal 4.

[0133] In addition, textbook distributors A, B, and C can each use their own terminals 3a to 3c to function as salesperson terminals 3, and read the barcodes displayed by students and hand over textbooks, etc., by following the flow shown in Figure 3(a).

[0134] In the configuration of FIG. 18, one terminal 3a to 3c is connected to each textbook wholesaler, but it is also possible to connect a plurality of terminals to each of the textbook wholesalers A, B, and C.

[0135] Textbook sales system 100 has the same configuration as textbook sales system 1 of embodiment 1, but in addition to memory areas 15a to 15c described in embodiment 1, memory unit 15 includes bookstore information memory area 15d and short-term sales item list memory area 15e. Also, product list memory area 15a, student information memory area 15b, and purchase details memory area 15c in memory unit 15 are prepared for each of the multiple textbook distributor bookstores.

[0136] Information on a plurality of textbook distributor bookstores that use textbook sales system 100 is stored in bookstore information storage area 15d.

[0137] In the short-term sale item list storage area 15e, short-term sale items (recommended books, summer vacation craft kits, etc.) registered from the manager terminal 4 are stored.

[0138] The functions of each part of the textbook sales system 100 will be explained below with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 19(a), (b) and 21(a) and (b).

[0139] <<Bookstore Registration>> First, the operation of registering multiple textbook distributors in the textbook sales system 100 will be described with reference to the flow in FIG.

[0140] <Step 401, 402> When textbook sales system 100 is accessed from any of bookstore terminals 3a to 3c (step 401), reception unit 10 displays a message on the accessed bookstore terminal 3a to 3c prompting the user to confirm whether or not to register and edit the bookstore name and school name (step 402). When the request to register and edit the bookstore name and school name is input from bookstore terminal 3a to 3c, an input screen for inputting and editing the bookstore name and the name of the school in charge of sales is displayed on the accessed bookstore terminal 3a to 3c.

[0141] <Step 403> The bookstore terminals 3a-3c accept the registration of the bookstore name and the registration of the school name for which they will be selling, or the editing of the bookstore name and school name that have already been registered. A textbook distributor may be responsible for sales at two or more schools. Generally, a textbook distributor is responsible for one or more schools, so it is reasonable to configure it so that it is registered as the school responsible for sales at those schools.

[0142] The reception unit 10 stores the name of the bookstore in the bookstore information storage area 15d of the storage unit 15 in association with the name of the school in charge of sales.

[0143] In addition, the reception unit 10 secures, for each bookstore that has registered the bookstore information storage area 15d in the storage unit 15, the product list storage area 15a, the student information storage area 15b, and the purchase details storage area 15c.

[0144] In this manner, multiple textbook distributors can be registered in the textbook sales system 100.

[0145] In the above steps 401 to 403, when there is access from the bookstore terminals 3a to 3c, the reception unit 10 accepts the registration of the bookstore name and registers it in the bookstore information storage area 15d, but this embodiment is not limited to this configuration. The registration of the bookstore name in the textbook sales system 100 may be performed from the administrator terminal 4, and the registration of the school name and the editing of the bookstore information (address, etc.) may be accepted from the bookstore terminals 3a to 3c. Alternatively, the reception unit 10 may accept the registration of the bookstore name from the bookstore terminals 3a to 3c, and then register only the bookstore names that the administrator terminal 4 has permitted to be registered in the bookstore information storage area 15d.

[0146] <<Textbook sales mode>> The operation of textbook sales system 100 in the textbook sales mode in which each textbook distributor sells textbooks and school-approved books will be described.

[0147] <Registering textbooks and school-recommended books> Each textbook wholesaler makes its own terminals 3a-3c function as administrator terminals and registers the textbooks and school-designated books to be sold for each school in charge of the textbook sales system 100 according to the flow of FIG. 2(a) of the first embodiment. The registered instruction manuals and school-designated books are stored in the product list memory area 15a of the memory unit 15 reserved for each textbook wholesaler. The detailed operation when registering textbooks, etc. is the same as that explained in the first embodiment, so the explanation will be omitted.

[0148] <Order acceptance> The operation of the textbook sales system 100 to receive an order from a purchaser (a student or a guardian) is the same as the operation described in the flow of FIG. 2(b) in the first embodiment.

