Online medical consultation management server, online medical consultation management method, and program

Abstract

This system provides an online medical consultation management server that can meet users' needs for immediate medical consultations while also restricting actions that would otherwise require a long wait before a consultation becomes available. [Solution] The online medical consultation management server includes: an acceptance / rejection determination unit that determines whether it is possible to accept a first medical consultation service, in which the online medical consultation service will start immediately after other users' consultations are completed, when the user's cart contains an item requiring medical consultation; a selection / rejection determination unit that determines whether the first medical consultation service is selectable if it is determined that it is possible to accept the first medical consultation service, and determines whether it is not selectable if it is determined that it is not possible to accept the first medical consultation service; and a display control unit that controls the display of a screen according to whether the first medical consultation service is selectable or not.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an online medical treatment management server, an online medical treatment management method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] In Patent Document 1, in online medical treatment, a technique is described in which, before reaching a page (landing page) for receiving medical treatment in online medical treatment so that a person wishing to receive medical treatment can receive medical treatment from a doctor at a time when they wish to receive medical treatment, a waiting status indicating the number of people waiting for medical treatment is presented to the person wishing to receive medical treatment.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, just allowing a person wishing to receive medical treatment to check the number of people waiting for medical treatment as in the conventional technology may result in the person wishing to receive medical treatment having to wait for a long time until they can actually receive medical treatment. For example, a person wishing to receive medical treatment may apply for medical treatment at a time when it is not a time zone in which a doctor can provide medical treatment. In this case, regardless of the number of people waiting for medical treatment, it is assumed that the person wishing to receive medical treatment will wait for a long time until it becomes a time when medical treatment is possible. Also, a person wishing to receive medical treatment may apply for medical treatment without checking the number of people waiting for medical treatment. In this case, if the number of people waiting for medical treatment is large, it is assumed that the person wishing to receive medical treatment will wait for a long time.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide an online medical treatment management server, an online medical treatment management method, and a program that can limit operations for immediately receiving medical treatment when a user needs to wait for a long time until they can receive medical treatment while meeting the need of the user to immediately receive medical treatment from a doctor. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to one aspect of this disclosure, the online medical consultation management server includes: an acceptance / rejection determination unit that determines whether it is possible to accept a first medical consultation provision method in which the online medical consultation is started immediately after the medical consultation of another user is completed, when the user's cart contains an item requiring medical consultation; a selection / rejection determination unit that determines whether the first medical consultation provision method is selectable if it is determined that it is possible to accept the first medical consultation provision method, and determines whether the first medical consultation provision method is not selectable if it is determined that it is not possible to accept the first medical consultation provision method; and a display control unit that controls the display of a screen according to whether the first medical consultation provision method is selectable or not.

[0007] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method for managing online medical consultations includes the steps of: determining whether a first medical consultation service is available when a user's cart contains a product requiring medical consultation, in which the online medical consultation begins immediately after another user's consultation is completed; determining that the first medical consultation service is selectable if it is determined that it is available, and determining that the first medical consultation service is not selectable if it is determined that it is not available; and performing control to display a screen according to whether the first medical consultation service is selectable or not.

[0008] According to one aspect of this disclosure, the program causes the online medical consultation management server to execute the following steps when the user's cart contains an item requiring medical consultation: determine whether a first medical consultation service is available, in which the online medical consultation service begins immediately after another user's consultation is completed; determine that the first medical consultation service is selectable if it is determined that it is available, and determine that the first medical consultation service is not selectable if it is determined that it is not available; and perform control to display a screen according to whether the first medical consultation service is selectable or not. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the above configuration, while meeting the user's need to receive immediate medical treatment from a doctor, it is possible to restrict the user's ability to receive immediate treatment if they would have to wait a long time before they can receive treatment. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This figure shows an example configuration of an online medical consultation system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example of processing in an online medical consultation system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] This is the first figure showing an example of a shopping cart screen according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a second figure showing an example of a shopping cart screen according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] This is a third figure showing an example of a shopping cart screen according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] This figure shows an example of processing in an online medical consultation system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 7] This figure shows an example of processing in an online medical consultation system according to the third embodiment. [Figure 8] This figure shows an example configuration of an online medical consultation system according to the fourth embodiment. [Figure 9] This figure shows an example of processing in an online medical consultation system according to the fourth embodiment. [Figure 10] This figure shows an example of processing in an online medical consultation system according to the fifth embodiment. [Figure 11] This figure shows an example of processing in an online medical consultation system according to the sixth embodiment. [Figure 12] This is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of a computer according to one of the embodiments. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] <First Embodiment> The embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 1 to 5.

[0012] (System Configuration) FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an online medical treatment system according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the online medical treatment system 1 includes a management server 10, user terminals 20 (20a, 20b,...), and an examination terminal 30. The management server 10, the user terminals 20, and the examination terminal 30 are communicably connected.

[0013] The management server 10 performs various processes related to online medical treatment on a sales site (online shopping mall) of products including pharmaceuticals that can be sold online. When a user takes an action on a target product (such as medical pharmaceuticals) that requires medical treatment by a doctor, the management server 10 induces the user to apply for online medical treatment before purchase. In this embodiment, the management server 10 presents two types, the first medical treatment providing method and the second medical treatment providing method, to the user as methods for applying for online medical treatment. In this embodiment, after the user applies for medical treatment, "Medical treatment immediately", which starts online medical treatment immediately after the medical treatment of another user ends, will be described as an example of the first medical treatment providing method. Also, "Medical treatment reservation", in which the user selects an arbitrary desired appointment date and time and reserves online medical treatment, will be described as an example of the second medical treatment providing method.

[0014] The user terminals 20a, 20b,... are terminal devices such as a PC or a smartphone used by the user when using various services provided online such as an online shopping mall and online medical treatment. Hereinafter, when there is no need to distinguish, it will be simply described as the user terminal 20.

[0015] The examination terminal 30 is a terminal device such as a PC or a smartphone used by a doctor when performing online medical treatment. Also, the examination terminal 30 presents to the doctor a waiting list in order of users who have applied for "Medical treatment immediately". When the doctor becomes in a state where medical treatment is possible, the doctor selects a user who will receive online medical treatment from the waiting list in order and starts the online medical treatment. Note that there may be a plurality of examination terminals 30.

[0016] (Functional Configuration of Management Server) As shown in FIG. 1, the management server 10 includes an in-cart information update unit 101, a reception availability determination unit 102, a selection availability determination unit 103, a display control unit 104, an in-cart information recording unit 110, a product information recording unit 111, a seller information recording unit 112, and a waiting list recording unit 113.

[0017] When the in-cart information update unit 101 receives an operation to add or delete a product from the cart from the user terminal 20, it updates the in-cart information of the user.

[0018] When the reception availability determination unit 102 determines whether it is possible to accept the first medical treatment method ( "medical treatment immediately") that starts an online medical treatment immediately after the medical treatment of another user ends when the target product that requires medical treatment is included in the user's cart. In this embodiment, the reception availability determination unit 102 determines that it is possible to accept "medical treatment immediately" when the reception availability determination reference time is within the medical treatment reception available time of the seller (medical facility) of the target product. The reception availability determination reference time is, for example, the time when the user terminal 20 receives a display request for a specific screen provided with a UI for the user to select (apply for) "medical treatment immediately". In this embodiment, an example in which the specific screen is a cart screen will be described.

[0019] When it is determined that it is possible to accept "medical treatment immediately", the selection availability determination unit 103 determines that the user can select "medical treatment immediately", and when it is determined that it is not possible to accept "medical treatment immediately", the selection availability determination unit 103 determines that the user cannot select "medical treatment immediately".

[0020] The display control unit 104 controls the display of the cart screen according to whether the "Consult Now" option for the target product is selectable. If the display control unit 104 determines that "Consult Now" is selectable, it causes the requesting user terminal 20 to display a cart screen with the UI (button, etc.) for selecting "Consult Now" activated. If the display control unit 104 determines that "Consult Now" is not selectable, it causes the requesting user terminal 20 to display a cart screen with the UI for selecting "Consult Now" deactivated. Deactivating the UI for "Consult Now" may include various actions, such as making the "Consult Now" button visible but unpressable (grayed out), or hiding the "Consult Now" button.

