PROGRAM, INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD AND INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS

Abstract

To provide a program, etc. by which asking prices of the respective automobile dealers corresponding to an automobile desired by a user can be shared between the automobile dealers.SOLUTION: A program concerning one side causes a computer to execute processing of: acquiring a desired vehicle type from a terminal of a user who becomes an applicant for purchasing a new vehicle; transmitting the acquired desired vehicle type to terminals of a plurality of dealers which sell the new vehicle; acquiring asking prices corresponding to the desired vehicle type from the terminals of the plurality of dealers, and outputting the acquired asking prices of the respective dealers to the terminal of the user, and the terminals of other dealers except the dealer itself.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a program, an information processing method, and an information processing device. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, development of automobile purchasing and selling systems has been progressing. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an automobile market system that enables automobile dealers to approach users based on information on automobiles they wish to buy or sell at a price that satisfies the user, and allows the user to purchase or sell an automobile at a price that satisfies the user. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2003-58735 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the invention of Patent Document 1 has the risk that the price of the desired car that an automobile dealer presents to a user is not made public to other automobile dealers.

[0005] One aspect of the present invention is to provide a program or the like that enables the prices offered by each automobile dealer for a vehicle desired by a user to be shared among automobile dealers. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to one aspect, the program includes a control unit of a computer that includes a control unit, the control unit being configured to input a user who wishes to purchase a new car. accepts input of an offered price from a dealer corresponding to the desired vehicle model, transmits the accepted offered price, receives information about the desired vehicle model, date information about a plurality of dealers corresponding to the desired vehicle model, the unrevised offered price, and the revised offered price, accepts input of a purchase price from a dealer corresponding to the user's owned vehicle information of a trade-in target, transmits the accepted purchase price from the dealer corresponding to the owned vehicle information of the trade-in target, receives the unrevised purchase prices and the revised purchase prices from the plurality of dealers corresponding to the owned vehicle information, displays the received information about the desired vehicle model, and displays display areas classified by dealer in a first direction, and further displays, within each display area, the date information, the unrevised offered price, the revised offered price, the unrevised purchase price, and the revised purchase price, objects indicating price fluctuations, and objects indicating re-bidding for the desired vehicle model at the revised offered price or purchase price in a second direction. Execute the process. Effect of the Invention

[0007] In one aspect, the prices offered by each automobile dealer for the automobile desired by the user can be shared among the automobile dealers. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of a new car purchasing system. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a server. [Diagram 3] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a record layout of a user DB. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a record layout of a dealer DB. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a record layout of a vehicle model information DB. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a record layout of a new car quotation DB. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a dealer terminal. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a user terminal. [Figure 9] 13 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure when performing a user registration process. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a screen image diagram for registering a user on a user terminal. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram for outputting the prices offered by a plurality of dealers for a vehicle model desired by a user. [Figure 12] 10 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for outputting an offered price corresponding to a desired vehicle model. [Figure 13] 13 is a screen image for accepting designation of a search method for a desired vehicle model on a user terminal. [Figure 14] FIG. 13 is a screen image showing a screen for searching for a desired vehicle model based on a body type on a user terminal. [Figure 15] FIG. 13 is an image showing a cart screen displayed on a user terminal. [Figure 16] FIG. 13 is a screen image showing prices offered by a plurality of dealers on a user terminal. [Figure 17] FIG. 13 is an image diagram of a confirmation screen for confirming the prices offered by other dealers on the dealer terminal. [Figure 18] 10 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for outputting a plurality of vehicle model information items related to a desired vehicle model. [Figure 19] FIG. 13 is an image diagram showing a cart screen displayed on a user terminal in the second embodiment. [Figure 20] 10 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for outputting an offered price corresponding to a related vehicle model. [Figure 21] FIG. 13 is a screen image showing prices offered by a plurality of dealers on a user terminal of the second embodiment. [Figure 22] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a server according to a third embodiment. [Diagram 23] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a record layout of a business negotiation message DB. [Figure 24] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a record layout of a new car quotation DB according to the third embodiment. [Diagram 25] 13 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure when a user sends a business negotiation message. [Figure 26] FIG. 13 is a screen image showing a business negotiation message displayed on a user terminal. [Figure 27] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of a system for purchasing a trade-in vehicle. [Figure 28] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a buyer terminal. [Figure 29] FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a server according to a fourth embodiment. [Diagram 30] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a record layout of a trade-in owned vehicle DB. [Diagram 31] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a record layout of a new car quotation DB according to the fourth embodiment. [Diagram 32] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a record layout of a buyer DB. [Diagram 33] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a record layout of a purchase estimate DB. [Diagram 34] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a record layout of a dealer DB in the fourth embodiment. [Diagram 35] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing output of a purchase price for a vehicle that is to be traded in. [Diagram 36] 11 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for acquiring a dealer's purchase price corresponding to owned vehicle information. [Figure 37] 10 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for acquiring a purchase price of a purchaser corresponding to owned vehicle information. [Figure 38] FIG. 13 is a screen image diagram for accepting input of information about a vehicle owned to be traded in on a user terminal. [Figure 39] FIG. 13 is an image diagram of a confirmation screen for confirming purchase prices of other dealers on a dealer terminal. [Diagram 40] FIG. 13 is a screen image of a request to sell a vehicle on a buyer's terminal. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings showing embodiments thereof.

[0010] (Embodiment 1) The first embodiment relates to a form in which the offered prices corresponding to the vehicle model desired by a user wishing to purchase a new car are obtained from the terminals of multiple dealers, and the acquired offered prices from each dealer are output to the user's terminal and terminals of dealers other than the dealer itself.

[0011] A dealer (automobile dealer or automobile business) is a business entity (sales outlet) that retails new and used cars, and is a sales outlet that has signed an exclusive dealership contract with an automobile manufacturer or a sales subsidiary of an automobile manufacturer. Dealers also provide after-sales services such as inspection and maintenance. Note that, although an example of an automobile dealer is described in this embodiment, this is not limited to this. For example, the present invention is also applicable to a sales outlet (sub-dealer) that does not have an exclusive dealership contract with a specific manufacturer and can handle cars of various manufacturers.

[0012] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of a new car purchasing system. The system of this embodiment includes an information processing device 1, an information processing terminal 2, and an information processing terminal 3, and each device transmits and receives information via a network N such as the Internet.

[0013] The information processing device 1 is an information processing device that processes, stores, and transmits / receives various types of information. The information processing device 1 is, for example, a server device, a personal computer, etc. In this embodiment, the information processing device 1 is a server device, and will be referred to as server 1 below for simplicity.

[0014] The information processing terminal 2 is a terminal device that displays information about the user, the vehicle model desired by the user, and the prices offered by other dealers that correspond to the desired vehicle model. The information processing terminal 2 is an information processing device such as a smartphone, a mobile phone, a tablet, a personal computer terminal, etc. For simplicity, the information processing terminal 2 will be referred to as the dealer terminal 2 below.

[0015] The information processing terminal 3 is a terminal device that receives information about a user, a desired vehicle model, and displays the prices offered by multiple dealers that correspond to the desired vehicle model. The information processing terminal 3 is an information processing device such as a smartphone, a mobile phone, a tablet, a personal computer terminal, etc. For simplicity, the information processing terminal 3 will be referred to as the user terminal 3 below.

[0016] The server 1 according to this embodiment acquires the vehicle model desired by the user from the user terminal 3 of the user who wishes to purchase a new car. The server 1 identifies multiple dealers that sell (handle) new cars based on the acquired user's desired vehicle model. The server 1 transmits the user's desired vehicle model to the dealer terminals 2 of the identified multiple dealers.

[0017] Each dealer terminal 2 acquires the offered price corresponding to the user's desired vehicle model transmitted from the server 1, and transmits the acquired offered price to the server 1. The server 1 receives the offered price corresponding to the user's desired vehicle model transmitted from each dealer terminal 2. The server 1 outputs (transmits) the received offered price of each dealer to the user terminal 3 and to dealer terminals 2 of dealers other than the dealer itself.

[0018] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the server 1. The server 1 includes a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, a communication unit 13, an input unit 14, a display unit 15, a reading unit 16, and a large-capacity storage unit 17. Each component is connected by a bus B.

[0019] The control unit 11 includes an arithmetic processing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro-Processing Unit), and a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), and performs various information processing, control processing, and the like related to the server 1 by reading and executing a control program 1P stored in the storage unit 12. Note that, although the control unit 11 is described in Fig. 2 as being a single processor, it may be a multiprocessor.