[0149] For example, each textbook distributor distributes printed materials with two-dimensional barcodes to students at their assigned schools, and the terminal 2 of the purchaser, who is the student or guardian, reads the two-dimensional barcode on the printed material to access the textbook sales system 100 and place an order.

[0150] At this time, the two-dimensional barcode is made different for each textbook distributor or each school, and the products stored in the product list memory area 15a of the textbook distributor responsible for that school are displayed on the purchaser terminal 2 (see step 202).

[0151] Furthermore, the student information and order details entered from purchaser terminal 2 are stored in student information storage area 15b and purchase details storage area 15c, respectively, of storage unit 15 secured for each textbook distributor.

[0152] The textbook sales system 100 generates a barcode and transmits it to the purchaser terminal 2, similarly to the first embodiment.

[0153] <Textbook handover> When each textbook distributor delivers a textbook to a student or the like at the textbook sales outlet, the operation of textbook sales system 100 is the same as the flow operation of FIG. 3(a) in the first embodiment.

[0154] The textbook distributor operates its own terminals 3a to 3b as salesperson terminals 3, reads the barcode, confirms the student information and payment status displayed on terminals 3a to 3b, and hands over the textbooks and the like.

[0155] <Create a customer list> When the sales date or sales period ends, each textbook distributor makes its own terminals 3a to 3b function as administrator terminals and instructs the textbook sales system 100 to create a list of students who have purchased the textbooks.

[0156] The purchaser list creation unit 17 extracts student information, purchased textbooks, information on books designated by the school, etc. from the table stored in the purchase details memory area 15c corresponding to the specified textbook distributor, creates a list in the format desired by the school, and sends it to the school by email, etc.

[0157] As described above, in the textbook sales mode, the textbook sales system 100 of this embodiment allows multiple registered textbook distributors to each sell textbooks in the same manner as in embodiment 1, thereby achieving the same effects as those described in embodiment 1.

[0158] <<Short-term sales mode>> Next, the operation of textbook sales system 100 when a plurality of recommended books, etc. are sold in a short period of time at each bookstore in the short-term sales mode will be described.

[0159] <Registration of short-term sales items> The administrator of the textbook sales system 100 registers books and the like to be sold for a short period of time. This operation will be explained with reference to the flow in FIG. 19(b).

[0160] <Steps 431 to 433> When the textbook sales system 1 is accessed from the administrator terminal 4, the reception unit 10 displays the management screen. When the operator of the administrator terminal 4 selects to register a short-term sales item, the process proceeds to step 434.

[0161] <Step 434> The reception unit 10 displays an input screen for short-term sales items (recommended books, etc.) on the manager terminal 4, as shown in FIG.

[0162] This input screen is a screen that accepts input of information that identifies the short-term sale item to be sold (for example, title, synopsis, author, publisher, price, genre (the grade level for which the book is intended to be read), an image of the short-term sale item, etc.).

[0163] When the manager inputs specific information of the short-term sales item from the manager terminal 4, the reception unit 10 stores the information in the short-term sales item list storage area 15e of the storage unit 15.

[0164] The acceptance unit 10 repeats step 434 until registration of all short-term sales items is completed.

[0165] <Step 435> When the registration of all short-term sales items has been completed, the reception unit 10 displays a screen on the terminals 3a to 3d of the bookstores registered in the bookstore information storage area 15d to ask whether or not to participate in this short-term sales item sale.

[0166] <Steps 436 and 437> When a response of participation is received from the terminals 3a to 3d of a registered bookstore, information indicating the participation of that bookstore is stored in the bookstore information storage area 15d of the storage unit 15.

[0167] Steps 436 and 437 are repeated for a predetermined participation recruitment period to confirm whether each bookstore will participate.

[0168] <<Order acceptance>> Textbook distributors participating in the short-term sales distribute printed materials to students through their schools informing them of the short-term sales (recommended books, etc.). These printed materials have bar codes and URLs printed on them to access the short-term sales site in textbook sales system 100. These bar codes and URLs are the same for all bookstores.

[0169] The textbook sales system accepts orders for short-term sales items through the operation of the flow in Figure 21(a). A specific description will be given below.

