WO2001018626A2

WO2001018626A2 - System and method for electronic commerce

Info

Publication number: WO2001018626A2
Application number: PCT/KR2000/001018
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jong-Ho Won
Original assignee: Won Jong Ho
Priority date: 1999-09-06
Filing date: 2000-09-06
Publication date: 2001-03-15
Also published as: WO2001018626A3; JP2001092899A; KR100321488B1; EP1135718A1; WO2001018626A9; KR20000063740A

Abstract

A method for electronic commerce and an electronic commerce system are provided. The electronic commerce system includes a single item order/transaction controller, a multiple item order/transaction controller, a purchaser-leading transaction controller, a supplier-leading transaction controller, a dumping transaction controller, a product exchange controller, a chatting transaction controller, a product supplier database, a member database, a product information database, a supplying offer database, a purchasing offer database, and a transaction database. According to the method and the system for electronic commerce, the product supplier and a purchaser are allowed to propose the desired price and the desired number of products, a purchaser is allowed to order a desired product while inquiring the market prices of a plurality of products, the price information proposed by the product supplier is provided to a purchaser to allow the purchaser to order a desired product, the price information proposed by a purchaser is provided to the product supplier to allow the product supplier to sell the products, the product supplier is allowed to propose a supply price regardless of the market price or the minimum or maximum price of a product, and members are allowed to communicate through chatting and to exchange articles or provide a service.

Description

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ELECTRONIC COMMERCE

Technical Field

The present invention relates to electronic commerce, and more particularly, to a method and system for electronic commerce, in which the transaction between a product supplier and a purchaser can be accomplished when the prices and the quantities of products proposed by the product supplier and the purchaser meet the conditions of transaction.

Background Art

As the Internet has been developed these days, the number of companies providing various services through the Internet increases.

Services provided through the Internet are various in a range from an information search to electronic commerce.

One type of electronic commerce over a network (Internet) is selling products, which are registered to sell, through an auction. Since such an auction over the Internet is not limited in time and place, it has been realized in various manners.

However, such a conventional auction service does not allow a seller providing products to sell a product at a desired price. Consequently, the auction service has not flourished. In addition, a purchaser needs to continuously participate in an auction to purchase a desired product spending much time. The purchaser is not allowed to propose the desired price of a product when the purchaser is about to purchase the product. Moreover, since the same information is provided to a product supplier and a purchaser in a conventional auction service, the price of a product cannot be proposed for the purchaser's sake.

Finally, since a conventional auction service or a conventional electronic commerce service has only standardized products as the objects of transaction, the transaction can not be accomplished through community grouped with members.

Disclosure of the invention

To solve the above problems, a first object of the present invention is to provide an electronic commerce system which allows a product supplier and a purchaser to propose the desired price and the number of products and allows the purchaser to order a desired product while inquiring the market price of a single item.

A second object of the present invention is to provide an electronic commerce system which allows a product supplier and a purchaser to propose the desired price and the number of products and allows the purchaser to order a desired product while inquiring the market prices of a plurality of products.

A third object of the present invention is to provide an electronic commerce system which allows a product supplier to propose the desired price and the number of products, allows a purchaser to propose the desired number of products, provides the price information proposed by the product supplier to the purchaser, and allows the purchaser to order a desired product. A fourth object of the present invention is to provide an electronic commerce system which allows a product supplier to propose the number of products, allows a purchaser to propose a desired product price and the number of products, provides the price information proposed by the purchaser to the product supplier, and allows the product supplier to sell the products.

A fifth object of the present invention is to provide an electronic commerce system which allows a product supplier to propose a supply price regardless of the market price or the minimum or maximum price of an article, provides the price information proposed by the product supplier to a purchaser, and allows the purchaser to order the article.

A sixth object of the present invention is to provide an electronic commerce system which allows information of provided article or service to be posted on a bulletin board, allows members to communicate through chatting, and allows exchange of articles or provision of a service to be carried out.