[0020] The storage unit 12 includes memory elements such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) and a ROM (Read Only Memory), and stores the control program 1P or data required for the control unit 11 to execute processing. The storage unit 12 also temporarily stores data required for the control unit 11 to execute arithmetic processing. The communication unit 13 is a communication module for performing processing related to communication, and transmits and receives information between the dealer terminal 2 and the user terminal 3 via the network N.

[0021] The input unit 14 is an input device such as a mouse, a keyboard, a touch panel, or a button, and outputs received operation information to the control unit 11. The display unit 15 is a liquid crystal display, an organic EL (electroluminescence) display, or the like, and displays various information according to instructions from the control unit 11.

[0022] The reading unit 16 reads the portable storage medium 1a including a CD (Compact Disc)-ROM or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc)-ROM. The control unit 11 may read the control program 1P from the portable storage medium 1a via the reading unit 16 and store it in the mass storage unit 17. The control unit 11 may also download the control program 1P from another computer via a network N or the like and store it in the mass storage unit 17. Furthermore, the control unit 11 may read the control program 1P from the semiconductor memory 1b.

[0023] The mass storage unit 17 includes a recording medium such as an HDD (Hard disk drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive). The mass storage unit 17 includes a user DB 171, a dealer DB 172, a vehicle model information DB 173, and a new car quotation DB 174. The user DB 171 stores information about users. The dealer DB 172 stores information about dealers who sell new cars. The vehicle model information DB 173 stores information about the type of automobile classified by use, model, year, etc. The new car quotation DB 174 stores quotation information of each dealer corresponding to the vehicle model desired by the user.

[0024] In this embodiment, the storage unit 12 and the large-capacity storage unit 17 may be configured as an integrated storage device. The large-capacity storage unit 17 may be configured with a plurality of storage devices. Furthermore, the large-capacity storage unit 17 may be an external storage device connected to the server 1.

[0025] In this embodiment, the server 1 is described as being one information processing device, but the processing may be distributed among a plurality of devices, or the server 1 may be configured as a virtual machine.

[0026] 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a record layout of user DB 171. User DB 171 includes a user ID column, a name column, a reading column, an email address column, a password column, a date of birth column, a gender column, an address column, and a column of owned car information. The user ID column stores a unique user ID to identify each user. The name column stores the user's name. The reading column stores the reading corresponding to the user's name.

[0027] The email address column stores the user's email address. The password column stores the password the user uses to log in. The birth date column stores the user's birth date. The gender column stores the user's gender. The address column stores the user's current address information (e.g., address name, longitude and latitude, etc.). The owned vehicle information column includes a manufacturer column and a vehicle model column. The manufacturer column stores manufacturer information of the vehicle owned by the user. The vehicle model column stores vehicle model information of the vehicle owned by the user.

[0028] 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a record layout of dealer DB 172. Dealer DB 172 includes a dealer ID column, a dealer name column, an address column, a contract manufacturer column, and a vehicle model ID column. The dealer ID column stores a unique dealer ID to identify each dealer. The dealer name column stores the name of the dealer. The address column stores the dealer's current address information (e.g., address name, longitude and latitude, etc.). The contract manufacturer column stores the name of a specific manufacturer with which the dealer has a dealership contract. The vehicle model ID column stores a vehicle model ID that specifies the vehicle model handled by the dealer.

[0029] 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a record layout of the vehicle model information DB 173. The vehicle model information DB 173 includes a vehicle model ID column, a body type column, a grade column, a related vehicle model ID column, a manufacturer name column, a specification column, and a photo column. The vehicle model ID column stores a unique vehicle model ID to identify each vehicle model. The body type column stores type information classified according to the appearance and use of the automobile. The body type may be, for example, a light car, a compact car, a coupe, or a sports car.

[0030] The grade column stores grade information determined by differences in engine displacement, equipment, interior, etc. of automobiles. The grade of an automobile is identified by a rank using letters, numbers, or a combination of letters and numbers depending on the manufacturer. For example, "L" may represent the luxury grade. The related vehicle model ID column stores a vehicle model ID related to the vehicle model. Furthermore, the related vehicle model ID column may store multiple vehicle model IDs. The manufacturer name column stores the name of the manufacturer of the automobile.

[0031] The specification column includes a total length column, a total width column, a total height column, a weight column, a minimum turning radius column, a drive system column, an engine displacement column, and a number of doors column. The total length column stores the length of the vehicle. The total width column stores the width of the vehicle. The total height column stores the height of the vehicle. The weight column stores the weight of the vehicle. The minimum turning radius column stores the radius of the circle drawn by the center of the outer front wheel when turning with the steering wheel fully turned.

[0032] The drive system column stores the drive system of the vehicle. The displacement column stores the displacement, which is the volume of the part inside the engine where fuel such as gasoline is burned. The door number column stores the number of doors of the vehicle. Note that the specification column is not limited to the above-mentioned items (for example, the overall length column, etc.), and appropriate items may be defined according to the needs of the user or the system, etc.

[0033] The photo sequence stores a captured image (photo) or video of the vehicle. Note that the photo sequence may store a plurality of captured images or videos.

[0034] 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a record layout of the new car estimate DB 174. The new car estimate DB 174 includes an estimate ID column, a user ID column, a desired car model ID column, a dealer ID column, an offered price column, a status column, and an estimate date column. The estimate ID column stores an ID of the estimate data that is uniquely specified in order to identify the data of each estimate.

[0035] The user ID column stores a user ID that identifies the user. The desired vehicle model ID column stores a vehicle model ID that corresponds to the user's desired vehicle model. The dealer ID column stores a dealer ID that identifies the dealer. The offered price column stores the dealer's offered price that corresponds to the user's desired vehicle model. The status column stores the status of the estimate. For example, the status column may store "negotiation in progress" or "negotiation canceled." The estimate date and time stores information about the date and time when the dealer's offered price that corresponds to the user's desired vehicle model was estimated.

[0036] The above-mentioned storage formats of each DB are merely examples, and other storage formats may be used as long as the relationships between the data are maintained.

[0037] 7 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the dealer terminal 2. The dealer terminal 2 includes a control unit 21, a storage unit 22, a communication unit 23, an input unit 24, and a display unit 25. Each component is connected by a bus B.

[0038] The control unit 21 includes an arithmetic processing device such as a CPU, an MPU, etc., and performs various information processing, control processing, etc. related to the dealer terminal 2 by reading and executing a control program 2P stored in the storage unit 22. Note that, although the control unit 21 is described as a single processor in FIG. 7, it may be a multiprocessor. The storage unit 22 includes memory elements such as a RAM, a ROM, etc., and stores the control program 2P or data, etc., required for the control unit 21 to execute processing. The storage unit 22 also temporarily stores data, etc., required for the control unit 21 to execute arithmetic processing.

[0039] The communication unit 23 is a communication module for performing processing related to communication, and transmits and receives information to and from the server 1, the user terminal 3, etc. via the network N. The input unit 24 may be a keyboard, a mouse, or a touch panel integrated with the display unit 25. The display unit 25 is a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, or the like, and displays various information according to instructions from the control unit 21.

[0040] 8 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the user terminal 3. The user terminal 3 includes a control unit 31, a storage unit 32, a communication unit 33, an input unit 34, a display unit 35, and an image capturing unit 36. Each component is connected by a bus B.

[0041] The control unit 31 includes an arithmetic processing unit such as a CPU, MPU, etc., and performs various information processing, control processing, etc. related to the user terminal 3 by reading and executing the control program 3P stored in the storage unit 32. Note that, although the control unit 31 is described as a single processor in FIG. 8, it may be a multiprocessor. The storage unit 32 includes memory elements such as RAM, ROM, etc., and stores the control program 3P or data, etc., required for the control unit 31 to execute processing. The storage unit 32 also temporarily stores data, etc., required for the control unit 31 to execute arithmetic processing.

[0042] The communication unit 33 is a communication module for performing processing related to communication, and transmits and receives information to and from the server 1, the dealer terminal 2, etc. via the network N. The input unit 34 may be a keyboard, a mouse, or a touch panel integrated with the display unit 35. The display unit 35 is a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, or the like, and displays various information according to instructions from the control unit 31.

[0043] The photographing unit 36 ​​is, for example, a photographing device such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) camera or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) camera. The photographing unit 36 ​​may be composed of a plurality of photographing devices. The photographing unit 36 ​​may not be built into the user terminal 3, but may be externally connected directly to the user terminal 3 and configured to be capable of photographing.

[0044] Next, the registration process for a new member (user) performed before using the system will be described. In this embodiment, if a user who wishes to purchase a new car is not a member of this system, an example will be described in which the dealer's proposed price is not displayed to the user, but this is not limited to this. For example, the proposed price corresponding to the desired car model may be displayed to a guest (a user who is not registered) in advance, and the user registration process may be performed when making a transaction according to the proposed price.

