System and method of assisting goods collection and recording medium

Abstract

An exchange assisting system is provided in an exchange center. Each maker who trades in used goods, such as copying machines, for new ones from a business entity brings goods produced by other makers into the exchange center. The system manages the inventory information of goods delivered from each maker and stored in the exchange center. The system prepares inventory information on goods maker by maker every given period and sends the information to each maker on-line. Each maker prepares list data of goods the maker wants to collect based on the inventory information and sends the list data to the exchange assisting system on-line. The exchange assisting system prepares delivering-out information for delivering goods out of the exchange center based on the desired goods-to-ship data and outputs the information as one needed to ship associated goods to each maker.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A goods collection assisting system for assisting a work of allowing each of a plurality of business entities to exchange used goods of other business entities which are collected with sales of goods of said each business entity with said other business entities and take back goods of said each business entity, comprising: 
 a collected goods information input unit which inputs collected goods information representing collected goods to be stored in a predetermined storage place;    an information processing system which store said collected goods information input from said collected goods information input unit, processes said stored collected goods information, prepare stored goods information indicating collected goods to be taken back by each of said plurality of business entities and notifies each business entity of said stored goods information;    a receiver information processing terminal which receives and outputs said stored goods information from said information processing system, and inputs desired goods-to-take-back information associated with collected goods each business entity wants to take back and prepared based on said stored goods information; and    a keeper information processing terminal which receives and outputting said desired goods-to-take-back information input from said receiver information processing terminal.    
     
     
         2 . The goods collection assisting system according to  claim 1 , wherein information about said collected goods includes information for specifying a manufacturer of said goods, and 
 said information processing system classifies said collected goods by manufacture and prepares said stored goods information based on that classification.    
     
     
         3 . The goods collection assisting system according to  claim 1 , wherein said collected goods information input unit includes a desired goods-to-bring-in information input unit for inputting desired goods-to-bring-in information about said goods each business entity wants to bring in before said each business entity brings collected goods in said predetermined storage place, and a unit which inputs information indicating that said collected goods have been brought in when said collected goods have been brought in said predetermined storage place.  
     
     
         4 . The goods collection assisting system according to  claim 3 , further comprising a unit which outputs said desired goods-to-bringin information to be ready for reception at said predetermined storage place.  
     
     
         5 . The goods collection assisting system according to  claim 1 , wherein said keeper information processing terminal receives said desired goods-to-take-back information via said information processing system.  
     
     
         6 . The goods collection assisting system according to  claim 5 , wherein said information processing system excludes from said collected goods information those collected goods which are specified by said desired goods-to-take-back information as desired goods to take back.  
     
     
         7 . The goods collection assisting system according to  claim 1 , where said keeper information processing terminal output said desired goods-to-take-back information to be ready for shipment from predetermined storage place.  
     
     
         8 . The goods collection assisting system according to  claim 1 , wherein said keeper information processing terminal inputs shipment information indicating collected goods which has been shipped out of said predetermined storage place, and 
 said information processing system stores said shipment information from said keeper information processing terminal in association with said stored collected goods information and excludes said shipped collected goods from said stored goods information.    
     
     
         9 . The goods collection assisting system according to  claim 1 , wherein said predetermined storage place includes plural first storage places each of which receives collected goods from said business entities and one or plural second storage places, provided one for a plurality of said first storage places, which stocks said collected goods stored in said plurality of first storage places, and 
 said information processing system stores, for individual collected goods, information including those business entities which have collected said individual collected goods, those business entities which are to take back said individual collected goods, information specifying said individual collected goods, a scheduled reception date of receiving said individual collected goods in said first storage places, a reception date at which said individual collected goods have been received in said first storage places, a scheduled transporting date of transporting said individual colleted goods to said second storage places from said first storage places, a scheduled delivering-out date of delivering said individual collected goods to individual business entities from said second storage places and a delivering-out date at which said individual collected goods have been delivered to individual business entities from said second storage places.    
     
     
         10 . The goods collection assisting system according to  claim 1 , wherein said information processing system executes a charging process of charging each business entity for storage and exchange works based on at least a quantity and a storage period of collected goods stored in said predetermined storage place.  
     
     
         11 . The goods collection assisting system according to  claim 1 , wherein for each of said collected goods, said information processing system stores at least one of a scheduled date of delivery into said predetermined storage place, an actual delivering-in date, a collecting business entity, a taking-back business entity, information specifying goods, a scheduled delivering-out date and an actual delivering-out date.  
     