In order to achieve the above objects, the present invention provides a method for electronic commerce for allowing transactions to be accomplished through exchange of information between a product supplier's terminal and a purchaser's terminal which are connected to a server providing product information through a communication network. The method includes the steps of (a) receiving purchasing information including the kind of products to purchase, purchasing price and purchasing quantity from the purchaser's terminal and storing the purchasing information, (b) receiving provision information including the kind of products to sell, offered price and sales quantity from the product supplier's terminal and storing the provision information, (c) comparing a sales price with a purchasing price with respect to the same product, and (d) concluding a transaction between a purchaser and a product supplier when the purchasing price is equal to or higher than the sales price. It is preferable that the method also includes the step of updating the purchasing information and the provision information such that the result of transaction performed in the step (d) can be reflected. Settlement is performed by receiving payments for a product from the purchaser in advance, checking whether the product is delivered to the purchaser, and making the payments for the product to the product supplier when the delivery of the product is confirmed, and is preferably performed base on authentification.

In the step (d), the transaction may be accomplished sequentially according to order in which the purchaser enters the purchasing information when there are a plurality of purchasers proposing purchasing prices that are equal to or higher than the sales price. In the case of requesting purchasing or provision, a maximum price or a minimum price may be set so that the purchasing price and the sales price are selected within a range defined by the maximum price or the minimum price.

The method may further include at least one among the transaction modes: (I) a purchaser-leading transaction where a purchaser proposes the kind of products to purchase and the number of products, a plurality of product suppliers propose the conditions of sales including a sales price, a transaction is concluded by the purchaser selecting one or more among the conditions of sales proposed by the plurality of product suppliers, and the conditions of sales proposed by each product supplier is not provided to the other product suppliers; (ii) a supplier-leading transaction where a product supplier proposes the kind of products to sell and the number of products, a plurality of purchasers propose purchasing conditions including a purchasing price, a transaction is concluded by the provider selecting one or more among the purchasing conditions proposed by the plurality of purchasers, and the purchasing condition proposed by each purchaser is not provided to the other purchasers; (iii) a dumping transaction where two or more articles are bundled into one set and transacted; (iv) an article exchange transaction; and (v) a chatting transaction where the conditions of transaction are settled through chatting. These transaction modes may be employed as supplementary methods for concluding transactions when the transactions are not accomplished through the basic transaction method.

In the present invention, the current status of a transaction of a product is provided to providers and purchasers. The communication network may be one among a wire network, a wireless network and a satellite communication network or a combination of at least two of them.

The present invention also provides a computer-readable recording medium on which the computer program for carrying out the method for electronic commerce described above is recorded. To achieve the above objects, the present invention also provides an electronic commerce system including a server providing product information and carrying out transactions in products through exchange of information between a product supplier's terminal and a purchaser's terminal which are connected to the server through a communication network. The system includes (a) a purchasing offer database for storing purchasing information including the kind of product to purchase, purchasing price and purchasing quantity which are input from the purchaser's terminal, (b) a supplying offer database for storing supplying offer information including the kind of products to sell, sale price and quantities which are input from the product supplier's terminal, (c) a price comparator for comparing the offered price with the purchasing price, and (d) a transaction conclusion unit for concluding a transaction between a purchaser and a product supplier when the purchasing price is equal to or higher than the offered price.

Brief Description of the Drawings The above objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent by describing in detail a preferred embodiment thereof with reference to the attached drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of an electronic commerce system according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a detailed block diagram illustrating the electronic commerce server of FIG. 1 ;

FIGS. 3A through 3F are diagrams illustrating examples of the structures of the databases of FIG. 1 ;

FIGS. 4A and 4B are detailed flowcharts illustrating the operation of the single item order/transaction controller of FIG. 2;

FIGS. 5A and 5B are detailed flowcharts illustrating the operation of the multiple item order/transaction controller of FIG. 2;

FIGS. 6A and 6B are detailed flowcharts illustrating the operation of the purchaser subject transaction controller of FIG. 2; FIGS. 7A and 7B are detailed flowcharts illustrating the operation of the provider subject transaction controller of FIG. 2;

FIGS. 8A and 8B are detailed flowcharts illustrating the operation of the dumping transaction controller of FIG. 2;

FIG. 9 is a detailed flowchart illustrating the operation of the article exchange controller of FIG. 2;

FIGS. 10A and 10B are detailed flowcharts illustrating the operation of the chatting transaction controller of FIG. 2; FIGS. 11A through 11C illustrate flowcharts of examples where transaction conditions are met in the single item order/transaction controller of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of the display of a user program installed in the member's terminal of FIG. 1.

