Commodity trading system

Abstract

To provide a commodity trading system that facilitates the convenience of businesses or users. [Solution] The management server of the product trading system 1 sets up assortments of products that can be provided to the user, and in response to a lottery operation by the user on the user-side information terminal, it selects one or more of the products from the assortment by lottery, sends the winning information of the selected products to the user-side information terminal, the user-side information terminal displays the winning information sent from the management server, and based on the user's selection operation, makes a choice as to whether or not to acquire the product indicated by the winning information, the management server processes to provide the user with the product that the user-side information terminal has chosen to acquire from the products selected by lottery, moves the data of the product that the user-side information terminal has chosen to acquire from the winning list to the picking list so that the data does not remain in the assortment setting, and also does not leave data in the assortment setting for the products that the user-side information terminal has not chosen to acquire from the products selected by lottery.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a product trading system that conducts product trading through lottery actions or the like.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, as a form of a product sales system using the Internet, a lottery process (so-called gacha) based on a lottery request from a user may be used. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a system that uses a lottery process in a trading system for game media used in online games.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Conventionally, there has been a trading form in which a purchaser buys a product packaged so that what the product is cannot be determined from the appearance, and after purchasing, opens the package to confirm what product they have purchased. In terms of purchasing without knowing the contents, the packaged product can also be said to be a trading form through a lottery action.

[0005] However, in the case of the packaged product or a trading system using a lottery process such as Patent Document 1, inventory management becomes complicated after a purchaser purchases or wins the product, and there are problems such as out-of-stock of the product after purchasing or winning the product.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a product trading system that can facilitate business operators or users.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] A first aspect of the present invention is a product trading system comprising a management server for processing product transactions, wherein the management server sets up assortments of products available to a user, selects one or more products from the assortment by lottery in response to a lottery operation by the user on a user-side information terminal, transmits winning information for the selected products to the user-side information terminal, the user-side information terminal displays the winning information transmitted from the management server, and, based on the user's selection operation, chooses whether or not to acquire the products indicated by the winning information, the management server provides the user with the products selected by the lottery that the user-side information terminal has chosen to acquire, moves the data of the acquired products from the winning list to a picking list so that the data does not remain in the assortment settings, and also prevents the data of products selected by the lottery that the user-side information terminal did not choose to acquire from remaining in the assortment settings.

[0008] Preferably, when the management server performs the process of providing the product to the user, it performs the process of providing the product to the user through a product provider operated by a business operator different from the business operator that manages the management server.

[0009] Preferably, the management server transmits to the user's information terminal, in addition to the winning information for the product selected by the lottery, performance information for performing the lottery, the winning information being information that can identify the winning product itself, and the user's information terminal performs the lottery performance based on the performance information transmitted from the management server and then displays the winning information.

[0010] A second aspect of the present invention is characterized by further comprising a resale control unit that receives a resale request from the user for the goods provided to the user.

[0011] A third aspect of the present invention is that when the management server performs the process of providing the product to the user, it receives the product from a product provider operated by a business operator other than the business operator managing the management server, and performs the process of providing the product to the user. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the present invention, convenience can be provided to businesses or users. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing the schematic configuration of elements related to the first lottery sales site of a product trading system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This block diagram shows the schematic configuration of elements related to the second lottery sales site and resale site of the product trading system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This is a hardware configuration diagram of a commodity trading company's server. [Figure 4] This is a functional block diagram of the commodity trading company server. [Figure 5] This is a hardware configuration diagram of the lottery operation terminal and the resale purchase terminal. [Figure 6] This is a first flowchart showing the product transaction process related to the first lottery sales site of a product transaction system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] This is a second flowchart illustrating the product transaction process related to the first lottery sales site of the product transaction system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] This is a first explanatory diagram showing the screen display of a desktop personal computer in the product transaction processing related to the first lottery sales site of a product transaction system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] This is a second explanatory diagram showing the screen display of a desktop personal computer in the product transaction processing related to the first lottery sales site of a product transaction system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10]FIG. 3 is a third explanatory diagram showing a screen display of a desktop personal computer in a product trading process related to the first lottery sales site of the product trading system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 4 is a fourth explanatory diagram showing a screen display of a desktop personal computer in a product trading process related to the first lottery sales site of the product trading system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 5 is a fifth explanatory diagram showing a screen display of a desktop personal computer in a product trading process related to the first lottery sales site of the product trading system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] FIG. shows an overview of commercial transactions related to the second lottery sales site and the resale site to which the product trading system according to the present embodiment is applied. [Figure 14] FIG. is a flowchart showing the flow of processing related to the second lottery sales site and the resale site of the product trading system. [Figure 15] FIG. is an example of a screen display of the second lottery sales site. [Figure 16] FIG. is an example of a screen display of the second lottery sales site. [Figure 17] FIG. is an example of a screen display of the second lottery sales site. [Figure 18] FIG. is an example of a screen display of the resale site. [Figure 19] FIG. is an example of a screen display of the resale site. [Figure 20] FIG. is another example of a screen display of the lottery sales site. [Figure 21] FIG. is another example of a screen display of the lottery sales site. [Embodiments of the Invention]

[0014] [Embodiments of the Present Invention] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 21. In this embodiment, lottery and trading of products are performed using a user-side information terminal connectable to a management server. <00001,08> [Configuration of the Embodiment] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of elements related to the first lottery sales site of a product trading system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the schematic configuration of elements related to the second lottery sales site and resale site of the product trading system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] The product trading system according to an embodiment of the present invention operates a first lottery sales site and a second lottery sales site as sites for lottery sales of products, and operates a resale site as a site for selling products.