     
         12 . The goods collection assisting system according to  claim 1 , wherein said information processing system prepares said stored goods information every given period and sends said stored goods information to each business entity.  
     
     
         13 . A goods collection assisting system which assists a work of allowing each of a plurality of business entities to exchange used goods of other business entities which are collected with said other business entities and take back used goods said each business entity wants to take back, and which: 
 stores collected goods information representing collected goods stored in a predetermined storage place in a memory unit;    processes said collected goods information stored in said memory unit to prepare stored goods information to be referred to by said plurality of business entities to take back collected goods, and    receives desired goods-to-take-back information prepared based on said stored goods information and associated with collected goods each business entity wants to take back.    
     
     
         14 . The goods collection assisting system according to  claim 13 , wherein said goods collection assisting system accepts and stores storing schedule information indicating a scheduled storing date in said memory unit before said each business entity brings used goods in said predetermined storage place, 
 accepts storage information indicating an actual date of receiving said collected goods in said predetermined storage place and stores said storage information in said memory unit in association with said storing schedule information,    stores a desired taking-back date, included in said desired goods-to-take-back information, in said memory unit in association with said storage information, and    accepts delivering-out information indicating an actual date of delivery out of said predetermined storage place and stores said delivering-out information in said memory unit in association with said desired taking-back date.    
     
     
         15 . The goods collection assisting system according to  claim 13 , wherein said predetermined storage place includes plural first storage places each of which receives collected goods from said business entities and a second storage place, provided one for said plural first storage places, which receives said collected goods stored in said plurality of first storage places, and 
 said memory unit stores information indicating a delivering-in date of delivery of said collected goods into said first storage places, a delivering-in date of delivery of said collected goods into said second storage place and a delivering-out date of carrying said collected goods out of said second storage place to an associated business entity.    
     
     
         16 . The goods collection assisting system according to  claim 13 , further comprising a charger which charges each business entity for storage and exchange works based on at least a quantity and a storage period of collected goods for each taking-back business entity.  
     
     
         17 . The goods collection assisting system according to  claim 13 , wherein in response to an access from any business entity, information stored in said memory unit is added up in accordance with a condition indicated by said business entity and provided to an information processing apparatus of said business entity.  
     
     
         18 . An information processing system for a business entity which assists a work of allowing each of a plurality of business entities to exchange used goods of other business entities which are collected with said other business entities and take back said collected goods said each business entity wants to take back, and which: 
 sends carry-in schedule information indicating a schedule of bringing used goods into a predetermined storage place to a control information processing unit,    receives stored goods information indicating goods stored in said predetermined storage place and to be taken back by said business entity from said control information processing unit and outputs said stored goods information, and    transmits desired goods-to-take-back information indicating a schedule of taking back said goods to said control information processing unit.    
     
     
         19 . The information processing system according to  claim 18 , wherein said predetermined storage place includes plural first storage places in which said business entities bring collected goods and one or plural second storage places, provided one for a plurality of said first storage places, for stocking said collected goods stored in said plurality of first storage places, and 
 said carry-in schedule information includes a scheduled date of bringing collected goods into said first storage places, a carry-in business entity, a taking-back business entity and information indicating collected goods, and    said desired goods-to-take-back information includes information specifying collected goods, transported from any one of said first storage places to said second storage place and stocked in said second storage place and a scheduled taking-back date.    
     
     
         20 . The information processing system according to  claim 18 , wherein at least one of a bill and a detailed statement prepared based on at least a storage period of collected goods for each business entity in said predetermined storage place is received from said control information processing unit and output.  
     
     
         21 . The information processing system according to  claim 18 , wherein said control information processing unit is instructed on an adding condition and information added based on said adding condition is received from said control information processing unit and output.  
     
     
         22 . An information processing system for goods collection assistance, which assists a work of allowing each of a plurality of business entities to exchange used goods of other business entities which are collected with said other business entities and take back used goods said each business entity wants to take back, and which: 
 receives a schedule of bringing collected goods into a predetermined storage place from a control information processing system for controlling collected goods and outputs said schedule,    sends storage information of said collected goods brought in said predetermined storage place to said control information processing system,    receives and outputs desired goods-to-take-back information about used goods each taking-back business entity wants to take back via said control information processing system, and    sends information indicating goods delivery out of said predetermined storage place to said control information processing system.    
     
