WO2008093019A1 - Method for making a customised jewel available to a user's client using a system comprising a dialogue management computer means - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for making a customised jewel available to a user's client using a system that comprises a dialogue management computer means (1) capable of communicating, through a data transmission network (2, 4), with means for exchanging data with a user (3) on the one hand, and with an industrial computer system (5) of at least one production unit (6) including a least one manufacturing means on the other hand, wherein the industrial computer system includes at least one integrated planning means (11), a computer assisted design means (9) and a computer assisted manufacturing means (10), characterised in that it comprises: the step of recognition of the user; the step of creating an order comprising data defining the customised jewel and determined by the user's client, and at least one piece of data determined by the system according to the user and the jewel definition data; the step of validating by the user's client the terms and conditions of the order; the step of confirming the order by the user and validating the order by the system; and the step of executing the order that comprises manufacturing and sending the jewel ordered.

Description

 Method for making a personalized jewel available to a customer of a user using a system comprising a computer means for managing dialogue

The present invention relates to a method and a device for making available to a customer of a user, a personalized jewel designed by the customer of the user, using a computer management means of dialogue that can communicate with a user. user and with a production system equipped with industrial computer means.

The jewels offered for sale in jewelery shops or department store jewelery departments, are unique pieces or series pieces with certain size parameters such as the fingertip, can be adapted to each customer.

With this mode of marketing, the jeweler can offer his customers choice only with a very large stock which has the disadvantage of generating considerable costs related to capital assets.

In addition, the customer does not feel that the jewel has been specifically designed for him.

Certainly when the jeweler is in contact with a goldsmith's workshop that does custom work, he can develop with his client a personalized jewel project and have it done by the goldsmith's workshop.

But this procedure has disadvantages.

Indeed, the jeweler does not control all the information that allows him to determine precisely if the project imagined by his client is technically feasible, what delivery time can be offered and finally what exactly the price.

These uncertainties are all the greater when the jeweler does not have his own goldsmith's workshop.

Moreover, when the jewels are sold by a jeweler independent of the silversmith who manufactures them, the silversmith does not have direct contact with the customers. This has the disadvantage of limiting the offer he can make.

The object of the present invention is to remedy these drawbacks by proposing a means for selling at a jeweler's or a jeweler's department store, custom jewelry for each customer in the shops. better reliability as to the feasibility, the price, the delivery time, while reducing the inventory required by traders.

For this purpose, the subject of the invention is a method for making a personalized jewel available to a customer of a user by using a system comprising a computer management means for dialogue that can communicate via at least one a data transmission network, on the one hand with a means for exchanging data with a user and, on the other hand, with an industrial computer system of at least one production unit comprising at least one means of manufacture, the system industrial computer system comprising at least one integrated planning means, a computer-aided design means (9) and a computer-aided manufacturing means. The method comprises:

a step of recognizing the user,

a step of developing an order comprising personalized jewelry definition data determined by the customer of the user, and at least one piece of data determined by the system according to the user and the definition data of the piece of jewelery,

a step of validation by the customer of the user of the terms and conditions of the order, a step of confirmation of the order by the user and validation of the order by the system, and

- A stage of execution of the order including the manufacture and shipping of the jewel as ordered.

Preferably, at least one data determined by the system according to the user and the definition data of the jewel is the recommended selling price for the jewel as defined.

The recommended selling price is determined for example by multiplying a base selling price determined from the definition data of the jewel by a coefficient determined according to the user. Preferably, the development of a command is done through an interactive process in which the production system proposes successive choices, registers wishes formulated in response to each choice proposal, evaluates the technical feasibility and the compatibility of the registered wishes and informed the user of this feasibility, visualizes the jewel resulting from the validated wishes, determines and transmits to the user a price resulting from the validated wishes.

Preferably, at least one piece of data determined by the system according to the user and the definition data of the piece of jewelery is a delivery time evaluated in real time from the actual load and supply constraints of the item unit. production and location of the delivery place.

Preferably, during the confirmation and validation step of the order, the system recognizes the user, checks its solvency and considers the order as valid only if the solvency of the user is confirmed. The system identifies the user for example via a code.

The user is for example a jewelery seller and the means for exchanging data with a user is placed in a sales room accessible to the user's customers.

