Transaction support system

Abstract

To automatize generation of transaction data in a transaction among a plurality of business operators and thereby reduce labor of transaction related people.SOLUTION: A transaction support system includes: a transaction information processing unit 1 for communicating with a plurality of business operator terminals via the Internet; a generation rule storage unit 4 storing correspondence relation between a data item of order data and a data item of delivery data in a transaction; and a transaction information storage unit 2 for storing the order data and the delivery data. The transaction information processing unit 1 automatically generates delivery data from order data occurring due to a transaction among the plurality of business operators on the basis of the correspondence relation stored in the generation rule storage unit 4, and stores it in the transaction information storage unit 2.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a transaction support system that supports transactions among a plurality of traders. [Background technology]

[0002] The applicant of the present application has disclosed Patent Document 1. Patent Document 1 discloses a system in which multiple parties involved in a series of transactions share transaction data while proceeding with the transactions. However, even if the management of transaction information is computerized using a computer system, each party involved in the transaction needs to create transaction slips or equivalent transaction data (order data, delivery data, etc.), which requires manpower. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2004-196550 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] An object of the present invention is to automate the generation of transaction data in transactions between multiple traders, thereby reducing the workload of those involved in the transaction. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to solve this problem, the present invention has the following configuration. The system includes a transaction information processing unit that communicates with terminals of a plurality of vendors via the Internet, a generation rule storage unit that stores a correspondence relationship between data items of order data and data items of delivery data in a transaction, and a transaction information storage unit that stores the order data and the delivery data, The transaction information processing unit automatically generates delivery data from order data generated by transactions between the multiple vendors based on the correspondence stored in the generation rule memory unit, and stores the delivery data in the transaction information memory unit. Effect of the Invention

[0006] According to the present invention, in transactions between multiple traders, the generation of transaction data is automated, thereby reducing the workload of the parties involved in the transaction. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] The structure diagram of the product list shown in Figure 1. [Diagram 3] Figure 1 shows the structure of traceability information. [Figure 4] Structure diagram of vendor database. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a transaction format. [Figure 6] A configuration diagram of the trade connection system incorporated in the transaction support system of Figure 1. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a data migration system incorporated in the transaction support system of FIG. 1. [Figure 8] Figure 1 shows the configuration of the data integration system incorporated in the transaction support system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] <Type of transaction> An embodiment of the present invention will be described below. Fig. 1 shows one form of commercial transaction between a plurality of traders and consumers, and a configuration diagram of a transaction support system that supports the transaction.

[0009] In Fig. 1, a consumer (or downstream trader) who is a buyer places an order with a seller, Trader C, for a product handled by Trader C. If the ordered product is an item in Trader C's inventory, Trader C uses a transport company, Trader D, to deliver the item to the consumer (or downstream trader) who is a buyer.

[0010] In addition, when the ordered product is handled by Trader A and should be directly shipped from Trader A to the consumer (or downstream trader), Trader C, the seller, places an order for the product with Trader A and instructs Trader A to ship the product directly to the consumer (or downstream trader). Trader A, following Trader C's instructions, delivers the ordered product to the buyer (or downstream trader) using Trader B, the carrier.

[0011] In addition, when Trader C purchases a product handled by Trader A, he places an order for that product with Trader A, the seller. Trader A uses Trader B, a shipping company, to deliver the ordered product to Trader C, the buyer.

[0012] In this application, a seller is referred to as "upstream" relative to a buyer, and conversely, a buyer is referred to as "downstream" relative to a seller.

[0013] Here, the transaction form shown in Fig. 1 is merely an example. The transaction support system of this embodiment is not limited to the transaction form shown in Fig. 1, and can support various types of transactions between multiple traders.

[0014] <Configuration of transaction support system> The transaction support system according to this embodiment supports transactions between multiple traders as described above. In this embodiment, the transaction support system includes a transaction information processing unit 1 that transmits and receives data to and from the terminals of each seller, buyer, and carrier via the Internet, and a transaction information database (transaction information DB2) that stores the transaction information handled by the transaction information processing unit 1.

[0015] The transaction information processing unit 1 includes a transaction data generating unit 3 that automatically generates other transaction data based on one transaction data. The transaction data generating unit 3 automatically generates delivery data based on order data, for example. Also, it automatically generates sales data from purchase data, for example. Reference numeral 4 denotes a generation rule storage unit that stores the correspondence between data items of one transaction data and data items of other transaction data.

