JP3978378B2 - Product sales system and electronic catalog creation program - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a product sales system that creates an electronic catalog from a print catalog and sells products using the electronic catalog, and a program that constitutes the product sales system.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, so-called online shopping (web shopping) for buying and selling products using a web including a server and a terminal is becoming popular. On the other hand, mail-order sales using catalogs in which printed print catalogs are distributed to users in advance and users order products listed in the print catalogs using separately prepared order forms are also popular. ing. Among these, in online shopping, there is an advantage that shopping can be performed by the user selecting a product displayed on the terminal, but it is necessary to prepare an electronic catalog on the server side. In this case, it takes much effort and time and effort to prepare an electronic catalog in which a large number of products are posted, for example, every week, or to update the products to be posted in a short period of time.
[0003]
On the other hand, as a product sales system that uses a printed catalog (print catalog) or as a sales method, a print catalog is distributed to users every week, and the user supplies the product number etc. in a separately prepared order form. A product sales system for receiving the ordered product in the next week or the like is also used by many users. As described above, the product sales system using the print catalog has the same advantage as the web shopping in that the user can purchase a desired product without going to the sales store. Since it is necessary to enter the identification number etc. of the product to be ordered in a predetermined format on the purchase order, there is a drawback that the burden on the user is large.
[0004]
In addition, a sales method that combines the advantages of web shopping and print catalog sales has also been carried out. In this case, a system for shopping by reading a print catalog with a scanner, creating an electronic catalog, and managing the created electronic catalog on a web server, while a user refers to the electronic catalog presented by the server Is adopted.
[0005]
Specifically, in this system, an electronic catalog is first created by inputting a print catalog (including a printed flyer) with a scanner and adjusting the image. The electronic catalog obtained in this way is managed by the web server, and the image is adjusted to electronic catalog data that is easy to view using a special electronic catalog viewer at the terminal. On the user side, a special electronic catalog viewer is downloaded from the server to the terminal, and the user uses this to refer to the electronic catalog of the server. As described above, since the browser-standard function is not provided with the function of downloading the electronic catalog, it is necessary to download a special electronic catalog viewer from the web browser in order to refer to the electronic catalog.
[0006]
As described above, a user who uses this shopping system downloads an electronic catalog viewer from the server using the browser of the terminal, and refers to the electronic catalog on the server using this viewer. Next, when purchasing a product on the electronic catalog, the user notes the product information he / she wishes to purchase in a copy of the purchase application, and writes the product information in a separate order form. The product can be purchased.
[0007]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the method of reading a printed catalog with a scanner, creating an electronic catalog, and performing web shopping using the electronic catalog, it is not possible to order a desired product directly from the electronic catalog displayed on the terminal. For this reason, when placing an order, the user needs to perform the troublesome work of filling in the necessary information on the order form, which has the disadvantage of placing a heavy burden on the user. For this reason, the above-described web shopping method using the electronic catalog does not fully utilize the advantages of online shopping.
[0008]
In such a situation, in web shopping using an electronic catalog, if an electronic catalog is downloaded from a browser and a merchandise sales system configured so that it can be easily purchased as well as referenced, a user can be constructed. Is very convenient. Further, if the electronic catalog can be referred to again from the shopping cart as to whether or not it was purchased as a result of shopping, it is possible to reconfirm the purchased product and correct an order error or the like. In particular, if a “shopping basket” uniquely provided in an existing web shopping system can be used, the present invention can be easily applied to an existing web shopping system.
[0009]
Next, when the electronic catalog is downloaded at the user terminal, it is desirable that preparation for shopping, that is, creation of an order form, etc. can be performed locally only by the terminal in order to avoid a restriction on the download speed.
[0010]
An object of the present invention is to provide a merchandise sales system using an electronic catalog that can be not only referred to but also purchased by simply downloading from a web browser in consideration of the above points.
[0011]
Another object of the present invention is to provide a merchandise sales system that can be easily combined with an existing web shopping system equipped with a shopping cart and that can refer to an electronic catalog from the shopping cart.
[0012]
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a product sales system that can simplify an interface with an existing web shopping system by using an existing shopping cart.
[0013]
Another object of the present invention is to provide a merchandise sales system capable of preparing for shopping in an offline state using only a terminal when an electronic catalog is downloaded from the terminal.
[0014]
Another object of the present invention is to provide an electronic catalog creation program capable of easily creating an electronic catalog from a print catalog.