The definition data of the jewel comprise for example: a type of shape possibly with a shape parameter;

a definition of the material such as gray gold, yellow gold, rose gold, or platinum;

a surface condition such as matt, glossy;

- the dimension (finger size);

- possibly the presence of diamonds set with, in particular, the number of diamonds, the size, the quality and the disposition of the diamonds, the type of setting;

- possibly the presence of an engraving with the description of the engraving.

The description of the engraving may include an image transmitted by the user, and for example a scanned image.

Preferably, at least one production means is automated and directly controlled by the computer-aided manufacturing means and, during the manufacturing and shipping step, the computer-aided manufacturing means transmits directly to the automated production means. manufacturing instructions.

The invention also relates to a system for implementing the method which comprises a computer management means for dialogue with at least one user able to communicate by at least one data transmission network with one or more data exchange means with a user and with the industrial computer system of at least one production unit comprising at least one manufacturing means; the industrial computer system including at least one computer-integrated planning means, computer-aided design means, and computer-aided manufacturing means; and the system comprising user recognition means and means for generating at least one given data according to the user.

Preferably, the system is connected by a data exchange network with at least one system for evaluating the solvency of at least one user.

Preferably, the production unit is connected to the industrial computer system by an industrial information transmission network and at least one production means is automated and directly connected to the industrial computer system.

At least the data transmission network enabling the dialogue management means to communicate with the data exchange means with the user is for example a network of the Internet type.

The invention will now be described in a more precise but nonlimiting manner with reference to the appended figure which is a diagrammatic representation of a system enabling a jeweler to sell to one of his clients a personalized jewel that the client himself has designed. To allow a user, including a jeweler, to sell to one of his customers a piece of jewelry that the client has himself designed, and to have this piece of jewelery delivered within a specified period of time at an agreed price, a system that includes a dialogue management computer means 1 being able to communicate via a data transmission network 2 with at least one data exchange means with a user 3, and via a network for the exchange of data. data transmission 4, with an industrial computer system 5 of at least one production unit 6 comprising at least one production means 7 for manufacturing a jewel 8.

The industrial computer system 5 comprises at least one computer-aided design (CAD) computer means 9, computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) means 10, and computer-integrated planning (ERP) means 11.

This industrial computer system is connected to the manufacturing means 7 via an industrial network 12. The computer dialogue management means 9 comprises a means 13 for identifying the user who enters into communication with this computer management means of dialogue. This means of recognizing the user is, for example, a means of recognizing a personalized code specific to the user and introduced by the user into the data exchange means 3. Such means are known to the person of career.

The dialogue management computer means 1 can also communicate, for example via the data exchange network 4, with firstly a means 14 for generating at least one data specific to each user. and with a means 15 for determining whether each user is solvent or not.

In general, the user is a merchant for example a jeweler or the manager of a jewelry department of a big-box store.

The means for exchanging data with a user 3 is, for example, a microcomputer terminal located in the merchant's shop or in the department store department. This terminal is available to the user on one hand and on the other hand to a customer of the user who wants to buy a jewel and who can interact with the system using the data exchange means , under the supervision of the user. The means for exchanging data with the user may comprise, in addition to a screen, a keyboard, a mouse, a scanner or a means for capturing images.

The computer management means of dialogue 1, for example is a computer server that can be located in any location, and which is under the control of a manager of the system. The means 14 for developing a data specific to each user, for example, is a computer file for assigning each user a coefficient used to calculate the recommended price for each piece of jewelry when the piece is sold by a specific user. Indeed, this price is calculated by multiplying a basic price determined solely according to the technical characteristics of the jewel, by a coefficient specific to each user.

The means 15 for verifying the creditworthiness of the user is a computer means that can determine at any time if a user who places an order is solvent given the amount of the order he is passing. These means 14 and 15 for determining, on the one hand, a parameter specific to each user and on the other hand verifying the solvency of the user, can be implemented either on the computer management system of the sales system manager. of jewelry that has just been described either on the computer system of management of the manufacturing unit according to whether the system is managed directly by the manufacturing unit or that it is managed by a unit independent of the unit of manufacture. manufacturing.

