Method of managing transaction and settlement, and method of informing information on consumption trends

Abstract

It is an object of the present invention to enable a buyer to collectively manage information related to a variety of commercial transactions performed by the buyer as well as to the settlements for these transactions. The calendar server 25 supplies a calendar screen to a buyer system 3 that is used by the buyer 1 . This calendar screen has electronic invoices addressed to the buyer 1 , which are issued by the supplier system 7 , and electronic deposit/withdrawal detailed statement of the buyer's deposit account, which are issued by a banking system 13 , pasted in the spaces for the relevant dates. When the buyer 1 selects an arbitrary invoice on this calendar screen and inputs his or her approval of this invoice, an account transfer telegraphic message for payment of this invoice is automatically sent to the banking system 13 . The calendar server 25 manages the status of each invoice (“opened”, “payment request in progress”, “paid”), and notifies the supplier system 7 and banking system 13 of this invoice status. The calendar server 25 also supplements news such as advertisements which are sent by the supplier system 7 and banking system 13 , and so forth, selects news following the buyer's consumption trends, and pastes this news in the spaces on the calendar screen which pertain to dates that slightly precede dates on which buyer consumption

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A method for managing buyer transactions and settlements, comprising the steps of: 
 storing an electronic invoice from a supplier to a buyer;    storing electronic deposit/withdrawal detailed statement relating to the funds of the buyer (,from a banking system);    preparing a GUI screen displaying a calendar;    automatically establishing a date relating to each of said stored invoice and said stored deposit/withdrawal detailed statement, and automatically pasting a mark indicating said stored invoice, and a mark indicating said stored deposit/withdrawal detailed statement, in the space for said established date among the spaces for dates on the calendar of said GUI screen; and    supplying said GUI screen, which displays said calendar that has the marks of said invoice and said deposit/withdrawal detailed statement pasted thereon, to a buyer system.    
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising the steps of: 
 supplying a GUI screen, which displays the detailed statement of an invoice selected by said buyer from within said calendar displayed on said buyer system, to said buyer system;    receiving a payment request from said buyer with respect to said selected invoice, from said buyer system;    transmitting a payment request telegraphic message for said selected invoice to a banking system in response to said payment request;    automatically pasting a mark, which indicates a payment performed with respect to said invoice, in the space for a date relating to said payment on said calendar; and    automatically pasting an additional mark indicating a relationship of correspondence between said payment and an invoice for which payment has been made, on said calendar.    
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising the steps of: 
 managing the status of said stored invoice (received from said supplier system), which status relates to whether or not the invoice has been opened or whether or not the invoice has been paid; and    changing said invoice mark pasted in said date space on said calendar, in accordance with said invoice status.    
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising the steps of: 
 managing the status of said stored invoice (received from said supplier system), which status relates to whether or not the invoice has been opened or whether or not the invoice has been paid; and    notifying said supplier system of said invoice status.    
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising the steps of: 
 managing the status of each of a plurality of said stored invoices (received from said supplier system), which respective status relates to whether or not the invoice has been opened or whether or not the invoice has been paid; and    supplying a GUI screen, which displays the statuses of said plurality of invoices as a list, to the supplier system.    
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising the steps of: 
 managing the detailed statement and status of said stored invoice (received from said supplier system, which status relates to whether or not the invoice has been opened or whether or not the invoice has been paid); and    notifying the banking system which handles the funds of at least one of said buyer and said supplier, of the detailed statement and status of said stored invoice.    
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising the steps of: 
 receiving electronic data indicating a deposit to a deposit account performed by payment processing with respect to said stored invoice; and    automatically extracting the invoice for which said deposit has been made from among said stored invoices and automatically electronically removing this invoice from said stored invoices, in response to said electronic data indicating said deposit.    
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising the steps of: 
 inferring a future deposit/withdrawal schedule on the basis of said stored electronic invoice or past deposit/withdrawal detailed statement of said buyer funds; and    pasting a mark showing said inferred deposit/withdrawal schedule on the calendar of said GUI screen along with said marks for said invoice and said deposit/withdrawal detailed statement.    
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 8 , further comprising the step of changing said deposit/withdrawal schedule mark depending on whether or not deposit/withdrawal detailed statement corresponding to said deposit/withdrawal schedule are received.  
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising the step of using said stored invoice to automatically create a payment transfer telegraphic message for a payment transfer.  
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising the step of executing at least either one of: 
 (1) a step in which said supplier system uses said invoice to infer a deposit schedule; and    (2) a step in which said buyer system uses said invoice to infer a withdrawal schedule.    
     
     
         12 . A computer system for managing buyer transactions and settlements, comprising: 
 means for storing an electronic invoice from a supplier to a buyer;    means for storing electronic deposit/withdrawal detailed statement relating to the funds of the buyer(,from a banking system);    means for preparing a GUI screen displaying a calendar;    means for automatically establishing a date relating to each of said stored invoice and said stored deposit/withdrawal detailed statement, and automatically pasting a mark indicating said stored invoice (from said supplier system), and a mark indicating said stored deposit/withdrawal detailed statement (from said banking system), in the space for said established date among the spaces for dates on the calendar of said GUI screen; and    means for supplying said GUI screen, which displays said calendar that has the marks of said invoice and said deposit/withdrawal detailed statement pasted thereon, to a buyer system.    
     
     
         13 . A method for supplying news to a buyer, comprising the steps of: 
 preparing a buyer schedule having dates, by storing an electronic invoice from a supplier to a buyer, or storing electronic deposit/withdrawal detailed statement relating to the funds of said buyer, and creating a buyer schedule on the basis of the stored invoice or deposit/withdrawal detailed statement;    receiving news from a supplier system;    selecting news relating to the buyer schedule thus prepared, from the news received;    determining a notification date for said selected news on the basis of the dates of the buyer schedule to which said selected news relates;    preparing a GUI screen displaying a calendar;    pasting a mark, which indicates said selected news, in the space for said notification date on the calendar of said GUI screen; and    supplying said GUI screen, which displays said calendar that has the mark for said selected news pasted thereon, to a buyer system.    
     
