TWI905682B - Method for providing item information and electronic apparatus therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

This invention discloses a method for providing product information in an electronic device, comprising the following steps: confirming first identification information of at least one product category based on user input received from a user terminal; confirming a product set including at least one product based on the first identification information; confirming the unit price corresponding to the one or more products based on information on the sales unit of the one or more products included in the product set and information on the comparison unit corresponding to the first identification information; confirming whether the one or more products meet a price disadvantage condition based on at least one of the sales unit information and the unit price; and providing a product catalog including at least a portion of the products in the product set to the user terminal based on whether the price disadvantage condition is met.

Description

Methods for providing information about items and electronic devices used for such information

This invention relates to a method for providing information about an article and an electronic device for doing so.

With the development of electronic technology, e-commerce has become a field of shopping. Customers can buy items online without having to go directly to shopping malls, markets or stores, and the items purchased online will be delivered to the customer's requested delivery location.

In the context of e-commerce, providing detailed and accurate information about products has a significant impact on service satisfaction, and therefore various solutions for providing more detailed and accurate information are being discussed.

On the other hand, with the popularization of e-commerce shopping, the amount of data that servers providing e-commerce services need to process is becoming increasingly huge, and therefore there is an increasing need to come up with effective methods for managing various e-commerce service-related information.

For related information, see previous references such as KR101756594B1 or KR101500849B1.

[Problem to be solved by the invention] According to the method of the present invention, an electronic device can provide information on items sold in e-commerce services.

The technical problems to be solved by this invention are not limited to those mentioned above. Those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains can clearly understand other technical problems not mentioned based on the following description. [Technical Means for Solving the Problem]

Various embodiments can provide a method for providing information about items and the electronic devices that support it.

The methods for providing item information in an electronic device according to various embodiments disclosed herein may include the following steps: confirming first identification information of at least one product category based on user input received from a user terminal; confirming an item set including at least one item based on the first identification information; confirming the unit price corresponding to the one or more items based on information on the sales unit of the one or more items included in the item set and information on the comparison unit corresponding to the first identification information; confirming whether the one or more items meet a price disadvantage condition based on at least one of the sales unit information and the unit price; and providing an item catalog including at least a portion of the items in the item set to the user terminal based on whether the price disadvantage condition is met.

In the implementation, the information on the aforementioned sales unit may include information on the sales combination units of the item and information on the sales combination unit price.

In an embodiment, the step of determining whether the above price disadvantage condition is met may include the following steps: identifying the following items among the above one or more items as not meeting the above price disadvantage condition, namely, items with a lower unit price compared to items smaller in size in the sales bundle unit.

In an embodiment, the step of determining whether the above price disadvantage condition is met may include the following steps: identifying the following items among the above one or more items as not meeting the above price disadvantage condition, namely, the item with a lower sales bundle unit price compared to the item with a larger sales bundle unit.

In an embodiment, the above-mentioned catalogue may include at least a portion of the items other than those that meet the above-mentioned price disadvantage condition.

In an embodiment, the steps of providing the above-mentioned item catalog may include the following steps: confirming the display ranking of one or more of the above-mentioned items based on whether the above-mentioned price disadvantage condition is met; and providing the above-mentioned item catalog based on the above-mentioned display ranking.

In an embodiment, the above disclosure ranking can be confirmed as follows: the disclosure ranking of items that meet the above price disadvantage conditions has a lower value than that of items that do not meet the above price disadvantage conditions.

In an embodiment, the steps may further include: confirming the delivery fee information corresponding to one or more of the above items; and the step of confirming the unit price may further include the following steps: confirming the actual combined unit price of the above items based on the sales combination unit price confirmed according to the above sales unit information and the above delivery fee information; and confirming the unit price based on the above actual combined unit price.

In an embodiment, the step of providing the above-mentioned item catalog may further include the following steps: receiving user input related to whether or not the above-mentioned price disadvantage condition is applied; and providing the above-mentioned item catalog based on the above-mentioned price disadvantage condition in response to the above-mentioned user input.

In an embodiment, the steps may further include: identifying the item with the lowest unit price in the above-mentioned item catalog based on a comparison of unit prices; and providing the information of the item with the lowest unit price to the above-mentioned user terminal.

In an embodiment, when the user inputs a request for detailed information about the first item, the following steps may be included: displaying a first page related to the detailed information about the first item; and confirming the item with the lowest unit price based on a comparison of the unit prices of at least one item in the item catalog that has a lower unit price than the first item.

In an embodiment, if there is no item in the above-mentioned item catalog that has a lower unit price than the first item, the following steps may be included: displaying information on the first page indicating that the first item is the item with the lowest unit price.

In an embodiment, the steps may further include: identifying popular items in the aforementioned item catalog based on sales volume information; and providing the information on the aforementioned popular items to the aforementioned user terminal.

In an embodiment, when the user inputs a request including detailed information about the first item, the popular item can be confirmed based on the sales volume information of at least one item in the item catalog that has a lower unit price than the first item.

In an embodiment, when the user inputs a request that includes detailed information about the first item, the first identification information may include the first identification information corresponding to the first item.

In an embodiment, when the user inputs keywords and a search request for items, the following steps may be included: providing a second page related to the search results, which corresponds to the search request; and the first identification information may include one or more first identification information related to one or more product categories, which correspond to the keywords, and the second page may include information on one or more items, which correspond to the item catalog.

In an embodiment, the following steps may be further included: classifying the above-mentioned item set into one or more item subsets that include one or more items, based on the second identification information corresponding to the information of the above-mentioned sales combination unit; and identifying the item with the minimum unit price corresponding to each of the above-mentioned one or more item subsets; and the above-mentioned item catalog may include at least a portion of the items selected based on the above-mentioned price disadvantage condition from the one or more items, the one or more items having the minimum unit price according to each of the above-mentioned one or more item subsets.