[0015]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to an aspect of the present invention, a web terminal that performs web shopping by referring to an electronic catalog created from a print catalog in a web environment, and a product information database that constitutes the electronic catalog. An electronic catalog system configured by a server, that is, a merchandise sales system, includes a server-side program that converts and creates information necessary for web shopping from a print catalog to an electronic catalog. It is possible to obtain a merchandise sales system characterized in that an electronic catalog is automatically converted and created, and the converted electronic catalog can be edited as necessary. Creating electronic catalog information that can be purchased on the server side requires labor, but in order to maintain the service, an electronic catalog using a scanner and the server-side program described above is automated by image processing. By creating, you can easily create an electronic catalog.
[0016]
According to another aspect of the present invention, a user terminal uses a shopping cart used in an existing web shopping system to add a product purchased from the electronic catalog to the shopping cart, thereby shopping. On the other hand, a merchandise sales system using a program configured to be able to refer to the electronic catalog again from the shopping cart is obtained.
[0017]
If a program capable of such an operation is used, a merchandise sales system according to the present invention can be easily constructed with minimal changes to the existing web shopping system. In this case, a shopping record list is prepared on the server side to pass information on the products purchased to the shopping cart. That is, by adopting this method, web shopping can be easily combined with the electronic catalog system according to the present invention. However, when a new web shopping system using the electronic catalog according to the present invention is constructed, it is not necessary to use a shopping list.
[0018]
Furthermore, in the present invention, the catalog data input device program that is a server-side program (that is, a program that supports the server program) automatically recognizes the product number area described in the print catalog when the print catalog is read by the scanner. Necessary information is extracted from the product number area and displayed on the screen in the form of a button.
[0019]
According to still another aspect of the present invention, an electronic catalog program having a mechanism capable of locally preparing for shopping can be obtained only by the terminal in order to avoid the restriction on the download speed of the electronic catalog by the web at the terminal. Such a program can be downloaded to a terminal collectively with an electronic catalog, database information utilizing the catalog, and a viewer and a program having a mechanism for shopping, and shopping can be performed by the viewer at the terminal.
[0020]
According to another aspect of the present invention, a product sales system and program configured to be able to add product information to a shopping cart (shopping list) by clicking a product number field on an electronic catalog is obtained. Furthermore, the electronic catalog program according to the present invention is configured so that product data on the electronic catalog can be referred to from the above-mentioned shopping copy list.
[0021]
In this case, a “shopping list” separated from the “shopping cart” in the existing web shopping is prepared on the server side. In the shopping using the electronic catalog, the “shopping list” is used, At the time of entering the order stage, the “shopping list” is separated from the electronic catalog.
[0022]
In addition, by having a mechanism for collectively downloading all pages of the electronic catalog and its viewer program, it is possible to refer to and select products (add to the shopping list) without web connection. Next, the web connection is made at the stage of the actual purchase (order) procedure, the product in the shopping copy list is moved to the shopping cart, and order processing is performed.
[0024]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of a terminal system (hereinafter referred to as “terminal”) and a web server having a web shopping function (hereinafter simply referred to as “server”) capable of shopping using an electronic catalog according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The description will be given with reference.
[0025]
Referring to FIG. 1, a product sales system according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. This product sales system includes a plurality of terminals 1 and 2 used by a user, The server 5 shown in the figure is connected to the catalog data input device 4 and is also connected to the existing system 6. It is assumed that an electronic catalog created using the catalog data input device 4 is posted on the server 5. Hereinafter, these server 5 and catalog data input device 4 are collectively referred to as the server side. Further, each terminal 1 and 2 is assumed to have a mechanism that allows shopping by referring to the electronic catalog of the server 5 through a web connection in a local environment. The terminal 2 is assumed to have a function different from that of the terminal 1 as described later.
[0026]
Here, a process of creating an electronic catalog from a print catalog using the catalog data input device 4 will be described. The print catalog includes not only a normal print catalog composed of a plurality of pages but also a leaflet.
[0027]
The illustrated catalog data input device 4 creates an electronic catalog by scanning a print catalog. In this case, it is assumed that the catalog data input device 4 is loaded with an electronic catalog creation program as a server-side program, that is, a backyard program. Before describing the electronic catalog creation program, first, a print catalog and an electronic catalog will be described. The print catalog has a name representative of the catalog and is usually composed of a plurality of pages. The page is composed of a name (bookmark or index) representing the page, a product image, and print character information describing the product. The print character information also includes a product identification number for specifying the product.
[0028]
On the other hand, the electronic catalog is made up of image data that can be referred to on a web terminal and control information thereof. Such information is included as a product information database system. More specifically, the electronic catalog includes electronic catalog image data, product character information, and relationship information for associating image data with product character information. From this, it can be seen that the data structure of the electronic catalog can be divided into an electronic catalog image data layer, a product character information layer, and a relation information layer.