[0045] 9 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure when performing user registration processing. The control unit 31 of the user terminal 3 accepts information about the user via the input unit 34 (step S301). The information about the user includes the user's name, furigana, email address, password, date of birth, gender, address, and owned car information. The control unit 31 transmits the accepted information about the user to the server 1 via the communication unit 33 (step S302).

[0046] The control unit 11 of the server 1 receives information about the user transmitted from the user terminal 3 via the communication unit 13 (step S101), stores the received information about the user in the user DB 171 of the mass storage unit 17 (step S102), and ends the process. Specifically, the control unit 11 assigns a user ID, and stores the user's name, furigana, email address, password, date of birth, sex, address, and owned car information in the user DB 171 as one record.

[0047] 10 is a screen image diagram for registering a user on the user terminal 3. 10a is an area for receiving information about the user. For example, when the user's name is entered in the name text field, the control unit 31 of the user terminal 3 may receive the entered name through the input unit 34. Note that the screen layout and input components are not limited to those described above, and other designs may be used as long as they are capable of receiving information about the user.

[0048] Reference numeral 10b denotes a "Register" button, which is a button for performing registration processing using the information about the user inputted in 10a. When the control unit 31 of the user terminal 3 receives a touch (click) operation of the "Register" button 10b via the input unit 34, the control unit 31 transmits the input information about the user to the server 1 via the communication unit 33. The control unit 11 of the server 1 receives the information about the user transmitted from the user terminal 3 via the communication unit 13, and stores the received information about the user in the user DB 171 of the mass storage unit 17.

[0049] 11 is an explanatory diagram showing the output of the prices offered by multiple dealers corresponding to the vehicle model desired by the user. The control unit 31 of the user terminal 3 accepts the vehicle model desired by the user via the input unit 34. The process of accepting the desired vehicle model will be described later. Based on the accepted desired vehicle model of the user, the control unit 31 acquires a vehicle model ID corresponding to the desired vehicle model from the vehicle model information DB 173 of the mass storage unit 17.

[0050] The control unit 31 transmits the acquired vehicle model ID to the server 1 via the communication unit 33. Note that, in this embodiment, an example is described in which the vehicle model ID is used to perform transmission and reception processing between the server 1, the dealer terminal 2, and the user terminal 3, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the transmission and reception processing may be performed using the name of the vehicle model.

[0051] The control unit 11 of the server 1 receives the vehicle model ID of the desired vehicle model transmitted from the user terminal 3 via the communication unit 13. The control unit 11 identifies a dealer that sells the desired vehicle model based on the received vehicle model ID. Specifically, the control unit 11 acquires all dealer IDs corresponding to the received vehicle model ID from the dealer DB 172 of the mass storage unit 17. The control unit 11 identifies each dealer based on the acquired dealer ID.

[0052] The control unit 11 may further narrow down the distance information from the identified dealers to identify the relevant dealers. The distance information includes the distance from the user's address to the dealer's address, the time required on foot or by car, etc. Specifically, the control unit 11 acquires the user's address (longitude and latitude) from the user DB 171 in the mass storage unit 17, and acquires the dealer's address (longitude and latitude) from the dealer DB 172. The control unit 11 calculates the distance using a known two-point distance API (Application Programming Interface) based on the acquired longitude and latitude of the user and the dealer. The control unit 11 sorts the identified dealers based on the calculated distance. The control unit 11 may acquire, for example, the top 20 dealers from the sorted dealers in order of shortest distance. This allows dealers close to the user's residential area to be preferentially displayed.

[0053] The control unit 11 transmits the vehicle model ID of the desired vehicle model to each dealer terminal 2 based on the acquired dealer ID via the communication unit 13. The control unit 21 of each dealer terminal 2 receives the vehicle model ID transmitted from the server 1 via the communication unit 23.

[0054] The control unit 21 obtains the dealer's offered price corresponding to the received vehicle model ID. For example, the control unit 21 may use an auction method to receive the offered price corresponding to the vehicle model ID via the input unit 24. Alternatively, when the offered price corresponding to each vehicle model is stored in the storage unit 22 in advance, the control unit 21 may obtain the offered price corresponding to the vehicle model ID from the storage unit 22.

[0055] The control unit 21 of each dealer terminal 2 transmits the acquired offered price to the server 1 via the communication unit 23. The control unit 11 of the server 1 receives the offered price transmitted from each dealer terminal 2 via the communication unit 13. The control unit 11 stores the received offered price in the new car estimate DB 174 of the mass storage unit 17. Specifically, the control unit 11 assigns an estimate ID, and stores the user ID, desired vehicle model ID, dealer ID, offered price, condition, and estimate date and time in the new car estimate DB 174 as one record.

[0056] The control unit 11 transmits information about dealers and the prices offered by each dealer to the user terminal 3 via the communication unit 13. The control unit 31 of the user terminal 3 receives the information about dealers and the prices offered by each dealer transmitted from the server 1 via the communication unit 33. The control unit 31 displays the received information about dealers and the prices offered by each dealer side by side on the display unit 35.

[0057] The control unit 11 transmits information about the user, the desired vehicle model (e.g., vehicle model ID, vehicle model name, etc.), and the prices offered by other dealers that correspond to the desired vehicle model to the dealer terminal 2 via the communication unit 13. The control unit 21 of the dealer terminal 2 receives the information about the user, the desired vehicle model, and the prices offered by other dealers that have been transmitted from the server 1 via the communication unit 23. The control unit 21 displays the received information about the user, the desired vehicle model, and the prices offered by other dealers on the display unit 25.

[0058] 12 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure for outputting an offered price corresponding to a desired vehicle model. The control unit 31 of the user terminal 3 accepts the vehicle model desired by the user via the input unit 34 (step S311). Based on the accepted desired vehicle model of the user, the control unit 31 acquires a vehicle model ID corresponding to the desired vehicle model from the vehicle model information DB 173 in the mass storage unit 17 (step S312). The control unit 31 transmits the acquired vehicle model ID to the server 1 via the communication unit 33 (step S313).

[0059] The control unit 11 of the server 1 receives the vehicle model ID of the desired vehicle model transmitted from the user terminal 3 via the communication unit 13 (step S111). The control unit 11 acquires all dealer IDs corresponding to the received vehicle model ID from the dealer DB 172 of the mass storage unit 17 to identify the dealer (step S112). The control unit 11 transmits the vehicle model ID of the desired vehicle model to each dealer terminal 2 based on the acquired dealer ID via the communication unit 13 (step S113).

[0060] The control unit 21 of each dealer terminal 2 receives the vehicle model ID of the desired vehicle model transmitted from the server 1 via the communication unit 23 (step S211). The control unit 21 accepts the dealer's offered price corresponding to the received vehicle model ID via the input unit 24 (step S212). The control unit 21 transmits the accepted offered price to the server 1 via the communication unit 23 (step S213).

[0061] The control unit 11 of the server 1 receives the offered prices transmitted from each dealer terminal 2 via the communication unit 13 (step S114). The control unit 11 stores the received offered prices in the new car estimate DB 174 of the mass storage unit 17 (step S115). The control unit 11 transmits information about the dealers and the offered prices of each dealer to the user terminal 3 via the communication unit 13 (step S116).

[0062] The control unit 31 of the user terminal 3 receives the information about the dealer and the price offered by each dealer transmitted from the server 1 via the communication unit 33 (step S314). The control unit 31 displays the received information about the dealer and the price offered by each dealer side by side on the display unit 35 (step S315).

[0063] The control unit 11 transmits information about the user, the desired car model, and the prices offered by other dealers that correspond to the desired car model to the dealer terminal 2 via the communication unit 13 (step S117). The control unit 21 of the dealer terminal 2 receives the information about the user, the desired car model, and the prices offered by other dealers transmitted from the server 1 via the communication unit 23 (step S214). The control unit 21 displays the received information about the user, the desired car model, and the prices offered by other dealers on the display unit 25 (step S215), and ends the process.

[0064] In addition, the dealer terminal 2 can accept revisions to the dealer's bid price. Specifically, the control unit 21 accepts input of the revised price, which will be the revised bid price, through the input unit 24, and transmits the accepted revised price to the server 1 through the communication unit 23. The control unit 11 of the server 1 receives the revised price transmitted from the dealer terminal 2 through the communication unit 13, and transmits the received revised price to the user terminal 3 and the dealer terminals 2 of other dealers.

[0065] The control unit 31 of the user terminal 3 receives the dealer's revised price transmitted from the server 1 via the communication unit 33, and displays the received dealer's revised price on the display unit 35. The control unit 21 of the dealer terminal 2 of the other dealer receives the dealer's revised price transmitted from the server 1 via the communication unit 23, and displays the received dealer's revised price on the display unit 25.