[0021] The shopping cart information recording unit 110 records the shopping cart information for each user that has been updated by the shopping cart information update unit 101.

[0022] The product information recording unit 111 records product information for each product sold on the sales site of the management server 10. The product information includes product identification information (product name, product number, etc.), unit price, whether medical treatment is required, and seller identification information (seller name, seller code, etc.).

[0023] The seller information recording unit 112 records seller information for each seller of the target product requiring medical treatment. The seller information includes seller identification information, online consultation acceptance hours, etc.

[0024] For example, if there is only one seller selling products on the sales site of the management server 10, the product information does not need to include seller identification information. Also, the seller information recording unit 112 records only the seller information of this seller.

[0025] The waiting list recording unit 113 records a waiting list of users who have applied for "immediate consultation," arranged in the order of application. The waiting list includes the user's registration number, username, etc.

[0026] (Example of processing in an online medical consultation system) Figure 2 shows an example of the processing of the online medical consultation system according to the first embodiment. The following explanation will describe the process of determining whether "immediate consultation" is available and displaying a cart screen indicating whether "immediate consultation" is selectable or not, with reference to Figure 2.

[0027] First, the user terminal 20 performs a login process to the sales site using the user identification information entered by the user (step S100).

[0028] Furthermore, when the user terminal 20 performs an operation to add a product to the cart, it transmits user identification information, product identification information, and quantity of the product added to the cart to the management server 10 (step S101).

[0029] The shopping cart information update unit 101 of the management server 10 updates the shopping cart information corresponding to the user identification information received from the user terminal 20 by registering product identification information and quantity (step S102). The updated shopping cart information is recorded in the shopping cart information recording unit 110.

[0030] Next, when the user terminal 20 performs an operation to display the shopping cart screen, it sends a request to the management server 10 to display the shopping cart screen corresponding to the user identification information (step S103). The operation to display the shopping cart screen is, for example, pressing the "Show Cart" button displayed on the sales site. Note that the processing in steps S101 to S103 may be the same as the processing performed in conventional online shopping malls. In this embodiment, the management server 10 records the time when it receives the request to display the shopping cart screen from the user terminal 20.

[0031] When the management server 10 receives a request to display the shopping cart screen, the acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 obtains product identification information registered in association with the shopping cart corresponding to the user identification information (step S104). The acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 then obtains product information corresponding to the product identification information from the product information recording unit 111 (step S105). The acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 also determines whether the shopping cart contains products requiring medical treatment based on the obtained product information (step S106). Specifically, the acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 determines whether the shopping cart contains products requiring medical treatment based on the information indicating whether medical treatment is required or not (medical treatment required or medical treatment not required) from the product information recording unit 111.

[0032] If the target product is not included in the cart (step S106; NO), the acceptance determination unit 102 does not make a determination on whether to accept the "Consult Now" request. In this case, the display control unit 104 controls the display of a normal cart screen on the user terminal 20 that does not include (hides) the "Appointment" and "Consult Now" selection buttons for online consultation (step S107). The process of displaying the normal cart screen in step S107 may be the same as the process performed in conventional online shopping malls.

[0033] On the other hand, if the target product is included in the cart (step S106; YES), that is, if there is a product linked to the cart whose product information includes information indicating the need for medical treatment, the acceptance determination unit 102 obtains the seller information of this target product from the seller information recording unit 112 (step S108). Specifically, the acceptance determination unit 102 obtains seller identification information from the product information of products linked to the cart whose product information includes information indicating the need for medical treatment. Then, the acceptance determination unit 102 obtains seller information from the seller information recording unit 112 that corresponds to the obtained seller identification information.

[0034] Next, the acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 determines whether the seller of the target product is able to accept "immediate consultations". Specifically, the acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 refers to the online consultation acceptance hours included in the seller information and determines whether the time of receipt of the display request on the cart screen falls within the consultation acceptance hours (step S109). The consultation acceptance hours are, for example, the business hours of the medical facility that is the seller (opening time to closing time). The acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 may also set the end time of the consultation acceptance hours to a predetermined time before the closing time recorded in the seller information (for example, 30 minutes before). In addition, the consultation acceptance hours may be manually set by the medical facility via the consultation terminal 30.

[0035] The acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 determines that if the time of receipt of the cart screen display request falls within the hours when consultations are accepted, this seller is able to accept "Consult Now" (Step S109; YES). In this case, the selection / rejection determination unit 103 determines that "Consult Now" is selectable (Step S110).

[0036] On the other hand, the acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 determines that if the time of receipt of the cart screen display request is outside of the hours when medical consultations are accepted, this seller cannot accept "immediate consultations" (step S109; NO). In this case, the selection / rejection determination unit 103 determines that "immediate consultations" cannot be selected (step S111).

[0037] Next, the display control unit 104 controls the display of the cart screen to reflect whether or not "Consult Now" can be selected (step S112). The user terminal 20 displays the cart screen based on the control of the management server 10 (step S113). Specifically, if the selection feasibility determination unit 103 determines that it can be selected, the display control unit 104 controls the system to activate the "Consult Now" selection UI on the cart screen displayed on the user terminal 20. On the other hand, if the selection feasibility determination unit 103 determines that it cannot be selected, the display control unit 104 controls the system to deactivate the "Consult Now" selection UI on the cart screen displayed on the user terminal 20.

[0038] Figure 3 is a first diagram showing an example of a cart screen according to the first embodiment. Figure 4 is a second diagram showing an example of a cart screen according to the first embodiment. As shown in Figure 3, the cart screen 200 displays detailed information 201 of the items in the user's cart, a medical appointment button 202, and a "Consult Now" button 203. Detailed information 201 includes product identification information (product name, etc.), quantity, price (unit price), etc., of the items in the cart, based on the cart information and product information. Detailed information 201 may also include the estimated payment price based on the quantity and price of the items. The medical appointment button 202 is a UI for calling the online medical appointment screen 210. The "Consult Now" button 203 is a UI for requesting to start an online consultation as soon as another user's consultation is finished.

[0039] When the "Consult Now" button 203 is pressed, a request is sent from the user terminal 20 to the management server 10, and the user's information is added to the end of the "Consult Now" waiting list in the waiting list recording unit 113. The display control unit 104 of the management server 10 controls the user terminal 20 to display the online consultation waiting screen 220. The online consultation waiting screen 220 displays the user's reception number 221, the waiting status 222, etc. The waiting status 222 includes the number of users (reception numbers) registered in the waiting list. In other embodiments, the display control unit 104 may control the user terminal 20 to display the medical questionnaire input screen after the "Consult Now" button 203 is pressed. In this case, after receiving the input contents of the medical questionnaire from the user terminal 20, the user's information is added to the end of the "Consult Now" waiting list in the waiting list recording unit 113, and the "Consult Now" reception is completed. Then, the display control unit 104 controls the user terminal 20 so that the online medical consultation waiting screen 220 is displayed.

[0040] If the selection determination unit 103 determines that "Consult Now" is selectable (step S109), the cart screen 200 is displayed with the "Consult Now" button 203 activated, as shown in the example in Figure 3. In other words, if the seller (medical facility) is open at the time the operation to display the cart screen is performed, the user can press the "Consult Now" button 203 to apply for "Consult Now," and can receive online medical treatment as soon as other users' consultations are finished.

[0041] On the other hand, if the selection / failure determination unit 103 determines that "Consult Now" is not selectable (step S110), the cart screen 200 is displayed with the "Consult Now" button 203 deactivated, as shown in Figure 4. In other words, if the seller (medical facility) has closed for the day when the operation to display the cart screen is performed, it is not possible to apply for "Consult Now" from the cart screen. This prevents users who have applied for an online consultation from having to wait a long time until the medical facility reopens.