[0018] As shown in Figure 1, the elements related to the first lottery sales site of the commodity trading system 1 of this embodiment consist of the internet 2, a smartphone 3, a tablet personal computer 4, a notebook personal computer 5, a desktop personal computer 6, a commodity trading company server 7, and a commodity holder server 8.

[0019] The smartphone 3, tablet personal computer 4, notebook personal computer 5, and desktop personal computer 6 are user-side information terminals and can connect to the commodity trading company server 7 via the internet 2 in response to user operations.

[0020] The commodity trading company server 7 is operated by the commodity trading company, managed by the commodity trading company, and processes transactions between the user-side information terminal and the commodity trading company.

[0021] The product holder server 8 is managed by a product holder different from the product trading company, is connected to the product trading company server 7, and ships products to users in accordance with instructions from the product trading company server 7.

[0022] A product holder is a company that operates product supply businesses such as manufacturers, retailers, wholesalers, and product sales companies, and holds inventory of products. The products can include a wide variety, such as cosmetics, electrical appliances, computer supplies, mobile phones, game consoles, games, travel vouchers, gift certificates, bicycles, and food products. There may be multiple product holders, each operating as a separate, independent business, and there may also be multiple product holder servers 8.

[0023] Therefore, in Figure 1, a commodity trading company (for example, Company A, operated by the commodity trading company that manages the commodity trading company server 7) sells products from other commodity providers (for example, Company B, operated by the commodity holder that manages the commodity holder server 8) on its website (the first lottery sales site). When a product is sold to a user and a shipping request is made, the commodity provider (for example, Company B) ships the product to the user.

[0024] In Figure 2, the elements related to the second lottery sales site and resale site of the commodity trading system 1 are configured such that a commodity trading company server 7 operated by the commodity trading company and managed by the commodity trading company, a commodity holder server 8 managed by a commodity holder different from the commodity trading company, a lottery operation terminal 20 operated by a lottery purchase user 404 (see Figure 13), and a resale purchase terminal 30 operated by a resale purchase user 405 (see Figure 13) communicate with each other via the Internet 2.

[0025] Therefore, in Figure 2, a commodity trading company (for example, Company A, operated by the commodity trading company that manages the commodity trading company server 7) sells products from other commodity providers (for example, Company B, operated by the commodity holder that manages the commodity holder server 8) on its website (the second lottery sales site). When a product is sold to a user and a shipping request is made, the commodity provider (for example, Company B) ships the product to the user.

[0026] Figure 3 is a hardware configuration diagram of the commodity trading server 7.

[0027] In Figure 3, the commodity trading server 7 includes a processor 101, RAM 102, ROM 103, storage 104, display 105, and communication I / F 106, which are connected to each other via a bus 107.

[0028] A wired or wireless network communication device 108 for connecting to the Internet 2 is connected to the communication I / F 106. The lottery operation terminal 20 and the resale purchase terminal 30 are connected via the network communication device 108.

[0029] Figure 4 is a functional block diagram of the commodity trading server 7.

[0030] In Figure 4, the commodity trading server 7 includes a user registration unit 110, a login processing unit 120, a lottery sales control unit 130, a resale control unit 140, a settlement processing unit 150, a user information storage unit 160, and a commodity information storage unit 170. Each of these units is realized when the processor 101 loads a program installed in the ROM 103 or storage 104 of the commodity trading server 7 into the RAM 102 and executes it.

[0031] The user registration unit 110 stores and updates user information in the user information storage unit 160.

[0032] The login processing unit 120 executes login processing in response to login requests from the lottery operation terminal 20 and the resale purchase terminal 30.

[0033] The lottery sales control unit 130 controls the first and second lottery sales sites where products can be purchased through a lottery. For example, it controls sales sites for products packaged in a way that makes it impossible to determine what they are from their appearance, and sales sites that involve a so-called gacha (capsule toy) operation. The prizes for the gacha operation are examples of products assigned according to the results of the lottery operation.

[0034] The resale control unit 140 controls the resale site for reselling products sold via the lottery sales control unit 130 in response to requests from the lottery operation terminal 20.

[0035] The settlement processing unit 150 processes the payment for purchases made by the lottery sales control unit 130 and the resale control unit 140.

[0036] The product information storage unit 170 stores product information that will be sold by the lottery sales control unit 130 and the resale control unit 140, such as product name and its image, sales price, and resale information indicating that the product will be listed on a resale site. It also stores user-specific collection information that links the identification information of the products in each user's collection with user information.