The electronic devices disclosed in the various embodiments herein may include a transceiver and a processor, wherein the processor may be configured to: confirm first identification information of at least one product category based on user input received from a user terminal; confirm an item set including at least one item based on the first identification information; confirm the unit price corresponding to the item based on information about the sales unit of the item set including one or more items and information about the comparison unit corresponding to the first identification information; confirm whether the item satisfies a price disadvantage condition based on at least one of the sales unit information and the unit price; and provide an item catalog including at least a portion of the items in the item set to the user terminal based on whether the price disadvantage condition is met. [Effects of the Invention]

According to the method of this invention, electronic devices can provide customers with a reasonable and economical e-commerce experience by comparing the unit prices of one or more items belonging to corresponding product categories.

According to the method of the present invention, the electronic device can provide customers with options that enable them to make reasonable judgments when choosing items to purchase by comparing various characteristics of items in corresponding product groups, such as sales volume and unit price.

According to the method of this invention, by calculating the unit price of an item, including delivery fees, and comparing the items, information can be provided on the amount that a customer will actually have to spend to purchase the item.

The effects that can be obtained by this invention are not limited to those mentioned above. Those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains can clearly understand other effects not mentioned based on the following description.

The following embodiments combine the constituent elements and features of various embodiments in a prescribed form. Unless otherwise expressly stated, each constituent element or feature is considered optional. Each constituent element or feature may be implemented without being combined with other constituent elements or features. Furthermore, various embodiments may be constructed by combining a portion of constituent elements and features. The order of actions described in the various embodiments may be changed. A portion of the constituent elements or features of a certain embodiment may be included in other embodiments, or may be interchanged with corresponding constituent elements or features of other embodiments.

The description of the accompanying figures does not describe procedures or steps that would confuse the main points of the various embodiments, nor does it describe procedures or steps that are understandable to a person of common knowledge in the art.

Throughout this specification, when a part is referred to as "comprising" or "including" a constituent element, it means that, unless specifically stated to the contrary, other constituent elements are not excluded, but rather may be included. Furthermore, the terms "...part," "...device," and "module" used in this specification refer to a unit that processes at least one function or action, which may be implemented by hardware or software, or a combination of hardware and software. Also, in the description of various embodiments (particularly within the scope of the invention claim below), unless otherwise indicated in this specification or explicitly refuted in the context, "a (or an)," "one," "the," and similar related terms may be used in both singular and plural senses.

The following detailed description of preferred embodiments of various examples is provided with reference to the accompanying figures. The detailed description disclosed below, together with the accompanying figures, is intended to illustrate exemplary embodiments of various examples and is not intended to represent the only embodiments.

Furthermore, the specific terms used in the various embodiments are provided to aid in understanding the various embodiments, and the use of such specific terms can be changed into other forms without departing from the technical ideas of the various embodiments.

At this point, it should be understood that the combination of the blocks in the flowchart and the flowchart itself can be implemented using computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be mounted on the processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device. Therefore, the instructions implemented by the processor of a computer or other programmable data processing device will produce methods for implementing the functions described in the blocks of the flowchart. In order to implement the functions in a specific manner, these computer program instructions can also be stored in computer-usable or computer-readable memory that is oriented towards a computer or other programmable data processing device. Therefore, the instructions stored in such computer-usable or computer-readable memory can produce a type of product that includes instruction methods that implement the functions described in the blocks of the flowchart. Computer program instructions can also be mounted on computers or other programmable data processing devices. Therefore, a series of actions are performed on computers or other programmable data processing devices to generate a process executed by the computer. Thus, the instructions performed by computers or other programmable data processing devices can also provide steps for executing the functions described in the blocks of the flowchart.

Furthermore, each block can represent a module, segment, or portion of code that includes one or more executable instructions for performing a specific logical function. It should also be noted that in some alternative embodiments, the functions mentioned in the blocks may be generated out of order. For example, two blocks shown successively may actually be executed simultaneously, or sometimes in reverse order depending on their corresponding functions.

Figure 1 is a diagram of an article information providing system 100 that illustrates various embodiments of a method for providing article information by an electronic device.

Referring to Figure 1, the item information providing system 100 of various embodiments can be implemented in various types of devices. For example, the item information providing system 100 can be implemented in electronic device 101 and user device 102. In other words, electronic device 101 and user device 102 can perform the operations of various embodiments of the present invention based on the item information providing system 100 implemented in each device. On the other hand, the item information providing system 100 of various embodiments is not limited to what is shown in Figure 1 above, and can also be implemented in more types of electronic devices and servers.

The electronic device 101 of various embodiments may be a device that enables wireless and wired communication with one or more user devices 102 and includes a memory with a large storage capacity. For example, the electronic device 101 may be a cloud device connected to one or more user devices 102.

The user device 102 in various embodiments can be a desktop computer, tablet computer, mobile terminal, or other device that can be used by an individual user (a customer of e-commerce services). In addition, other electronic devices that perform similar functions can also be used as user device 102.

The item information providing system 100 of various embodiments may include various modules for actions. The modules included in the item information providing system 100 may be computer code or even one or more instructions, which are implemented in such a way that the physical device (e.g., electronic device 101) of the item information providing system 100 (or included in the physical device) can perform specified actions. In other words, the physical device implementing the item information providing system 100 may store multiple modules in memory in the form of computer code. When the multiple modules stored in memory are executed, the multiple modules can cause the physical device to perform the specified actions corresponding to the multiple modules.

Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of various embodiments of electronic devices and user devices.

Referring to FIG2, the electronic device 101 and the user device 102 may include an input/output unit 210, a communication unit 220, a storage unit 230 and a processor 240.

The input/output unit 210 may be various interfaces or ports for receiving user input or outputting information to the user. The input/output unit 210 may include an input module and an output module, and the input module receives user input from the user. The user input may include various forms such as key input, touch input, and voice input. As examples of input modules capable of receiving such user input, in addition to traditional small keyboards or keyboards and mice, they also include touch sensors that sense the user, microphones that receive voice signals, cameras that recognize gestures by image recognition, proximity sensors that sense the user's proximity by at least one of an illuminance sensor or an infrared sensor, motion sensors that recognize user movements by an accelerometer or a gyroscope sensor, and various other types of input mechanisms that sense or receive various forms of user input. The input module of the embodiments of the present invention may include at least one of the devices listed above. Here, the touch sensor can be implemented using piezoelectric or electrostatic touch sensors that sense touch via a touch panel or touch film attached to the display panel, or optical touch sensors that sense touch via optical means. In addition, the input module can also replace the device that senses user input itself by connecting to an input interface (Universal Serial Bus (USB) port, PS/2 port, etc.) for receiving user input via an external input device. Furthermore, the output module can output various information. The output module may include at least one of the following: a display that outputs images, a speaker that outputs sound, a tactile device that generates vibration, and other types of output mechanisms. In addition, the output module can also be implemented by connecting to the port type of the aforementioned individual output mechanism.