[0042] (modified version) Figure 5 is a third diagram showing an example of a cart screen according to the first embodiment. As shown in Figure 5, a user's cart may contain multiple target products from different sellers (medical facilities). For example, suppose a user's cart contains target products A, B, and C, with the seller of products A and B being Clinic X, and the seller of product C being Clinic Y. The processing of steps S108 to S113 in Figure 2 in such a case where a user attempts to purchase target products from multiple sellers will be explained below.

[0043] In this case, the acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 obtains the seller information for Clinic X and Clinic Y from the seller information recording unit 112 (step S108). Specifically, the acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 obtains seller identification information (Clinic X, Clinic Y) from the product information of products A, B, and C, which are linked to the cart and whose product information includes information indicating the need for medical treatment. Then, the acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 obtains the seller information corresponding to the obtained seller identification information (Clinic X, Clinic Y) from the seller information recording unit 112.

[0044] Furthermore, the acceptance / reception determination unit 102 determines whether the time of receipt of the cart screen display request falls within the consultation acceptance hours of Clinic X and Clinic Y respectively (step S109).

[0045] First, the system makes a determination regarding Clinic X. The acceptance / reception determination unit 102 determines that Clinic X can accept "immediate consultations" if the time the display request is received falls within the clinic's available consultation hours included in the seller information of Clinic X (Step S109; YES). In this case, the selection / reception determination unit 103 determines that "immediate consultations" are selectable for products A and B sold by Clinic X (Step S110). On the other hand, the acceptance / reception determination unit 102 determines that Clinic X cannot accept "immediate consultations" if the time the display request is received falls outside of Clinic X's available consultation hours (Step S109; NO). In this case, the selection / reception determination unit 103 determines that "immediate consultations" are not selectable for products A and B sold by Clinic X (Step S111).

[0046] Similarly, the same determination is made for Clinic Y. The acceptance / reception determination unit 102 determines that Clinic Y can accept "immediate consultations" if the time the display request is received is within the consultation hours included in Clinic Y's seller information (Step S109; YES). In this case, the selection / reception determination unit 103 determines that "immediate consultations" can be selected for product C sold by Clinic Y (Step S110). On the other hand, the acceptance / reception determination unit 102 determines that Clinic Y cannot accept "immediate consultations" if the time the display request is received is outside of Clinic Y's consultation hours (Step S109; NO). In this case, the selection / reception determination unit 103 determines that "immediate consultations" cannot be selected for product C sold by Clinic Y (Step S111).

[0047] The display control unit 104 controls the display of the cart screen, reflecting whether or not the "Consult Now" option is available for each of Clinic X and Clinic Y (step S112). The user terminal 20 displays the cart screen based on the control of the management server 10 (step S113).

[0048] As shown in Figure 5, the cart screen 200 displays detailed product information 201 for each seller, a medical appointment button 202, and a "Consult Now" button 203. In the example in Figure 5, the cart screen 200 displays detailed product information 201x, medical appointment buttons 202x, and "Consult Now" buttons 203x for products A and B from Clinic X, and detailed product information 201y, medical appointment buttons 202y, and "Consult Now" buttons 203y for product C from Clinic Y.

[0049] When the "Consult Now" button 203x for Clinic X is pressed, a request is sent from the user terminal 20 to the management server 10, and the user's information is added to the end of the waiting list for Clinic X in the waiting list recording unit 113. The display control unit 104 of the management server 10 also controls the user terminal 20 to display the online consultation waiting screen 220x for Clinic X. The online consultation waiting screen 220x displays the user's reception number 221 and waiting status 222 at Clinic X.

[0050] When the "Consult Now" button 203y for Clinic Y is pressed, a request is sent from the user terminal 20 to the management server 10, and the user's information is added to the end of the waiting list for Clinic Y in the waiting list recording unit 113. The display control unit 104 of the management server 10 controls the user terminal 20 to display the online consultation waiting screen 220y for Clinic Y. The online consultation waiting screen 220y displays the user's reception number 221 and waiting status 222 at Clinic Y.

[0051] If the selection / determination unit 103 determines that "Consult Now" is selectable for both Clinic X and Clinic Y, the display control unit 104 controls the display on the user terminal 20 in step S112 to show a cart screen with the "Consult Now" buttons 203x for Clinic X and 203y for Clinic Y activated. Figure 5 shows an example of the cart screen 200 when "Consult Now" is selectable for both Clinic X and Clinic Y.

[0052] Furthermore, if the selection / determination unit 103 determines that only one of Clinic X or Clinic Y is available for "immediate consultation," the display control unit 104 controls the display in step S112 to show the cart screen 200 with the "immediate consultation" button 203 activated only for the clinic that was determined to be available for selection. For example, if only Clinic X is available for "immediate consultation," the display control unit 104 controls the display on the user terminal 20 to activate the "immediate consultation" button 203x for Clinic X and deactivate the "immediate consultation" button 203y for Clinic Y on the cart screen 200.

[0053] If the selection / failure determination unit 103 determines that "immediate consultation" is not selectable for both Clinic X and Clinic Y, the display control unit 104 controls the display of the cart screen 200 in step S112 so that the "immediate consultation" buttons 203x for Clinic X and 203y for Clinic Y are deactivated.

[0054] (Effects and Benefits) As described above, the management server 10 according to this embodiment includes: an acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 that determines whether it is possible to accept an immediate consultation (first consultation provision method) which starts an online consultation as soon as the consultation of another user is completed, when the user's cart contains target products requiring a consultation; a selection / rejection determination unit 103 that determines whether an immediate consultation can be selected if it is determined that an immediate consultation can be accepted, and determines whether an immediate consultation cannot be selected if it is determined that an immediate consultation cannot be accepted; and a display control unit 104 that controls the display of a screen according to whether an immediate consultation can be selected.

[0055] In this way, the management server 10 can meet the user's need to receive immediate medical consultation from a doctor, while also limiting the acceptance of "instant consultations" when a long wait would be required before a consultation becomes available. This helps to prevent users from having to wait a long time before they can receive an online consultation.

[0056] Furthermore, the selection / determination unit 103 determines that if it is determined that immediate medical consultation is possible, it will make the user select either immediate medical consultation or a medical appointment (second medical service provision method) where the user selects a desired date and time for the consultation to book an online appointment. If it is determined that immediate medical consultation is not possible, it will make immediate medical consultation unavailable and make a medical appointment available.

[0057] In this way, if "immediate consultation" is available, the management server 10 can allow the user to choose between "immediate consultation" and "appointment scheduling." On the other hand, if "immediate consultation" is not available, the server can prevent the user from selecting "immediate consultation" and prompt the user to choose "appointment scheduling."

[0058] Furthermore, the acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 obtains the operating hours of the seller of the target product, and determines that an immediate consultation is possible if the time the display request is received falls within the operating hours of the seller of the target product.

[0059] In this way, if the seller is open when the user attempts to display the shopping cart screen, the management server 10 allows the user to request an "instant consultation," enabling them to receive online medical treatment as soon as other users' consultations are finished. On the other hand, if the seller has closed for the day when the user attempts to display the shopping cart screen, the server restricts the user from requesting an "instant consultation" from the shopping cart screen. This prevents users who have requested a consultation from having to wait a long time until the seller reopens.

[0060] Furthermore, if the cart contains products from multiple sellers, the acceptance / reception determination unit 102 obtains the available appointment times for each seller and determines whether immediate appointments are available for each seller. The selection / reception determination unit 103 then determines whether immediate appointments are available or not for each seller.

[0061] In this way, the management server 10 makes it easy for users to see whether or not they can request an "immediate consultation" from each seller, even when multiple different sellers are selling the target product. As a result, users can request an online consultation from a seller who offers "immediate consultations" if they want immediate treatment, while avoiding accidentally requesting an online consultation from a seller who does not offer "immediate consultations" and being forced to wait for a long time.

[0062] <Second Embodiment> Next, the second embodiment will be described in detail with reference to Figure 5. Components common to the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their detailed descriptions are omitted.