[0037] Figure 5 is a hardware configuration diagram of the lottery operation terminal 20 and the resale purchase terminal 30.

[0038] In Figure 5, both the lottery operation terminal 20 and the resale purchase terminal 30 are terminals operated by general users accessing the commodity trading company server 7, and can be, for example, a smartphone, tablet, laptop computer, or personal computer, and the model is not limited.

[0039] Each of the lottery operation terminal 20 and the resale purchase terminal 30 includes a processor 181, RAM 182, ROM 183, storage 184, display 185, operation input interface 186, and network communication device 187, and these are connected to each other via a bus 188.

[0040] The operation input interface 186 may be, for example, a touch sensor or a keyboard.

[0041] <Operating Procedures for the First Lottery Sales Site of the Commodity Trading System> The product trading process for the first lottery sales site in the product trading system 1 will be explained below with reference to Figures 6 to 12. In the following explanation, a desktop personal computer 6 will be used as a representative of the user-side information terminal.

[0042] Figure 6 is a first flowchart showing the product transaction process related to the first lottery sales site of the product transaction system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0043] Figure 7 is a second flowchart showing the product transaction process related to the first lottery sales site of the product transaction system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0044] Figure 8 is a first explanatory diagram showing the screen display of a desktop personal computer in the product transaction processing related to the first lottery sales site of the product transaction system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0045] Figure 9 is a second explanatory diagram showing the screen display of a desktop personal computer in the product transaction processing related to the first lottery sales site of the product transaction system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0046] Figure 10 is a third explanatory diagram showing the screen display of a desktop personal computer in the product transaction processing related to the first lottery sales site of the product transaction system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0047] Figure 11 is a fourth explanatory diagram showing the screen display of a desktop personal computer in the product transaction processing related to the first lottery sales site of the product transaction system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0048] Figure 12 is a fifth explanatory diagram showing the screen display of a desktop personal computer in the product transaction processing related to the first lottery sales site of the product transaction system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0049] First, the user operates their user-side information terminal (desktop personal computer 6) to access the commodity trading company server 7, and displays the login screen 201 of the first lottery sales site on the screen 200 of the user-side information terminal shown in Figure 8(a).

[0050] The login screen 201 displays an image of the words "Member Login" 211, an email address input field 212, a password input field 213, a check box 214, a login button 215, a member registration button 216, etc.

[0051] After this, the user enters their email address in the email address input field 212 on the login screen 201, enters their password in the password input field 213, and left-clicks the login button 215 with the mouse, as part of the login input process in step S1 of Figure 6. As a result, the commodity trading company server 7 performs the login permission process in step S2 of Figure 6, and then, in step S3 of Figure 6, sends the data for point purchase to the user's information terminal.

[0052] The user's information terminal then receives the data for purchasing points and displays the point purchase screen 202 shown in Figure 8(b) on screen 200.

[0053] The points purchase screen 202 displays an image 220 of the user's current points balance, an image 221 of the words "Purchase Points," and a points purchase input field 222. The points purchase input field 222 displays an image 223 of each point, an image 224 of the purchase amount for each point, and a purchase button 225 for each point.

[0054] With the points purchase screen 202 displayed, the user's information terminal, as part of the points purchase process shown in step S4 of Figure 6, displays the points purchase confirmation screen 203 shown in Figure 9(a) on screen 200 when the user left-clicks the purchase button 225 with the mouse.

[0055] The points purchase confirmation screen 203 displays an image 230 of the user's current points balance, an image 231 of the words "Point Purchase Confirmation," and the points purchase confirmation window 232. The points purchase confirmation window 232 displays a points purchase information display section 233 showing the points and purchase amount, a card number input field 234 for registering the user's credit card, an expiration date input field 235 for the credit card, a security code input field 236 for the credit card, a cardholder name input field 237, and an OK button 238.

[0056] When the user left-clicks the OK button 238 with the mouse, the product trading company server 7, in step S5 of Figure 6, adds the points indicated by the point purchase operation information (the points corresponding to the purchase button 35 that the user left-clicked with the mouse in step S4 of Figure 6) to the user's points, deducts the corresponding amount from the credit card registered by the user on the point purchase confirmation screen 203, and sends the data of the user's points with the added points to the user's information terminal.

[0057] After this, the user's information terminal screen 200 displays the product assortment selection screen 204 shown in Figure 9(b) as a result of the processing in step S6 of Figure 6, and the user's points, with points added, are displayed on the product assortment selection screen 204.

[0058] The product assortment selection screen 204 displays an image 240 of the user's points after points have been added, and small window images 241, 242...246 showing multiple product assortments. The small window images 241, 242...246 display the type of product assortment, an image of it, the points required to purchase one pack (i.e., one gacha pull), a login button 247, etc.

[0059] Here, all goods held by a goods holder as inventory are referred to as total inventory.

[0060] A product assortment is a collection of multiple products owned by a product owner, grouped together by brand, rarity, manufacturer, etc., and can be configured using either automatic or manual selection.

[0061] The inventory of items included in a product assortment is called the product assortment inventory. The inventory of items selected by lottery from the stock of products included in a product assortment is called the winning list.