As an example, the output module in the form of a display can display text, still images, and video. The display may include at least one of the following: liquid crystal display (LCD), light-emitting diode (LED) display, organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display, flat panel display (FPD), transparent display, curved display, flexible display, 3D display, holographic display, projector, and various other devices capable of performing image output functions. Such a display device may also be a touch display device integrated with the touch sensor of the input module.

The communication unit 220 can also communicate with other devices. Therefore, electronic device 101 and user device 102 can send and receive information with other devices through the communication unit. For example, electronic device 101 and user device 102 can use the communication unit to communicate with each other or with other devices.

Here, communication, i.e., the transmission and reception of data, can be achieved in wired or wireless form. For this purpose, the communication module can be configured as follows: a wired communication module connected to the Internet via a Local Area Network (LAN); a mobile communication module connected to a mobile communication network via a mobile communication base station to transmit and receive data; a short-range communication module using a series of communication methods such as Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) such as Wi-Fi or Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN) such as Bluetooth or Zigbee; a satellite communication module using a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) such as GPS; or a combination thereof.

The memory 230 can store various information. The memory can store data temporarily or semi-permanently. For example, the memory of the electronic device 101 can store data used to drive the operating system (OS) of the electronic device 101, data used to manage the website, or data used to generate Braille, or even application software (e.g., web application software). Furthermore, the memory can store modules in the form of computer program code as described above.

Examples of storage devices 230 include hard disk drives (HDDs), solid-state drives, flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), and random access memory (RAM). Such storage devices can be provided as built-in or removable types.

Processor 240 controls the overall operation of electronic device 101 and user device 102. To this end, processor 240 can perform various information calculations and processing, and control the operation of the components of electronic device 101. For example, processor 240 can execute programs or even application software to provide information about an item. Processor 240 can be implemented as a computer or a similar device, depending on a combination of hardware, software, or the like. In terms of hardware, processor 240 can be implemented as a circuit that processes electrical signals to perform control functions; in terms of software, it can be implemented as a program that drives the hardware processor 240. On the other hand, unless otherwise specifically mentioned in the following description, the actions of the electronic device 101 and the user device 102 can be interpreted as being performed by the control of the processor 240. That is, when the module implemented in the above-mentioned article information providing system 100 is executed, the module can be interpreted as the processor 240 controlling the electronic device 101 and the user device 102 to perform the following actions.

In short, various embodiments can be implemented in various ways. For example, various embodiments can be implemented by hardware, firmware, software, or a combination thereof.

In the case of hardware implementation, the various embodiments can be implemented by one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, etc.

When implemented using firmware or software, the methods of various embodiments can be implemented in the form of modules, programs, or functions that perform the functions or actions described below. For example, software code can be stored in memory and driven by a processor. The memory can be located inside or outside the processor and can send and receive data with the processor using various known methods.

The following describes various embodiments in more detail based on the technical concept described above. The content described above can be applied to the various embodiments described below. For example, undefined actions, functions, terms, etc. in the various embodiments described below can be implemented and explained based on the content described above.

In the following description, various embodiments are explained based on the premise that the electronic device 101 performs the action of providing item information. According to the various embodiments, the electronic device 101 can send and receive information related to the action of providing item information with the user device 102.

Figures 3a, 3b, 4, 5 and 6 are flowcharts illustrating the operation of electronic devices providing item information in various embodiments.

Figures 3a and 3b are flowcharts illustrating the methods for providing an item catalog using electronic devices in various embodiments.

According to various embodiments, in action S310, electronic device 101 can confirm product classification identification information based on user input. In embodiments, electronic device 101 can receive input from user device 102. User input may include at least one of the various user inputs associated with e-commerce services. In embodiments, user input may include at least a portion of the following: requests related to item details corresponding to a specified item (e.g., item 1); requests for a detailed description page of a specified item; input to select a specified item; search keyword input; search requests to search for more than one item; and requests related to displaying search results pages for item search results.

In this embodiment, electronic device 101 can confirm product category identification information based on user input. The e-commerce services provided by electronic device 101 to the user can sell more than one item. Electronic device 101 can store information on more than one item sold through the e-commerce services. Electronic device 101 can confirm product category information corresponding to at least one item. Product category information may include at least some of the information such as the type, category, brand, and product name of the product corresponding to at least one item. That is, different items corresponding to the same product category information can be considered as identical or similar items. For example, in the product category information for "mineral water" under brand A, the product type could be "mineral water," included in the "beverages" category, and corresponding to the brand "A," with a corresponding product name (e.g., A mineral water). This product category information can correspond to product category identification information (e.g., primary identification information). According to one embodiment, electronic device 101 can confirm more than one item based on user input. Electronic device 101 can confirm the primary identification information of the product category corresponding to the confirmed one or more items. For example, when the user input is for a specific item (e.g., item 1), such as selecting item 1, requesting detailed product descriptions for item 1, or requesting the product details page for item 1, the identification information of item 1's product category (first identification information) can be confirmed. According to one embodiment, electronic device 101 can confirm more than one first identification information based on user input. For example, when electronic device 101 receives user input including a request for item retrieval, it can confirm more than one product category and/or product category identification information (first identification information) based on search keywords.

According to various embodiments, in action S320, electronic device 101 can identify an item set based on identification information of a product category. The item set may include more than one item. For example, the item set may include more than one item identified based on first identification information of a product category. In embodiments, the first identification information may correspond to identification information of more than one item belonging to a corresponding product category. Electronic device 101 can store mapping information relating the identification information of a product category to the identification information of more than one item, and identify more than one item corresponding to the information of the product category based on the identification information of the product category and the mapping information. The item set may include the more than one identified item. An item set includes one or more items, each of which can be associated with the identification information of its corresponding product category. Among the one or more items, they can be associated with the same or similar product category information. One or more items can be associated with the same or similar product category information, yet they can be identified as different items. For example, the item information of one or more items may include information about the sales unit, vendor, delivery fee, delivery method, sales volume, sales volume for different time periods, and other item-related information. That is, if at least one of the above item information is different, they can be identified as different items. The above item information can be associated with item identification information.