The manufacturing means of the production unit 6 are manufacturing means known per se from a jewelry production unit, in particular jewelry made of rings made of gold or platinum, shaped in such a way to obtain sections of particular shapes, with specific diameters and particular surface conditions, and on which engravings and possibly gems or set stones such as diamonds may be added.

These manufacturing means comprise at least one numerically controlled machining center specialized in the machining of rings for rings or for alliances, and possibly an automated numerical control means for crimping stones and in particular and diamonds.

The manufacturing means also comprise one or more surface treatment means such as polishing, and possibly a digitally controlled etching unit that can burn either text or images transmitted by computer means.

Finally, the production unit can comprise means for producing metal and producing half-products such as tubes as well as means for cutting and blanking rings. In all cases, the means of production are connected via the industrial computer network 12 to the industrial computer system 5, which is also known in itself to those skilled in the art.

The production system which has just been described consists of a workshop, but the person skilled in the art will understand that this production system may consist of several complementary or parallel workshops and that the architecture of the industrial computer system may be adapted to result.

Through its computer-aided design means 9, the industrial computer system 5 makes it possible to develop catalogs of possible bases and to propose choices of possible technical solutions to realize a jewel.

It allows a user to draw a jewel project and validate this project. It finally makes it possible to construct a graphical representation of the result that can be displayed on a suitable visualization means.

Through the computer-aided computer manufacturing means 10, the industrial computer system makes it possible to elaborate manufacturing instructions for each of the manufacturing steps of the jewel as it has been defined with the aid of the assisted design system. by computer, and to send these manufacturing instructions to each of the manufacturing units. In particular, it makes it possible to directly send manufacturing instructions to digital control manufacturing means.

Through computer-integrated planning means 11, the industrial computer system on the one hand receives information on the state of charge of the production unit and the state of the stocks, and on the other hand can determine real-time delivery time of the customer of a particular jewel, depending on the current manufacturing program and any supply needs.

In addition, the industrial computer system can determine the manufacturing cost and therefore the base price which is used to calculate the advised public price that can be offered to a user according to the choices that have been expressed and validated, and according to the user.

The computer management means of dialogue 1 is in communication with other computer means via data exchange networks which are for example networks of the Internet type.

Naturally, these data transmission networks can be secured, in particular by means of encryption.

For this, the system includes suitable computer means.

The jewel that can be sold using this system is, for example, an alliance consisting of a ring having a section corresponding to a type of shape that can be chosen from a catalog and that can be modulated via a shape parameter.

This ring is made of a material that can be chosen from several available materials which are for example gray gold, yellow gold, rose gold or platinum. These rings may have a predetermined surface state, for example a matte surface or a glossy surface or a hammered surface or any other type of known surface state of goldsmithery.

The ring has a dimension including a fingertip that corresponds to the size desired by the customer.

In addition, depending on the wishes of the client, the ring may include stones or gems set on its periphery. These stones are for example diamonds which can be of different size, and be distributed more or less uniformly all around the ring, and be more or less numerous. The gems may have various qualities known in themselves to those skilled in the art. They can be crimped according to several types of crimping which are also known to those skilled in the art.

Finally, it can be provided on the ring an engraving that is for example a text corresponding to a date, names or any other text, or which may include drawings or figures, such as ideograms.

It will be noted that the etching realization corresponding to particular drawings or figures such as ideograms is possible by using numerically controlled engraving machines which receive, as input, definitions of the drawings to be reproduced in the form of scanned images, for example . To make available to a customer, a personalized jewel, a user can use the system just described by proceeding as will be exposed now.

It is assumed that the dialogue management means 1 are in communication with the data exchange means with a user 3, and with the industrial computer system 5 of the production unit 6, as well as with the data exchange means. with the computer means for generating a personalized data item for the user 14 and with a computer means for validating the solvency of a user 15.

It is also assumed that a catalog of type of possible product shapes, a catalog of surface finish and a base of choice for different options, in particular for the choice of stones likely to be set on the jewel have have been developed and are accessible through dialogue management.

We now consider a user who wants to sell a personalized jewel to one of his customers after helping the customer to design his own jewel. The user first connects via the terminal 3 to the computer management means of dialogue 1, and is recognized by sending to this computer management means dialogue custom code that is recognized by the means 13 of recognition of the user. Once the user is recognized, a process of developing the jewel in connection with the customer can start.