     
         23 . The information processing system for goods collection assistance according to  claim 22 , wherein said predetermined storage place includes plural first storage places which receives collected goods from said business entities and one or plural second storage places, provided one for a plurality of said first storage places, which stock said collected goods from said plurality of fist storage places and at which said stocked collected goods are delivered to a take-back business entity, and 
 said information processing system sends said control information processing system information indicating one of a collecting business entity and a taking-back business entity of collected goods delivered in said first storage places, a delivering-in date of delivery in said first storage places, a transporting date of transportation to said second storage places from said first storage places, and a date at which said collected goods have been taken back to said taking-back business entity.    
     
     
         24 . The information processing system for goods collection assistance according to  claim 22 , wherein said information processing system accesses said control information processing system and designates an adding condition, and receives information added in accordance with said adding condition from said control information processing system and outputting said information.  
     
     
         25 . A goods collection assisting method of assisting a work of allowing each of a plurality of business entities to exchange used goods of other business entities which are collected with said other business entities and take back used goods said each business entity wants to take back, comprising: 
 a collected goods information input step of inputting collected goods information representing collected goods to be stored in a predetermined storage place;    an information processing step of storing said collected goods information input from said collected goods information input unit, processing said stored collected goods information, preparing stored goods information indicating collected goods to be taken back by each of said plurality of business entities and notifying each business entity of said stored goods information;    a receiver information processing step of receiving and outputting said stored goods information from said information processing step, and inputting desired goods-to-take-back information associated with collected goods each business entity wants to take back and prepared based on said stored goods information; and    a keeper information processing step of receiving and outputting said desired goods-to-take-back information input from said receiver information processing step.    
     
     
         26 . A goods collection assisting method which assists a work of allowing each of a plurality of business entities to exchange used goods of other business entities which are collected with said other business entities and take back used goods said each business entity wants to take back, and which comprises: 
 a step of storing collected goods information representing collected goods to be stored in a predetermined storage place in a memory unit;    a step of processing said collected goods information stored in said memory unit to prepare stored goods information to be referred to by said plurality of business entities to take back collected goods; and    a step of receiving desired goods-to-take-back information prepared based on said stored goods information and associated with collected goods each business entity wants to take back.    
     
     
         27 . An information processing method for a business entity which assists a work of allowing each of a plurality of business entities to exchange used goods of other business entities which are collected with said other business entities and take back said used goods said each business entity wants to take back, and which comprises: 
 a step of sending carry-in schedule information indicating a schedule of bringing used goods into a predetermined storage place to a control information processing unit;    a step of receiving stored goods information indicating goods stored in said predetermined storage place and to be taken back by said business entity from said control information processing unit and outputting said stored goods information; and    a step of transmitting desired goods-to-take-back information indicating a schedule of taking back said goods to said control information processing unit.    
     
     
         28 . An information processing method for goods collection assistance, which assists a work of allowing each of a plurality of business entities to exchange used goods of other business entities which are collected with said other business entities and take back used goods said each business entity wants to take back, and which comprises: 
 a step of receiving a schedule of bringing collected goods into a predetermined storage place from a control information processing system for controlling collected goods and outputting said schedule;    a step of sending storage information of said collected goods brought in said predetermined storage place to said control information processing system,    a step of receiving and outputting desired goods-to-take-back information about used goods each taking-back business entity wants to take back via said control information processing system; and    a step of sending information indicating goods delivery out of said predetermined storage place to said control information processing system.    
     
     
         29 . A goods collection assisting method comprising the steps of: 
 inputting information about used goods brought in by a carrying-in person into a predetermined storage place through first input means;    storing said input information about goods in memory means;    extracting information about goods stored in said memory means and preparing stored goods information to be referred to by a plurality of taking-back persons;    receiving, through second input means, desired goods-to-take-back information which is prepared based on said prepared stored goods information and is about goods each tacking-back person wants to take back;    performing a predetermined process based on said input desired goods-to-take-back information and said information about goods stored in said memory means, thereby preparing delivering-out information for delivering goods out of said predetermined storage place; and    outputting said prepared delivering-out information.    
     
     
         30 . A computer program for allowing a computer to execute the steps of: 
 inputting, through first input means, information about used goods which are brought in by a carrying-in person into a predetermined storage place and which are at least partly reusable or recyclable;    storing said input information about goods in memory means;    extracting information about goods stored in said memory means and preparing stored goods information to be referred to by a plurality of taking-back persons;    receiving, through second input means, desired goods-to-take-back information which is prepared based on said prepared stored goods information and is about goods each taking-back person wants to take back;    performing a predetermined process based on said input desired goods-to-take-back information and said information about goods stored in said memory means, thereby preparing delivering-out information for delivering goods out of said predetermined storage place; and    outputting said prepared delivering-out information.