Referring to Figure 3b, action S320 of an electronic device 101 in one embodiment may include action S321. In action S321, the electronic device 101 may classify the set of items by subset based on the identification information of the sales combination unit. In action S320, the aforementioned sales unit information may be information on the smallest unit for sale set by the seller of the items for each item. The sales unit information may include information on the sales combination unit and information on the sales combination unit price. Users (customers) can purchase items based on the sales combination unit. The sales combination unit may include information on the quantity of combinations that constitute the sales unit, such as number, capacity, volume, weight, tablets, or combinations thereof. For example, if a retailer wants to sell the first item corresponding to "mineral water" in 500 ml capacity (or volume) PET bottles, with a minimum quantity of 6, the sales unit for the first item can be set as "500 (ml) x 6 (bottles)". Similarly, if a retailer wants to sell the second item corresponding to "ramen" in boxes of 12, with a minimum quantity of two boxes, the sales unit for the second item can be set as "12 (bottles) x 2 (boxes) (or individual items)". Likewise, if a retailer wants to sell the third item corresponding to "tablets" in bottles of 100 tablets, with a minimum quantity of 3 bottles per sale, the sales unit for the third item can be set as "100 (tablets) x 3 (bottles) (or individual items)". For example, for "mineral water", the total quantity can be the same, such as "1 (L) x 2" or "500 (ml) x 4", but different sales units can be distinguished from each other.

According to one embodiment, an item set identified based on the first identification information of a product category may include more than one item, and may be classified based on the identification information of more than one sales combination unit. For example, electronic device 101 may classify more than one item within a product category according to the type of more than one sales combination unit. Corresponding to each of the aforementioned sales combination units, identification information (e.g., second identification information) of the sales combination unit may be assigned. The electronic device 101 can confirm the identification information (second identification information) of one or more sales units corresponding to the product classification identification information (first identification information), and classify the items according to the second identification information, which includes one or more items that have corresponding second identification information. Each item subset may include one or more items that have corresponding sales units. In one embodiment, the electronic device 101 can confirm the identification information (second identification information) of one or more sales units corresponding to the identification information of the product classification (first identification information), and confirm the corresponding item identification information by referring to each of the confirmed second identification information, and can confirm that the subset of items corresponding to each of the one or more second identification information includes one or more items. In one embodiment, the electronic device 101 can confirm one or more item identification information corresponding to the first identification information, confirm the second identification information corresponding to each of the one or more items, and classify the items according to the items corresponding to the confirmed second identification information to confirm the subset of items.

Referring again to Figures 3a and 3b, according to various embodiments, electronic device 101 can confirm the unit price of an item in action S330. Electronic device 101 can confirm the unit price corresponding to each of the more than one item included in the item set. According to one embodiment, electronic device 101 can confirm information on the unit price of each of the more than one item included in the item set and/or subset of items. Electronic device 101 can confirm the unit price of an item based on information about the item's selling unit and information about the comparison unit.

In this implementation, the information on the sales unit may include information on the sales bundle unit and information on the sales bundle unit price. That is, the information on the sales bundle unit can be understood as information on the minimum quantity of items that the seller sets for the sale of the items. The information on the sales bundle unit price includes information on the price set by the seller for each sales bundle unit.

The comparison unit information can correspond to the first identification information. The comparison unit information can be a unit set for comparing the price per unit quantity (unit price) between items with corresponding product categories. For example, when items 1 and 2 have corresponding product categories such as "Brand A mineral water", "100 (ml)" can be set as the comparison unit. The comparison unit can include unit types such as volume, mass, number (EA), tablet, and the quantity of each unit. For example, in the case of "tablets," the comparison unit can be set as "100 (tablets)" or "10 (tablets)," and in the case of "ramen," it can be set as "1 (piece)" or "5 (pieces)." Therefore, based on the above examples, when the comparison unit is "100 (ml)," the unit price of the item can correspond to the price per "100 (ml)" of the item. The comparison unit information can be set to determine the unit price of each item, and items with corresponding product categories can have the same comparison unit.

In this embodiment, the electronic device 101 can determine the unit price of an item based on information about the sales bundle unit and information about the comparison unit. The information about the sales bundle unit is determined based on information about the item's sales unit, and the information about the comparison unit is determined based on information about the sales bundle unit price and first identification information. For example, the unit price of an item can correspond to the value obtained by dividing the product of the item's comparison unit and the sales bundle unit price by the sales bundle unit. The electronic device 101 can determine the unit price of an item based on information about the item's sales unit and information about the comparison unit, that is, information about the price of each comparison unit. According to one embodiment, electronic device 101 can determine the unit price based on information about the actual bundled unit price of the item. According to one embodiment, the actual bundled unit price can be understood as price information reflecting delivery fee information in the sales bundled unit price. Electronic device 101 can determine the actual bundled unit price based on delivery fee information and the sales bundled unit price, whereby the delivery fee information is determined based on item identification information. Delivery fee information may include information about the amount of the delivery fee, and further may include information about delivery fee conditions. For example, even for the same item, the delivery fee may be set differently based on the customer's location (e.g., delivery destination), and a delivery fee reduction policy may be applied when purchasing items in quantities or at prices exceeding a predetermined limit. Furthermore, delivery fees can be waived based on coupons currently held by the customer. Electronic device 101 can confirm the actual bundled unit price based on at least some of the following information: delivery fee information confirmed based on item information, delivery fee policy information, coupon information currently held by the user confirmed based on user information, whether a delivery fee policy is applied, and information on the quantity and minimum quantity the user intends to purchase confirmed based on user input. According to one embodiment, electronic device 101 can confirm the actual bundled unit price based on discount information corresponding to the item. For example, electronic device 101 can confirm the actual bundled unit price based on information about discounts applicable through discount events, coupons, etc., and the sales bundled unit price. Electronic device 101 can determine the actual bundled unit price of an item based on at least some of the following information: information on coupons held by the user confirmed based on user information, information on whether the user meets the application conditions of the coupons and information on whether the user meets the application conditions of the discount event, information on discount events confirmed based on item information, and sales bundled unit price information. According to one embodiment, electronic device 101 can determine the unit price based on the actual bundled unit price, the comparison unit, and the sales bundled unit. In this case, the unit price can correspond to the value obtained by dividing the comparison unit by the sales bundled unit and then multiplying it by the actual bundled unit price. By applying a real-value bundled unit price, the electronic device 101 can provide users with item information so that users can make item selection decisions based on the actual cost of the items, such as applied price discounts and delivery fee surcharges.