[0062] For example, when a user operates the login button 247 in the small window image 243, the user's information terminal displays the explanation screen 205 shown in Figure 10(a).

[0063] The explanation screen 205 displays an image 250 showing the user's current points, an image 251 explaining the restrictions on opening one pack (i.e., one gacha pull), an image 252 showing the points required to purchase one pack, an input field for the number of packs to purchase 253, a purchase button 254, and an image 255 describing the product.

[0064] When a user enters the number of packs to purchase in the pack quantity input field 253 and presses the purchase button 254, the process in step S7 of Figure 6 sends data requesting a product purchase lottery from the user's information terminal to the product trading company server 7. As a result, in step S8 of Figure 6, the product trading company server 7 subtracts the points required for purchasing the packs from the user's current points, in step S9 of Figure 6, performs a product lottery process, selects the winning product from the product assortment inventory, and in step S10 of Figure 6, moves the winning product from the product assortment inventory to the winning list (updates the data).

[0065] In Step S9, the prize draw may be set so that winners have a certain probability of winning, or the probabilities can be changed using a probability notation similar to that of a typical gacha machine (e.g., 3% for the grand prize, 10% for the medium prize, 87% for the small prize).

[0066] Subsequently, in step S11 of Figure 6, the commodity trading server 7 transmits the product lottery results and information about the lottery-related presentation to the user's information terminal.

[0067] When the user's information terminal receives information about the product lottery results and the animations related to the lottery, it displays the lottery operation screen 206 shown in Figure 10(b) through the product lottery animation display process in step S12 of Figure 6. The lottery operation screen 206 is solely for performing the animations for lotteries for which the results have already been obtained in step S9 of Figure 6.

[0068] The lottery operation screen 206 displays an image 261 with the text "Tap to start" and an image 262 with the text "*You can skip by tapping the screen during video playback." When the user taps the lottery operation screen 206 (the user left-clicks with the mouse), the lottery animation screen 207 shown in Figure 11(a) is displayed, followed by the lottery animation screen 208 shown in Figure 11(b).

[0069] In the lottery animation screen 207 shown in Figure 11(a), a video of a glowing card 272 rotating is displayed in a small window 271.

[0070] In the lottery animation screen 208 shown in Figure 11(b), a video is displayed in a small window 281 showing a glowing card splitting into multiple cards 282.

[0071] When the display of the lottery animation screen 208 shown in Figure 11(b) is completed, the user's information terminal displays the lottery result display screen 209 shown in Figure 12(a) through the product lottery result display process in step S13 of Figure 6.

[0072] The lottery result display screen 209 shows a vertically elongated oval area 291, and inside the oval area 291, an image 292 of the surface of the winning product and an image 293 of the product name are displayed. Below the oval area 291, an image 294 of the product number is displayed, and below the image 294 of the product number, a "Next" button 295 is displayed.

[0073] When the user left-clicks the Next button 295 with the mouse, the user's information terminal displays the product purchase selection screen 20 shown in Figure 12(b) through the product purchase selection screen display process in step S14 of Figure 6.

[0074] The product shipping request selection screen 210 displays an image 300 of the user's current points balance and the product shipping request selection window 301. The product shipping request selection window 301 displays an image 302 of the text “Login Gacha November 21st Release”, an image 303 of the text “Purchase Date 2021 / 12 / 09”, an image 304 of the front of the winning product, an image 305 of the product name, a check box 306, an image 307 of the product number and rarity, an image 308 of the reward points, an important information display area 309, and a final confirmation button 310.

[0075] The important information display area 309 displays an image 311 showing the number of items to be shipped and an image 312 showing the reward points. After this, the process proceeds to the product shipping request determination process in step S15 of Figure 6.

[0076] When the product shipping request selection screen 210 is displayed, if the user denies requesting product shipping, they left-click the final confirmation button 310 with the mouse without checking the check box 306. As a result, the determination in step S15 of Figure 6 becomes No, and the user's information terminal processes a point conversion request to the product trading company server 7 in step S21 of Figure 7. The product trading company server 7 then converts the winning product into redemption points as shown in image 311 in step S22 of Figure 7, and adds the redemption points to the user's points in step S23 of Figure 7. In this type of point redemption, the data of the product for which the user selected points for redemption is moved from the winning list (the winning product has already been moved from the product assortment inventory to the winning list) to the total product inventory.

[0077] When the product shipping request selection screen 210 is displayed, if a user selects to request product shipping, they first left-click the check box 306 with the mouse. This places a check in the check box 306, the reward points images 308 and 312 become 0 points, and the number of items to be shipped image 310 becomes 1 / 1. After this, the user left-clicks the final confirmation button 310 with the mouse. As a result, the judgment in step S15 of Figure 6 becomes Yes, and the user's information terminal, in step S31 of Figure 7, sends a shipping request (mail order request) for the winning product to the product trading company server 7. The product trading company server 7 then accepts the product shipping request in step S32 of Figure 7, moves the data of the product selected by the user for shipping from the winning list (winning products have already been moved from the product assortment inventory) to the picking list, and updates the product data and inventory quantity. After this, in step S33 of Figure 7, the product shipping acceptance data is sent to the user's information terminal. In step S34 of Figure 7, the user's information terminal displays the product shipment acceptance data on the screen to confirm that the product has been shipped from the product owner.