[0016] The transaction information processing unit 1 communicates with the terminals of the buyer, seller, and carrier using, for example, a WWW (World Wide Web) system on the Internet. For this purpose, the transaction information processing unit 1 is equipped with a web server, and each terminal of the seller, buyer, and carrier is equipped with a web client.

[0017] The transaction information DB 2 stores a list of products sold by each trader (product list 5) and traceability information 6 that records the distribution route between traders of each individual product. The transaction information processing unit 1 also accesses a trader database (not shown).

[0018] <Product list structure> An example of the product list 5 in this embodiment is shown in Fig. 2. The product list 5 includes a product list for each trader. Fig. 2 shows a product list for trader C. The product list for each trader associates a product identifier with a supplier, a selling price, product introduction information, a shipping category, stock, and a delivery period.

[0019] "Product identifier" is an identifier used to distinguish each product from other products. "Supplier" is the identifier of the vendor that is the vendor of the product in question. "Selling price" is the price at which our company, the seller, sells the product to the buyer. "Product introduction information" is the file name of the file that describes the product's introduction information. It may include a file path. "Shipping category" specifies which of our company's locations the product will be shipped from, or whether it will be shipped directly to the buyer from an upstream vendor. "Inventory" is our inventory of the product in question. "Delivery period" is the normal delivery period for delivering the product from our company to the buyer. "Vendor identifier" is an identifier used to distinguish vendors from other vendors.

[0020] <Structure of traceability information> The structure of the traceability information 6 in this embodiment is shown in FIG. 3. The traceability information 6 is configured by linking the identifiers of each dealer that handled the product to the product identifier in chronological order. The "product identifier" is data that distinguishes a product from other products. The "dealer identifier" is the above-mentioned dealer identifier and has a certain data length. The traceability information 6 is configured such that the overall data length is extended by adding dealer identifier data to the product identifier data. For example, if the product identifier is "ABCD", the first dealer identifier is "abc", the second dealer identifier is "123", and the third dealer identifier is "def", the traceability information for an item whose product identifier is "ABCD" is represented by a single piece of data, "ABCDabc123def".

[0021] <Structure of vendor database> FIG. 4 shows the structure of the trader database (trader DB) in this embodiment. The trader DB associates, for each trader's base, a trader identifier, a base identifier, an address, a name, contact information, a trader profile, an authentication key, the trader's product list, and a shipping company used by the trader for delivery. The "trader identifier" is an identifier for identifying the trader from other traders. Traders include shipping companies. The "base identifier" is an identifier for identifying the trader's base from other bases. Bases include administrative bases such as head offices and branches, manufacturing bases such as factories, and logistics bases such as warehouses. The "address" is the address of the trader's base. The "name" is the name of the trader's base. It may include the department name, job title, and name of the person in charge. The "contact information" is the contact information for the trader's base. The contact information includes an email address. The "trader profile" is information for introducing the trader to other traders. The "authentication key" is used in the connection system described later. A "Product Listing" is identified by the identifier of the product listing for that carrier. A "Carrier" is identified by the carrier identifier for the carrier.

[0022] <Automatic generation of transaction data> In FIG. 1, the transaction data generating unit 3 automatically generates various transaction data required in the course of a transaction according to a generation instruction from a terminal. For example, delivery data is automatically generated based on order data input by a buyer (or his / her input agent). The transaction data generating unit 3 also automatically generates sales data based on input purchase data. In general, in the field of EDI (Electronic Data Interchange), it is known that order data and delivery data are in a two-sided relationship, and the values ​​of the data items of both are common. Similarly, it is known that purchase data and sales data are in a two-sided relationship, and the values ​​of the data items of both are common. Therefore, the transaction data generating unit 3 automatically generates delivery data by inserting the values ​​of each data item of the input order data into the corresponding data item of the delivery data. Similarly, the transaction data generating unit 3 automatically generates sales data by inserting the values ​​of each data item of the input purchase data into the corresponding data item of the sales data. In this way, the transaction data generating unit 3 automatically generates one transaction data based on another transaction data whose data item values ​​correspond.