[0170] <Steps 411 and 412> When the textbook sales system 100 is accessed from the terminal 2 of a purchaser (student or guardian), the reception unit 10 selects a bookstore that is stored as participating in the current short-term sale from among the textbook distributors stored in the bookstore information storage area 15d, and displays a list of the names of schools handled by the selected bookstore on the purchaser's terminal. The reception unit accepts the selection of the name of the school that the purchaser (student) attends from the displayed list.

[0171] <Step 413> The reception unit 10 reads out specific information of the short-term sales items registered in the short-term sales item list memory area 15e and displays it on the purchaser terminal 2 in the form of a list, for example as shown in FIG. 22. When the purchaser operates the purchaser terminal 2 to select the short-term sales items to purchase, the reception unit 10 accepts it. The purchase amount calculation unit 14 calculates the total amount of the short-term sales items and displays it on the purchaser terminal 2, as well as displaying a confirmation button. When the purchaser presses the confirmation button, the reception unit 10 proceeds to step 414.

[0172] <Step 414> The reception unit 10 displays a student information input screen as shown in FIG. 23, for example, and receives the input of the student information from the purchaser terminal 2.

[0173] 23 includes an input field 251 for the purchaser's (guardian's) name, an input field 252 for the student's or child's name, an input field 253 for the gender, input fields 254 and 255 for the grade and class, an input field 256 for the attendance number, an input field 257 for an email address, an input field 258 for a phone number, and an input field 259 for a payment method. The reception unit 10 receives input of student information in the input fields 251 to 258.

[0174] <Step 415> The reception unit 10 receives the selection of the payment method in the payment method input field 259 on the input screen of Fig. 23. Here, any of bank transfer payment, credit card payment, convenience store payment, and code payment (including two-dimensional barcode payment and barcode payment) can be selected.

[0175] The reception unit 10 stores information (purchase details) received in steps 412 to 415 above, which corresponds the school name, specific information of the selected short-term sale item (e.g., book title), student information of the purchaser, purchase amount, selected payment method, and school name, in the short-term sale item purchase details memory area 15f.

[0176] <Step 416> The purchase content identification information generating unit 11 generates unique purchase content identification information (e.g., a purchase number) that identifies the purchase content, and transmits it to the purchaser terminal 2. At this time, the purchase content (school name, identification information of the selected short-term sales item (e.g., book title), student information of the purchaser, and purchase amount) may be transmitted together.

[0177] <<Create sales list>> In order for textbook distributors participating in this short-term sale to deliver short-term sale items to schools, the textbook sales system 100 generates a sales list according to the flow in FIG. 21(b).

[0178] <Step 421> When textbook sales system 100 receives an inquiry about the sales list from bookstore terminals 3a to 3c, the process proceeds to step 422.

[0179] <Step 422> The reception unit 10 extracts purchase details (specific information about the short-term sale item purchased (book title, etc.), purchase amount, information about the student who purchased the item, and payment method) including the name of the school that the bookstore is responsible for from the short-term sale item purchase details memory area 15f.

[0180] <Step 423> The payment status confirmation unit 13 confirms whether the selected payment method has been executed for the purchase details extracted in step 422. The reception unit 10 inquires about the payment status and generates a sales list reflecting the payment status for each school that the bookstore is in charge of.

[0181] For example, a sales list may be generated from only purchases for which payment has been completed, or, as shown in FIG. 24, a list may be generated from all purchases extracted in step 422, with the addition of information on whether payment has been completed or not.

[0182] <Step 424> The reception unit 10 transmits the generated sales list to the bookstore that made the inquiry in step 421. For example, the sales list may be transmitted to the terminals 3a to 3c of the bookstore that made the inquiry in step 421 and displayed on the display unit 32, or may be transmitted by email. Note that the sales list is output only to the bookstore that made the inquiry, and is not output to other bookstores.

[0183] The bookstore orders short-term sales items based on this sales list, sorts the delivered half-year sales items by school and then by class, attaches a note or the like with the name of the student who purchased the book to each book, and delivers it to the school. The sales list may be cut into pieces for each class to create notes.

[0184] The schools that receive the items will hand over the short-term sale items, sorted by class, to the students who purchased them via their homeroom teachers, etc. Since the purchase price has already been settled, no cash is exchanged.