For this, the system displays on the screen of the data exchange means with a user 3 at least a first page offering the user and therefore his client, a choice of type of jewelry form. This choice is preferably made in a catalog of predefined forms.

After a first choice formulated by the client, the computer management means of dialogue offers choices of parameters that can be for example the width of the ring of a ring or a ring. In addition, the dialogue management means asking the customer whether he wants a jewel for a man or a woman and possibly ask to specify the desired size (fingertip).

The client then formulates his wish, which is transmitted to the computer-based dialogue management means 1 via the data exchange means 3 and the data transmission network 2. In particular by using the computer-aided design means 9, the system generates a graphical representation of the results of the first wishes expressed by the customer and transmits this graphical representation by means of data exchange so as to display an image.

He then asks the user to validate the wish. If the customer has validated this wish, the system then offers a choice of material and surface condition, and the customer can then express a wish and validate this wish.

The system then develops a graphic representation of the jewel resulting from the wishes thus validated, a price range corresponding to these wishes. The system can also ask the user whether or not he wants stones such as diamonds to be set and the number of stones and the arrangement of these stones. The customer can then express his wishes and the system checks the technical feasibility of the expressed wishes, in particular by using the means of computer-assisted design.

If the wishes expressed by the client are not compatible, the system may propose alternative solutions that are as little as possible away from the wishes originally formulated. It also offers a price.

The system then asks the customer to validate or not the result of his choice.

The system can also propose to the customer to make an engraving inside the ring of the jewel.

The customer can then accept or refuse. If the customer accepts, the system asks him to define the engraving that must be performed on the jewel.

For this, the user can either enter a text using a keyboard possibly after choosing the type of characters used, or introduce an engraving in the form of a digital image for example that it has scanned beforehand.

The system then verifies the technical feasibility of the engraving taking into account all the wishes previously formulated by the customer.

When all wishes have been expressed by the user, and each of these wishes has been validated, the system presents the complete jewel resulting from all the wishes expressed, in the form of a written description and a Graphic Representation.

In addition, the system indicates the price and the time that can be guaranteed if the order is actually confirmed quickly, taking into account the actual conditions of availability of materials and loads of the production unit at the time of the assessment of the deadline. Delivery.

This period also includes the time required for the delivery of the jewel.

The real-time evaluation of the actual delivery time is made possible by the presence of ERP integrated planning means in the industrial computer system.

Indeed, this integrated planning system is able at any moment to determine the actual time of any new order that has entered the production system. The proposed price for the customer is a public advised price developed on the one hand from a transfer schedule determined by the computer system industry! 5 based solely on technical parameters corresponding to the definition of jewelry and secondly from a coefficient specific to each user that is determined by the system manager.

This coefficient is stored in a file belonging to the computer means for producing a particular parameter 14.

The advised public price is then the product of a basic price determined from the scale of transfer by the coefficient proper to the user. The user can then ask the system to print an order form including the technical definition of the jewel, the corresponding recommended retail price and the time limit.

Once the order form is printed, the user can possibly negotiate with his client a final sale price possibly including a reduction or a discount.

When the user has agreed with his client and the customer has placed a firm order for the jewel in the conditions that have been negotiated with the user, the user confirms the order to the delivery system jewelery. For this, the user enters his personal code which is recognized by the recognition system of the user 13. Once this code entered, the user can validate the command which is then registered by the system. This order corresponds to the technical definition of the jewel as it was developed by the customer, with a price that corresponds to the base price developed by the industrial computer system and with the proposed delay.

Once the order is confirmed by the user, the system verifies the creditworthiness of the user by using the user's credit rating means.

This means of evaluating the solvency of the user can take various forms. This can be for example a file provided in the management system of the jewelery delivery system manager or in a management system of the production unit, or implemented in the computer system of the user's bank. . If the order which has been confirmed by the user is validated by the validation means of the order 15, this command is transmitted to the industrial computer system 5 which starts manufacturing the jewel and prepares its shipment to the user. In order to launch the manufacturing and ordering process, the industrial computer system 5 proceeds in a known manner by elaborating manufacturing instructions for different manufacturing means, and possibly by directly transmitting these manufacturing instructions to the numerically controlled manufacturing means which are connected to the industrial network of the industrial computer system.