[0078] Furthermore, since the products that the user has selected for shipping can no longer be sold, the product trading server 7, in step S32 of Figure 7, performs a process to move the data of the products that the user has selected for shipping from the winning list among the total product inventory.

[0079] Furthermore, in step S10 of Figure 6, the winning product is moved from the product assortment inventory to the winning list. Therefore, in the product lottery display process in step S12 of the next product transaction, the product that the user has previously won will not be won again, preventing unwanted products from remaining in the product assortment inventory.

[0080] For example, suppose a pack containing 100 items is created. If a user, following the process in step S7 of Figure 6, enters 10 in the pack purchase quantity input field 63 and presses the "Purchase" button 64 (spinning the gacha), and purchases 10 packs, the number of items in the product assortment inventory (number of packs in stock) decreases from 100 to 90 at the moment the purchase button 64 is pressed, and the 10 items selected by lottery are displayed in a list. If 6 of these are requested to be shipped and 4 are redeemed for points, then no matter what is selected for the 6 and 4 items, at the moment the "Purchase" button 64 is pressed in step S7 of Figure 6, there will be no more winning items in this product assortment inventory (pack).

[0081] Next, in step S35 of Figure 7, the product trading server 7 sends data to the product holder server 8 as a shipping arrangement request process, including the winner's name, address, product number of the product to be delivered, and the scheduled date and time of shipment. Upon receiving the shipping arrangement request data, the product holder server 8 arranges for delivery personnel, transport vehicles, etc., in step S36 of Figure 7.

[0082] Subsequently, in step S37 of Figure 7, the product holder server 8 processes the product shipping process by instructing employees to retrieve the products selected by the user for shipping from inventory and seal them in shipping boxes, printing address labels on the envelopes containing the products, and instructing employees to ship the products. As a result, the shipping boxes containing the products are handed over to the delivery company's employees, and in step S38 of Figure 7, the product holder server 8 processes the delivery confirmation process, such as contacting the delivery company's employees about the delivery and confirming the signature upon receipt. As a result, the products are shipped from the product holder to the delivery company.

[0083] <Second lottery sales site and resale site for the product trading system> Figure 13 shows an overview of commercial transactions related to the second lottery sales site and resale site to which the product trading system according to this embodiment is applied.

[0084] In commercial transactions related to the second lottery sales site and the resale site, the manufacturer, wholesaler, and other product holders (401) will secure the products.

[0085] 402, a company operating a lottery sales site run by a commodity trading company (hereinafter abbreviated as "site operator"), has entrusted the securing of goods to a different commodity holder 401 from the commodity trading company. The goods will be delivered to warehouse 403, which is managed by goods holder 401 (S41). The website operator 402 uploads the goods entrusted to them for securing to a website accessible to the goods holder 401 (S42). The goods holder 401 can check on that website whether or not the goods entrusted to them for securing are stored in warehouse 403.

[0086] In Figure 13, tangible goods brought into warehouse 403 are used as an example of "goods" to illustrate the concept. However, in this embodiment, "goods" may also refer to intangible goods such as digital data. In that case, storage managed and accessed by the site operator 402 may be used instead of warehouse 403. Tangible goods can be of any type, such as trading cards or other game media printed on paper, clothing, food, alcoholic beverages, or health equipment. Intangible goods may also include game item data used in online games, or NFT data (Non-Fungible Token).

[0087] There may be multiple product holders (401). Site operator 402 operates the second lottery sales site 421 and the resale site 422 using the commodity trading server 7 (see Figure 2).

[0088] The second lottery sales site 421 is a site that sells products delivered through a lottery. For example, product holder 401 may prepare a package containing one or more products stored in warehouse 403 and list the package as a single sales unit on the second lottery sales site 421, or may designate products to be won in a so-called gacha (lottery).

[0089] The lottery purchase user 404 accesses the second lottery sales site 421 (S43) and participates in the lottery. The lottery purchase user 404 pays to perform the lottery operation and the winning product is determined. This means that the lottery product has been purchased (S44). After that, ownership is transferred to the lottery purchase user 404 while the product is temporarily stored in warehouse 403. In this embodiment, the act of transferring ownership to oneself without moving the product from the warehouse is referred to as "adding it to one's collection."

[0090] If user 404, who purchased the lottery items, finds any unwanted items among those purchased, they list the unwanted items on the resale site 422 (S45).

[0091] Resale purchase user 405 accesses the resale site 422 (S46) and purchases anything they like (S47). The resale item is then added to resale purchase user 405's collection. Resale purchase user 5 can either list the resale item in their collection or request that it be shipped to resale purchase user 405 (S48). <Operating Procedures for the Second Lottery Sales Site and Resale Site of the Commodity Trading System>

[0092] Figure 14 is a flowchart showing the processing flow related to the second lottery sales site and resale site of the product trading system.