Embodiments

In FIG. 1 , reference numeral 110 indicates a non-member's terminal. Reference numeral 120 indicates a member's terminal. Reference numeral 130 indicates a product supplier's terminal. Reference numeral 140 indicates a network. Reference numeral 160 indicates the product supplier database. Reference numeral 170 indicates a member database. Reference numeral 180 indicates a product information database. Reference numeral 190 indicates the supplying offer database. Reference numeral 200 indicates a purchasing offer database. Reference numeral 210 indicates a transaction database. Reference numeral 300 indicates an electronic commerce server.

The electronic commerce server 300 is manifested as a server for providing a web hosting service. The databases 160 through 210 are manifested as, for example, SQL databases, and installed in the electronic commerce server 300 or individual database servers, respectively. The non-member's terminal 110, the member's terminal 120 and the product supplier's terminal 130 are manifested as computers that can be connected to the server 300 through the Internet.

FIG. 2 is a detailed block diagram of the electronic commerce server 300 of FIG. 1. Reference numeral 310 indicates a network interface. Reference numeral 320 indicates a logon controller. Reference numeral 330 indicates a service controller. Reference numeral 340 indicates a single item order/transaction controller. Reference numeral 350 indicates a multiple item order/transaction controller. Reference numeral 360 indicates a purchaser-leading transaction controller. Reference numeral 370 indicates a supplier-leading transaction controller. Reference numeral 380 indicates a dumping transaction controller. Reference numeral 390 indicates an article exchange controller. Reference numeral 400 indicates a chatting transaction controller. Reference numeral 410 indicates DBMS.

The logon controller 320, the service controller 330, the single item order/transaction controller 340, the multiple item order/transaction controller 350, the purchaser-leading transaction controller 360, the supplier-leading transaction controller 370, the dumping transaction controller 380, the article exchange controller 390 and the chatting transaction controller 400 are composed using, for example, an active server page (ASP) program so that they can provide scripts to users and allow the users to access databases.

The network interface 310 controls communication between a client (a member's terminal or a provider's terminal) and the server 300 which are connected through the network 140 (e.g., the Internet).

The logon controller 320 determines whether a client that is connected to the server 300 through the network 140 is a registered member and admits the client to logon and use services when it is determined that the client has been registered.

The service controller 330 allows a member to select a service and controls the controllers 340 through 400 to provide the selected service to the member.

The single item order/transaction controller 340 operates such that a member can inquire current information on a single item provided by a product supplier and order a product. The multiple item order/transaction controller 350 operates such that a member can inquire current information on various products (multiple items) provided by a product supplier and order a desired product.

The purchaser-leading transaction controller 360 does not allow a supplier to inquire the product prices offered by other providers and allows a member to inquire information on products provided by a plurality of providers. In other words, providers cannot inquire price information of their competitors.

The supplier-leading transaction controller 370 allows the product supplier to provide only quantity information of products to sell and allows a member to propose a desired price. In this service, purchasers cannot inquire price information of products provided by providers.

The maximum and the minimum limits of product prices set in the single item order/transaction controller 340, the multiple item order/transaction controller 350, the purchaser-leading transaction controller 360 and the supplier-leading transaction controller 370 may be set depending on selection of an operator, and the product prices may be fixed within a range defined by the limits.

The dumping transaction controller 380 allows articles to be registered only when the maximum and the minimum limits of the price of an article provided by a provider are not set. A transaction made under this condition is a dumping transaction. In this transaction, the product supplier can sell the set of a plurality of items of articles at a single price.

The article exchange controller 390 allows members to register information on articles to exchange in a bulletin board so that a member can exchange articles with another member.

The chatting transaction controller 400 allows the items of a provided article to be registered in a bulletin board and allows members to exchange detailed article information with each other through chatting between the members.

FIGS. 3A through 3F are diagrams illustrating examples of the structures of the databases of FIG. 1. FIG. 3A shows the structure of the product supplier database 160. FIG. 3B shows the structure of the member database 170. FIG. 3C shows the structure of the product information database 180. FIG. 3D shows the structure of the supplying offer database 190. FIG. 3E shows the structure of the purchasing offer database 200. FIG. 3F shows the structure of the transaction database 210. The product supplier database 160 is composed of the fields of a supplier ID, password, firm name, tax-payer number, representative, telephone number, address, e-mail address, etc.