Referring to Figure 3b, action S330 may include action S331. According to one embodiment, electronic device 101 may, in action S331, identify items with the smallest unit price by subset. Electronic device 101 may identify items with the smallest unit price in each subset of items based on the unit price information of one or more items identified in action S330.

Referring to Figures 3a and 3b, according to various embodiments, in action S340, electronic device 101 can confirm whether the item meets the price disadvantage condition. Whether the item meets the price disadvantage condition can be confirmed by comparing the unit price with that of one or more other items included in the item set. Whether the item meets the price disadvantage condition can be determined based on a comparison with the unit price of other items included in the item set and at least a portion of the sales mix units. A detailed explanation of the price disadvantage condition will be described in Figure 4.

According to various embodiments, electronic device 101 may provide an item catalog in operation S350 based on whether a price disadvantage condition is met. The item catalog may include at least a portion of the items in the item set that comprise one or more items. According to one embodiment, electronic device 101 may provide an item catalog by applying a lower priority to items that meet the price disadvantage condition than other items. According to one embodiment, the item catalog may include at least a portion of the items in the item set that exclude items that meet the price disadvantage condition from the one or more items in the item set. According to one embodiment, when a user input received in action S310 includes a request for detailed information about an item (the first item), the electronic device 101 may, in action S350, provide an item catalog in at least a portion of the detailed information page of the first item. According to another embodiment, when a user input received in action S310 includes a request for search results, the electronic device 101 may provide a search results page based on the item catalog. For example, the electronic device 101 may provide information on one or more items as search results based on the aforementioned item catalog.

Referring to Figure 3b, according to one embodiment, when the electronic device 101 performs operation S331, the electronic device 101 may only check whether the price disadvantage condition is met for items that have one or more minimum unit prices in each subset of items confirmed by item subsets (S340), and provide an item catalog based on whether the price disadvantage condition is met only for items that have one or more minimum unit prices in each subset (S350).

Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating the specific actions of the electronic device 101 in various embodiments to confirm whether an item meets the price disadvantage condition.

Referring to Figure 4, actions S410 and S420 can be performed sequentially or in parallel by the electronic device 101. The electronic device 101 can also perform each action regardless of the order between the actions, or perform only a part of each action. Actions S410 and S420 can be performed after action S330 and before action S340 in Figures 3a and/or 3b.

According to the embodiment, the electronic device 101 can, in operation S410, determine whether the price disadvantage condition is met based on a comparison with items having a larger sales unit. For example, when determining whether the price disadvantage condition is met for a specific item (item 1) included in the item set, the electronic device 101 can compare the price of an item (e.g., item 2) among one or more other items included in the item set that has a larger sales unit than item 1 with the price of item 1. In this case, the comparison of the size of the sales unit can be determined based on the total quantity of each sales unit. For example, if the sales unit of item 1 is "500 (ml) x 12 (pieces)", the total quantity of the sales unit can be equivalent to "6000 (ml)" (or "6 (L)"). Therefore, in this case, the second item can be at least a portion of items whose total sales bundle unit quantity is greater than "6000 (ml)". When the electronic device 101 compares items whose total sales bundle unit quantity is greater than that of the first item (e.g., the second item) with the first item, and the sales bundle unit price or actual bundle unit price of the first item is less than the sales bundle unit price or actual bundle unit price of the comparison item (the second item), it can be determined that the price disadvantage condition is not met. That is, when the sales bundle unit price or actual bundle unit price of the first item is cheaper than the price of the second item, which has a larger sales bundle unit quantity, the price of the first item can be understood as a reasonable price. When the selling price of the second item, which has a larger unit size, is absolutely cheaper or the same as that of the first item, which has a smaller unit size, the first item can be considered as not a reasonable choice for the consumer. Therefore, when the selling price or actual selling price of the first item is more expensive or the same as that of the second item, the electronic device 101 can confirm that the first item meets the price disadvantage condition.

According to an embodiment, electronic device 101 can, in operation S420, determine whether the price disadvantage condition is met based on a comparison with items having a smaller sales unit. For example, when determining whether the price disadvantage condition is met for a specific item (item 1) included in the item set, electronic device 101 can compare the price of an item (e.g., item 3) among one or more other items included in the item set that has a smaller sales unit than item 1 with the price of item 1. Electronic device 101 can compare items (e.g., item 3) whose total sales unit quantity is smaller than item 1 with item 1, and determine that the price disadvantage condition is not met when the unit price of item 1 is smaller than the unit price of the item being compared (item 3). That is, when the unit price of the first item is cheaper than the price of the third item, which has a smaller unit price, the price of the first item can be considered a reasonable price. When the unit price of the first item, which has a larger unit price, is more expensive than or the same as the price of the item with a smaller unit price, the first item can be considered not a reasonable choice for the consumer. Therefore, the electronic device 101 can confirm that the first item meets the price disadvantage condition when the unit price of the first item is more expensive than or the same as that of the third item.

According to one embodiment, electronic device 101 can exclude items from the comparison list of price disadvantage conditions when a portion of the items in the item set have unit prices that are excessively lower than those of other items. Electronic device 101 can exclude items whose unit prices are lower than the average value exceeding the threshold value based on the average unit prices of one or more items in the item set and a threshold value set based on the aforementioned average value, and apply the price disadvantage condition. According to another embodiment, electronic device 101 can exclude items with unit prices lower than the threshold unit price based on a pre-specified threshold unit price according to the item's commodity classification, and apply the price disadvantage condition to the remaining item set after exclusion. In this case, the items excluded from the comparison list of price disadvantage conditions can be included in the item catalog provided to the user. The reason is that when there are items with excessively low unit prices, all items other than the corresponding items can be excluded from the item catalog based on the price disadvantage condition, or the application of the price disadvantage condition becomes meaningless. Therefore, it will excessively restrict the user's choices or hinder the effect of reasonably narrowing the range of user choices.