[0093] Product owner 401 puts his products, located in warehouse 403, up for sale on the second lottery sales site 421 (S51).

[0094] The lottery purchase user 404 accesses the second lottery sales site 421 to perform the lottery and payment (S52). This lottery is the operation in which the lottery purchase user 404 purchases an item from the lottery operation terminal 20 (see Figure 2) without knowing what the item is. Specific examples of the lottery include drawing a lottery ticket (including so-called gacha) or selecting packaging. The item that the lottery purchase user 404 wins (the winning item) is temporarily added to the lottery purchase user 404's collection.

[0095] The lottery purchase user 404 performs an operation to receive the product (for example, an operation to request delivery to themselves, an operation to convert to points, etc.) or a resale operation to resell the product (S53).

[0096] If the lottery purchase user 404 performs the receipt operation (S53: product receipt operation), the site operator 402 performs an inventory check process (S54) with the product holder 401. If the warehouse 403 managed by the product holder 401 has stock of the product that the lottery purchase user 404 won (winning product), the site operator 402 proceeds to step S56. If the product holder 401 does not have stock of the product that the lottery purchase user 404 won (winning product), the site operator 402 performs an inventory adjustment process (S55).

[0097] In inventory management processing (S55), for example, a system for postponing delivery dates, or a system that allows users to select the delivery date based on inventory levels, is implemented.

[0098] After this, the site operator 402 proceeds with the shipping procedure to the address specified by the lottery purchase user 404 (S56). Alternatively, if the product is digital data, this process may be replaced by sending a URL for downloading to the lottery purchase user 404. If it is NFT data, after adding the data of the lottery purchase user 404, it is sent to the lottery operation terminal 20. Alternatively, the product may be converted into points. After that, the process ends.

[0099] If lottery purchase user 404 performs a resale operation (S53: resale operation), lottery purchase user 404 proceeds with listing the item on the resale site 422 (S57). If the item is NFT data, lottery purchase user 404's data is added before listing it on the resale site 422.

[0100] User 405, who is purchasing a resold item, accesses the resale site 422 (S58).

[0101] If user 405 does not wish to purchase items from the resale site 422 (S59: No), they will stop accessing the resale site 422 and terminate the process. If user 405 wishes to purchase items from the resale site 422 (S59: Yes), they will proceed with the purchase of the resale items and settle the payment for the items (S60).

[0102] The commodity trading server 7 places the purchased resale items into the collection of the resale item purchaser 405. When the resale item purchaser 405 requests shipment of the resale items, or, if the items are digital data, requests transmission of the item data, the server 7 ships or transmits the items accordingly (S61). At this time, the commodity trading server 7 may pay the lottery purchaser 404 the amount minus the resale commission. If the items are NFT data, the server 7 adds the resale item purchaser 405's information to the lottery purchaser 404's data and then transmits it to the resale item purchaser 405.

[0103] Figures 15 to 17 show examples of screen displays for the second lottery sales website. The screen 500 in Figure 15 is one example of a screen displayed on the second lottery sales site, and includes an image 501 of the package A to be sold, a purchase quantity input field 502, a total purchase amount display field 503, and a purchase confirmation button 504. When the purchase quantity is entered in the purchase quantity input field 502 on the lottery operation terminal 20, the purchase amount is displayed in the total purchase amount display field 503. After confirming this, pressing the purchase confirmation button 504 on the lottery operation terminal 20 transitions to the screen 510 in Figure 16.

[0104] Screen 510 in Figure 16 is an example of a screen displayed on the second lottery sales site. It displays product information 511 for each product purchased through the lottery process, a product handling selection button 512 that allows users to choose from three types of handling for each product ("Request shipment," "Resell," or "Convert to points") via a pull-down menu, and a confirmation button 513. Products selected with "Request shipment" on the lottery operation terminal 20 are sent to the address specified by the operator of the lottery operation terminal 20, or to a specified storage or address. Products selected with "Resell" are listed on the resale site. Pressing the confirmation button 513 transitions to screen 520 in Figure 17. Selecting "Convert to points" allows the user to receive points equivalent to the value of the winning product.

[0105] The screen 520 in Figure 17 is one example of a screen displayed on the second lottery sales site, showing product information 521 for each product purchased through the lottery process, a shipping information field 522 including input fields for the shipping address and a display field for shipping costs for each product, and a confirmation button 523. When the necessary information is entered in the shipping information field 522 on the lottery operation terminal 20 and the confirmation button 523 is pressed, the screen transitions to the screen 600 in Figure 18.

[0106] Screen 600 in Figure 18 is an example of a screen displayed on a resale site, and is a screen for entering sales information for products to be resold from among the products purchased through the lottery process. Screen 600 displays product information 601, a sales price input field 602, a field for specifying the payment account when the resold product is sold 603, and a confirmation button 604. When the necessary information is entered in the sales price input field 602 and the payment account specification field 603 on the lottery operation terminal 20 and the confirmation button 604 is pressed, the product purchased through the lottery process can be listed on the resale site.