[0029]
That is, the electronic catalog image data layer is composed of product image data in which a print catalog is input in units of pages by a scanner connected to the electronic processing device. When the electronic catalog image data layer is downloaded from the server to the web terminal and displayed, it has the same display portion as the print catalog. The displayed product image data is composed of image data describing a plurality of products on one page.
[0030]
Next, the product character information layer is composed of character information describing individual products belonging to a page unit, region information specifying the product image data as a product, and product related information.
[0031]
Further, the relationship information layer is composed of the relationship information between the two layers as described above, the relationship information between items as database information, and control information necessary for purchasing a product based on the electronic catalog. Specifically, in the relationship information layer, the product number and the product number area information obtained by reading the product identification information printed in the print catalog with a scanner are positioned as the related information.
[0032]
For this reason, the electronic catalog creation program identifies the product number region with reference to the character information on the product character information layer and the color of the electronic catalog image data layer, recognizes the product number, A product number / product number area automatic recognition program (hereinafter simply referred to as an automatic recognition program), which will be described later, is provided.
[0033]
The electronic catalog creation program installed in the catalog data input device 4 will be described more specifically with reference to FIG. The illustrated electronic catalog creation program includes a catalog reading program 16, the above-described automatic recognition program 17, product number / product number area editing program 18, electronic catalog product information 19, and electronic catalog product information maintenance program 20. Among these, the catalog reading program 16 reads the image of the print catalog by the scanner and performs image processing to generate product image data and sequentially store it in a memory such as a hard disk.
[0034]
The automatic recognition program 17 identifies product image data and product character information, automatically recognizes a product number area characterizing the product, and further automatically recognizes numeric information in the product number area. Extract the product number. In this case, the automatic recognition program 17 performs image processing on the rectangular area from the product image data, detects the two vertex coordinates at the diagonal position of the rectangular area, and selects the area surrounded by the two vertices as the product. It is determined as a number area. Subsequently, the automatic recognition program 17 uses product identification information for recognizing products by pattern recognition of the numbers present in the product number area.
[0035]
Next, the product number / product number area editing program 18 is a program for manually correcting and editing product identification information and the like when an identification error or the like by the automatic recognition program occurs. Actually, the product identification area that could not be identified by the automatic identification program 17 is easily modified and edited by changing the color of the commodity area. According to the experiments by the present inventors, it has been confirmed that the recognition rate of the product number by the automatic identification program 17 is 93% or more.
[0036]
The product identification information obtained by the automatic recognition program 17 and the product number / product number region editing program 18 described above constitutes a database (DB) of electronic catalog product information 19 together with product image data and product character information. In this database, existing product information in the backbone system is also held, and an electronic catalog composed of these various types of information is created. In addition, it is preferable to set an order prohibition flag in the database for products that are not permitted to be purchased in the electronic catalog, such as liquor.
[0037]
Furthermore, the catalog data input device 4 shown in FIG. 2 also includes a maintenance program for maintaining and inspecting electronic catalog product information as needed.
[0038]
Referring to FIG. 3, a display example of an electronic catalog created by the catalog data input device 4 shown in FIG. 2 is schematically shown. The illustrated example shows a page of an electronic catalog corresponding to one page of the print catalog, and the page is divided into product data areas 14 related to four products. Each product data area 14 displays image data of each product. A product number area 15 provided at the bottom of each product data area 14 displays a product number as product identification information for identifying each product. Each product number area 15 or product number constitutes a clickable button.
[0039]
In this example, in each product data area 14, an image of the product is displayed together with text information such as a numerical value representing the price, while the product numbers constituting the buttons of each product number area 15 correspond to the database. Product information to be linked, for example, catalog number, product name, color, price, etc. In this example, it is also linked to a shopping record list which will be described later. As described above, the product number area 15 and the product number are displayed by being automatically recognized when the electronic catalog is created.
[0040]
Next, with reference to FIG. 4, the software configuration of the web server 5 provided with the electronic catalog will be described. The illustrated server 5 holds an electronic catalog web function 10 for performing the above-described electronic catalog search processing, shopping record list processing, and the like, image data related to the electronic catalog, product character information, and related files. 3 has a function as an electronic catalog database (DB) 11 for displaying the screen shown in FIG. Further, the server 5 has a shopping record list 13 and a shopping cart conversion program 13. Here, the shopping record list 13 is a list in which products selected by clicking the product number area 15 on the electronic catalog are arranged, and the shopping cart conversion program 13 is a shopping cart used in an existing system. It is a program that performs conversion between shopping and shopping records. Here, the information displayed on the shopping record and the shopping cart requires minimum text information for identifying the product, for example, electronic catalog page, product number, product name, price, purchase quantity, total amount, etc. It is. The electronic catalog database 11 including these pieces of information is created through the above-described electronic catalog and backbone system.