Figure 5 is a flowchart of the operation of the electronic device 101 providing an item catalog in various embodiments. Referring to Figure 5, actions S510 and S520 can be performed as actions performed after action S350 in Figures 3a and/or 3b, or as actions included in action S350.

According to various embodiments, electronic device 101 can confirm the display ranking of items in action S510. Electronic device 101 can confirm the ranking of each item that will appear in the item catalog. The display ranking of items can be determined based on various conditions. Electronic device 101 can determine the display ranking based on at least a portion of various information such as item sales volume information, sales volume information for different time periods, user purchase records, item sales contribution, and item revenue contribution. In one embodiment, electronic device 101 can determine the display ranking based on whether a price disadvantage condition is met. For example, electronic device 101 can determine the display ranking of an item in the following way: an item that meets the price disadvantage condition has a lower display ranking than an item that does not meet the price disadvantage condition.

According to one embodiment, in action S520, electronic device 101 can provide an item catalog based on the display ranking.

Figure 6 is a flowchart of the operation of the electronic device 101 in various embodiments providing information on items with minimum unit price and/or popular items.

According to various embodiments, in action S610, electronic device 101 can receive user requests related to item details. Action S610 may include at least a portion of action S310 of Figures 3a and/or 3b. Electronic device 101 can receive user requests from user devices related to item details of an item selected by the user (e.g., item 1). Electronic device 101 can provide the user with a detailed information page for item 1 in response to the request.

According to various embodiments, in action S620, electronic device 101 may confirm an item catalog based on product classification identification information. Action S620 may include at least a portion of actions S320, S321, S330, S331, S340, and S350 of Figures 3a and/or 3b. In action S620, as shown in Figures 3a and/or 3b, the item catalog may include at least a portion of an item catalog provided based on whether a price disadvantage condition is met, or at least a portion of the item set confirmed in action S320 or action S321, or at least a portion of an item set classified by item subset.

According to various embodiments, electronic device 101 can, in action S630, identify the lowest unit price item and/or popular item in the item catalog. The lowest unit price item can be the item with the lowest unit price in the item catalog, i.e., the item with the lowest unit price. Electronic device 101 can identify the lowest unit price item and provide information about it. Popular item can refer to an item identified based on sales volume information in the item catalog. Sales volume information can include historical sales information for the item over various periods. For example, sales volume information can include information on the number of items sold within a previously specified period (e.g., 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, etc.). Electronic device 101 can identify popular items based on sales volume information. According to one embodiment, electronic device 101 can identify, in a catalogue, the item with the lowest unit price and/or the most popular item among items that have a lower unit price than the first item. According to another embodiment, electronic device 101 can identify, in a catalogue, the item with the lowest unit price and/or the most popular item among items that have a larger sales volume than the first item.

According to various embodiments, electronic device 101 may provide information on minimum unit price items and/or popular items in at least a portion of the page related to the first item details.

Figures 7a and 7b are diagrams used to illustrate the item details page and options page of various embodiments.

Referring to Figures 7a and 7b, electronic device 101 can provide an item detail information page 700. The detail information page 700 may include detailed information about a specific item (e.g., item 1). Electronic device 101 may provide the detail information page 700 based on user requests related to the detail information of item 1.

Referring to Figure 7a, the details page 700 may include an options interface 710. The options interface 710 may include an interface for providing information on other items having a product category corresponding to the first item as "options" selectable by the user. The electronic device 101 may provide the options page 701 based on user input corresponding to the options interface 710.

According to one embodiment, electronic device 101 may display information about the sales combination unit 711 of the first item in at least a portion of the option interface 710 or at least a portion of the detail information page 700. According to one embodiment, when the first item is currently the lowest unit price item confirmed in the item catalog, information 712 indicating that the first item is the lowest unit price item may be displayed in at least a portion of the detail information page 700. For example, information indicating that it is the lowest unit price item may be displayed using a phrase such as "cost-effectiveness option".

According to one embodiment, the details page 700 may include a user interface 720 regarding whether a delivery fee is applied, which receives user input regarding whether a delivery fee is applied. The electronic device 101 may, based on the user input regarding whether a delivery fee is applied, use a benchmark for determining price disadvantages, whether it is a minimum unit price item, or whether it is a popular item, as the actual bundled unit price or as the sales bundled unit price. In the example of Figure 7a, it can be confirmed that the current user input for applying the current delivery fee is received through the user interface 720 regarding whether to apply the delivery fee. In this case, the price information 721 and the unit price information 722 of the first item can be displayed based on the actual combined unit price. The price-related information included in the information of one or more items displayed on the options page 701 can also be displayed based on the actual combined unit price with the delivery fee applied. Furthermore, at least a portion of the details page 700 can display a guiding statement 730 indicating that the delivery fee has been reflected in the price label.

Referring to Figure 7a, an item catalog can be displayed on option page 701. An item catalog may refer to an item catalog provided based on at least some of the actions described in Figures 3a, 3b, 4, and 5. Option page 701 can display information about one or more items included in the item catalog. For example, in a portion of the area displaying information about the second item, i.e., information related to the second item 740, the sales bundle unit information 741, the sales bundle unit price (or actual bundle unit price) 742, and the unit price 743 of the second item can be displayed.

According to one embodiment, based on a comparison between item 2 740 and item 3 750, the total sales unit quantity of item 2 is 12 (L), while the total sales unit quantity of item 3 is 1 (L). Therefore, although item 2 has a larger sales unit quantity, its unit price is higher than that of item 3. Consequently, electronic device 101 can remove item 2 740 from the selection page 701 or assign it a lower display ranking. Alternatively, according to one embodiment, electronic device 101 can also determine that item 3 750 has an excessively low unit price and exclude it from the comparison based on price disadvantage.