[0063] In this embodiment, the acceptance / reception determination unit 102 of the management server 10 determines whether or not online consultations can be accepted based on the number of people waiting for "immediate consultation" from the seller of the target product.

[0064] (Example of processing in an online medical consultation system) Figure 6 shows an example of processing in the online medical consultation system according to the second embodiment. The processing in steps S200 to S207 in Figure 6 is the same as steps S100 to S107 in the first embodiment (Figure 2), so the explanation is omitted.

[0065] In this embodiment, the acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 identifies the seller of the target product included in the cart from the product information acquired in step S205, and obtains the "immediate consultation" waiting list for this seller from the waiting list recording unit 113 (step S208).

[0066] Next, the acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 identifies the number of people waiting for "immediate consultation" from the waiting list at the time the display request for the cart screen is received, and determines whether the seller can accept "immediate consultations" based on this number of people waiting (step S209). The number of people waiting for "immediate consultation" is the number of users who have applied for "immediate consultation" but whose online consultation has not yet been completed at the time the display request is received. For example, the waiting list further includes the status of the online consultation. The status is set to "before consultation" when registered in the waiting list and updated to "consulted" when the online consultation is completed. In this case, the acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 extracts users whose status is "before consultation" (users whose consultation has not yet been completed) from among the users registered in the waiting list and identifies that number as the number of people waiting. Alternatively, the status may be updated to "in consultation" when the online consultation starts and then updated to "consulted" when the online consultation is completed. In this case, the acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 may extract users whose status is "before consultation" (users who are not currently receiving consultation or have not yet received consultation) from among the users registered in the waiting list, and identify that number as the number of people waiting.

[0067] The acceptance / reception determination unit 102 determines that "immediate consultation" is possible if the number of people waiting is less than or equal to a predetermined number (Step S209; YES). In this case, the selection / reception determination unit 103 determines that "immediate consultation" is selectable (Step S210).

[0068] On the other hand, the acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 determines that "immediate consultation" is not possible if the number of people waiting exceeds a predetermined number (step S209; NO). In this case, the selection / rejection determination unit 103 determines that "immediate consultation" is not possible (step S211).

[0069] The subsequent steps S212 to S213 are the same as steps S112 to S113 in the first embodiment (Figure 2).

[0070] (Variation 1) In the example shown in Figure 6, the acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 acquires a seller's waiting list in step S208 and determines in step S209 whether online consultations are accepted based on the number of people waiting from the waiting list. However, the system is not limited to this configuration. In other embodiments, the acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 may acquire the seller's seller information and waiting list in step S208, and in step S209, determine that the seller's "immediate consultation" is accepted if the time of the request to display the cart screen falls within the consultation acceptance time and the number of people waiting is less than or equal to a predetermined number. By doing so, even if it is within the consultation acceptance time, if there are many people waiting, or if the number of people waiting has already exceeded the consultation acceptance time, the application for "immediate consultation" will be rejected, thereby preventing users from having to wait for a long time.

[0071] (Modification 2) Furthermore, if the user's cart contains multiple target products from different sellers, the acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 and the selection / rejection determination unit 103 determine whether "Consult Now" is selectable for each seller, similar to the first embodiment.

[0072] As shown in the example in Figure 5, if the cart contains products sold by Clinic X and Clinic Y, the acceptance determination unit 102 retrieves the waiting list lists for Clinic X and Clinic Y from the waiting list recording unit 113 (step S208).

[0073] Furthermore, the acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 determines whether the number of people waiting for each of Clinic X and Clinic Y at the time of receiving the request to display the cart screen is less than or equal to a predetermined number (step S209). Note that this predetermined number may be set to a different value for each seller.

[0074] First, a determination is made regarding Clinic X. The acceptance / reception determination unit 102 determines that Clinic X can accept "immediate consultations" if the number of people waiting for Clinic X is less than or equal to a predetermined number (Step S209; YES). In this case, the selection / reception determination unit 103 determines that "immediate consultations" are selectable for products A and B sold by Clinic X (Step S210). Then, through the processing in Steps S212 to S213, the "immediate consultation" button 203x for Clinic X is displayed activated on the cart screen 200 of the user terminal 20.

[0075] On the other hand, the acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 determines that if the number of people waiting for Clinic X exceeds a predetermined number, Clinic X cannot accept "immediate consultations" (step S209; NO). In this case, the selection / rejection determination unit 103 determines that "immediate consultations" cannot be selected for products A and B sold by Clinic X (step S211). As a result of the processing in steps S212 to S213, the "immediate consultation" button 203x for Clinic X is displayed in an inactive state on the cart screen 200 of the user terminal 20.

[0076] The same procedure will be carried out for Clinic Y.

[0077] Furthermore, the acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 in the modified example 2 may determine whether or not to accept online medical consultations based on both the number of people waiting and the available consultation hours, similar to the modified example 1 described above.

[0078] (Effects and Benefits) As described above, in the management server 10 according to this embodiment, the acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 obtains the number of people waiting for immediate consultation from the seller of the target product at the time of acceptance of the cart screen display request, and determines that immediate consultation is possible if the number of people waiting is less than or equal to a predetermined number.

[0079] By doing this, the management server 10 can prevent users from submitting an "immediate consultation" request without checking the number of people waiting, which would result in users having to wait a long time before they can receive an online consultation.

[0080] Furthermore, the acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 obtains the operating hours for accepting consultations from the seller of the target product and the number of people waiting for immediate consultations from the seller of the target product at the time the display request is received. If the time the display request is received falls within the operating hours for accepting consultations from the seller of the target product and the number of people waiting is less than or equal to a predetermined number, the unit determines that immediate consultations are possible.

[0081] In this way, the management server 10 can prevent users from having to wait for a long time before they can receive an online consultation by not accepting "immediate consultations" requests if there are many people waiting even within the consultation acceptance hours, or if the number of people waiting has already exceeded the consultation acceptance hours.

[0082] Furthermore, if the cart contains products from multiple sellers, the acceptance / reception determination unit 102 obtains the number of people waiting for immediate consultation from each seller and determines whether immediate consultation is available for each seller. The selection / reception determination unit 103 then determines whether immediate consultation is available or unavailable for each seller.

[0083] In this way, the management server 10 makes it easy for users to see whether or not they can request an "immediate consultation" from each seller, even when multiple different sellers are selling the target product. As a result, users can request an online consultation from a seller who offers "immediate consultations" if they want immediate treatment, while avoiding accidentally requesting an online consultation from a seller who does not offer "immediate consultations" and being forced to wait for a long time.

[0084] <Third Embodiment> Next, a third embodiment will be described in detail with reference to Figure 7. Components common to the above embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their detailed descriptions are omitted.

[0085] In this embodiment, the acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 of the management server 10 predicts the user's waiting time based on the number of people waiting for "immediate consultation" from the seller of the target product, and determines whether or not online consultation is possible, taking this waiting time into consideration.

[0086] (Example of processing in an online medical consultation system) Figure 7 shows an example of processing in the online medical consultation system according to the third embodiment. The processing in steps S300 to S307 in Figure 6 is the same as steps S100 to S107 in the first embodiment (Figure 2), so the explanation is omitted.

[0087] In this embodiment, the acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 identifies the seller of the target product included in the cart from the product information acquired in step S305. The acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 then acquires the seller information of this seller from the seller information recording unit 112 (step S308) and acquires the "immediate consultation" waiting list for this seller from the waiting list recording unit 113 (step S309).

[0088] Next, the acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 identifies the number of people waiting for "immediate consultation" at the time of the request to display the cart screen, based on the queue list, and calculates the estimated waiting time for "immediate consultation" from this seller based on the identified number of people waiting (step S310). The method for determining the number of people waiting is the same as the process in the second embodiment (step S209 in Figure 6).

[0089] For example, the reception eligibility determination unit 102 calculates the predicted waiting time by multiplying the number of people waiting by a predetermined average consultation time (fixed value). The average consultation time is a preset value (for example, 5 minutes). This average consultation time may be arbitrarily set by, for example, the seller via the consultation terminal 30.