[0023] The correspondence between the data items of the one transaction data and the data items of the other transaction data is pre-registered in the generation rule storage unit 4. The transaction data generation unit 3 refers to the correspondence between the data items registered in the generation rule storage unit 4, and automatically generates the other transaction data from the one transaction data that is in a reverse relationship. According to this embodiment, in transactions between multiple traders, the generation of transaction data can be automated, reducing the workload of the parties involved in the transaction.

[0024] <Automatic generation of traceability information> The delivery data generated by the transaction data generation unit 3 includes information on the seller and buyer of a specific product. Based on the delivery data generated by the transaction data generation unit 3, the transaction information processing unit 1 generates traceability information 6 by linking the trader identifiers of the traders who are the seller and buyer of the product in chronological order to the product individual identifier, and stores the information in the transaction information DB2. According to this embodiment, in transactions between multiple traders, the generation of traceability information can be automated, reducing the workload of the parties involved in the transaction.

[0025] <Examples of transactions using this system> In Fig. 5, a consumer obtains a product list of products handled by trader C, and places an order with trader C for trader A1's products (products provided by trader A1) and trader A2's products (products provided by trader A2) included in the product list. The ordered products are brought to trader B1 (shipping center) by traders A1 and A2, packed together at the shipping center, and then shipped directly to the consumer by trader B2, a carrier. In the course of this transaction, the transaction support system stores in transaction information DB2 the order data corresponding to the transaction between the consumer and trader C, the order data corresponding to the transaction between trader C and trader A1, and the order data corresponding to the transaction between trader C and trader A2.

[0026] The transaction data generation unit 3 generates delivery data corresponding to each order data based on each order data. The transaction information processing unit 1 stores the delivery data generated by the transaction data generation unit 3 in the transaction information DB2. The transaction information processing unit 1 also generates traceability information 6 based on each delivery data generated by the transaction data generation unit 3 and stores it in the transaction information DB2. In this transaction example, the consumer's terminal may be a tablet terminal, a mobile phone terminal, or the like.

[0027] <Connecting business operators system> FIG. 6 shows the configuration of a connection system between traders using the transaction support system. This connection system makes it easy to start new trades between traders. A trader (searcher) who wants to find a trading partner inputs a search query from a WUI (Web User Interface) on a terminal. Trader search engine 11 searches trader DB 12 for traders matching the search query input from the WUI and displays the search results on the WUI. The searcher selects a trader with whom he or she wants to start trading from the search results displayed on the WUI, and performs an operation to send a trading request to that trader (the person being searched). The WUI, which receives this operation, transmits the trader identifier of the searcher and the trader identifier of the person being searched to connection processing unit 13.

[0028] The connection processing unit 13 receives the trader identifier of the searcher from the searcher WUI, and reads out the trader profile of the trader corresponding to the trader identifier from the trader DB 12. Then, the connection processing unit 13 causes the WUI of the terminal corresponding to the trader identifier of the person to be searched (searched person WUI) to display the trader profile of the searcher and a question as to whether or not to start a transaction with the searcher.

[0029] When the person to be searched responds to the question by performing an operation to start a transaction, the searched person's WUI transmits the same to the connection processing unit 13. The connection processing unit 13, which has received the notification of the start of the transaction, associates the trader identifier of the searcher with the trader identifier of the person to be searched and stores them in the connection DB 14, and adds the product included in the product list 5 corresponding to the trader identifier of the person to be searched to the product list 5 corresponding to the trader identifier of the searcher. At this time, the connection processing unit 13 sets the trader identifier of the person to be searched to the supplier of the product to be added to the product list 5. This allows the searcher to start a transaction for the product with the person to be searched as the supplier. The above is a case where the buyer is the searcher and the seller is the person to be searched, but conversely, the seller may be the searcher and the buyer may be the person to be searched. In this case, the product included in the product list 5 corresponding to the trader identifier of the searcher is added to the product list 5 corresponding to the trader identifier of the person to be searched, and the connection processing unit 13 sets the trader identifier of the searcher to the supplier of the product to be added to the product list 5. This allows the person to be searched to start a transaction for the product with the searcher as the supplier.

[0030] Here, if the person to be searched has registered an authentication key in the trader DB 12, the connection processing unit 13 requests the searcher WUI to input the authentication key of the person to be searched. The searcher WUI transmits the authentication key of the person to be searched input by the searcher to the connection processing unit 13. If the input authentication key does not match the authentication key of the person to be searched, the connection processing unit 13 rejects the transaction request from the searcher. The connection processing unit 13 proceeds with the above process only if the authentication keys match. The person to be searched can distribute the authentication key to traders they know in advance by email or the like, and by using the authentication key, it is possible to accept transaction requests in this system only from limited parties such as acquaintances.

