Information providing method and information providing device

Abstract

A method for recommending household goods and clothing information to a first user of household goods and clothing, and an apparatus thereof. The method includes: transmitting a request for recommended household goods and clothing for the first user, to be displayed on the first user's display; receiving the purchase history of one or more of household goods and clothing by a plurality of users of the one or more of the household goods and clothing; extracting a second user, from among the plurality of users, who has purchased a household good or clothing with a design or function similar to a household good or clothing purchased by the first user; transmitting a recommendation for the first user of a household good or clothing purchased by the second user; and displaying on the display of the first user, the recommended household good or clothing purchased by the second user.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for recommending household goods and clothing information to a first user of the household goods and clothing, comprising:
 transmitting a request, with a first processor of the first user, via a network, for recommended household goods and clothing for the first user, to be received and stored in a first memory and displayed on a display of the first user;   receiving, from the network and storing in a second memory with a second processor, the purchase history of one or more of household goods and clothing by a plurality of users of the one or more of the household goods and clothing;   extracting with the second processor from the second memory a second user, from among the plurality of users, who has purchased a household good or clothing with a design or function similar to a household good or clothing purchased by the first user;   transmitting, with the second processor, over the network to the first processor, a recommendation for the first user of a household good or clothing purchased by the second user, which is stored in the first memory; and   displaying on the display of the first user, as instructed by the first processor, the recommended household good or clothing purchased by the second user.   
     
     
         2 . The method recited in  claim 1 ,
 wherein one of the first and second user's household goods is a household appliance, and   wherein the second processor performs the extracting operation to extract the second user based on a comparison of the design, color, or characteristic function of the second user's household appliance with the design, color, or characteristic function of the first user's household appliance.   
     
     
         3 . The method recited in  claim 1 ,
 wherein one of the first and second user's household goods is a household appliance, and   wherein the recommendation transmitting operation transmits, with the second processor, over the network to the first processor, a recommendation for the first user of a household appliance purchased by the second user, which is stored in the first memory, and   wherein the displaying operation displays on the display of the first user, as instructed by the first processor, the recommended household appliance purchased by the second user.   
     
     
         4 . The method recited in  claim 1 ,
 wherein one of the first and second user's household goods is a household appliance, and   wherein the second processor performs the extracting operation to extract the second user from the plurality of users based on a comparison of a model number of the first user's household appliance with a model number of the second user's household appliance.   
     
     
         5 . The method recited in  claim 4 ,
 wherein the recommendation transmitting operation transmits, with the second processor, over the network to the first processor, a recommendation for the first user of a household appliance purchased by the second user, which is stored in the first memory, and   wherein the displaying operation displays on the display of the first user, as instructed by the first processor, the recommended household appliance purchased by the second user.   
     
     
         6 . The method recited in  claim 1 ,
 wherein the household goods include a household appliance, a curtain, a carpet, and a shelf,   wherein the second processor performs the extracting operation to extract the second user based on a comparison of the design, color, or characteristic function of the second user's household appliance with the design, color, or characteristic function of the first user's household appliance,   wherein the transmitting operation transmits, with the second processor, over the network to the first processor, a recommendation for the first user of one of the curtain, the carpet, and the shelf purchased by the second user, which is stored in the first memory, and   wherein the displaying operation displays on the display of the first user, as instructed by the first processor, the recommended one of the curtain, the carpet, and the shelf purchased by the second user.   
     
     
         7 . The method recited in  claim 1 ,
 wherein the recommendation transmitting operation transmits, with the second processor, over the network to the first processor, a recommendation for one of the household goods purchased by the second user, which is stored in the first memory,   wherein selection by the second processor of the recommendation for one of the household goods purchased by the second user is based on the second user's purchase history of clothing, and   wherein the displaying operation displays on the display of the first user, as instructed by the first processor, the recommended one of the household goods purchased by the second user.   
     
     
         8 . The method recited in  claim 1 ,
 wherein the household goods include a curtain, a carpet, and a shelf,   wherein the recommendation transmitting operation transmits, with the second processor, over the network to the first processor, a recommendation for one of the curtain, the carpet, and the shelf purchased by the second user, which is stored in the first memory,   wherein selection by the second processor of the recommendation for one of one of the curtain, the carpet, and the shelf purchased by the second user is based on the second user's purchase history of clothing, and   wherein the displaying operation displays on the display of the first user, as instructed by the first processor, the recommended one of the curtain, the carpet, and the shelf purchased by the second user.   
     