[0107] Screen 610 in Figure 19 is an example of a screen displayed on a resale site, and is the sales page screen for a resold product. Screen 610 displays product information 611, a sales price display field 612, and a purchase button 613. When the operator of the resale purchase terminal 30 (see Figure 2) selects the product to be purchased and presses the purchase button 613, the operator of the resale purchase terminal 30 can purchase the resold product.

[0108] Screen 530 in Figure 20 is an example screen of the second lottery sales site, where the user draws a lottery ticket (a so-called gacha) and purchases a product according to the lottery result. Screen 530 displays an input field 531 for the number of times to draw the gacha and a purchase button (illustrated as "Draw Gacha") 532. Pressing the purchase button 532 transitions to screen 540 in Figure 21.

[0109] Screen 540 in Figure 21 is an example screen of the second lottery sales site, showing an example of a prize won in the lottery (so-called gacha) where food items are won. Screen 540 includes a product information display field 541, a product handling specification button 542, and a confirmation button 543. Selecting "Request shipment" will ship the product to the specified address, or send the digital product to the specified storage or address. Checking "Resell" will list the product on the resale site. It is also possible to select "Convert to points." Pressing the confirmation button 543 will transition to screen 520 in Figure 17.

[0110] <Summary of the configuration and effects of the embodiment of the present invention> To summarize the configuration and effects of the embodiments of the present invention, the commodity trading system 1 is a commodity trading system equipped with a management server (commodity trading agent server 7) that processes commodity transactions, wherein the management server sets up assortments of products that can be provided to a user, and in response to a lottery operation by the user on a user-side information terminal (smartphone 3, tablet personal computer 4, notebook personal computer 5, desktop personal computer 6), it selects one or more of the products from the assortment by lottery, transmits the winning information of the selected products to the user-side information terminal, the user-side information terminal displays the winning information transmitted from the management server, and, based on the user's selection operation, chooses whether or not to acquire the products indicated by the winning information, the management server processes to provide the user with the products that the user-side information terminal has chosen to acquire from the products selected by lottery, moves the data of the acquired products from the winning list to the picking list so that the data does not remain as an assortment setting, and also does not leave data as an assortment setting for products that the user-side information terminal did not choose to acquire from the products selected by lottery.

[0111] When the management server performs the process of providing the product to the user, it performs the process of providing the product to the user through a product provider operated by a business operator (product owner) separate from the business operator that manages the management server.

[0112] The management server transmits to the user's information terminal, in addition to the winning information for the product selected by the lottery, performance information for the lottery performance, the winning information being information that can identify the winning product itself, and the user's information terminal performs the lottery performance based on the performance information transmitted from the management server and then displays the winning information.

[0113] Furthermore, the commodity trading system 1 also includes a resale control unit (a circuit and program in the commodity trading server 7 that performs control processing for the resale site 422) that receives resale requests from the user for the goods provided to the user.

[0114] According to this embodiment of the product trading system 1, the system provides the user with the product selected by the user information terminal from among the products selected by lottery, moves the data of the selected product from the winning list to the picking list, and prevents the data from remaining as a bundle setting. Similarly, the system prevents the data of products selected by the user information terminal from remaining as a bundle setting. This makes inventory management easier after a purchaser buys or wins a product, eliminates problems such as running out of stock of a product after it has been purchased or won, and improves convenience for businesses and users.

[0115] Furthermore, the product trading system 1 of this embodiment enhances the excitement and appeal of product lotteries conducted via the internet through video presentations. Compared to conventional game systems that lottery players using game media that mimics products, it is possible to ship actual products to users, thereby increasing user satisfaction. Moreover, the winning product can be fully communicated to the user on the user's information terminal screen, which further enhances user satisfaction.

[0116] Furthermore, according to the product trading system 1 of the embodiment, the points allocated for products that the user did not choose to acquire from the products selected by lottery are converted back into the points the user already possesses. This makes it a waste-free system for the user and can also increase user satisfaction.

[0117] Furthermore, according to the product trading system 1 of the embodiment, the winning information is information that can identify the winning product itself, and the user-side information terminal displays the winning information after performing the lottery performance based on the performance information transmitted from the management server, so that the user does not acquire cards that they do not need, and this can also increase user satisfaction.

[0118] Furthermore, according to the product trading system 1 of the embodiment, consumers who purchase through a lottery can easily find opportunities to make effective use of unwanted items by listing and reselling the winning product on a resale site if they no longer need it. This reduces the rate of waste of unwanted items and contributes to a sustainable society.

[0119] Product trading companies, such as those operating gacha machines, do not have large warehouses, making it difficult to store and manage the products that will be used as prizes. However, according to the product trading system 1 of the embodiment, product trading companies can concentrate solely on operating the gacha (lottery) without having to store and manage the products that will be used as prizes.

[0120] Since they don't need to prepare actual prizes, inventory runs out, and the gacha operating company's finances improve.

[0121] The prizes can now include large items or items that are difficult to store (and in some cases, fresh foods such as strawberries and peaches).