This manufacturing is then performed by being followed by the integrated planning system.

When the jewel is manufactured, it is shipped according to the methods known in themselves by the skilled person. The system which has just been described is applicable in particular to the manufacture of jewelry alliance type but can also be adapted to different personalized jewelry and for example solitaires or any other jewel.

This process makes it possible to sell completely individualized products to jewelers' customers without the jeweler needing to have very large stocks of jewels while ensuring a good reliability of the information given to the client relative in particular to the feasibility of the jewel that he designed, at the price of this jewel and the delivery time.

This also allows the production unit to set up a custom jewelry marketing process that could not be implemented if the production system did not have such a direct relationship with the customer.

Claims

A method for making a personalized jewel available to a customer of a user using a system comprising a dialogue management computer means (1) capable of communicating via at least one data transmission network (2, 4), on the one hand with a data exchange means with a user (3) and on the other hand with an industrial computer system (5) of at least one production unit (6) comprising at least one least one means of manufacture, the industrial computer system comprising at least one integrated planning means (11), a computer-aided design means (9) and a computer-aided manufacturing means (10), characterized in that includes: a step of recognizing the user, a step of developing an order comprising personalized jewelry definition data determined by the customer of the user, and at least one piece of data determined by the system according to the user and the definition data of the piece of jewelery, a step of validation by the customer of the user of the terms and conditions of the order, a step of confirmation of the order by the user and validation of the order by the system, and - A stage of execution of the order including the manufacture and shipping of the jewel as ordered. 2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one piece of data determined by the system according to the user and the definition data of the jewel is the recommended selling price for the jewel as defined. 3. Method according to claim 2, characterized in that the recommended selling price is determined by multiplying a base selling price determined from the definition data of the jewel by a coefficient determined according to the user. 4. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the development of a command is done by an interactive process in which the production system proposes successive choices, records wishes formulated in response to each proposal of choice, assesses the technical feasibility and compatibility of registered wishes and informs the user of this feasibility, visualizes the jewel resulting from validated wishes, determines and transmits to the user a price resulting from validated wishes. 5. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that at least one data determined by the system according to the user and the definition data of the jewel is a delivery time evaluated in real time from the actual load and supply constraints of the production unit and the location of the place of delivery. 6. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, during the confirmation and validation step of the order, the system recognizes the user, checks its solvency and does not consider the order as valid only if the creditworthiness of the user is confirmed. 7. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the system identifies the user via a code. 8. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the user is a merchant jewelry seller and in that the means for exchanging data with a user is disposed of in a sales room accessible to customers of the user. 9. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the definition data of the jewel comprises: - a type of shape optionally with a shape parameter; a definition of the material such as gray gold, yellow gold, rose gold, or platinum; a surface condition such as matt, glossy; - the dimension (finger size); - possibly the presence of diamonds set with, in particular, the number of diamonds, the size, the quality and the disposition of the diamonds, the type of setting; - possibly the presence of an engraving with the description of the engraving. 10. The method of claim 9, characterized in that the description of the engraving comprises an image transmitted by the user, and for example a scanned image. 11. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that at least one means of production is automated and controlled directly by the computer-aided manufacturing means, and in that during the manufacturing and shipping step, the computer-aided manufacturing means directly transmits the production instructions directly to the automated production means. 12. System for implementing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that it comprises: a computer management means for dialogue with at least one user (1) able to communicate via at least one data transmission network (2, 4) with one or more data exchange means with a user (3) and with the industrial computer system (5) of at least one production unit (6) comprising at least one manufacturing means (7); the industrial computer system (5) comprising at least one computer integrated planning means (11), computer-aided design means (9) and computer-aided manufacturing means (10); the system comprising a user recognition means (13) and a means (14) for generating at least one given datum according to the user. 13. System according to claim 12, characterized in that it is connected by a data exchange network (4) with at least one system for evaluating the solvency of at least one user (15). System according to Claim 12 or Claim 13, characterized in that the production unit (6) is connected to the industrial computer system (5) via an industrial information transmission network (12) and in that least one means of production (7) is automated and directly connected to the industrial computer system (5). 15. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that at least the data transmission network (2) allowing the dialogue management means (1) to communicate with the data exchange means with the user (3) is a network of the Internet type.