[0066] Next, the process of accepting the user's desired car model will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 13 and 14. Fig. 13 is a screen image for accepting the designation of a search method for the desired car model on the user terminal 3. On this screen, the user can search for the user's desired car model by using one of the search methods "search by body type," "search by manufacturer," or "search by keyword." Note that the search methods are not limited to those described above. For example, the desired car model may be searched for by combining the body type with a keyword.

[0067] 13a is a "search by body type" search method for retrieving a corresponding vehicle model based on the body type selected by the user. 13b is a "search by manufacturer" search method for retrieving a corresponding vehicle model based on the manufacturer selected by the user. 13c is a "search by keyword" search method for retrieving a corresponding vehicle model based on a keyword entered by the user. 13d is a "clear conditions" button, which is a button for deleting the search conditions entered by the user. 13e is a "search" button, which is a button for searching for a desired vehicle model based on the search method specified by the user.

[0068] When the control unit 31 of the user terminal 3 receives a touch operation of the "Search" button 13e via the input unit 34, it searches for the corresponding vehicle model according to the search method specified by the user and transitions to a search screen described later. For example, when the control unit 31 receives a touch operation of "Light Car" in "Search by Body Type" by the user, it obtains information on multiple vehicle models corresponding to "Light Car" from the server 1.

[0069] Specifically, the control unit 31 of the user terminal 3 transmits the specified body type of the "light car" to the server 1 via the communication unit 33. The control unit 11 of the server 1 receives the body type of the "light car" transmitted from the user terminal 3 via the communication unit 13. The control unit 11 acquires multiple pieces of vehicle model information corresponding to the received body type of the "light car" from the vehicle model information DB 173 of the mass storage unit 17.

[0070] The control unit 11 transmits the acquired vehicle model information to the user terminal 3 via the communication unit 13. The control unit 31 of the user terminal 3 receives the vehicle model information transmitted from the server 1 via the communication unit 33, and transitions to a search screen for the body type of "light car." The control unit 31 displays the received vehicle model information on the search screen via the display unit 35.

[0071] Fig. 14 is a screen image diagram for searching for a desired vehicle model by body type on the user terminal 3. 14a is an area that displays multiple vehicle models searched for using the search method specified in Fig. 13. 14b is an area for further narrowing down search conditions for the searched vehicle models. For example, when the control unit 31 of the user terminal 3 receives input (designation) of search conditions such as engine type, passenger capacity, drive system, etc. of the desired vehicle model by the user via the input unit 34 from 14b, it may extract and display vehicle models that satisfy the input search conditions.

[0072] 14c is a "clear conditions" button, which is a button for deleting the search conditions entered by the user. 14d is a "narrow down with these conditions" button, which is a button for further narrowing down the search conditions for the searched car model. 14e is a button for specifying the display order for the searched multiple car models. For example, the display order may be "newest model year first," "cheapest model first," or "oldest model first."

[0073] 14f is an "Add to Cart" button, which is a button for selecting a desired car model that may be purchased. When the control unit 31 of the user terminal 3 receives a touch operation of the "Add to Cart" button 14f via the input unit 34, the control unit 31 may, for example, add the desired car model to a shopping cart and transition to a cart screen described later.

[0074] 13 and 14, a search screen is shown on which a user can specify search conditions. The control unit 31 of the user terminal 3 accepts the user's search conditions through the input unit 34, and transmits the accepted search conditions to the server 1 through the communication unit 33. The control unit 11 of the server 1 receives the search conditions transmitted from the user terminal 3 through the communication unit 13. The control unit 11 acquires multiple pieces of vehicle model information corresponding to the received search conditions from the vehicle model information DB 173 of the mass storage unit 17. The control unit 11 transmits the acquired multiple pieces of vehicle model information to the user terminal 3 through the communication unit 13.

[0075] 15 is an image diagram showing a cart screen displayed on the user terminal 3. Reference numeral 15a denotes an area that displays vehicle model information that the user has added to the cart. As shown in the figure, the control unit 31 of the user terminal 3 acquires vehicle model information related to the vehicle models in the cart from the server 1 via the communication unit 33, and displays the acquired vehicle model information in the display area 15a via the display unit 35.

[0076] 15b is an "Apply" button, which is a button for transmitting the user's desired vehicle model to a dealer that sells the vehicle model. Specifically, when the control unit 31 of the user terminal 3 receives a touch operation of the "Apply" button 15b, the control unit 31 transmits information about the user and the desired vehicle model in the cart to the server 1 via the communication unit 33.

[0077] FIG. 16 is a screen image diagram showing prices offered by a plurality of dealers on the user terminal 3. 16a is an area showing vehicle model information of the vehicle model desired by the user. 16b is an area showing the name of the dealer selling the vehicle model desired by the user. 16c is an area showing the price offered by the dealer corresponding to the vehicle model desired by the user. 16d is an area showing the address of the dealer selling the vehicle model desired by the user. 16e is an area showing distance information including the distance from the user's address to the dealer's address and the required time. In addition to the distance information, route guidance information from the user's address to the dealer's address (for example, a route map showing the route on a map, etc.) may be displayed in 16e.

[0078] The control unit 11 of the server 1 receives, via the communication unit 13, information about the user and the desired vehicle model transmitted from the user terminal 3 via the "Apply" button 15b in Fig. 15. The control unit 11 identifies a dealer based on the received desired vehicle model and distance information, and transmits the desired vehicle model to the dealer terminal 2 of the identified dealer via the communication unit 13. The control unit 21 of the dealer terminal 2 receives the desired vehicle model transmitted from the server 1 via the communication unit 23, and accepts the offered price corresponding to the received desired vehicle model. The control unit 21 transmits the offered price corresponding to the accepted desired vehicle model to the server 1.

[0079] The control unit 11 of the server 1 transmits vehicle model information on the desired vehicle model, information about the dealer, distance information, and the offered price transmitted from the dealer terminal 2 to the user terminal 3 via the communication unit 13. The control unit 31 of the user terminal 3 receives the vehicle model information, information about the dealer, distance information, and the dealer's offered price transmitted from the server 1 via the communication unit 33. The control unit 31 displays the received vehicle model information on 16a, the information about the dealer on 16b and 16d, the distance information on 16e, and the dealer's offered price on 16c via the display unit 35.

[0080] FIG. 17 is an image diagram of a confirmation screen for confirming the prices offered by other dealers on the dealer terminal 2. 17a is an area for displaying vehicle model information related to the vehicle model desired by the user. 17b is an area for displaying information related to the user. 17c is an area for displaying the names of other dealers other than the dealer in question, and the prices offered by other dealers that correspond to the vehicle model desired by the user. Furthermore, if the dealer's offered price is revised, both the offered price before the revision and the offered price after the revision are displayed in 17c.

[0081] Control unit 21 of dealer terminal 2 acquires vehicle model information on the user's desired vehicle model, information about the user, and prices offered by other dealers that correspond to the desired vehicle model (including revised offered prices) from server 1 via communication unit 23. Control unit 21 displays the acquired vehicle model information on the user's desired vehicle model on 17a, information about the user on 17b, and prices offered by other dealers that correspond to the desired vehicle model on 17c via display unit 25.

[0082] According to this embodiment, it is possible to output to the user terminal 3 the prices offered by a plurality of dealers for the vehicle model desired by the user.

[0083] According to this embodiment, it is possible to output, to the dealer terminal 2 of the dealer, the prices offered by dealers other than the dealer himself that correspond to the vehicle model desired by the user.

[0084] According to this embodiment, the offered price corresponding to the vehicle model desired by the user is shared among the dealers, so that transparent, free competition and fair transactions can be carried out.

[0085] (Embodiment 2) The second embodiment relates to a form in which a plurality of vehicle model information items related to a vehicle model desired by a user are output. Note that a description of the contents that overlap with the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0086] Depending on the vehicle model desired by the user, multiple vehicle model information related to the vehicle model can be acquired. Specifically, the control unit 11 of the server 1 acquires a related vehicle model ID from the related vehicle model ID column of the vehicle model information DB 173 of the mass storage unit 17 according to the vehicle model ID of the user's desired vehicle model. Note that the acquisition process of related vehicle models is not limited to the above-mentioned processing method. For example, the control unit 11 compiles statistics on the number of other similar vehicle models that the user who applied for the vehicle model has applied for and sorts them. The control unit 11 may acquire, for example, the top 10 other similar vehicle models in descending order of the number of similar vehicle models.