[0185] In addition, the administrator of the textbook sales system 100 receives payment from purchasers on behalf of registered bookstores A, B, and C via a settlement period, and transfers the payment received from the settlement institution to bookstores A, B, and C after deducting a commission fee predetermined in a contract with bookstores A, B, and C.

[0186] In this way, according to the textbook sales system 100 of the third embodiment, bookstores A, B, and C can provide the textbook sales mode service and the short-term sales mode service of the first embodiment, similar to operating the sales system, without operating the sales system themselves, simply by registering with the textbook sales system 100. Since no cash transactions are required between the bookstores and the schools, the burden on bookstores A, B, and C is reduced.

[0187] On the other hand, schools can eliminate cash payments and allow students to purchase short-term sales items (recommended books, etc.) without changing the conventional flow of delivery of the school's short-term sales items (recommended books, etc.).

[0188] It is highly convenient for purchasers (students and guardians) because they can make purchases and make payments from their own purchaser terminal 2. In addition, because what is displayed on the purchaser terminal 2 is a dedicated site that displays only short-term sales items (recommended books), guardians can have their students or children browse the site to select short-term sales items (recommended books) without worry. In addition, there is no need for them to bring cash to school, so parents can feel at ease.

[0189] In addition, the administrator of textbook sales system 100 can sell short-term sales items (recommended books) as a bookstore himself. The administrator of textbook sales system 100 can also reduce the burden on bookstores A, B, and C, which are aging and understaffed, and revitalize the bookstore industry.

[0190] Furthermore, since multiple bookstores can be registered in the textbook sales system 100 of embodiment 3, even bookstores that have difficulty operating the system due to a shortage of staff or the like can enjoy the benefits of the system by registering with the textbook sales system 100 of embodiment 3, thereby helping to revitalize the bookstore industry.

[0191] In the first to third embodiments, a system for selling textbooks, school-required books, and short-term sales items (general books, summer vacation craft kits, etc.) has been described. However, the system can also be used to sell items such as stationery, gym clothes, work clothes, lab coats, calligraphy sets, recorders, colored pencils, paint sets, etc. that students use at school, instead of or in addition to textbooks, etc.

[0192] <<<Embodiment 4>>> In the textbook sales system 1, 100 of the first and third embodiments, the purchaser can input the ID or student ID number as student information from his / her purchaser terminal 2, and the system can determine the grade, or the student can input the grade. When the student inputs the grade, when textbooks and school-designated books are sold in March before the spring promotion, the purchaser can easily get confused as to whether to input the "current grade (before promotion)" or the "new grade (after promotion)," and may input the wrong grade.

[0193] Therefore, in March, the purchaser is prompted on an input screen or the like to enter information about the current (pre-promotion) grade, and the textbook sales system 1,100 can be configured to add 1 to the grade information in the student information memory area 15b of the system's memory unit 15 at a specified time after April (e.g., April 1st), so that the grade automatically increases by one.

[0194] It is desirable to configure the textbook sales system 1,100 so that when the grade information is automatically incremented by one grade, the user is subsequently prevented from manually changing the grade. [Explanation of symbols]

[0195] 1. Textbook sales system 2. Purchaser terminal 3 Salesperson's terminal 3a Bookstore terminal 3b Bookstore terminal 3c Bookstore terminal 4. Administrator terminal 5. Network 10 Reception 11 Purchase content specific information generation unit (barcode generation unit) 12 Salesperson information transmission unit 13 Payment Status Verification Department 14 Purchase price calculation section 15 Storage section 15a Product list storage area 15b Student information storage area 15c Purchase details storage area 15d Bookstore information storage area 15e Short-term sales list storage area 15f Short-term sales purchase details storage area 16 Communication control section 17 Purchaser List Creation Department 18 ID assignment section 21 Input section 22 Display section 23 Communication control section 31 Input section 32 Display section 33 Communication control section 34 Barcode reader 41 Input section 42 Display section 43 Communication control section 100 Textbook Sales System 101 Read button 251 Input field 252 Input field 253 Input field 254 input fields 255 input fields 256 input fields 257 Input field 258 input fields 259 Input field 451 Edit Information Button 452 Course registration button 453 Course Edit Button 454 Product registration button 455 Edit Product Button 456 Purchase history confirmation button 457 Student information confirmation button