[0031] <System to support data transfer to trading support system> FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram of the data migration system. When a trader becomes a new user of the transaction support system, the data migration system supports the trader in importing data with different specifications from the trade information system of the trader's own company into the transaction support system. The operator operates the WUI of the terminal to upload data of the existing transaction information system to the server side. The data conversion unit 21 receives the uploaded data and converts the data of the existing system to conform to the data specifications of the transaction information DB2 according to the conversion rules registered in the conversion rule storage unit 22. The conversion rule storage unit 22 describes the conversion rules for each of a plurality of data specifications known as the data specifications of the existing system into the data specifications of the transaction information DB2. The operator of the terminal operates the WUI in advance to notify the data conversion unit 21 of the type of data specifications of the existing system, and the data conversion unit 21 reads out the conversion rule corresponding to the type of data specifications of the existing system notified from the WUI from the conversion rule storage unit 22 and uses it. The transaction information processing unit 1 stores the data converted by the data conversion unit 21 in the transaction information DB2. This allows traders who wish to use the transaction support system to easily transfer data from their existing systems to the transaction support system.

[0032] In addition, when this system is operated in a real-time two-way manner, a function for converting trading information input from a first existing trading information system into data usable by the trading support system of the present application and storing the converted trading information in the trading information DB2, and a function for converting trading information requested by a second existing trading information system into data usable by the requesting existing trading information system and providing the converted trading information, are constantly in operation. This enables the first trader and the second trader using the trading support system of the present application to exchange trading information while using their respective existing trading information systems.

[0033] <Data integration system using semantic technology> Conventionally, when companies A, B, and C, which manage transaction information using their own data specifications, integrate data, they perform separate data integrations, such as integrating data between company A's system and company B's system, integrating data between company B's system and company C's system, and integrating data between company C's system and company A's system, and even so, it is difficult to integrate data from all of company A's, B's, and C's systems into one. The embodiment described below makes it easy to integrate data from multiple traders' systems into one.

[0034] In FIG. 8, data from existing general shopping mall sites A and B built on the Internet and a transaction information management system C operated independently by a business connected to the Internet are integrated into one data by the transaction support system of the present application.

[0035] The transaction support system includes a data import unit 41, site-specific metadata settings 42, and a user dialogue unit 43. The data import unit 41 and the user dialogue unit 43 are provided in the transaction information processing unit 1. The site-specific metadata settings 42 and the metadata candidates are stored in a storage device.

[0036] The "site-specific metadata settings" are a set of data locations managed by existing websites, including general shopping mall sites A and B, and metadata to be added to each piece of data, which are registered in advance for each website. The site-specific metadata settings are created manually after analyzing the website's data structure in advance. The "metadata candidates" are a list of selectable metadata candidates.

[0037] When data is imported from general shopping mall site A, data import unit 41 refers to site-specific metadata setting 42 of general shopping mall site A, adds metadata corresponding to the location of each data imported from the location of each data on site A, and stores the data in transaction information DB 2. The same is true for general shopping mall site B.

[0038] When data is imported from the transaction information management system C, the user dialogue unit 43 provides the WUI to the transaction information management system C. The user dialogue unit 43 also reads out metadata candidates that can be displayed on the WUI from the storage device and displays them on the WUI of the system C. The user dialogue unit 43 then instructs the user of the system C through the WUI to specify the location of each piece of data managed by the system C and to select metadata to be added to each piece of data from the metadata candidates. Alternatively, the user dialogue unit 43 instructs the user of the system C through the WUI to specify the location of each piece of data managed by the system C and to input metadata to be added to each piece of data in an input field of the WUI. After the user of the system C completes the linking of the location of each piece of data with the metadata, the data import unit 41 operates an import button displayed on the WUI, and the data import unit 41 acquires each piece of data stored in the system C and the metadata associated with each piece of data, and adds metadata corresponding to each piece of data to the data and stores the data in the transaction information DB2.