[0087] The control unit 11 acquires each vehicle model information from the vehicle model information DB 173 based on the acquired related vehicle model ID. The control unit 11 transmits the vehicle model information on the desired vehicle model and multiple vehicle model information related to the desired vehicle model to the user terminal 3 via the communication unit 13. The control unit 31 of the user terminal 3 receives the vehicle model information on the desired vehicle model and multiple vehicle model information related to the desired vehicle model transmitted from the server 1 via the communication unit 33. The control unit 31 displays the received vehicle model information on the desired vehicle model and multiple vehicle model information related to the desired vehicle model on the display unit 35.

[0088] 18 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure for outputting a plurality of vehicle model information items related to a desired vehicle model. The control unit 11 of the server 1 acquires a related vehicle model ID from the related vehicle model ID column of the vehicle model information DB 173 of the mass storage unit 17 according to the vehicle model ID of the user's desired vehicle model (step S121). The control unit 11 acquires each vehicle model information item from the vehicle model information DB 173 based on the acquired related vehicle model ID (step S122).

[0089] The control unit 11 transmits the vehicle model information on the desired vehicle model and a plurality of vehicle model information related to the desired vehicle model to the user terminal 3 via the communication unit 13 (step S123). The control unit 31 of the user terminal 3 receives the vehicle model information on the desired vehicle model and a plurality of vehicle model information related to the desired vehicle model transmitted from the server 1 via the communication unit 33 (step S321). The control unit 31 displays the received vehicle model information on the desired vehicle model and a plurality of vehicle model information related to the desired vehicle model on the display unit 35 (step S322).

[0090] Fig. 19 is an image diagram showing a cart screen displayed on the user terminal 3 of the second embodiment. The same reference numerals are used for the contents that overlap with those in Fig. 15, and the description thereof will be omitted. 19a is an area that displays the desired car model and related car model information. 19b is an "Add to cart" button, which is a button for selecting related car models that may be purchased.

[0091] The control unit 31 of the user terminal 3 acquires vehicle model information on the desired vehicle model and multiple vehicle model information related to the desired vehicle model from the server 1 via the communication unit 33. The control unit 31 displays the acquired vehicle model information on the desired vehicle model on 15a and displays the multiple vehicle model information related to the desired vehicle model on 19a via the display unit 35. When the control unit 31 receives a touch operation of the "Add to cart" button 19b via the input unit 34, it adds the corresponding related vehicle model to the shopping cart.

[0092] Fig. 20 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure when outputting the offered price corresponding to the related vehicle model. Note that the same reference numerals are used for the same contents as in Fig. 12, and the description will be omitted. The control unit 31 of the user terminal 3 accepts the selection (input) of the related vehicle model by the user via the input unit 34 (step S323). Based on the accepted related vehicle model, the control unit 31 acquires the vehicle model ID corresponding to the related vehicle model from the vehicle model information DB 173 of the mass storage unit 17 (step S324). The control unit 31 transmits the acquired vehicle model ID to the server 1 via the communication unit 33 (step S325). Then, step S111 is executed.

[0093] Fig. 21 is a screen image diagram showing prices offered by multiple dealers on the user terminal 3 of the second embodiment. As shown in the figure, the user terminal 3 displays prices offered by multiple dealers corresponding to the user's desired car model and prices offered by multiple dealers corresponding to the related car model selected by the user side by side. Note that the same reference numerals are used for the contents that overlap with Fig. 16, and the explanation will be omitted.

[0094] Reference numeral 21a denotes an area that displays vehicle model information related to a related vehicle model selected via the "Add to cart" button 19b in Fig. 19. Reference numeral 21b denotes an area that displays the prices offered by multiple dealers for the related vehicle model. Reference numeral 21c denotes a button for transitioning to a detailed screen for the related vehicle model.

[0095] The control unit 11 of the server 1 receives, via the communication unit 13, information about the user, the desired vehicle model, and the selected related vehicle model transmitted from the user terminal 3 via the "Apply" button 15b in FIG. 15. The control unit 11 acquires, via the communication unit 13, the offered price corresponding to the received related vehicle model from the dealer selling the related vehicle model, and transmits to the user terminal 3 vehicle model information about the related vehicle model, information about the dealer, and the offered price of the related vehicle model.

[0096] The control unit 31 of the user terminal 3 receives the vehicle model information, information about the dealer, and the quoted price of the related vehicle model transmitted from the server 1 via the communication unit 33. The control unit 31 displays the received vehicle model information about the related vehicle model on 21a via the display unit 35, and displays the information about the dealer and the quoted price of the related vehicle model on 21b.

[0097] According to this embodiment, by acquiring a plurality of vehicle model information related to the vehicle model desired by the user, it becomes possible to propose related vehicle models according to the needs of the user.

[0098] (Embodiment 3) The third embodiment relates to a mode in which a negotiation message between a user and a dealer is output. Note that a description of the contents that overlap with the first and second embodiments will be omitted.

[0099] Fig. 22 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the server 1 of the third embodiment. The same reference numerals are used for the same contents as those in Fig. 2, and the description thereof will be omitted. The large-capacity storage unit 17 stores a negotiation message DB 175. The negotiation message DB 175 stores information such as the contents of negotiations between the user and the dealer.

[0100] Figure 23 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a record layout of the negotiation message DB 175. The negotiation message DB 175 includes a negotiation ID column, a message ID column, a sender column, a message column, and a sent date / time column. The negotiation ID column stores a uniquely specified ID of the negotiation data to identify each negotiation data. The message ID column stores a uniquely specified message ID to identify each message. The sender column stores the type of sender (e.g., user or dealer). The message column stores the content of the message. The sent date / time column stores date and time information at the time the message was sent.

[0101] Fig. 24 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a record layout of the new car quotation DB 174 of the third embodiment. Note that the same reference numerals are used for the contents that overlap with Fig. 6, and the description thereof will be omitted. Fig. 24 includes a negotiation ID column. The negotiation ID column stores a negotiation ID that identifies negotiation data between a user and a dealer.

[0102] 25 is a flowchart showing the processing steps when sending a user's negotiation message. The control unit 31 of the user terminal 3 accepts input of a negotiation message by the user via the input unit 34 (step S331). The control unit 31 transmits the quotation ID and the accepted user's negotiation message to the server 1 via the communication unit 33 (step S332). The control unit 11 of the server 1 receives the quotation ID and the negotiation message transmitted from the user terminal 3 via the communication unit 13 (step S131).

[0103] The control unit 11 stores the received negotiation message in the negotiation message DB 175 of the mass storage unit 17 (step S132). Specifically, the control unit 11 determines whether or not a negotiation ID corresponding to the received quotation ID exists in the new car quotation DB 174 of the mass storage unit 17. If the control unit 11 determines that a negotiation ID does not exist, it assigns a negotiation ID and a message ID, and stores the sender type, the message content, and the message sending date and time as one record in the negotiation message DB 175. If the control unit 11 determines that a negotiation ID exists, it assigns a message ID, associates it with the negotiation ID, and stores the sender type, the message content, and the message sending date and time as one record in the negotiation message DB 175.

[0104] The control unit 11 retrieves all messages corresponding to the negotiation ID from the negotiation message DB 175 (step S133), and transmits all the retrieved messages to the user terminal 3 via the communication unit 13 (step S134). The control unit 31 of the user terminal 3 receives all the messages transmitted from the server 1 via the communication unit 33 (step S333), displays all the received messages on the display unit 35 (step S334), and terminates the process.

[0105] In this embodiment, an example has been described in which negotiation messages are transmitted and received between the dealer terminal 2 and the user terminal 3 via the server 1, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, negotiation messages may be transmitted and received directly between the dealer terminal 2 and the user terminal 3.

[0106] Although an example of the process of sending a negotiation message from a user has been described with reference to FIG. 25, the process of sending a negotiation message from a dealer is similar, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0107] FIG. 26 is a screen image diagram showing a negotiation message displayed on the user terminal 3. 26a is an area for displaying information about the desired vehicle model that is the subject of negotiation. 26b is an area for displaying the dealer's asking price for the desired vehicle model. 26c is an area for displaying a negotiation message between the user and the dealer. 26d is a text area for accepting input of the user's negotiation message for the desired vehicle model.

[0108] Numeral 26e is a "Send" button for sending the negotiation message entered in 26d to the server 1. Numeral 26f is a "Make a successful bid for this car" button for purchasing the desired car model at the price offered by the dealer corresponding to the desired car model. Numeral 26g is a "Cancel negotiation" button for the user to cancel negotiation with the dealer.

[0109] The control unit 31 of the user terminal 3 acquires vehicle model information relating to the desired vehicle model, the dealer's quoted price, and all negotiation messages between the user and the dealer for the desired vehicle model from the server 1 via the communication unit 33. The control unit 31 displays the acquired vehicle model information relating to the desired vehicle model on 26a, displays the dealer's quoted price corresponding to the desired vehicle model on 26b, and displays the negotiation messages for the desired vehicle model on 26c via the display unit 35.