[0090] Furthermore, the acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 may obtain the actual consultation time from the seller's past online consultation history and calculate the average consultation time (statistical value). For example, each seller's seller information includes online consultation history information. The online consultation history information includes information on the consultation time of each online consultation conducted in the past. The acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 refers to the online consultation history information included in the seller information obtained in step S308 and obtains information on the consultation time of each online consultation of this seller. The acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 also calculates the seller's average consultation time based on the information on the consultation time of each online consultation obtained. Then, the acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 calculates the predicted waiting time by multiplying the number of people waiting by the average consultation time (statistical value) obtained from the actual consultation time included in the online consultation history information.

[0091] Next, the acceptance / reception determination unit 102 determines whether the seller can accept "immediate consultations" based on the seller's estimated waiting time and the time when consultations can be accepted (step S311).

[0092] Specifically, the acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 determines that "Consult Now" is possible if the time obtained by adding the calculated estimated waiting time to the time the request to display the cart screen was received falls within the seller's consultation acceptance hours (Step S311; YES). In this case, the selection / rejection determination unit 103 determines that "Consult Now" is selectable (Step S312). Note that the process in Step S311 described above is just one example, and a different process may be performed if a substantially equivalent determination is possible. For example, the acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 may determine that "Consult Now" is possible if the time the request to display the cart screen was received is earlier than the time obtained by subtracting the estimated waiting time from the end time of the seller's consultation acceptance hours. Alternatively, the acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 may determine that "Consult Now" is possible if the time from the time the request to display the cart screen was received to the end time of the consultation acceptance hours is greater than the estimated waiting time.

[0093] On the other hand, the acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 determines that "immediate consultation" is not possible if the time obtained by adding the calculated estimated waiting time to the time the request to display the cart screen was received exceeds the seller's available consultation hours (step S311; NO). In this case, the selection / rejection determination unit 103 determines that "immediate consultation" is not possible (step S313).

[0094] The subsequent steps S314 to S315 are the same as steps S112 to S113 in the first embodiment (Figure 2).

[0095] (modified version) Furthermore, if the user's cart contains multiple target products from different sellers, the acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 and the selection / rejection determination unit 103 determine whether "Consult Now" is selectable for each seller, similar to the first embodiment.

[0096] As shown in the example in Figure 5, if the cart contains products sold by Clinic X and Clinic Y, the acceptance determination unit 102 retrieves the seller information for Clinic X and Clinic Y from the seller information recording unit 112 (step S308) and retrieves the waiting list for Clinic X and Clinic Y from the waiting list recording unit 113 (step S309).

[0097] Furthermore, the acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 calculates the predicted waiting time for each clinic based on the number of people waiting at each clinic, Clinic X and Clinic Y, at the time the request to display the cart screen was received (step S310).

[0098] Next, the acceptance / reception determination unit 102 determines whether each clinic can accept online consultations based on the predicted waiting time and consultation acceptance time for each clinic, respectively (step S311).

[0099] First, a determination is made regarding Clinic X. The acceptance / reception determination unit 102 determines that Clinic X can accept "immediate consultations" if the time obtained by adding Clinic X's predicted waiting time to the time the cart screen display request was received falls within Clinic X's available consultation hours (Step S311; YES). In this case, the selection / reception determination unit 103 determines that "immediate consultations" are selectable for products A and B sold by Clinic X (Step S312). Then, through the processing in Steps S314 to S315, the "immediate consultation" button 203x for Clinic X is displayed activated on the cart screen 200 of the user terminal 20.

[0100] On the other hand, the acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 determines that if the time obtained by adding the estimated waiting time of Clinic X to the time the request to display the cart screen was received exceeds the time Clinic X is available to receive consultations, Clinic X cannot accept "immediate consultations" (step S311; NO). In this case, the selection / rejection determination unit 103 determines that "immediate consultations" cannot be selected for products A and B sold by Clinic X (step S313). As a result of the processing in steps S314 to S315, the "immediate consultation" button 203x for Clinic X is displayed in an inactive state on the cart screen 200 of the user terminal 20.

[0101] The same procedure will be carried out for Clinic Y.

[0102] (Effects and Benefits) As described above, in the management server 10 according to this embodiment, the acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 obtains the time when the seller of the target product is available to receive consultations and the number of people waiting for immediate consultations from the seller of the target product at the time the display request is received. Based on the number of people waiting, it calculates the estimated waiting time until the seller's online consultation becomes available, and determines that immediate consultations are available if the time obtained by adding the estimated waiting time to the time the display request is received falls within the consultation acceptance time.

[0103] In this way, even if the time of receipt of the cart screen display request falls within the consultation hours, the management server 10 can restrict the acceptance of "Consult Now" requests if the predicted waiting time for "Consult Now" is long and there is a possibility that the consultation cannot begin within the consultation hours. This prevents situations where a user requests "Consult Now" but is forced to wait for a long time until the next business hours after the seller's closing time has passed.

[0104] Furthermore, the predicted waiting time is calculated by multiplying the number of people waiting by a predetermined average consultation time.

[0105] This method makes it easy to calculate the estimated waiting time for users requesting "immediate consultation."

[0106] Furthermore, the predicted waiting time is calculated by multiplying the number of people waiting by the average consultation time based on the seller's past online consultation history.

[0107] By doing so, it becomes possible to calculate a more accurate predicted waiting time based on the actual consultation time of the seller.

[0108] Furthermore, if the cart contains products from multiple sellers, the acceptance / reception determination unit 102 obtains the available appointment times and number of people waiting for each seller and determines whether immediate appointments are available for each seller. The selection / reception determination unit 103 then determines whether immediate appointments are available or not for each seller.

[0109] In this way, the management server 10 makes it easy for users to see whether or not they can request an "immediate consultation" from each seller, even when multiple different sellers are selling the target product. As a result, users can request an online consultation from a seller who offers "immediate consultations" if they want immediate treatment, while avoiding accidentally requesting an online consultation from a seller who does not offer "immediate consultations" and being forced to wait for a long time.

[0110] <Fourth Embodiment> Next, the fourth embodiment will be described in detail with reference to Figures 8 and 9. Components common to the embodiments described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their detailed descriptions are omitted.

[0111] In the embodiments described above, examples were explained in which the seller (medical facility) of the target product conducts online consultations. However, for some target products, it may be acceptable for a doctor belonging to a medical facility other than the seller to conduct the online consultation, rather than the seller themselves. The online consultation system 1 according to this embodiment addresses cases in which a doctor from a medical facility different from the seller conducts online consultations.

[0112] (System Configuration) Figure 8 shows an example configuration of an online medical consultation system according to the fourth embodiment. As shown in Figure 8, the management server 10 according to this embodiment further includes a physician information recording unit 114.

[0113] The physician information recording unit 114 records physician information of physicians who are configured to provide online medical consultations for the target product. The physician information includes the physician's name and the working hours during which the physician is available to provide online medical consultations (online working hours).

[0114] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 determines whether "immediate consultation" is available based on the working hours of the doctors who provide online consultations for the target product in the cart.

[0115] (Example of processing in an online medical consultation system) Figure 9 shows an example of processing in the online medical consultation system according to the fourth embodiment. The processing in steps S400 to S407 in Figure 9 is the same as steps S100 to S107 in the first embodiment (Figure 2), so the explanation is omitted.

[0116] In this embodiment, the acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 extracts doctors who can provide online consultations for the target products included in the cart from the product information acquired in step S405. In this embodiment, the product information recorded by the product information recording unit 111 is linked to each target product with information such as the name of a doctor who can provide online consultations. The acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 then acquires the doctor information of the doctor extracted from the doctor information recording unit 114 (step S408).