[0041]
Referring to FIG. 5, there is shown a software configuration of the terminal 1 capable of shopping using the electronic catalog according to the present invention. The illustrated terminal is capable of web connection and has a web browser-7 therein, and the user of the terminal 1 refers to the server 5 with the web browser-7 to search / reference the electronic catalog, Then, the product is selected, and the selected product is added to the shopping record list 12 shown in FIG. As described above, the terminal 1 can access the electronic catalog and purchase a product on the electronic catalog while being connected to the web.
[0042]
Referring to FIG. 6, the software configuration of the terminal 2 used in the merchandise sales system according to another embodiment of the present invention is shown. The illustrated terminal 1 can perform shopping using the above-described electronic catalog without connecting to the web. In this case, the viewer program 9 of the electronic catalog data 8 is downloaded from the server 5 to the terminal 2 in advance. Here, the viewer program 9 has not only a function of searching / referencing / selecting a product of an electronic catalog, but also a function of creating a shopping list for the selected product. The user of the terminal 1 first accesses the server 5 and downloads the entire electronic catalog on the server 5 or a necessary part. In this state, the user once cancels the web connection, searches / references the downloaded electronic catalog by the viewer program 9, and selects a product. The results of product selection by the user are sequentially added to the shopping record list.
[0043]
The viewer program is created so that the electronic catalog data 8 can be referred to again from the shopping record list thus completed, and as a result, the user can confirm the contents of the order.
[0044]
The user who has confirmed the shopping copy list accesses the server 5 that has downloaded the electronic catalog again, transmits the shopping copy list from the terminal 2 to the server 5, and actually places an order. As described above, in the shopping using the electronic catalog according to this embodiment, it is understood that the shopping record list is used in the selection stage, and is separated from the electronic catalog when actually entering the ordering stage.
[0045]
This embodiment has an advantage that the line occupation time due to the web connection can be shortened because the work in the terminal 2 can be performed in an off-line state.
[0046]
With reference to FIG. 7, a product sales system according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described. Here, the structure at the time of combining the web server 5 which concerns on this invention with the existing web shopping system 20 is shown. In this case, the existing system includes an existing web server 21 such as a web shop and an existing DB system 23 including a product information DB, and a shopping cart 22 and an existing DB system are operated on the user terminal by a user operation. The basic product information 24 read from 23 is displayed. The existing DB system 23 stores product information created by a method different from the present invention. When the product information of the existing DB system 23 is selected by the user, the selected product The information regarding is assumed to be put in the shopping cart 22.
[0047]
On the other hand, the server 5 according to the present invention includes an electronic catalog web function 10, an electronic catalog DB 11, a shopping record list 12, and a shopping cart conversion program 13, as in FIG.
[0048]
As shown in the drawing, the web server 5 according to the present invention can be used in combination with the existing system 20. In this case, the data of the shopping record list 12 created by the web server 5 of the present invention is converted into the data of the shopping cart 22 of the existing system 20 by the shopping cart conversion program 13. Thereby, the purchase procedure of goods can be taken using the same shopping basket 22 as the conventional web shopping.
[0049]
【The invention's effect】
In the present invention, it is possible to easily perform web shopping using an electronic catalog as if the user decides to purchase while looking at the printed matter, and further, the production cost can be reduced because the information produced for printing can be used almost directly in the web environment. There are advantages. In addition, since the electronic catalog product information database according to the present invention has a simple construction procedure, it is possible to maintain the database in the server easily and economically. Furthermore, according to the present invention, since a plurality of electronic catalog services can be jointly constructed by a plurality of mail-order companies, it is possible to provide a highly economical electronic catalog web service.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a product sales system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a software configuration installed in a catalog data input device used in the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a region diagram showing a product data region and a product number region of an electronic catalog according to the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a software configuration diagram showing a configuration of software installed in a web server according to the present invention.
FIG. 5 shows a software configuration of a terminal used in an embodiment of the present invention, and is a software configuration diagram showing a configuration of software installed in a terminal connected to a web for shopping; .
FIG. 6 shows a software configuration of a terminal used in another embodiment of the present invention, and is a software configuration diagram showing a configuration of software installed in a terminal capable of shopping without being connected to a web. .
FIG. 7 shows the configuration of software used in a merchandise sales system according to another embodiment of the present invention, where the software configuration when a web server for shopping from an electronic catalog and an existing system are combined FIG.