The member database 170 is composed of the fields of a member ID, password, name, social security number, address, telephone number, e-mail address, etc.

The product information database 180 is composed of the fields of a product code, model number, name, specifications, manufacturer, origin, etc.

The supplying offer database 190 is composed of the fields of a supplying offer code, product code, supplier ID, feature, offered price, supplying quantity, sales quantity, quantity in stock, registration date, transaction date, etc.

The purchasing offer database 200 is composed of the fields of a purchasing offer code, product code, member ID, desired purchasing price, purchasing quantity, registration data, transaction date, etc.

The transaction database 210 is composed of the fields of a transaction code, purchasing offer code, supplying offer code, transaction date, price, quantity, member's settlement date, member's payments, settlement date with provider, payments to provider, etc.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are detailed flowcharts showing the operation of the single item order/transaction controller 340 of FIG. 2. The single item order/transaction controller 340 provides information on one type of product selected by a purchaser. For example, when a purchaser selects a 29-inch Samsung TV, the single item order/transaction controller 340 provides only information on the 29-inch Samsung TV.

When a single item order/transaction service is started, in step S112, a connected client intending to provide products is registered as the product supplier. Information on the registered provider is stored in the product supplier database 160.

In step S114, when a connected client intends to purchase a product, the client is registered as a member. Information on the registered member is stored in the member database 170.

In step S116, the server 300 provides general product information to the registered provider or the registered member to allow the supplier or the member to register product information. Alternatively, the product supplier may be made to register the general product information in the product information database 180.

In step S118, the product supplier provided with the general product information selects a product for offering for sale and registers a desired sale price and the desired number of products. The registered information is stored in the supplying offer database 190. The single item order/transaction controller 340 provides current market price of the selected product and can restrict the offered price desired which is to be registered to a range of predetermined maximum and minimum prices based on the market price. In step S120, the member provided with the general product information selects a product to purchase and registers a purchasing price desired and the desired number of products. The registered information is stored in the purchasing offer database 200. The single item order/transaction controller 340 provides current market price of the selected product and can restrict the purchasing price desired which is to be registered to a range of predetermined maximum and minimum prices based on the market price.

Once the provider and the member register product information, in step S122, the single item order/transaction controller 340 determines whether the offered price desired by the provider is the same as the purchasing price desired by the member. When it is determined that they are the same, the single item order/transaction controller 340 makes a transaction to be accomplished. The number of products purchased by the member is restricted based on the quantity in stock of products. In other words, a transaction is made to be accomplished when the purchasing price is equal to or higher than the offered price. When a plurality of purchasing orders satisfying the above condition exist, a transaction is made based on the order in which the member is registered in the purchasing offer database 200.

In step S124, the single item order/transaction controller 340 informs the member that the member can purchase the ordered product and needs to settle an account. In step S128, the single item order/transaction controller 340 receives payments from the member within a predetermined term. An operator may have the member deposit a predetermined amount of money in advance so that the transaction can be accomplished without requesting the member to settle the account. In step S130, the single item order/transaction controller 340 records in the purchasing offer database 200 that the product desired by the member is purchased, and similarly, updates the registration information of the supplying offer database 190 by subtracting the number of purchased products from the registered quantity in stock.

In step S132, the single item order/transaction controller 340 registers the items of the transaction between the product supplier and the member and the items of settlement in the transaction database 210.

In step S134, once the member settles an account, the single item order/transaction controller 340 notifies the provider to deliver the ordered product to the member. Once delivery of the product from the provider to the member is completed, the single item order/transaction controller 340 pays the product supplier the product price within a predetermined term (for example, one month) in step S136. FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate, in detail, the operation of the multiple item order/transaction controller 350 of FIG. 2. Here is described an example of the case where a member can place an order while inquiring market price and quantity information on products similar to a product to be purchased as much as the member wants. The multiple item order/transaction controller 350 provides a service in a similar manner to the single item order/transaction controller 340, with the exception that a member can be provided with information on a plurality of multiple items. Information on multiple items is provided together with information on a product to be purchased. Preferably, information on a plurality of multiple items is displayed on the same screen with information on a product to be purchased. For example, when a product desired by a member is a 29-inch Samsung TV, information on a 29-inch LG TV and information on a 29-inch Daewoo TV is simultaneously displayed on a screen on which information on the 29-inch Samsung TV is displayed.