[0117] Next, the acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 determines whether an "immediate consultation" is possible based on the physician's online working hours included in the acquired physician information (step S409). Online working hours are, for example, the time period during which the physician is available to provide online consultations (online consultation start time to online consultation end time). The acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 may also set the end time of the physician's working hours to a predetermined time before the online consultation end time recorded as working hours (for example, 30 minutes before). Furthermore, the physician may be able to manually set the online working hours via the consultation terminal 30.

[0118] The acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 determines that "immediate consultation" is possible if the time of receipt of the cart screen display request falls within the working hours of at least one of the extracted doctors (Step S409; YES). In this case, the selection / rejection determination unit 103 determines that "immediate consultation" is selectable (Step S410).

[0119] On the other hand, the acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 determines that "immediate consultation" is not possible if the time of receipt of the cart screen display request falls outside the working hours of all extracted doctors (step S409; NO). In this case, the selection / rejection determination unit 103 determines that "immediate consultation" is not selectable (step S411).

[0120] The subsequent steps S412 to S413 are the same as steps S112 to S113 in the first embodiment (Figure 2).

[0121] (Effects and Benefits) As described above, in the management server 10 according to this embodiment, the acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 obtains the working hours of the doctor who provides online medical consultations for the target product, and determines that a consultation is available immediately if the time the display request is received falls within the doctor's working hours.

[0122] In this way, the management server 10 can achieve the same effect as in the first embodiment even when a doctor at a medical facility different from the seller of the target product is providing online consultations. That is, if a doctor is providing online consultations when the user displays the shopping cart screen, the management server 10 allows the user to request an "immediate consultation," and they can receive an online consultation as soon as the consultations for other users are finished. On the other hand, if the doctor has finished providing online consultations when the user displays the shopping cart screen, the management server 10 restricts the user from requesting an "immediate consultation" from the shopping cart screen. This prevents users who have requested a consultation from having to wait a long time until the seller's business hours begin.

[0123] <Fifth Embodiment> Next, the fifth embodiment will be described in detail with reference to Figure 9. Components common to the embodiments described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their detailed descriptions are omitted.

[0124] In this embodiment, the acceptance / reception determination unit 102 of the management server 10 determines whether or not online medical consultations are possible based on the number of doctors waiting for "immediate consultations" who support online medical consultations for the target product.

[0125] (Example of processing in an online medical consultation system) Figure 10 shows an example of processing in the online medical consultation system according to the fifth embodiment. The processing in steps S500 to S507 in Figure 10 is the same as steps S100 to S107 in the first embodiment (Figure 2), so the explanation is omitted. Also, the processing in step S508 in Figure 10 is the same as step S408 in the fourth embodiment (Figure 9), so the explanation is omitted.

[0126] In this embodiment, the acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 extracts doctors who can provide online consultations for the target products included in the cart from the product information acquired in step S504, and obtains a waiting list of "immediate consultations" for the extracted doctors from the waiting list recording unit 113 (step S509).

[0127] Next, the acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 identifies the number of people waiting for "immediate consultation" from the waiting list at the time the request to display the cart screen is received, and determines whether there are any doctors who can accept "immediate consultations" based on this number of people waiting (step S510). The method for determining the number of people waiting is the same as the process in the second embodiment (step S209 in Figure 6).

[0128] The acceptance / reception determination unit 102 determines that "immediate consultation" is possible if there is at least one doctor with a waiting list of less than or equal to a predetermined number (Step S510; YES). In this case, the selection / reception determination unit 103 determines that "immediate consultation" is selectable (Step S511).

[0129] On the other hand, the acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 determines that "immediate consultation" is not possible if there are no doctors with a waiting list of less than or equal to the predetermined number (Step S510; NO). In this case, the selection / rejection determination unit 103 determines that "immediate consultation" is not selectable (Step S512).

[0130] The subsequent steps S513 to S514 are the same as steps S112 to S113 in the first embodiment (Figure 2).

[0131] (Effects and Benefits) As described above, in the management server 10 according to this embodiment, the acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 obtains the working hours of doctors who support online consultations for the target product, and determines that a consultation is available immediately if the time of receipt of the cart screen display request falls within the working hours of at least one doctor.

[0132] By doing this, the management server 10 can prevent users from submitting an "immediate consultation" request without checking the number of people waiting, which would result in users having to wait a long time before they can receive an online consultation.

[0133] <Sixth Embodiment> Next, the sixth embodiment will be described in detail with reference to Figure 11. Components common to the embodiments described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their detailed descriptions are omitted.

[0134] In this embodiment, the acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 of the management server 10 predicts the user's waiting time based on the number of doctors waiting for "immediate consultation" for online consultations that support the target product, and determines whether or not online consultations can be accepted, taking this waiting time into consideration.

[0135] (Example of processing in an online medical consultation system) Figure 11 shows an example of processing in the online medical consultation system according to the sixth embodiment. The processing in steps S600 to S607 in Figure 11 is the same as steps S100 to S107 in the first embodiment (Figure 2), so the explanation is omitted. Also, the processing in step S608 in Figure 11 is the same as step S408 in the fourth embodiment (Figure 9), so the explanation is omitted.

[0136] In this embodiment, the acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 extracts doctors who can provide online consultations for the target products included in the cart from the product information acquired in step S605, and obtains a waiting list of "immediate consultations" for the extracted doctors from the waiting list recording unit 113 (step S609).

[0137] Next, the acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 identifies the number of patients waiting for "immediate consultation" for each doctor at the time the request to display the cart screen is received, based on the extracted waiting list for each doctor, and calculates the predicted waiting time for "immediate consultation" for each doctor based on the identified number of patients waiting (step S609). The method for determining the number of patients waiting is the same as the process in the second embodiment (step S209 in Figure 6).

[0138] For example, the reception eligibility determination unit 102 calculates the predicted waiting time by multiplying the number of people waiting by a predetermined average consultation time (fixed value). The average consultation time is a preset value (for example, 5 minutes). This average consultation time may be arbitrarily set by each doctor via the consultation terminal 30.

[0139] The acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 may also obtain the actual consultation time from each doctor's past online consultation history and calculate the average consultation time (statistical value) for each doctor. For example, each doctor's doctor information includes online consultation history information. The online consultation history information includes information on the consultation time of each online consultation conducted in the past. The acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 refers to the online consultation history information included in the doctor information obtained in step S608 and obtains information on the consultation time of each online consultation for this doctor. The acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 also calculates the average consultation time for each doctor based on the information on the consultation time for each online consultation obtained. Then, the acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 calculates the predicted waiting time for each doctor by multiplying the number of people waiting by the average consultation time (statistical value) obtained from the actual consultation time included in the online consultation history information.

[0140] Next, the acceptance / reception determination unit 102 determines whether there is a doctor available to accept an "immediate consultation" based on the predicted waiting time and working hours for each doctor (step S611).

[0141] For example, suppose Doctor 1 and Doctor 2 are conducting online consultations for the target products in the shopping cart. The acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 determines whether the time obtained by adding Doctor 1's estimated waiting time to the time the request to display the shopping cart screen was received falls within Doctor 1's working hours. The acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 also determines whether the time obtained by adding Doctor 2's estimated waiting time to the time the request to display the shopping cart screen was received falls within Doctor 2's working hours. Note that the processing in step S611 is just an example, and if substantially equivalent determination is possible, a different process similar to the processing in step S311 of the third embodiment (Figure 7) described above may be performed.

[0142] The acceptance / reception determination unit 102 determines that there is a doctor available to accept "immediate consultation" if at least one of Doctor 1 and Doctor 2 is still working during the time after the predicted waiting period (Step S611; YES). In this case, the selection / reception determination unit 103 determines that "immediate consultation" is selectable (Step S612).

[0143] Furthermore, the acceptance / reception determination unit 102 determines that if all doctors are outside of working hours at the time after the predicted waiting time, there are no doctors available to accept "immediate consultation" (Step S611; NO). In this case, the selection / reception determination unit 103 determines that "immediate consultation" is not selectable (Step S613).

[0144] The subsequent steps S614 to S615 are the same as steps S112 to S113 in the first embodiment (Figure 2).