[Explanation of symbols]
1, 2 Terminal 3 Network 4 Catalog data input device 5 Server 6 Existing system 16 Catalog reading program 17 Automatic recognition program 18 Editing program 19 Electronic catalog product information 20 Maintenance program

Claims (15)

A server having an electronic catalog obtained by converting the image of the print catalog as a product information database, browsing the electronic catalog using a terminal used in a web environment , in product sales systems that can be ordered,
The image conversion of the print catalog is performed by pattern recognition, taking the image converted image and character information as information, constructing the product information database,
The data structure of the product information database includes an electronic catalog image data layer, a product character information layer, and a product information layer.
Wherein the electronic catalog image data layer includes individual a commodity image of the commodity in the image of converting the print catalog,
The product character information layer includes region information for specifying a product image of each product as a product,
Text information describing individual products obtained by image conversion,
It consists of product display information that is unique information of each product obtained by image conversion, and <br/>
The product information layer is obtained from product identification information printed in a print catalog, product number information in which product number region information and a product number are recorded,
A product sales system, wherein the product sales system comprises product specifying information for recording code information for specifying a product. The electronic catalog according to claim 1,
A selection button that has a page configuration and enables selection of product number information for identifying a product described in the page configuration from the terminal;
An ordering operation is started by selecting the selection button on the terminal . The electronic catalog creation program for creating an electronic catalog according to claim 2
Read the image image of the print catalog, pattern-recognize the read image image, obtain the product number area information and the product number, in the area on the electronic catalog being created indicated by the acquired product number area information , Creating the selection button that enables selection of the product indicated by the product number;
Product sales system characterized by that. 4. The shopping server according to claim 1, wherein the server includes a shopping record list that stores and stores selected products as a list when a user selects a product to be purchased from the terminal. <br/> A product sales system characterized by this. 5. The shopping list according to claim 4, wherein the user can view the shopping copy list via the Web from the terminal, and further, when the item of the product held in the shopping copy list is selected, the selected product is described. A product sales system for accessing the corresponding page of the electronic catalog . The server according to claim 4 or 5, wherein
A shopping copy list that can be browsed from the terminal is provided in advance, and includes a transition means for transferring information to a shopping copy list different from the shopping copy list;
Product sales system characterized by that. The terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 6 ,
An electronic catalog stored in the server is stored in the terminal, the electronic catalog can be browsed without being connected to a web, and a shopping list can be created in the terminal. Product sales system. In Claim 7, the shopping copy list created on the terminal is
Information can be migrated from the terminal to the server;
The server includes a migration means for migrating the migrated information to another shopping list.
Product sales system characterized by that. In an electronic catalog creation program that creates an electronic catalog from an image obtained by scanning a print catalog,
A product number for specifying a product and product number area information are acquired from the image image by pattern recognition, and the recognized product number is created as a selectable button in an area on the electronic catalog indicated by the product number area information. An electronic catalog creation program characterized by this. 10. The electronic catalog creation program according to claim 9 , further comprising a product number editing program for manually correcting and editing the recognized product number. 11. The electronic catalog creation program according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the product number editing program adds an emphasis portion that makes it easy for a corrector to recognize characters whose pattern could not be recognized. A server having an electronic catalog obtained by converting the image of the print catalog as a product information database, browsing the electronic catalog using a terminal used in a web environment, In the product sales system that can be ordered,
The image conversion of the print catalog is performed by pattern recognition, taking the image converted image and character information as information, constructing the product information database,
The data structure of the product information database includes an electronic catalog image data layer, a product character information layer, and a product information layer,
  The electronic catalog image data layer includes product images of individual products obtained by converting the print catalog into images,
  The product character information layer includes region information for specifying a product image of each product as a product,
Text information describing individual products obtained by image conversion,
Product display information that is unique information of each product obtained by image conversion
Consisting of
The product information layer is obtained from product identification information printed in a print catalog, product number information in which product number region information and a product number are recorded,
Product specifying information for recording code information for specifying the product by the product sales system;
Composed of
A product sales system server characterized by that. The electronic catalog according to claim 12, further comprising: a selection button that allows a user to select item number information that has a page configuration and that is specified in the page configuration and identifies a product, from the terminal.
By selecting the selection button on the terminal, an ordering operation is started,
  A shopping record list is provided for storing and storing a list of products selected by the ordering operation.
A product sales system server characterized by that. In claim 12 or 13,
A shopping copy list that can be browsed from the terminal is provided in advance, and includes a transition means for transferring information to a shopping copy list different from the shopping copy list;
A product sales system server characterized by that. 15. The server for a merchandise sales system according to claim 14, wherein the another shopping record list is a shopping cart used in existing web shopping.

Images