In other words, the multiple item order/transaction controller 350 allows a member to inquire products similar to any product in step S220 and allows the member to select one product and register a purchasing price desired and the desired number of products in step S222. The registered information is stored in the purchasing offer database 200. Like the single item order/transaction controller 340, the multiple item order/transaction controller 350 provides current market price of the selected product and can restrict the offered price desired which is to be registered to a range of predetermined maximum and minimum prices based on the market price.

FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate, in detail, the operation of the purchaser- leading transaction controller 360 of FIG. 2. A transaction employing a bid system, in which market information and quantity information on a product desired to sell is provided to only purchasers, will be explained as an example.

When a purchaser-leading transaction service is started, in step S312, a connected client intending to provide products is registered as the product supplier. Information on the registered provider is stored in the product supplier database 160.

In step S314, when a connected client intends to purchase a product, the client is registered as a member. Information on the registered member is stored in the member database 170. In step S316, the purchaser-leading transaction controller 360 provides general product information to the registered provider. The general product information is extracted from the product information database 180. In step S318, a plurality of product suppliers inquire the general product information and then select products for offering for sale and register desired prices and other conditions of sale. The registered information is stored in the supplying offer database 190. Here, the product supplier cannot look through the conditions of sale registered by the other product suppliers. Accordingly, the conditions of sale are provided to purchasers in secret among the product suppliers.

The supplying offer database 190 includes a product code (the code of a product selected in the product information database 180), supplier ID, offered price, supplying quantity and a registration date.

In step S320, the purchaser-leading transaction controller 360 provides the product list showing the kinds of products which may be sold by the plurality of product suppliers to a purchaser. Accordingly, a member who is the purchaser is provided with price information or information on the conditions of sale proposed by the plurality of product suppliers with respect to a single item.

Then, the member selects a product to purchase and registers the number of products to purchase in step S322. The registered information is stored in the purchasing offer database 200. In step S326, the purchaser-leading transaction controller 360 informs the member ordering the product that the member can purchase the ordered product and needs to settle an account. In step S328, the purchaser-leading transaction controller 360 receives payments from the member within a predetermined term. When necessary, an operator of an electronic commerce server 300 may have a member deposit a predetermined amount of money in advance so that a transaction can be accomplished without requesting the member to settle an account. In step S330, once the member settles an account, the purchaser- leading transaction controller 360 records in the purchasing offer database 200 that the product desired by the member is purchased, and similarly, updates the registration information of the supplying offer database 190 by subtracting the number of purchased products from the registered quantity in stock.

In step S332, the purchaser-leading transaction controller 360 registers the items of the transaction between a corresponding product supplier and the member and the items of settlement in the transaction database 210.

Finally, the purchaser-leading transaction controller 360 notifies the provider to deliver the ordered product to the member in step S334. Once delivery of the product from the provider to the member is completed, the purchaser-leading transaction controller 360 pays the product supplier the price for the product within a predetermined term (for example, one month) in step S336.

FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate, in detail, the operation of the supplier- leading transaction controller 370 of FIG. 2. A transaction employing a bid system, in which desired price information and quantity information on a product desired to purchase is provided to only providers, will be explained as an example.

In step S412, the supplier-leading transaction controller 370 registers a client intending to provide products as the product supplier. Information on the registered provider is stored in the product supplier database 160.

In step S414, when a client intends to purchase a product, the client is registered as a member. Information on the registered member is stored in the member database 170. In step S416, the supplier-leading transaction controller 370 provides general product information to the registered member. The general product information is extracted from the product information database 180.

In step S418, the member provided with the general product information selects a product to purchase and registers a purchase price desired and the desired number of products. The registered information is stored in the purchasing offer database 200. The purchasing offer database 200 includes a product code (the code of a product selected in the product information database 180), member ID, purchasing quantity and a registration date.

In step S420, the supplier-leading transaction controller 370 provides information on the kind of product which the member wants to purchase and information on the number of products to be purchased to the provider.

Accordingly, the product supplier is provided with product information registered by a plurality of members with respect to a single item.

Then, the product supplier inquires product purchasing desire items and then selects a product and registers a offered price in step S422. The registered information is stored in the supplying offer database 190. In this case, purchasers (members who wants to purchase the product) cannot inquire the offered price registered by the product supplier.