Claims

1. a sales target receiving unit that receives registrations of one or more bookstores and, for each bookstore, receives registrations of the names of one or more schools that the bookstore will be responsible for sales of, information identifying one or more books for sale at each school, and the prices of the books for sale; a sales object storage unit that stores the name of the bookstore, the name of the school to which the book is sold, information specifying the book to be sold, and the price, all of which are received by the sales object receiving unit, in association with each other; a purchase acceptance unit that displays the books for sale corresponding to the school to which the purchaser belongs on the purchaser's terminal connected via a network, and also displays an input screen, and accepts input of student information that will use the books for sale, input of information that identifies the books for sale to be purchased, and input of a payment method selection on the input screen; a purchase details storage unit that stores purchase details that correspond to the books for sale selected by the purchaser, student information of the purchaser, and a selected payment method, which are received by the purchase reception unit; a payment status confirmation unit that confirms whether the selected payment method has been executed for the purchase; A book sales system characterized by having a sales list generation unit that, when an inquiry about purchase status is made from one of the registered bookstores, extracts the purchase details including the name of the school corresponding to the bookstore from the purchase details memory unit, receives a confirmation result from the payment status confirmation unit as to whether payment has been made, and generates and outputs a sales list for the purchase details for which payment has been made, matching the purchasing student information, information identifying the purchased books for sale, and the school name.

2. 2. A book sales system according to claim 1, further comprising a purchase content specification information generation unit that generates unique purchase content specification information that specifies the purchased content and transmits the information to the purchaser.

3. a purchase acceptance unit that accepts the purchaser's student information, information specifying the book to be purchased, and a selection of payment method, all input from the purchaser's terminal connected via a network; a storage unit that stores the purchase details in association with the student information received by the purchase reception unit, information identifying the books for sale to be purchased, and the selected payment method; a purchase content identification information generation unit that generates unique purchase content identification information that identifies the purchase content and transmits the information to the purchaser; A book sales system characterized by having a sales information sending unit that, when the purchase content identification information is input into a sales terminal at a sales location for books for sale, matches the student information of the purchase content in the memory unit, information identifying the book for sale to be purchased, and the payment method, and sends the information to the sales terminal for display.

4. 4. A book sales system as described in claim 3, characterized in that the purchase acceptance unit can accept either cash payment at the sales location of the book to be sold or advance payment as the payment method.

5. 5. The book sales system according to claim 4, further comprising a payment status confirmation unit that, when the selected payment method is advance payment, confirms whether the advance payment has been executed, A book sales system characterized in that, when the payment method stored in the memory unit is advance payment, the sales information sending unit receives a confirmation result from the payment status confirmation unit as to whether the advance payment has been made, and if the advance payment has not been made, highlights the display content of the sales terminal.

6. 4. A book sales system according to claim 3, wherein the purchase acceptance unit is capable of accepting input of recipient information from a terminal of a purchaser of the book for sale when a person other than a student who will use the book for sale receives the book for sale at the sales location; The storage unit stores the recipient information in correspondence with the student information, A book sales system characterized in that, when the purchase content specific information is input into the sales terminal, the sales information sending unit sends and displays the recipient information to the sales terminal instead of the student information.

7. 4. The book sales system according to claim 3, further comprising a purchase amount calculation unit that calculates a total purchase amount of the books purchased from the purchase details accepted by the purchase acceptance unit, and stores the total purchase amount in the storage unit in association with the purchase details; A book sales system characterized in that the sales information transmission unit transmits the total purchase amount to the sales terminal and displays it.

8. 5. A book sales system according to claim 4, wherein the purchase acceptance unit is capable of accepting a change of the payment method from the advance payment to the cash payment via the sales terminal.

9. A book sales system as described in claim 3, characterized in that the purchase acceptance unit sends and displays an input screen to the purchaser's terminal for accepting input of student information that will use the book for sale, input of information that identifies the book for sale to be purchased, and input of selection of payment method.

10. A book sales system as described in claim 1 or 9, characterized in that the input screen includes a screen for accepting the selection of books designated by the school, and the purchase acceptance unit accepts the selection of the books designated by the school from the purchaser along with the selection of the books to be sold.