[0110] When the control unit 31 receives a touch operation of the "Send" button 26e via the input unit 34, it transmits the negotiation message inputted via 26d to the server 1 via the communication unit 33. When the control unit 31 receives a touch operation of the "Make a bid for this car" button 26f via the input unit 34, it transmits a message to the server 1 via the communication unit 13 indicating that the user will purchase the desired car model. When the control unit 31 receives a touch operation of the "Cancel negotiation" button 26g via the input unit 34, it transmits a message to the server 1 via the communication unit 13 indicating that negotiation for the desired car model will be cancelled.

[0111] According to this embodiment, by outputting a negotiation message between the user and the dealer, it is possible to realize a flexible and prompt response to the user's needs.

[0112] (Embodiment 4) The fourth embodiment relates to a form in which the purchase price corresponding to the trade-in vehicle information is acquired from a plurality of dealers and buyers, and the acquired purchase price of each dealer and buyer is output to the terminals of the other dealers and buyers. The buyers are businesses that purchase used cars, and perform appraisals and purchases of used cars. Note that the explanation of the contents that overlap with the first to third embodiments will be omitted.

[0113] Fig. 27 is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of a buying system for a trade-in vehicle. The same reference numerals are used for the same contents as in Fig. 1, and the explanation is omitted. The system of this embodiment includes a server 1, a dealer terminal 2, a user terminal 3, and an information processing terminal 4, and each device transmits and receives information via a network N such as the Internet.

[0114] The information processing terminal 4 is a terminal device that displays information about the user, information about the vehicle to be traded in, and the prices offered by other buyers corresponding to the vehicle information. The information processing terminal 4 is an information processing device such as a smartphone, a mobile phone, a tablet, a personal computer terminal, etc. For the sake of simplicity, the information processing terminal 4 will be referred to as the buyer terminal 4 below.

[0115] 28 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the buying agent terminal 4. The buying agent terminal 4 includes a control unit 41, a storage unit 42, a communication unit 43, an input unit 44, a display unit 45, and an image capture unit 46. Each component is connected by a bus B.

[0116] The control unit 41 includes an arithmetic processing device such as a CPU, MPU, etc., and performs various information processing, control processing, etc. related to the buyer terminal 4 by reading and executing the control program 4P stored in the memory unit 42. Note that in FIG. 28, the control unit 41 is described as being a single processor, but it may be a multi-processor. The memory unit 42 includes memory elements such as RAM, ROM, etc., and stores the control program 4P or data, etc. required for the control unit 41 to execute processing. The memory unit 42 also temporarily stores data, etc. required for the control unit 41 to execute arithmetic processing.

[0117] The communication unit 43 is a communication module for performing processing related to communication, and transmits and receives information to and from the server 1, the user terminal 3, etc. via the network N. The input unit 44 may be a keyboard, a mouse, or a touch panel integrated with the display unit 45. The display unit 45 is a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, or the like, and displays various information according to instructions from the control unit 41.

[0118] The photographing unit 46 is, for example, a photographing device such as a CCD camera or a CMOS camera. The photographing unit 46 may be composed of multiple photographing devices. The photographing unit 46 may not be built into the buying company terminal 4, but may be connected directly to the buying company terminal 4 from the outside and configured to be capable of photographing.

[0119] Fig. 29 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the server 1 of the fourth embodiment. The same reference numerals are used for the contents overlapping with Fig. 22, and the description is omitted. The large-capacity storage unit 17 stores a trade-in owned vehicle DB 176, a buyer DB 177, and a buy-back estimate DB 178. The trade-in owned vehicle DB 176 stores information on the owned vehicle to be traded in. The buyer DB 177 stores information on the buyer. The buy-back estimate DB 178 stores buy-back information for the owned vehicle to be traded in.

[0120] FIG. 30 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a record layout of the trade-in owned vehicle DB 176. The trade-in owned vehicle DB 176 includes a trade-in ID column, a user ID column, a photo column, and a specification column. The trade-in ID column stores a uniquely specified ID of the trade-in owned vehicle in order to identify each trade-in owned vehicle. The user ID column stores a user ID that identifies the user. The photo column stores photographed images or videos of the trade-in owned vehicle. Note that the photo column may store multiple photographed images or videos.

[0121] The specification column includes a manufacturer column, a vehicle model column, an engine displacement column, a body type column, a body color column, an interior color column, an engine type column, a handle column, a shift column, and a drive system column. The manufacturer column stores manufacturer information of the owned vehicle to be traded in. The vehicle model column stores vehicle model information of the owned vehicle to be traded in. The engine displacement column stores the engine displacement of the owned vehicle to be traded in. The body type column stores the body type of the owned vehicle to be traded in.

[0122] The body color column stores the body color of the trade-in vehicle. The interior color column stores the interior color of the trade-in vehicle. The engine type column stores the engine type of the trade-in vehicle. The steering column stores steering information of the trade-in vehicle. The shift column stores the shift lever of the trade-in vehicle. The drive system column stores the drive system of the trade-in vehicle.

[0123] FIG. 31 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a record layout of the new car quotation DB 174 of the fourth embodiment. Note that the same reference numerals are used for the contents that overlap with FIG. 24, and the explanation is omitted. The new car quotation DB 174 includes a trade-in / not trade-in column, a trade-in ID column, and a discount amount column. The trade-in / not trade-in column stores information on whether or not a trade-in car is available when purchasing a new car. The trade-in ID column stores the trade-in ID corresponding to the owned car that is the subject of trade-in. The discount amount column stores the dealer's purchase price for the owned car that is the subject of trade-in.

[0124] FIG. 32 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a record layout of the buyer DB 177. The buyer DB 177 includes a buyer ID column, a buyer name column, an address column, a handling manufacturer column, and a handling vehicle model column. The buyer ID column stores a uniquely specified buyer ID to identify each buyer. The buyer name column stores the name of the buyer. The address column stores the current address information of the buyer (e.g., address, longitude and latitude, etc.). The handling manufacturer column stores the name of the manufacturer of the automobiles handled by the buyer. The handling vehicle model column stores information on the vehicle models handled by the buyer.

[0125] 33 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a record layout of the purchase estimate DB 178. The purchase estimate DB 178 includes an estimate ID column, a user ID column, a trade-in ID column, a purchase dealer ID column, a purchase price column, a status column, an estimate date and time column, and a negotiation ID column. The estimate ID column stores an ID of the estimate data that is uniquely specified to identify the data of each estimate. The user ID column stores a user ID that identifies the user. The trade-in ID column stores a trade-in ID corresponding to the owned vehicle that is to be traded in.

[0126] The buyer ID column stores a buyer ID that identifies a buyer. The purchase price column stores the purchase price offered by the buyer for the trade-in vehicle. The status column stores the status of the estimate. The estimate date and time stores date and time information when the buyer estimated the purchase price for the trade-in vehicle. The negotiation ID column stores a negotiation ID that identifies negotiation data between the user and the buyer.

[0127] Fig. 34 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a record layout of the dealer DB 172 of the fourth embodiment. Note that the same reference numerals are used for the contents that overlap with Fig. 4, and the description thereof will be omitted. The dealer DB 172 includes a buy-back vehicle type column. The buy-back vehicle type column stores information on vehicle types that the dealer can buy back.

[0128] FIG. 35 is an explanatory diagram for outputting a purchase price for a trade-in vehicle. The control unit 31 of the user terminal 3 accepts input of the trade-in vehicle information via the input unit 34. The control unit 31 transmits the accepted trade-in vehicle information to the server 1 via the communication unit 33. The control unit 11 of the server 1 receives the trade-in vehicle information transmitted from the user terminal 3 via the communication unit 13. Based on the received vehicle information, the control unit 11 identifies the dealer and buyer that will purchase (handle) the vehicle.

[0129] Specifically, the control unit 11 acquires all dealer IDs corresponding to the received owned vehicle information from the dealer DB 172 of the mass storage unit 17. The control unit 11 identifies each dealer by the acquired dealer ID. The control unit 11 acquires all buyer IDs corresponding to the received owned vehicle information from the buyer DB 177 of the mass storage unit 17. The control unit 11 identifies each buyer by the acquired buyer ID.

[0130] The control unit 11 transmits the trade-in vehicle information to each dealer terminal 2 based on the acquired dealer ID via the communication unit 13. The control unit 21 of each dealer terminal 2 receives the trade-in vehicle information transmitted from the server 1 via the communication unit 23. The control unit 21 receives the dealer's purchase price corresponding to the received trade-in vehicle information via the input unit 24, and transmits the received purchase price to the server 1 via the communication unit 23.