Once the provider and the member register product information, in step S424, the supplier-leading transaction controller 370 determines whether the purchasing price desired by the member is the same as the offered price proposed by the provider. When they are the same, a transaction is made to be accomplished.

In step S426, the supplier-leading transaction controller 370 informs the member ordering the product that the member can purchase the ordered product and needs to settle an account. In step S428, the supplier-leading transaction controller 370 receives payments from the member within a predetermined term. When necessary, an operator may have a member deposit a predetermined amount of money in advance so that a transaction can be accomplished without requesting the member to settle an account.

In step S430, once the member settles an account, the supplier- leading transaction controller 370 records in the purchasing offer database 200 that the product desired by the member is purchased, and similarly, updates the registration information of the supplying offer database 190 by subtracting the number of purchased products from the registered quantity in stock.

In step S432, the supplier-leading transaction controller 370 registers the items of the transaction between the product supplier and the member and the items of settlement in the transaction database 210. Finally, the supplier-leading transaction controller 370 notifies the provider to deliver the ordered product to the member in step S434. Once delivery of the product from the provider to the member is completed, the supplier-leading transaction controller 370 pays the product supplier the price for the product within a predetermined term (for example, one month) in step S436.

FIGS. 8A and 8B illustrate, in detail, the operation of the dumping transaction controller 380 of FIG. 2. Here, the case where a transaction is accomplished only when the maximum and minimum limits of the price of the product provided by the product supplier do not exist is described as an example. Such dumping transaction, in which two or more articles are transacted in bundle at a particular single price, is advantageous in selling the whole articles to be disposed of due to the clearance of business or the cessation of business(for example, the whole articles including sofas, tables, vessels, etc. related to business in the case of clearance of carpet business) at a particular price as a set.

In step S512, the dumping transaction controller 380 registers a client intending to provide products as the product supplier. Information on the registered provider is stored in the product supplier database 160.

In step S514, when a client intends to purchase a product, the client is registered as a member. Information on the registered member is stored in the member database 170.

Then, in step S516, the product supplier registers the items of a product to provide. The registered product information is written to the supplying offer database 190. The product items show two or more products bundled into a set. Accordingly, the products contained in the set are sold to a single purchaser all together.

Subsequently, in step S518, the member inquires information on the registered dumping products and orders the set of products. The order information is registered in the purchasing offer database 200. The number of sets of products purchased by the member is restricted based on the quantity in stock of the sets of products.

In step S522, the dumping transaction controller 380 informs the member ordering the product that the member can purchase the ordered product and needs to settle an account. In step S524, the dumping transaction controller 380 receives payments from the member within a predetermined term. When necessary, an operator may have a member deposit a predetermined amount of money in advance so that a transaction can be accomplished without requesting the member to settle an account.

In step S526, once the member settles an account, the dumping transaction controller 380 records in the purchasing offer database 200 that the product desired by the member is purchased, and similarly, updates the registration information of the supplying offer database 190 by subtracting the number of purchased products from the registered quantity in stock.

The dumping transaction controller 380 registers the items of the transaction between the product supplier and the member and the items of settlement in the transaction database 210.

Finally, the dumping transaction controller 380 notifies the provider to deliver the ordered product to the member in step S528. Once delivery of the product from the provider to the member is completed, the dumping transaction controller 380 pays the product supplier the price for the product within a predetermined term (for example, one month) in step S530.

FIG. 9 is a detailed flowchart of the operation of the article exchange controller 390 of FIG. 2. Here, the case where members are allowed to register information on articles to exchange in a bulletin board and to be provided with the article information, is described as an example.

In step S612, the article exchange controller 390 registers a client intending to exchange an article as a member. Information on the registered member is registered in the member database 170.

In step S614, when the article exchange controller 390 allows the registered member to register information on an article that the member wants to exchange for a different article. Information on the registered article information is stored in the supplying offer database 190.

Then, in step S616, the article exchange controller 390 posts article information registered for exchange on the bulletin board to allow members to look through it.

In step S618, a member inquiring article information posted on the bulletin board registers his/her article information for an article for which he/she wants to exchange his/her article. Here, the registered information is recorded in the purchasing offer database 200.