[0122] In the embodiments of the present invention, a desktop personal computer 6 was used as a representative user information terminal in Figures 6 to 12, but it is also possible to perform equivalent operations using a smartphone, tablet personal computer, or notebook personal computer as the user information terminal.

[0123] Furthermore, in this embodiment of the present invention, a commodity trading company server 7 was used as the management server for processing commodity transactions, but a cloud server can also be used.

[0124] <Modified examples of embodiments> As a first modification of the embodiment, a product trading company (for example, Company A, operated by a product trading company that manages the product trading company server 7) may sell products from another product provider (for example, Company B, operated by a product holder that manages the product holder server 8) on its website (first lottery sales site), and when a product is sold to a user and a shipping request is made, the product provider (for example, Company B) sends the product to the product trading company (for example, Company A), and the product trading company (for example, Company A) ships the product to the user.

[0125] Therefore, when the management server (commodity trading server 7) processes to provide the commodity to the user, it receives the commodity from a commodity provider operated by a business operator other than the business operator managing the management server, and processes to provide the commodity to the user.

[0126] According to this first modification of the embodiment, the same effects as those of the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 21 can be obtained.

[0127] As a second variation, it is also possible to place information terminals (such as tablet computers) in stores, allowing users to participate in product lotteries using the terminals and have the winning products handed directly to the users at the store.

[0128] As a third variation, there should be a system that automatically removes products from retailer information when they are out of stock and there are no plans for restocking. In this case, one possible method is to ask retailers to input data. Furthermore, the system could automatically monitor e-commerce sites to check for situations such as running out of stock or delayed delivery dates, and automatically remove items from the promotional offerings.

[0129] The above embodiments do not limit the present invention, and modifications that do not depart from the spirit of the invention are included within the scope of the rights of the present invention.

[0130] Furthermore, the structure, system, program, etc., of the present invention can be modified in various ways without altering the essence of the invention.

[0131] For example, it is possible to combine two or more components into one, or conversely, to construct one component from two or more other components and connect them.

[0132] Furthermore, the above embodiments and modifications are merely three of the best possible forms or forms that come close to them at present.

[0133] Furthermore, control functions may be controlled by higher-level control units or by lower-level control units.

[0134] Furthermore, the order of control can be changed as appropriate, provided that it achieves the desired effect. Furthermore, the above embodiments and modifications are merely the best possible forms or forms close to them at present. [Industrial applicability]

[0135] The product trading system of the present invention can be effectively used by businesses and corporations that provide products through a lottery. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0136] 1: Commodity trading system 2: Internet 3: Smartphone 4: Tablet personal computer 5: Notebook personal computer 6: Desktop personal computer 7: Commodity trading company server 8: Product Owner Server 8 20: Lottery operation terminal 21: Lottery sales site 22: Resale site 30: Resale purchased devices 101: Processor 102: RAM 103: ROM 104: Storage 105: Display 106: Communication I / F 107: Bus 108: Network communication device 110: User Registration Section 120: Login Processing Unit 130: Lottery Sales Control Unit 140: Resale Control Unit 150: Payment Processing Section 160: User information storage unit 170:Product information storage section 181: Processor 182: RAM 183 :ROM 184: Storage 185: Display 186: Operation Input Interface 187: Network communication device 188: Bus 401: Product holder 402: Website Operator 403: Warehouse 404: Lottery purchase user 405: User purchasing resold items 500: Screen 501: Image 502: Input field for purchase quantity 503: Total purchase amount display field 504: Purchase Confirmation Button 510: Screen 511:Product information 512: Product handling specification button 513: Select button

Claims

1. A commodity trading system equipped with a management server that processes commodity transactions, The management server sets up a set of products available to the user, and in response to the user's lottery operation on the user's information terminal, it selects one or more of the products from the set by lottery, and transmits the winning information of the selected products to the user's information terminal. The user-side information terminal displays the winning information transmitted from the management server and, based on the user's selection operation, makes a choice as to whether or not to acquire the product indicated by the winning information. The aforementioned management server From the products selected by the aforementioned lottery, the system provides the user with the product that the user's information terminal has selected to acquire, and moves the data of the selected product from the winning list to the picking list so that the data does not remain as part of the bundled settings. The data for items selected by the aforementioned lottery that the user's information terminal did not choose to acquire will not be retained in the bundled settings. A commodity trading system characterized by the following features.

2. The product trading system according to claim 1, characterized in that when the management server performs the process of providing the product to the user, it performs the process of providing the product to the user through a product provider operated by a business operator other than the business operator that manages the management server.

3. The management server transmits to the user's information terminal, in addition to the winning information for the product selected by the lottery, information about the presentation used to perform the lottery. The aforementioned winning information is information that can identify the winning product itself. The product trading system according to claim 1, characterized in that the user-side information terminal performs the lottery performance based on the performance information transmitted from the management server and then displays the winning information.

4. The product trading system according to claim 1, further comprising a resale control unit that receives a resale request from the user for the product provided to the user.

5. The product trading system according to claim 1, characterized in that when the management server performs the process of providing the product to the user, it receives the product from a product provider operated by a business operator other than the business operator managing the management server, and performs the process of providing the product to the user.

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