[0131] The control unit 11 of the server 1 receives the purchase price transmitted from each dealer terminal 2 via the communication unit 13. The control unit 11 stores the received purchase price in the new car estimate DB 174 of the mass storage unit 17. Specifically, the control unit 11 assigns an estimate ID, and stores the user ID, dealer ID, condition, estimate date and time, whether or not there is a vehicle owned to be traded in, the trade-in ID, and the purchase price (discount amount), etc., as one record in the new car estimate DB 174.

[0132] The control unit 11 transmits the trade-in target owned vehicle information to each of the buyer terminals 4 based on the acquired buyer ID via the communication unit 13. The control unit 41 of each of the buyer terminals 4 receives the trade-in target owned vehicle information transmitted from the server 1 via the communication unit 43. The control unit 41 accepts the purchase price of the buyer corresponding to the received trade-in target owned vehicle information via the input unit 44, and transmits the accepted purchase price to the server 1 via the communication unit 43.

[0133] The control unit 11 of the server 1 receives the purchase price transmitted from each buyer terminal 4 via the communication unit 13. The control unit 11 stores the received purchase price in the buy-back estimate DB 178 of the mass storage unit 17. Specifically, the control unit 11 assigns an estimate ID, and stores the user ID, trade-in ID, buyer ID, purchase price, status, estimate date and time, etc. as one record in the buy-back estimate DB 178.

[0134] The control unit 11 transmits information about dealers and buyers, as well as the received purchase prices of each dealer and buyer, to the user terminal 3 via the communication unit 13. The control unit 31 of the user terminal 3 receives the information about dealers and buyers, as well as the purchase prices of each dealer and buyer, transmitted from the server 1, via the communication unit 33. The control unit 31 displays the received information about dealers and buyers, as well as the purchase prices of each dealer and buyer, side by side on the display unit 35.

[0135] The control unit 11 transmits information about the user, information about the vehicle to be traded in, the purchase prices of other dealers, and the purchase prices of the buyer to the dealer terminal 2 via the communication unit 13. The control unit 21 of the dealer terminal 2 receives the information about the user, information about the vehicle to be traded in, the purchase prices of other dealers, and the purchase prices of the buyer transmitted from the server 1 via the communication unit 23. The control unit 21 displays the received information about the user, information about the vehicle to be traded in, the purchase prices of other dealers, and the purchase prices of the buyer side by side on the display unit 25.

[0136] The control unit 11 transmits information about the user, information about the vehicle to be traded in, the purchase prices of other buyers, and the purchase price of the dealer to the buyer terminal 4 via the communication unit 13. The control unit 41 of the buyer terminal 4 receives the information about the user, information about the vehicle to be traded in, the purchase prices of other buyers, and the purchase price of the dealer transmitted from the server 1 via the communication unit 43. The control unit 41 displays the received information about the user, information about the vehicle to be traded in, the purchase prices of other buyers, and the purchase price of the dealer side by side on the display unit 45.

[0137] 36 is a flowchart showing the process of acquiring the dealer's purchase price corresponding to the owned vehicle information. The control unit 31 of the user terminal 3 accepts the input of the owned vehicle information of the trade-in target by the user via the input unit 34 (step S341), and transmits the accepted owned vehicle information to the server 1 via the communication unit 33 (step S342).

[0138] The control unit 11 of the server 1 receives the owned vehicle information transmitted from the user terminal 3 via the communication unit 13 (step S141). The control unit 11 acquires all dealer IDs corresponding to the received owned vehicle information from the dealer DB 172 of the mass storage unit 17 to identify the dealer (step S142). The control unit 11 transmits the trade-in vehicle information to the dealer terminal 2 via the communication unit 13 based on the acquired dealer ID (step S143).

[0139] The control unit 21 of the dealer terminal 2 receives the owned vehicle information transmitted from the server 1 via the communication unit 23 (step S241). The control unit 21 accepts an input of the dealer's purchase price corresponding to the received owned vehicle information via the input unit 24 (step S242). The control unit 21 transmits the accepted purchase price to the server 1 via the communication unit 23 (step S243).

[0140] The control unit 11 of the server 1 receives the purchase price transmitted from the dealer terminal 2 via the communication unit 13 (step S144). The control unit 11 stores the received purchase price in the new car estimate DB 174 of the mass storage unit 17 (step S145). The control unit 11 transmits information on the dealer and the buyer, the buyer's purchase price, and the received dealer's purchase price to the user terminal 3 via the communication unit 13 (step S146).

[0141] The control unit 31 of the user terminal 3 receives the information on the dealer and the buyer, as well as the buyer's purchase price and the dealer's purchase price, transmitted from the server 1, via the communication unit 33 (step S343). The control unit 31 displays the received information on the dealer and the buyer, as well as the buyer's purchase price and the dealer's purchase price, side by side on the display unit 35 (step S344).

[0142] The control unit 11 transmits the information on the user, the information on the vehicle to be traded in, the purchase prices of other dealers, and the purchase prices of the buyer to the dealer terminal 2 via the communication unit 13 (step S147). The control unit 21 of the dealer terminal 2 receives the information on the user, the information on the vehicle to be traded in, the purchase prices of other dealers, and the purchase prices of the buyer via the communication unit 23 (step S244). The control unit 21 displays the received information on the user, the information on the vehicle, the purchase prices of other dealers, and the purchase prices of the buyer side by side on the display unit 25 (step S245), and ends the process.

[0143] Fig. 37 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure for acquiring the purchase price of the buyer corresponding to the owned vehicle information. The same reference numerals are used for the contents that overlap with Fig. 36, and the explanation is omitted. The control unit 11 of the server 1 acquires all the buyer IDs corresponding to the owned vehicle information received in step S141 from the buyer DB 177 of the mass storage unit 17, and identifies the buyers (step S151).

[0144] The control unit 11 transmits the trade-in vehicle information to the buyer terminal 4 based on the acquired buyer ID via the communication unit 13 (step S152). The control unit 41 of the buyer terminal 4 receives the vehicle information transmitted from the server 1 via the communication unit 43 (step S451). The control unit 41 accepts input of the buyer's purchase price corresponding to the received vehicle information via the input unit 44 (step S452). The control unit 41 transmits the accepted purchase price to the server 1 via the communication unit 43 (step S453).

[0145] The control unit 11 of the server 1 receives the purchase price transmitted from the buyer terminal 4 via the communication unit 13 (step S153). The control unit 11 stores the received purchase price in the purchase estimate DB 178 of the mass storage unit 17 (step S154). The control unit 11 transmits information on the buyer and the dealer, the dealer's purchase price, and the received buyer's purchase price to the user terminal 3 via the communication unit 13 (step S155).

[0146] The control unit 31 of the user terminal 3 receives the information on the buyer and the dealer, as well as the dealer's purchase price and the buyer's purchase price, transmitted from the server 1, via the communication unit 33 (step S351). The control unit 31 displays the received information on the buyer and the dealer, as well as the dealer's purchase price and the buyer's purchase price, side by side on the display unit 35 (step S352).

[0147] The control unit 11 transmits the information about the user, the information about the vehicle to be traded in, the purchase prices of other buyers, and the dealer's purchase price to the buyer terminal 4 via the communication unit 13 (step S156). The control unit 41 of the buyer terminal 4 receives the information about the user, the information about the vehicle to be traded in, the purchase prices of other buyers, and the dealer's purchase price transmitted from the server 1 via the communication unit 43 (step S454). The control unit 41 displays the received information about the user, the vehicle information, the purchase prices of other buyers, and the dealer's purchase price side by side on the display unit 45 (step S455), and ends the process.

[0148] FIG. 38 is a screen image diagram for accepting input of the owned vehicle information of the trade-in target at the user terminal 3. 38a is an area for accepting input of the owned vehicle information of the trade-in target. Note that, although a combo box is used in FIG. 38, this is not limiting. For example, a text field may be used. The owned vehicle information includes engine displacement, body type, body color, interior color, engine type, steering wheel, shift, and drive system. The control unit 31 of the user terminal 3 accepts the owned vehicle information of the trade-in target input in 38a via the input unit 34.

[0149] 38b is an area for displaying a photo of the vehicle to be traded in. 38c is a button for accepting the selection of a photo of the vehicle to be traded in. When the control unit 31 accepts a touch operation of 38c through the input unit 34, the control unit 31 transitions to a photo album screen and accepts the photo of the vehicle selected by the user from the photo album. Note that the processing method is not limited to the above. For example, the control unit 31 may acquire a photo taken by the photographing unit 36. The control unit 31 displays the accepted photo on 38b through the display unit 35.