The registered information is provided to the member registered in the bulletin board. In step 620, the member determines whether to exchange the articles and expresses his/her conclusion. When the member wants to exchange the articles, the article exchange controller 390 informs both the member registered in the bulletin board and the member requesting exchange that the articles can be exchanged in step S622.

Then, in step S624, both members exchange their articles with each other. Such article exchange items are registered in the transaction database 210 in step S626.

FIGS. 10A and 10B illustrate, in detail, the operation of the chatting transaction controller 400 of FIG. 2. Here, the case where members are allowed to register information on articles to provide in a bulletin board and to have a chat with each other to exchange detailed article information with each other, is described as an example.

In step S712, the chatting transaction controller 400 registers a client intending a chatting transaction as a member. Information on the registered member is registered in the member database 170. In step S714, when the chatting transaction controller 400 allows the registered member to register information on an article or a service that the member wants to provide. Information on the registered article information is stored in the supplying offer database 190.

Then, in step S716, the chatting transaction controller 400 posts article information registered for provision on the bulletin board to allow members to look through it.

In step S718, a member inquiring article information posted on the bulletin board requests to have a chat with another member who has registered an article. Here, information on the member requesting to have a chat is registered in the purchasing offer database 200.

Then, in step S720, the chatting transaction controller 400 allows the members to have a chat. When it is found that the conditions of transaction between the members are met with each other through chatting, each member clicks a predetermined confirmation button provided by the chatting transaction controller 400 in step S720.

When the members agree to the transaction as described above, the chatting transaction controller 400 provides the other's registered member information to each member in step S724. Then, in step S726, the chatting transaction controller 400 makes the members enter exchange information for provision of an article or a service.

When agreement and exchange of information is made between the members, the chatting transaction controller 400 updates registration information in the supplying offer database 190 and the purchasing offer database 200 by marking that a transaction is made (a transaction date is recorded).

FIGS. 11A through 11C illustrate flowcharts of examples where the conditions of transaction are met in the single item order/transaction controller of FIG. 2.

In FIG. 11 A, prices offered by providers are indexed, and supply quantities (sales remainders) registered by the providers are compared with purchasing quantities (purchasing remainders) registered by members.

Referring to FIG. 11A, a provider A registered 19,000 won as the price of a product and 200 as the number of products. A provider C registered

18,700 won as the price of the product and 400 as the number of products.

Meanwhile, a purchaser A registered 18,700 won as a purchasing price desired and 600 as the desired number of products. A purchaser B registered 18,700 won as a purchasing price desired and 200 as the desired number of products.

In such a single item order/transaction, the single item order/transaction controller 340 estimates the market price of the product at 18,700 won and concludes a transaction based on this estimate. When the order of the purchaser A is prior to any other orders, the single item order/transaction controller 340 initiates the transaction between the purchaser A and the provider C. When the order of the purchaser B is prior to any other orders, the single item order/transaction controller 340 initiates the transaction between the purchaser B and the provider C.

Accordingly, when the purchaser A has a priority to any other purchasers (the purchaser A placed an order earlier than any other purchasers), the purchaser A can purchase the product. In this transaction between the purchaser A and the provider C, however, the purchaser A can purchase just 400 products that can be provided by the provider C. Similarly, when the purchaser B has a priority to any other purchasers (the purchaser B placed an order earlier than any other purchasers), the purchaser B can purchase the product. In this transaction between the purchaser B and the provider C, the purchaser B can purchase the products as many as the purchaser B wants, i.e., 210 products, and the provider C has 190 sales remainders.

FIG. 11 B shows that the market price of a product is set to 18,700 won, a sales remainder is 200 (150+50), and a purchasing remainder is 100. Similarly, FIG. 11 C shows that the market price of a product is set to 28,400 won, and that a member placing an order for 200 products can purchase 160 products. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of the display of a user program installed in the member's terminal of FIG. 1. Here, an example in which a member inquires product market information in real time while having a chat through a messenger service referred to as an Internet friend, is illustrated. In FIG. 12, reference numeral 810 indicates a chatting room tab, reference numeral 820 indicates a chatting room display unit, reference numeral 830 indicates a folder (by classification), reference numeral 840 indicates a chatting menu, and reference numeral 850 indicates a market price window. As shown in FIG. 12, the chatting rooms in the messenger are classified into categories based on the kind of a given product, price, region and hobby. For example, 6 chatting auction rooms are opened in the hobby folder, and 3 chatting auction rooms are opened in the region folder.