[0145] (Effects and Benefits) As described above, in the management server 10 according to this embodiment, the acceptance / rejection determination unit 102 obtains the working hours of doctors who can provide online consultations for the target product and the number of doctors waiting for immediate consultations at the time the display request is received. Based on the number of people waiting, it calculates the estimated waiting time until an online consultation becomes available with a doctor. If at least one doctor's working hours are within the time obtained by adding the estimated waiting time to the time the display request on the cart screen is received, it determines that immediate consultations are available.

[0146] In this way, even if the request to display the shopping cart screen is received within the doctor's working hours, the management server 10 can restrict the acceptance of "instant consultations" if the predicted waiting time for an "instant consultation" is long and there is a possibility that the consultation cannot begin within the doctor's working hours. This prevents situations where a user requests an "instant consultation" but ends up waiting for the doctor's working hours to expire while waiting, resulting in a long wait until the next available online consultation time.

[0147] <Computer Configuration> Figure 12 is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of a computer according to one embodiment. The computer 900 comprises a processor 901, main memory 902, auxiliary storage 903, and interface 904. The management server 10 described above is implemented in the computer 900. The operation of each processing unit described above is stored in the auxiliary storage 903 in the form of a program. The processor 901 reads the program from the auxiliary storage 903, expands it into the main memory 902, and executes the above processing according to the program. The processor 901 also allocates memory area in the main memory 902 to be used for the above processing according to the program.

[0148] The program may be for implementing a part of the functions to be performed by the computer 900. For example, the program may perform functions in combination with other programs already stored in the auxiliary storage device 903, or in combination with other programs implemented in other devices. In other embodiments, the computer may be equipped with a custom LSI (Large Scale Integrated Circuit) such as a PLD (Programmable Logic Device) in addition to, or in place of, the above configuration. Examples of PLDs include PAL (Programmable Array Logic), GAL (Generic Array Logic), CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device), FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), etc. In this case, some or all of the functions implemented by the processor may be implemented by the integrated circuit.

[0149] Examples of auxiliary storage devices 903 include HDDs (Hard Disk Drives), SSDs (Solid State Drives), magnetic disks, magneto-optical disks, CD-ROMs (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), DVD-ROMs (Digital Versatile Disc Read Only Memory), and semiconductor memory. The auxiliary storage device 903 may be an internal medium directly connected to the bus of the computer 900, or it may be an external medium (external storage device 910) connected to the computer 900 via an interface 904 or a communication line. Furthermore, if this program is distributed to the computer 900 via a communication line, the computer 900 that receives the distribution may expand the program into the main memory 902 and execute the above processing. In at least one embodiment, the auxiliary storage device 903 is a tangible storage medium that is not temporary.

[0150] <Other Embodiments> Although one embodiment has been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to that described above, and various design changes are possible. In other embodiments, the order of the above-described processes may be changed as appropriate. Also, some processes may be executed in parallel.

[0151] Some or all of the above embodiments may be described as follows, but are not limited to the following:

[0152] (Note 1) An online medical consultation management server comprising: an acceptance / rejection determination unit that, upon receiving a request to display the cart screen, determines whether it is possible to accept a first medical consultation service, in which online consultations begin immediately after other users' consultations are completed, if the user's cart contains items requiring medical consultation; a selection / rejection determination unit that determines whether the first medical consultation service is selectable if it is determined that it is possible to accept the first medical consultation service, and determines whether it is not selectable if it is determined that it is not possible to accept the first medical consultation service; and a display control unit that controls the display of the cart screen according to whether the first medical consultation service is selectable or not.

[0153] (Note 2) The online medical consultation management server described in Appendix 1 determines, when it is determined that the first medical consultation method is available, that the first medical consultation method and the second medical consultation method, in which the user can select a date and time of their choice to book an online consultation, are available, and when it is determined that the first medical consultation method is not available, it determines that the first medical consultation method is not available and the second medical consultation method is available.

[0154] (Note 3) The online medical consultation management server described in Appendix 1 or Appendix 2 determines that the first medical consultation method is available if the time of receipt of the display request falls within the time of receipt of the seller of the target product.

[0155] (Note 4) The online medical consultation management server as described in Appendix 3, wherein the acceptance / reception determination unit, when the cart contains target products from multiple sellers, obtains the available consultation times for each of the sellers and determines whether the first consultation provision method is available for each seller, and the selection / reception determination unit determines whether the first consultation provision method is selectable or not for each seller.

[0156] (Note 5) The online medical consultation management server described in Appendix 1 or Appendix 2 determines that the acceptance / rejection determination unit is available to accept the first medical consultation method from the seller of the target product at the time the display request is received, and that the first medical consultation method is available if the number of people waiting is less than or equal to a predetermined number.

[0157] (Note 6) The online medical consultation management server described in Appendix 1 or Appendix 2, wherein the acceptance / rejection determination unit obtains the time the seller of the target product is available to accept medical consultations and the number of people waiting for the seller of the target product's first medical consultation service at the time the display request is received, and determines that the first medical consultation service is available if the time the display request is received is within the time the seller of the target product is available to accept medical consultations and the number of people waiting is less than or equal to a predetermined number.

[0158] (Note 7) The online medical consultation management server described in Appendix 5, wherein the acceptance / reception determination unit, when the cart contains target products from multiple sellers, obtains the number of people waiting for the first medical consultation provision method from each of the sellers and determines whether the first medical consultation provision method is available for each seller, and the selection / reception determination unit determines whether the first medical consultation provision method is selectable or not for each seller.

[0159] (Note 8) The online medical consultation management server described in Appendix 1 or Appendix 2, wherein the acceptance / rejection determination unit obtains the time the seller of the target product is available to accept medical consultations and the number of people waiting for the seller of the target product's first medical consultation service at the time the display request is received, calculates the predicted waiting time until the seller's online medical consultation becomes available based on the number of people waiting, and determines that the first medical consultation service is available if the time obtained by adding the predicted waiting time to the time the display request is received falls within the time the medical consultation is available to accept.

[0160] (Note 9) The predicted waiting time is calculated by multiplying the number of people waiting by a predetermined average consultation time, using the online medical consultation management server described in Appendix 8.

[0161] (Note 10) The predicted waiting time is calculated by multiplying the number of people waiting by the average consultation time based on the consultation time obtained from the seller's past online consultation history, as described in Appendix 8, for the online consultation management server.

[0162] (Note 11) The online medical consultation management server described in any one of the appendices 8 to 10, wherein the acceptance / reception determination unit obtains the available consultation time and the number of people waiting for each of the sellers when the cart contains target products from multiple sellers, and determines whether the first medical consultation method can be accepted for each seller, and the selection / reception determination unit determines whether the first medical consultation method can be selected or not for each seller.

[0163] (Note 12) The online medical consultation management server described in Appendix 1 or Appendix 2 determines that the first medical consultation provision method is available if the acceptance determination unit obtains the working hours of a physician who is available to provide online medical consultations for the target product and the time of receipt of the display request falls within the working hours of at least one of the physicians.

[0164] (Note 13) The online medical consultation management server described in Appendix 1 or Appendix 2, wherein the acceptance / rejection determination unit obtains the number of doctors waiting for the first medical consultation service for the target product at the time of receipt of the display request, and determines that the first medical consultation service is available if the time of receipt of the display request falls within the working hours of at least one doctor.

[0165] (Note 14) The online medical consultation management server described in Appendix 1 or Appendix 2, wherein the acceptance / rejection determination unit obtains the working hours of the physicians who provide online medical consultations for the target product and the number of people waiting for the first medical consultation method provided by the physicians who provide online medical consultations for the target product at the time the display request is received, calculates the predicted waiting time until the physicians can provide online medical consultations based on the number of people waiting, and determines that the first medical consultation method can be accepted if there is at least one physician whose working hours fall within the time obtained by adding the predicted waiting time to the time the display request is received.

[0166] (Note 15) The predicted waiting time is calculated by multiplying the number of people waiting by a predetermined average consultation time, using the online medical consultation management server described in Appendix 14.