[0150] 38d is a “Send” button, which is a button for sending the entered trade-in vehicle information to the server 1. When the control unit 31 receives a touch operation of the “Send” button 38d via the input unit 34, the control unit 31 sends the owned vehicle information received via 38a and the photo of the owned vehicle received via 38c to the server 1 via the communication unit 33.

[0151] Fig. 39 is an image diagram of a confirmation screen for confirming the purchase price of other dealers on the dealer terminal 2. Note that the same reference numerals are used for the contents that overlap with Fig. 17, and the explanation is omitted. 17c is an area that displays the names of other dealers other than the concerned dealer, the asking price (including the revised asking price) of other dealers corresponding to the user's desired car model, and the purchase price of other dealers. The server 1 deducts the buying price as a discount amount from the asking price of the dealer corresponding to the user's desired car model.

[0152] The control unit 21 of the dealer terminal 2 receives the purchase prices of other dealers and the purchase companies corresponding to the information of the owned vehicle to be traded in via the communication unit 23, and displays the received purchase prices of other dealers and the purchase companies in the discount display area 17c via the display unit 25.

[0153] 40 is a screen image diagram of a request to sell a vehicle on the buyer terminal 4. 40a is an area that displays information about the vehicle to be traded in. The control unit 41 of the buyer terminal 4 acquires the information about the vehicle to be traded in from the server 1 via the communication unit 43, and displays the acquired information about the vehicle on 40a via the display unit 45.

[0154] Reference numeral 40b denotes a text field for receiving input of the purchase price of the buyer corresponding to the owned vehicle information of the trade-in target. Reference numeral 40c denotes a "bid" button. When the input unit 44 receives a touch operation of the "bid" button 40c, the control unit 41 transmits the purchase price input in 40b to the server 1 via the communication unit 43.

[0155] An area 40d displays the purchase price of another buyer corresponding to the owned vehicle information of the trade-in target. The control unit 41 acquires the purchase price of another buyer corresponding to the owned vehicle information of the trade-in target from the server 1 through the communication unit 43, and displays the acquired purchase price on the area 40d through the display unit 45.

[0156] According to this embodiment, it is possible to output the purchase price corresponding to the trade-in vehicle information acquired from each dealer and buyer to the terminals of the other dealers and buyers.

[0157] According to this embodiment, the purchase price corresponding to the information on the owned vehicle to be traded in is shared among the dealers and buyers, which enables transparent and free competition and fair transactions.

[0158] According to this embodiment, by purchasing a new car using the dealer's purchase price corresponding to the trade-in vehicle information as the discount amount, it is possible to provide an incentive for purchase during the user's purchasing behavior and promote sales of new cars.

[0159] The embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and should not be considered as limiting. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, not by the above meaning, and is intended to include all modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0160] 1. Information processing device (server) 11 Control section 12 Storage section 13. Communications Department 14 Input section 15 Display 16 Reading unit 17 Mass storage 171 User DB 172 Dealer DB 173 Vehicle information DB 174 New Car Estimate DB 175 Business negotiation message DB 176 Trade-in owned car database 177 Buyer DB 178 Purchase Estimate DB 1a Removable storage media 1b Semiconductor memory 1P control program 2. Information processing terminal (dealer terminal) 21 Control section 22 Memory section 23 Communications Department 24 Input section 25 Display section 2P control program 3. Information processing terminal (user terminal) 31 Control Unit 32 Storage section 33 Communications Department 34 Input section 35 Display section 36 Photography Department 3P Control Program 4. Information processing terminal (purchaser terminal) 41 Control section 42 Storage section 43 Communications Department 44 Input section 45 Display section 46 Photography Department 4P control program

Claims

1. A control unit of a computer including a control unit, Accepting an input of a dealer's quoted price corresponding to a desired vehicle model of a user who wishes to purchase a new car; Transmitting said accepted offer price; receiving information about the desired vehicle model, date information of a plurality of dealers corresponding to the desired vehicle model, an unrevised asking price, and a revised asking price; Accepting input of a dealer's purchase price corresponding to information on a vehicle owned by a user that is to be traded in; Transmitting the dealer's purchase price corresponding to the accepted trade-in vehicle information; receiving pre-correction purchase prices and post-correction purchase prices of a plurality of dealers corresponding to the owned vehicle information; The received information regarding the desired vehicle model is displayed, and display areas classified by dealer are displayed in a first direction, and further, within each display area, the date information, the offered price before the revision, the offered price after the revision, the purchase price before the revision, the purchase price after the revision, an object indicating a price fluctuation, and an object indicating a re-bid for the desired vehicle model at the offered price or purchase price after the revision are displayed in a second direction. A program that executes a process.

2. A control unit of a computer including a control unit, The desired car model is acquired from the terminal of a user who wishes to purchase a new car, The acquired desired car model is transmitted to terminals of a plurality of dealers that sell new cars; obtaining an offered price corresponding to the desired vehicle model from terminals of the plurality of dealers; Outputting the acquired asking prices of each dealer to the user's terminal and to terminals of other dealers other than the dealer itself; When the dealer's asking price and the purchase price corresponding to the owned vehicle information of each dealer, which is obtained from the multiple dealers by transmitting the trade-in vehicle information obtained from the user's terminal to the multiple dealers, are revised, the revised asking price and purchase price are obtained; Display areas classified by dealer are displayed in a first direction, and information for displaying date information, the unrevised offered price, the revised offered price, the unrevised purchase price, the revised purchase price, an object indicating a price fluctuation, and an object indicating a re-bid for the desired vehicle model at the revised offered price or purchase price in each display area in a second direction is output to a terminal of a dealer other than the dealer himself. A program that executes a process.

3. Acquire a plurality of vehicle model information related to the desired vehicle model, The acquired vehicle model information is transmitted to the user's terminal. The program according to claim 2, which causes the program to execute processing.

4. Outputting to the user's terminal the prices offered by a plurality of dealers corresponding to the vehicle model desired by the user, a plurality of vehicle model information related to the desired vehicle model, and the prices offered by a plurality of dealers corresponding to the plurality of vehicle model information.

4. The program according to claim 2 or 3, which causes processing to be executed.

5. Outputting information about a user, the vehicle model desired by the user, and prices offered by dealers other than the dealer that correspond to the desired vehicle model to a terminal of the dealer 5. A program for executing a process according to claim 2.

6. The purchase price of the vehicle to be traded in at a dealer other than the dealer itself is determined as the discount amount, and the discount amount is output to the terminal of the dealer.

6. A program for executing a process according to claim 2.

7. Outputting information about the user, information about the vehicle to be traded in, and the purchase price of the vehicle from other buyers corresponding to the information about the vehicle to a terminal of the buyer 7. A program for executing a process according to claim 2.

8. A control unit of a computer including a control unit, The desired car model is acquired from the terminal of a user who wishes to purchase a new car, The acquired desired car model is transmitted to terminals of a plurality of dealers that sell new cars; obtaining an offered price corresponding to the desired vehicle model from terminals of the plurality of dealers; Outputting the acquired asking prices of each dealer to the user's terminal and to terminals of other dealers other than the dealer itself; When the dealer's asking price and the purchase price corresponding to the owned vehicle information of each dealer, which is obtained from the multiple dealers by transmitting the trade-in vehicle information obtained from the user's terminal to the multiple dealers, are revised, the revised asking price and purchase price are obtained; Display areas classified by dealer are displayed in a first direction, and information for displaying date information, the unrevised offered price, the revised offered price, the unrevised purchase price, the revised purchase price, an object indicating a price fluctuation, and an object indicating a re-bid for the desired vehicle model at the revised offered price or purchase price in each display area in a second direction is output to a terminal of a dealer other than the dealer himself. An information processing method for executing a process.

9. An information processing device including a control unit, The control unit is The desired car model is acquired from the terminal of a user who wishes to purchase a new car, The acquired desired car model is transmitted to terminals of a plurality of dealers that sell new cars; obtaining an offered price corresponding to the desired vehicle model from terminals of the plurality of dealers; Outputting the acquired asking prices of each dealer to the user's terminal and to terminals of other dealers other than the dealer itself; When the dealer's asking price and the purchase price corresponding to the owned vehicle information of each dealer, which is obtained from the multiple dealers by transmitting the trade-in vehicle information obtained from the user's terminal to the multiple dealers, are revised, the revised asking price and purchase price are obtained; Display areas classified by dealer are displayed in a first direction, and information for displaying date information, the unrevised offered price, the revised offered price, the unrevised purchase price, the revised purchase price, an object indicating a price fluctuation, and an object indicating a re-bid for the desired vehicle model at the revised offered price or purchase price in each display area in a second direction is output to a terminal of a dealer other than the dealer himself. Information processing device.

Images