     
         9 . An information providing device for recommending household goods and clothing to a first user of the household goods and clothing, comprising:
 a terminal device of the first user having a display for displaying the recommended household goods and clothing for the first user;   a first memory of the terminal device;   a communicating interface of the terminal device configured to
 transmit a request, via a network, for the recommended household goods and clothing for the first user to be received and stored in the first memory and displayed on the display of the terminal device of the first user; and 
 receive the recommended household goods and clothing for the first user from a second processor via the network and storing the recommended household goods and clothing for the first user in the first memory; and 
   a controller of the terminal device comprising a first processor configured to:
 transmit via the communication interface the request for recommended household goods and clothing for the first user to be received and stored in the first memory and displayed on the display of the terminal of the first user, 
 receive via the communication interface a recommendation for the first user of a household good or clothing purchased by a second user, which is stored in the first memory,
 the second user being extracted from among a plurality of users by a second processor, based on the purchase by the second user of a household good or clothing with a design or function similar to a household good or clothing purchased by the first user, and 
 the second processor having received the purchase history of one or more of household goods and clothing purchased by the plurality of users of the one or more of the household goods and clothing; and 
 
 display on the display of the terminal of the first user, the recommended household good or clothing purchased by a second user. 
   
     
     
         10 . The information providing device recited in  claim 9 ,
 wherein one of the first and second user's household goods is a household appliance, and   wherein the second processor performs the extracting operation to extract the second user based on a comparison of the design, color, or characteristic function of the second user's household appliance with the design, color, or characteristic function of the first user's household appliance.   
     
     
         11 . The information providing device recited in  claim 9 ,
 wherein one of the first and second user's household goods is a household appliance, and   wherein the recommendation receiving operation receives a recommendation for the first user of a household appliance purchased by the second user, which is stored in the first memory, and   wherein the displaying operation displays on the display of the first user, as instructed by the first processor, the recommended household appliance purchased by the second user.   
     
     
         12 . The information providing device recited in  claim 9 ,
 wherein one of the first and second user's household goods is a household appliance, and   wherein the second processor performs the extracting operation to extract the second user from the plurality of users based on a comparison of a model number of the first user's household appliance with a model number of the second user's household appliance.   
     
     
         13 . The information providing device recited in  claim 12 ,
 wherein the recommendation receiving operation receives a recommendation for the first user of a household appliance purchased by the second user, which is stored in the first memory, and   wherein the displaying operation displays on the display of the first user, as instructed by the first processor, the recommended household appliance purchased by the second user.   
     
     
         14 . The information providing device recited in  claim 9 ,
 wherein the household goods include a household appliance, a curtain, a carpet, and a shelf,   wherein the second processor performs the extracting operation to extract the second user based on a comparison of the design, color, or characteristic function of the second user's household appliance with the design, color, or characteristic function of the first user's household appliance,   wherein the receiving operation receives a recommendation for the first user of one of the curtain, the carpet, and the shelf purchased by the second user, which is stored in the first memory, and   wherein the displaying operation displays on the display of the first user, as instructed by the first processor, the recommended one of the curtain, the carpet, and the shelf purchased by the second user.   
     
     
         15 . The information providing device recited in  claim 9 ,
 wherein the recommendation receiving operation receives a recommendation for one of the household goods purchased by the second user, which is stored in the first memory,   wherein selection by the second processor of the recommendation for one of the household goods purchased by the second user is based on the second user's purchase history of clothing, and   wherein the displaying operation displays on the display of the first user, as instructed by the first processor, the recommended one of the household goods purchased by the second user.   
     
     
         16 . The information providing device recited in  claim 9 ,
 wherein the household goods include a curtain, a carpet, and a shelf,   wherein the recommendation receiving operation receives a recommendation for one of the curtain, the carpet, and the shelf purchased by the second user, which is stored in the first memory,   wherein selection by the second processor of the recommendation for one of one of the curtain, the carpet, and the shelf purchased by the second user is based on the second user's purchase history of clothing, and   wherein the displaying operation displays on the display of the first user, as instructed by the first processor, the recommended one of the curtain, the carpet, and the shelf purchased by the second user.