[0167] (Note 16) The predicted waiting time is calculated by multiplying the number of people waiting by the average consultation time obtained from the doctor's online consultation history, as described in Appendix 14, for the online consultation management server.

[0168] (Note 17) Online medical consultation management method comprising: when a request to display the cart screen is received, determining whether a first medical consultation service is available if the user's cart contains items requiring medical consultation, and if the user's cart contains items requiring medical consultation, determining whether a first medical consultation service is available, in which online medical consultation begins immediately after other users' consultations are completed; determining whether the first medical consultation service is available if it is determined that it is available, and determining whether the first medical consultation service is unavailable if it is determined that it is not available; and controlling the display of the cart screen according to whether the first medical consultation service is available or unavailable.

[0169] (Note 18) A program that causes the online medical consultation management server to execute the following steps when it receives a request to display the cart screen: determine whether it is possible to accept a first medical consultation service, in which the online medical consultation will begin immediately after other users' consultations are completed, if the user's cart contains items requiring medical consultation; determine that the first medical consultation service is selectable if it is determined that it is possible to accept the first medical consultation service; determine that the first medical consultation service is not selectable if it is determined that it is not possible to accept the first medical consultation service; and control the display of the cart screen according to whether the first medical consultation service is selectable or not. [Explanation of symbols]

[0170] 1. Online medical consultation system 10 Management Server 101 Shopping Cart Information Update Section 102 Application Acceptance / Rejection Determination Unit 103 Selection / Decision Section 104 Display Control Unit 110 Cart Information Recording Unit 111 Product Information Recording Section 112 Seller Information Recording Section 113 List Recording Section 114 Physician Information Records Department 20, 20a, 20b User terminals 30 Medical examination terminals

Claims

1. A system for determining whether a user can accept a first medical consultation method, in which online consultations begin immediately after other users' consultations are completed, if the user's cart contains items requiring medical consultation, and A selection feasibility determination unit that determines that the first medical service provision method is selectable if it is determined that it is acceptable to accept the first medical service provision method, and determines that the first medical service provision method is not selectable if it is determined that it is unacceptable to accept the first medical service provision method, An online medical consultation management server comprising: a display control unit that controls the display of a screen according to whether the first medical consultation method can be selected;

2. The aforementioned selection / determination unit is: If it is determined that the first method of providing medical services is available, it is decided that the first method of providing medical services and the second method of providing medical services, in which the user selects a desired date and time for an online consultation, are available. If it is determined that the first method of providing medical care is not available, the first method of providing medical care will be deemed unavailable, and the second method of providing medical care will be deemed available. The online medical consultation management server according to claim 1.

3. The aforementioned acceptance / rejection determination unit is: Obtain the clinic's operating hours for the seller of the aforementioned product. If the time of receipt of the user's request to display the shopping cart screen falls within the hours when the seller of the product in question is available to receive medical consultations, then it is determined that the first method of providing medical consultations is available. The online medical consultation management server according to claim 1.

4. The acceptance / rejection determination unit, when the cart contains target products from multiple sellers, obtains the available appointment times for each seller and determines whether the first medical service provision method is available for each seller. The selection / non-selection unit determines whether the first method of providing medical treatment is selectable or not for each seller. The online medical consultation management server according to claim 3.

5. The aforementioned acceptance / rejection determination unit is: The number of people waiting for the first medical service provision method of the seller of the target product at the time the user's request to display the shopping cart screen is received is obtained. If the number of people waiting is less than or equal to a predetermined number, it is determined that the first method of providing medical treatment is available. The management server for online medical consultations according to claim 1.

6. The aforementioned acceptance / rejection determination unit is: The seller of the target product obtains the time when the seller of the target product is available to accept appointments for consultations, and the number of people waiting for the seller of the target product's first consultation method at the time the user requests to display the shopping cart screen. If the time of receipt of the display request falls within the hours when the seller of the target product is available to receive medical consultations, and the number of people waiting is less than or equal to a predetermined number, then it is determined that the first method of providing medical consultations is available. The management server for online medical consultations according to claim 1.

7. The acceptance / reception determination unit, when the cart contains target products from multiple sellers, obtains the number of people waiting for the first medical treatment provision method from each of the sellers and determines whether the first medical treatment provision method is available for each seller. The selection / non-selection unit determines whether the first method of providing medical treatment is selectable or not for each seller. The online medical consultation management server according to claim 5.

8. The aforementioned acceptance / rejection determination unit is: The seller of the target product obtains the time when the seller of the target product is available to accept appointments for consultations, and the number of people waiting for the seller of the target product's first consultation method at the time the user requests to display the shopping cart screen. Based on the number of people waiting, the estimated waiting time until the seller's online consultation becomes available is calculated. If the time obtained by adding the estimated waiting time to the time the display request was received falls within the time when medical services can be accepted, it is determined that the first method of providing medical services is available. The management server for online medical consultations according to claim 1.

9. The predicted waiting time is calculated by multiplying the number of people waiting by a predetermined average consultation time. The online medical consultation management server according to claim 8.

10. The predicted waiting time is calculated by multiplying the number of people waiting by the average consultation time based on the consultation time obtained from the seller's past online consultation history. The online medical consultation management server according to claim 8.

11. The acceptance / reception determination unit, when the cart contains target products from multiple sellers, obtains the available appointment times and the number of people waiting for each seller, and determines whether the first medical service provision method is available for each seller. The selection / non-selection unit determines whether the first method of providing medical treatment is selectable or not for each seller. An online medical consultation management server according to any one of claims 8 to 10.

12. The aforementioned acceptance / rejection determination unit is: The working hours of a physician who is configured to provide online medical consultations for the aforementioned product are obtained. The system determines that the first method of providing medical services is available if the time of receipt of the user's request to display the shopping cart screen falls within the working hours of at least one of the physicians. The management server for online medical consultations according to claim 1.

13. The aforementioned acceptance / rejection determination unit is: The number of waiting users for the first medical consultation method of a physician who is configured to provide online medical consultations for the target product is obtained at the time the user requests to display the shopping cart screen. If the time of receipt of the aforementioned display request falls within the working hours of at least one physician, it is determined that the first method of providing medical care is available. The management server for online medical consultations according to claim 1.

14. The aforementioned acceptance / rejection determination unit is: The working hours of a physician who is configured to provide online consultations for the target product, and the number of people waiting for the first consultation method of the physician who is configured to provide online consultations for the target product at the time the user requests to display the cart screen, are obtained. Based on the number of people waiting, the estimated waiting time until the doctor can provide online consultation is calculated. The online medical consultation management server according to claim 1, which determines that the first medical consultation method can be accepted if there is at least one physician whose working hours fall within the time obtained by adding the predicted waiting time to the time the display request was received.

15. The predicted waiting time is calculated by multiplying the number of people waiting by a predetermined average consultation time. The online medical consultation management server according to claim 14.

16. The predicted waiting time is calculated by multiplying the number of people waiting by the average consultation time obtained from the doctor's online consultation history. The online medical consultation management server according to claim 14.

17. If a user's cart contains items requiring medical treatment, the first method of providing medical treatment, in which online consultations begin immediately after other users' consultations are completed, is available. The steps include: determining that the first method of providing medical care is selectable if it is determined that it is possible to accept the first method of providing medical care; and determining that the first method of providing medical care is not selectable if it is determined that it is not possible to accept the first method of providing medical care; The steps include: a step of performing control to display a screen according to whether the first method of providing medical care can be selected; Methods for managing online medical consultations.

18. If a user's cart contains items requiring medical treatment, the first method of providing medical treatment, in which online consultations begin immediately after other users' consultations are completed, is available. The steps include: determining that the first method of providing medical care is selectable if it is determined that it is possible to accept the first method of providing medical care; and determining that the first method of providing medical care is not selectable if it is determined that it is not possible to accept the first method of providing medical care; The steps include: a step of performing control to display a screen according to whether the first method of providing medical care can be selected; A program that instructs the online medical consultation management server to execute a command.

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