11. Computer, a sales object receiving means for receiving registration of one or more bookstores and, for each bookstore, receiving registration of one or more school names to which the books will be sold, information specifying one or more books for sale at each school, and the price of the books for sale; a sales object storage means for storing in a storage unit the bookstore name, the name of the school to which the book is to be sold, information specifying the book to be sold, and the price, all of which are received by the sales object receiving means, in association with each other; a purchase acceptance means for displaying the books for sale corresponding to the school to which the purchaser belongs on the purchaser's terminal connected via a network, and accepting the purchaser's student information and selection of a payment method when the purchaser selects a book for sale and chooses to purchase it; a purchase details storage means for storing in a storage unit the purchase details, which are received by the purchase receiving means and correspond to the books for sale selected by the purchaser, the student information of the purchaser, and the selected payment method; a payment status confirmation means for confirming whether the selected payment method has been executed for the purchased item; A book sales program that functions as a sales list generation means that, when an inquiry about purchase status is made from one of the registered bookstores, extracts the purchase details including the name of the school corresponding to the bookstore from the memory unit, receives a confirmation result from the payment status confirmation means as to whether payment has been made, and generates and outputs a sales list for the purchase details for which payment has been made, which corresponds information about the purchasing student, information identifying the purchased books for sale, and the school name.

12. Computer, a receiving means for receiving the purchaser's student information, information specifying the book to be purchased, and a selection of a payment method, all input from the purchaser's terminal connected via a network; a storage means for storing in a storage unit the purchase details in which the student information received by the reception means, information specifying the books to be purchased, and the selected payment method are associated with each other; a purchase content identification information generating means for generating unique purchase content identification information that identifies the purchase content and transmitting the information to the purchaser's terminal; A book sales program that functions as a sales information transmission means that, when the purchase content identification information is input into a sales terminal at a sales location for books for sale, matches the student information for the purchase content in the memory unit with information identifying the books for sale to be purchased and the payment method, and transmits the information to the sales terminal for display.

13. a sales object receiving unit that receives registration of one or more retailers and, for each retailer, receives registration of one or more school names to which the items to be sold are to be sold and the price of the items to be sold; a sales object storage unit that stores the store name, the name of the school to which the item is sold, information specifying the item for sale, and the price, all of which are received by the sales object receiving unit, in association with each other; a purchase acceptance unit that displays the items for sale corresponding to the school to which the purchaser belongs on the purchaser's terminal connected via a network, and accepts the purchaser's student information and selection of a payment method when the purchaser selects an item for sale and chooses to purchase it; a purchase details storage unit that stores the purchase details, which are received by the purchase receiving unit, in association with the item for sale selected by the purchaser, the purchaser's student information, and the selected payment method; a payment status confirmation unit that confirms whether the selected payment method has been executed for the purchase; When an inquiry about the purchase status is made from one of the registered retailers, the sales system extracts the purchase details including the name of the school corresponding to the retailer from the purchase details storage unit, receives a confirmation result from the payment status confirmation unit as to whether payment has been made, and displays the purchase details for which payment has been made in correspondence with the purchasing student information, information specifying the purchased sales item, and the school name.

14. A sales object receiving unit that receives registration of information identifying one or more items for sale and the amount of the items for sale; a dealer reception unit that receives registration of one or more dealers participating in the sale of the items for sale, and receives registration of the names of the dealers and the names of the schools to which the dealers will sell the items; a sales object storage unit that stores information identifying the sales object received by the sales object receiving unit in association with a price; a store storage unit that stores the store name and the name of the school to which the product is sold, which are received by the store reception unit, in association with each other; a purchase acceptance unit that displays the items for sale on a purchaser's terminal connected via a network, and when the purchaser selects the item for sale and chooses to purchase it, accepts the name of the school to which the purchaser belongs, student information, and a selection of a payment method; a purchase details storage unit that stores the purchase details received by the purchase reception unit, which correspond to the school name, the selected item for sale, the purchaser's student information, and the selected payment method; a payment status confirmation unit that confirms whether the selected payment method has been executed for the purchase; When an inquiry about the purchase status is made from one of the registered retailers, the sales system extracts the purchase details including the name of the school corresponding to the retailer from the purchase details storage unit, receives a confirmation result from the payment status confirmation unit as to whether payment has been made, and displays the purchase details for which payment has been made in correspondence with the purchasing student information, information specifying the purchased sales item, and the school name.

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