Meanwhile, market price information of a product that a member is interested in is displayed on the market price window 850 in real time. For example, the market price window 850 shows that a "Samsung S-100 notebook computer" currently costs 2,350,000 won, and the price is raised by 2400 won compared to the previous day.

A user of such a messenger can inquire information of an interesting product on a market price window after ordering (or registering) the product, and can receive a message immediately when a transaction is concluded.

The present invention solves the problems which a conventional auction service has in that a seller or a purchaser cannot transact at a desired price, a purchaser spends some time because the purchaser needs to continuously participate in an auction to purchase a desired product, the price of a product is not provided in favor of a purchaser, and a transaction through communication between members cannot be accomplished because only standardized products can be objects of a transaction. The present invention allows the product supplier and a purchaser to propose the desired price and the desired number of products, allows a purchaser to order a desired product while inquiring the market prices of a plurality of products, provides the price information proposed by the product supplier to a purchaser to allow the purchaser to order a desired product, provides the price information proposed by the purchaser to the product supplier to allow the product supplier to sell the products, allows the product supplier to propose a supply price regardless of the market price or the minimum or maximum price of a product, and allows members to communicate through chatting and to exchange products or provide a service.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A method for electronic commerce for allowing transactions of products to be accomplished through exchange of information between a product supplier's terminal and a purchaser's terminal which are connected to a server providing product information through a communication network, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving purchasing information including the kind of product to be purchased, purchasing price and purchasing quantity from the purchaser's terminal and storing the purchasing information; (b) receiving provision information including the kind of product to be sold, offered price and sales quantity from the product supplier's terminal and storing the provision information;

(c) comparing the offered price with the purchasing price with respect to the same product; and (d) concluding a transaction between the purchaser and the product supplier when the purchasing price is equal to or higher than the offered price.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of updating the purchasing information and the provision information such that the result of transaction performed in the step (d) can be reflected.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step (d) comprises the sub-steps of: receiving payments for a product from the purchaser in advance; checking whether the product is delivered to the purchaser; and making the payments for the product to the product supplier when the delivery of the product is confirmed.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the transaction is accomplished sequentially according to order in which the purchaser enters the purchasing information when there are a plurality of purchasers proposing purchasing prices that are equal to or higher than the offered

5 price.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein in the steps (a) and (b) a maximum price or a minimum price is set, and the purchasing price and the sales price are selected within a range defined by the maximum price or the o minimum price.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the communication network is one selected from the group consisting of a wire network, a wireless network and a satellite communication network or a combination of at least s two of them.

7. A computer-readable recording medium on which the computer program for carrying out the method of claim 1 is recorded.

0 8. An electronic commerce system including a server providing product information and carrying out transactions in products through exchange of information between a product supplier's terminal and a purchaser's terminal which are connected to the server through a communication network, the system comprising: 5 (a) a purchasing offer database for storing purchasing information including the kind of product to purchase, purchasing price and purchasing quantity which is input from the purchaser's terminal; (b) a supplying offer database for storing provision information including the kind of product to sell, offered price and sales quantity which is input from the product supplier's terminal;

(c) means for comparing a sales price with a purchasing price; and (d) means for concluding a transaction between a purchaser and a product supplier when the purchasing price is equal to or higher than the offered price.

9. The electronic commerce system of claim 8, further comprising a transaction database for storing the result of the conclusion of transaction.

10. A system for providing electronic commerce transactions through a communication network, the system comprising: (a) means for exchanging information between a product supplier and a product purchaser;

(b) means for storing purchasing information including the kind of product to purchase, purchasing price and purchasing quantity input by the purchaser; (c) means for storing supply information including the kind of product to sell, offered price and sales quantity input by the supplier;

(d) means for comparing an offered price with a purchase price; and

(e) means for completing a transaction between a product supplier and a product purchaser when the purchasing price is equal to or higher than the offered price.

11. A system of claim 10, wherein said means for exchanging information comprises a server.

12. A system of claim 10, further comprising means for storing the result of the completion of said transaction.

13. A system of claim 10, further comprising means for determining whether a purchaser is a registered member, said determining means preventing a purchaser access to the system unless said purchaser is determined to be a registered member.