[0039] In this way, even if the specifications of data of each company are different, it is possible to manage data in an integrated manner based on the meaning of the data by the metadata added to each data. Businesses operating existing transaction information management systems can easily migrate to the transaction support system of the present application by using the functions of this embodiment, and by becoming a user of the transaction support system of the present application, they can easily start transactions with other user businesses of the transaction support system of the present application. That is, by simply connecting an existing transaction information management system to the transaction support system of the present application, it is possible to connect with all other users who are using the transaction support system of the present application. Users who have stores on multiple general shopping mall sites can easily manage their store transaction information by integrating it into the transaction support system of the present application. In addition, when the data of each company is integrated and managed by the transaction support system of the present application, transaction information can be used regardless of the size of the business, so that, for example, when the price of a specific product is searched, the prices of products offered by large-scale businesses and the prices of products offered by small-scale businesses are presented equally as search results, and the content of the product or service provided is emphasized, and oligopoly is suppressed. In addition, this also eliminates the need for users who are trying to search for product transaction information to browse multiple websites. Moreover, data integration no longer requires a lot of manpower, as was the case in the past. Also, because the meaning of the data can be understood through metadata, it is possible to obtain cross-sectional statistics on data that has a common meaning among multiple businesses. It is possible to obtain comprehensive statistics, such as which products are popular among all the businesses participating in the transaction support system of this application.

[0040] <Presenting delivery period to buyer> In the transaction support system of this embodiment, the delivery period of the product can be shown to the buyer. In FIG. 1, when a consumer orders a product from a trader C, if the trader C has the product in stock, the transaction information processing unit 1 reads the delivery period of the product from the product list of the trader C and notifies the consumer terminal. On the other hand, if the trader C has run out of stock of the product, the transaction information processing unit 1 reads the delivery period of the product from the trader C's product list and also reads the delivery period of the product from the trader A's product list, which is the supplier of the product, from the trader A's product list, calculates the total delivery period based on both the delivery period of the seller, trader C, and the delivery period of the supplier, trader A, and notifies the consumer terminal. For example, the delivery period of the trader A and the delivery period of the trader C are added together to determine the total delivery period. In addition, when the product is directly delivered from the supplier, trader A, to the consumer, the transaction information processing unit 1 reads the delivery period of the product from the product list of the supplier, trader A, and notifies the consumer terminal.

[0041] <Hardware configuration> In the above embodiment, the transaction information processing unit 1, transaction data generation unit 3, trader search engine 11, connection processing unit 13 and data conversion unit 21 are realized by a computer executing a program. The transaction information DB 2, trader DB 12 and connection DB 14 are constructed inside a storage device. The generation rule storage unit 4 and conversion rule storage unit 22 are provided in a storage area of ​​the storage device. Data handled by the computer is read from the storage device or stored in the storage device.

[0042] Here, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope of the embodiment described above, but is within the scope of the invention described in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 1. Transaction information processing section 2. Transaction information database 3. Transaction Data Generation Section 4 Production rule storage 5 Product List 6. Traceability Information 11. Vendor Search Engine 12 Vendor DB 13 Connection processing section 14 Connection DB 21 Data conversion section 22 Conversion rule memory section 41 Data Acquisition Section 42 Site-specific metadata settings 43 User interaction section

Claims

1. A transaction support system that notifies a terminal of a delivery period for a product in response to a product order, comprising: A transaction information processing unit of the transaction support system, When the trader who sells the product does not have the product in stock, a process of reading out a delivery period from the trader's product list and reading out a delivery period from the trader's product list of a supplier who purchases the product; A process of calculating a total delivery period based on these delivery periods and notifying the terminal of the total delivery period; A transaction support system that executes the above.

2. A transaction support method for notifying a terminal of a delivery period for a product in response to a product order, comprising: A transaction information processing unit of the transaction support system, When the trader who sells the product does not have the product in stock, a process of reading out a delivery period from the trader's product list and reading out a delivery period from the trader's product list of a supplier who purchases the product; A process of calculating a total delivery period based on these delivery periods and notifying the terminal of the total delivery period; A transaction support method for carrying out the above.

3. A transaction support program that notifies a terminal of a delivery period for a product in response to a product order, A transaction information processing unit of the transaction support system When the trader who sells the product does not have the product in stock, a process of reading out a delivery period from the trader's product list and reading out a delivery period from the trader's product list of a supplier who purchases the product; A process of calculating a total delivery period based on these delivery periods and notifying the terminal of the total delivery period; A transaction support program that executes the above.

Images