According to one embodiment, for item 4 760, based on a comparison with item 6 780, although the total quantity of the sales bundle units of item 4 760 is smaller, the sales bundle unit price (or actual bundle unit price) is "8,900 Korean Won" and "5,000 Korean Won" respectively, making item 4 760 more expensive. Therefore, the price disadvantage condition is met, and electronic device 101 can remove item 4 760 from the selection page 701. Alternatively, according to one embodiment, since item 6 780 is out of stock, electronic device 101 can also exclude it from the comparison objects of the price disadvantage condition without removing item 4 760.

According to one embodiment, the second item 740 and the fifth item 770 have the same size (total) of sales combination units, and therefore cannot be compared with each other.

According to one embodiment, item 6 780 is out of stock and can therefore be removed from the options page 701.

Referring to Figure 7a, a user interface 790 for receiving user input regarding whether to apply price disadvantage conditions may be displayed in at least a portion of the options page 701 or at least a portion of the details page 700. Based on the user input made through the user interface 790, the electronic device 101 may apply or not apply price disadvantage conditions, providing an item catalog displayed on the options page 701. The explanatory area 792 of the user interface 790 regarding whether to apply price disadvantage conditions may correspond to user input made through the expanded/collapsed user interface 791 of the explanatory area 792.

Referring to Figure 7b, a first component 710b may be provided in at least a portion of the detailed information page 700 to provide information on popular items and/or items with the lowest unit price. The first component 710b may be another embodiment of the options interface 710. Another example 710c of the first component illustrates how the item information displayed in the first component 710b is changed based on input from the user interface 720 regarding whether to apply delivery fees. The first components 710b and 710c may include at least a portion of a first area 713 displaying information on the current item, a second area 714 displaying information on popular items, a third area 715 displaying information on items with the lowest unit price, and a fourth area 716 (options page request icon) displaying information on items with the lowest unit price. When the current item is a popular item or the item with the lowest unit price, the electronic device 101 may not provide the first components 710b and 710c, or may not provide either of the second area 714 or the third area 715 corresponding to the current item (the first item) on the first components 710b and 710c. Alternatively, as shown in the example of FIG7a, the electronic device 101 may provide information indicating that the first item currently viewed by the user is the item with the lowest unit price.

Electronic device 101 can provide a detailed information page for popular items based on user input in area 714. Electronic device 101 can provide a detailed information page for items with the lowest unit price based on user input in area 715. Electronic device 101 can provide an options page 701 based on user input in area 716.

Referring to Figure 7b, the first components 710b and 710c can display only a portion of the display area of the user device 102, and the electronic device 101 can further display the remaining area that is not displayed based on the input of the user's direction (e.g., dragging, clicking, swiping, etc.).

Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating the search results page and filter settings page of various embodiments.

Referring to Figure 8, the electronic device 101 can provide a search results page 800 in response to user input for a search request. Referring to Figure 8, the electronic device 101 can receive search keywords (e.g., "cosmetics") and search requests for one or more items associated with those keywords. The search results page 800 can provide a catalog of one or more items confirmed in response to the search request to the item list area 820. The electronic device 101 can provide a catalog of one or more items via the search results page 800 based on price advantages. According to one embodiment, the electronic device 101 can provide a filter settings page 830 in response to input to the filter input icon 810 included in the search results page 800. Electronic device 101 can display a list of items with or without applied price discrimination conditions in the item list area 820 based on user input corresponding to the second user interface 840 included in the filter settings page 830 regarding whether price discrimination conditions are applied. According to one embodiment, information 821 regarding whether delivery fees are applied can be provided in at least a portion of the search results page 800 via pop-up messages or other various means. A description area 842 related to price discrimination conditions can be provided corresponding to user input made through the expanded/collapsed user interface 841 of the description area 842.

On the other hand, preferred embodiments of the invention are disclosed in this specification and accompanying drawings. Although specific terminology is used, they are only intended to readily illustrate the technical content of the invention and to aid in understanding the invention in a general sense, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. In addition to the embodiments disclosed herein, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains that other variations can be implemented based on the technical concept of the invention.

The electronic devices or terminals described in the above embodiments may include processors, memory for storing and executing program data, such as permanent storage on a disk drive, communication ports for communicating with external devices, and user interface devices such as touch panels, keys, and buttons. Methods implemented using software modules or algorithms, as computer-readable code or program commands executable on the processor, can be stored on computer-readable recording media. Here, computer-readable recording media include magnetic storage media (e.g., ROM (read-only memory), RAM (random-access memory), floppy disks, hard disks, etc.) and optical reading media (e.g., CD-ROM (CD-ROM), DVD (Digital Versatile Disc)). Computer-readable recording media are distributed across a networked computer system, allowing for the distributed storage and execution of computer-readable code. The media can be read by the computer and stored in memory, and can be executed in the processor.

This embodiment can be composed of functional blocks and various processing steps. Such functional blocks can be implemented by different numbers of hardware and/or software components that perform specific functions. For example, the embodiment can employ integrated circuits capable of performing various functions via the control of one or more microprocessors or other control devices, such as memory, processing, logic, lookup tables, etc. The components can be executed by software programming or software elements. Similarly, this embodiment can include various algorithms implemented by combinations of data structures, programs, norms, or other programming structures, and can be implemented using programming or scripting languages such as C, C++, Java, assemblers, Python, etc. In terms of functionality, this can be achieved by algorithms executed in one or more processors. Furthermore, this embodiment can employ prior art for electronic environment setup, signal processing, and/or data processing. Terms such as "mechanism," "element," "means," and "structure" are used broadly and are not limited to mechanical or physical structures. These terms can be associated with processors and include the meaning of a series of software processes.

The above embodiments are merely examples, and other embodiments may be implemented within the scope of the invention application described below.