     
         14 . The method according to  claim 13 , wherein said step of preparing said buyer schedule comprises at least one step among the steps of: 
 (1) receiving inputs for said buyer schedule from the buyer;    (2) creating a buyer schedule on the basis of social custom.    
     
     
         15 . A computer system for supplying news to a buyer, comprising: 
 means for preparing a buyer schedule having dates, by storing an electronic invoice from a supplier to a buyer, or storing electronic deposit/withdrawal detailed statement relating to the funds of said buyer, and creating a buyer schedule on the basis of the stored invoice or deposit/withdrawal detailed statement;    means for receiving news from a supplier system;    means for selecting news related to the buyer schedule thus prepared, from the news received;    means for determining a notification date for said selected news on the basis of the dates of the buyer schedule to which said selected news relates;    means for preparing a GUI screen displaying a calendar;    means for pasting a mark, which indicates said selected news, in the space for said notification date on the calendar of said GUI screen; and    means for supplying said GUI screen, which displays said calendar that has the mark for said selected news pasted thereon, to a buyer system.    
     
     
         16 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein, in response to an electronic order from said buyer to said supplier, the step of storing said invoice stores an electronic invoice corresponding to said order.  
     
     
         17 . A method, comprising the steps of: 
 storing an electronic invoice from a supplier to a buyer;    managing the detailed statement and status of said stored invoice; and    electronically notifying a banking system which handles the funds of at least one of said buyer and said supplier, of the detailed statement and status of said invoice.    
     
     
         18 . A method comprising the steps of: 
 storing electronic invoices from a supplier to a buyer;    receiving an electronic payment request with respect to an invoice selected from among said stored invoices;    executing processing for a payment from a payment account in order to settle said selected invoice, in response to said payment request;    receiving electronic data indicating a deposit to a deposit account performed by payment processing with respect to said selected invoice; and    automatically extracting the invoice for which said deposit has been made from among said stored invoices and automatically electronically removing this invoice from said stored invoices, in response to said electronic data indicating said deposit.    
     
     
         19 . The method according to either of claims  17  and  18 , wherein, in response to an electronic order from said buyer to said supplier, the step of storing said invoice stores an electronic invoice corresponding to said order.  
     
     
         20 . A computer system, comprising: 
 means for storing an electronic invoice from a supplier to a buyer;    means for managing the detailed statement and status of said stored invoice; and    means for electronically notifying a banking system which handles the funds of at least one of said buyer and said supplier, of the detailed statement and status of said invoice.    
     
     
         21 . A computer system, comprising: 
 means for storing electronic invoices from a supplier to a buyer;    means for receiving an electronic payment request with respect to an invoice selected from among said stored invoices;    means for executing processing for a payment from a payment account in order to settle said selected invoice, in response to said payment request;    means for receiving electronic data indicating a deposit to a predetermined deposit account performed by payment processing with respect to said selected invoice; and    means for automatically extracting the invoice for which said deposit has been made from among said stored invoices and automatically electronically removing this invoice from said stored invoices, in response to said electronic data indicating said deposit.    
     
     
         22 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising the steps of: 
 inferring a future deposit/withdrawal schedule on the basis of said stored electronic invoice or past deposit/withdrawal detailed statement of said buyer funds;    pasting a mark showing said inferred deposit/withdrawal schedule on the calendar of said GUI screen along with said marks for said invoice and said deposit/withdrawal detailed statement;    searching for deposit/withdrawal detailed statement corresponding to said inferred deposit/withdrawal schedule among said stored deposit/withdrawal detailed statement; and    automatically removing the inferred deposit/withdrawal schedule if, as a result of said search step, deposit/withdrawal detailed statement corresponding to said inferred deposit/withdrawal schedule are present among said stored deposit/withdrawal detailed statement.    
     
     
         23 . A method, comprising the steps of: 
 storing electronic deposit/withdrawal detailed statement relating to the funds of a buyer;    inferring a future deposit/withdrawal schedule on the basis of past deposit/withdrawal detailed statement of the funds of said buyer;    supplying said inferred deposit/withdrawal schedule to said buyer;    searching for deposit/withdrawal detailed statement corresponding to said inferred deposit/withdrawal schedule among said stored deposit/withdrawal detailed statement; and    automatically removing the inferred deposit/withdrawal schedule if, as a result of said search step, deposit/withdrawal detailed statement corresponding to said inferred deposit/withdrawal schedule are present among said stored deposit/withdrawal detailed statement.    
     
     
         24 . The method according to  claim 23 , further comprising: 
 means for storing an electronic invoice from a supplier to said buyer,    wherein said inferring step infers a future deposit/withdrawal schedule on the basis of said stored invoice or past deposit/withdrawal detailed statement of the funds of said buyer.    
     
     
         25 . A computer system, comprising: 
 means for storing electronic deposit/withdrawal detailed statement relating to the funds of a buyer;    means for inferring a future deposit/withdrawal schedule on the basis of past deposit/withdrawal detailed statement of the funds of said buyer;    means for supplying said inferred deposit/withdrawal schedule to said buyer;    means for searching for deposit/withdrawal detailed statement corresponding to said inferred deposit/withdrawal schedule among said stored deposit/withdrawal detailed statement; and    means for automatically removing the inferred deposit/withdrawal schedule if, as a result of said search means, deposit/withdrawal detailed statement corresponding to said inferred deposit/withdrawal schedule are present among said stored deposit/withdrawal detailed statement.