# US 11,308,533 B2 · Supplier evaluation system and supplier evaluation method

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- Number: US 11,308,533 B2
- Document ID: US11308533B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/977,788
- Filed: 2019-01-08
- Published: 2020-12-24
- Granted: 2022-04-19
- Earliest claimed: 2018-06-05
- Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd.
- Applicants: Hitachi, Ltd.
- Inventors: Minatsu Tomita; Hidenori Kiuchi
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11308533B2

## CPC

- G06Q 10/06395: {Quality analysis or management}
- G06Q 30/0609: {Qualifying participants for shopping transactions (payment transaction verification G06Q20/401)}
- G06Q 30/018: Certifying business or products
- G06Q 30/0201: Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
- G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR

## Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a reliable supplier evaluation system for correctly evaluating suppliers. A supplier evaluation system 117 according to the present invention is a system for evaluating suppliers based on information relating to a transaction conducted between a buyer and the supplier. The supplier evaluation system 117 is provided with a reception function for receiving communication information 134 and e-commerce information conducted between a buyer and a supplier and that exists in a company system such as that of a buyer, a conversion function for converting the communication information and the e-commerce information into a predetermined format, a database 133 for storing keyword information, and an analysis function 127 for comparing keyword information 138 registered in advance in a storage device with the converted communication information and e-commerce information, and determining a cause of a transaction result of the e-commerce information.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A supplier evaluation method for evaluating a supplier based on information about transactions between a buyer and a supplier, the method comprising:
receiving communication information and e-commerce information associated with a transaction carried out between a buyer and a supplier and that exists in a system used by one or both of the buyer and the supplier;
converting the communication information and the e-commerce information into a predetermined format;
comparing keyword information registered in advance with the converted communication information and e-commerce information; and
determining a cause of a result of the e-commerce transaction.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The supplier evaluation method of claim 1, wherein:
the communication information includes voice information and textual information;
the textual information is converted into the predetermined format;
the voice information is converted into textual information in addition to being converted into the predetermined format.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The supplier evaluation method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving a revision instruction with respect to a determined result;
reflecting the revision instruction on the determined result; and
updating the keyword information based on the reflected determined result.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The supplier evaluation method of claim 1, further comprising:
quantitatively evaluating a supplier based on transaction results of a plurality of the e-commerce information.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The supplier evaluation method of claim 4, further comprising:
graphing and displaying possessed basic information of the supplier, results of the quantitative evaluation, and the determined result.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The supplier evaluation method according to claim 1, further comprising:
electronically or visually outputting a determined result.

### Claim 7

A supplier evaluation system for evaluating a supplier based on information about transactions between a buyer and a supplier, the system comprising:
a reception device configured to receive communication information and e-commerce information carried out between a buyer and a supplier and that exists in a system used by one or both of the buyer and the supplier;
a conversion device configured to convert the communication information and the e-commerce information into a predetermined format,
a storage device configured to store keyword information; and
an analysis device configured to compare keyword information registered in advance in the storage device with the converted communication information and e-commerce information, and determine a cause of a result of the e-commerce transaction.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The supplier evaluation system of claim 7, further comprising:
an output device configured to electronically or visually output a result determined by the analysis device.