100: Item Information Provisioning System 101: Electronic Device 102: User Device 210: Input/Output Unit 220: Communication Unit 230: Storage Unit 240: Processor 700: Detailed Information Page 701: Options Page 710: Options Interface 710b: Component 1 710c: Component 1 711: Sales Combination Unit of Item 1 712: Information on Item 1 as the Smallest Unit Price Item 713: Area 1 714: Area 2 715: Area 3 716: Area 4 720: User Interface 721: Price Information of Item 1 722: Unit Price Information of Item 1 730: Introduction Statement 740: Item 2 741: Information on the sales bundle unit of item 2 742: Sales bundle unit price (or actual bundle unit price) 743: Unit price 750: Item 3 760: Item 4 770: Item 5 780: Item 6 790: User interface 791: User interface 792: Explanation area 800: Search results page 810: Filter input icon 820: Item list area 821: Information on whether to apply delivery fees 830: Filter settings page 840: Second user interface 842: Explanation area S310: Action S320: Action S321: Action S330: Action S331: Action S340: Action S350: Action S410: Action S420: Action S510: Action S520: Action S610: Action S620: Action S630: Action

Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating an item information provision system that enables various embodiments of electronic devices to provide item information. Figure 2 is a diagram showing the composition of various embodiments of electronic devices and user devices. Figures 3a, 3b, 4, 5, and 6 are flowcharts illustrating the operation of various embodiments of electronic devices providing item information. Figures 7a and 7b are diagrams illustrating various embodiments of item detail information pages and option pages. Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating various embodiments of search results pages and filter settings pages.

S310: Action

S320:Action

S330: Action

S340: Action

S350: Action

Claims (19)

A method for providing product information in an electronic device includes the following steps: Confirming first identification information for at least one product category based on user input received from a user terminal; Confirming a product set including at least one product based on the first identification information; Confirming a unit price corresponding to the one or more products based on information about the sales unit of the one or more products included in the product set and information about the comparison unit corresponding to the first identification information; Confirming whether the one or more products meet a price disadvantage condition based on at least one of the sales unit information and the unit price; and Providing a product catalog including at least a portion of the products in the product set to the user terminal based on whether the price disadvantage condition is met. As in Request 1, the method for providing item information includes information on the item's sales combination units and information on the sales combination unit price. As in the method for providing item information in claim 1, the step of confirming whether the above-mentioned price disadvantage condition is met includes the following steps: Identifying the following items from the above-mentioned one or more items as not meeting the above-mentioned price disadvantage condition, namely, items with a lower unit price compared to items smaller in size in the sales bundle. As in the method for providing item information in Request 1, the step of confirming whether the above-mentioned price disadvantage condition is met includes the following steps: Identifying the following items among the above-mentioned one or more items as not meeting the above-mentioned price disadvantage condition, namely, items with a lower selling price per unit compared to items with a larger selling unit. The method of providing item information as described in Request 1, wherein the item catalog includes at least a portion of the items other than those that meet the price disadvantage condition. As in the method for providing item information in Request 1, the steps for providing the aforementioned item catalog include the following: Confirming the display ranking of one or more of the aforementioned items based on whether the aforementioned price disadvantage condition is met; and Providing the aforementioned item catalog based on the aforementioned display ranking. As in the method of providing item information in Request 6, the above-mentioned disclosure ranking is determined in the following manner: the disclosure ranking of items that meet the above-mentioned price disadvantage condition has a lower value than that of items that do not meet the above-mentioned price disadvantage condition. The method for providing item information as described in claim 1 further includes the following steps: Confirming the delivery fee information corresponding to one or more of the aforementioned items; and The step of confirming the unit price further includes the following steps: Confirming the actual bundled unit price of the aforementioned items based on the sales bundled unit price confirmed according to the sales unit information and the aforementioned delivery fee information; and Confirming the unit price based on the actual bundled unit price. As in the method for providing item information in Request 1, the step of providing the aforementioned item catalog further includes the following steps: Receiving user input related to whether or not the aforementioned price disadvantage condition is applied; Providing the aforementioned item catalog based on the aforementioned price disadvantage condition in response to the aforementioned user input. The method for providing item information as described in Request 1 further includes the following steps: Identifying, based on a comparison of unit prices, the item with the lowest unit price in the aforementioned item catalog; and Providing the information of the item with the lowest unit price to the aforementioned user terminal. As in the method for providing item information in request item 10, when the user inputs a request including detailed information about item 1, the method further includes the following steps: Displaying a first page related to the detailed information about item 1; and The item with the lowest unit price is determined based on a comparison of the unit prices of at least one item in the item catalog that has a lower unit price than item 1. If, as described in Request 11, there is no item in the aforementioned item catalog with a unit price lower than that of Item 1, the method further includes the following steps: Displaying information on the aforementioned Page 1 indicating that Item 1 is the item with the lowest unit price. The method for providing item information as described in Request 1 further includes the following steps: Identifying popular items in the aforementioned item catalog based on sales volume information; and Providing the information on the aforementioned popular items to the aforementioned user terminals. As in the method for providing item information in request item 13, where the user inputs a request including detailed information about item 1, the aforementioned popular item is confirmed based on the sales volume information of at least one item in the aforementioned item catalog that has a lower unit price than item 1. As in the method for providing item information in Request 1, where the user inputs a request including detailed information about the first item, the first identification information includes the first identification information corresponding to the first item. As in the method for providing item information in Request 1, when the user inputs keywords for searching items and a search request, the method further includes the following steps: Providing a second page related to the search results, which correspond to the search request; and The first identification information includes one or more first identification information related to one or more product categories, which correspond to the keywords; The second page includes information on one or more items, which correspond to the item catalog. The method for providing item information as described in claim 1 further includes the following steps: Based on second identification information corresponding to information on the sales combination units of the items, classifying the aforementioned item set into one or more item subsets comprising one or more items, wherein the one or more items have information on corresponding sales combination units; and For each of the aforementioned one or more item subsets, identifying the item with the minimum unit price; and The aforementioned item catalog includes at least a portion of the one or more items selected based on the aforementioned price disadvantage condition, wherein the one or more items have the minimum unit price according to each of the aforementioned one or more item subsets. An electronic device includes: a transceiver; and a processor; and the processor is configured to: confirm first identification information of at least one product category based on user input received from a user terminal; confirm an item set including at least one item based on the first identification information; confirm a unit price corresponding to the one or more items based on information about the sales unit of the one or more items included in the item set and information about the comparison unit corresponding to the first identification information; confirm whether the one or more items meet a price disadvantage condition based on at least one of the sales unit information and the unit price; and Based on whether the aforementioned price disadvantage condition is met, a catalogue including at least a portion of the items in the aforementioned item set will be provided to the aforementioned user's terminal. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium that records programs for executing methods such as those described in Request 1 on a computer.