JP7362387B2 - Information notification device and notification program - Google Patents

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to an information notification device and a notification program executed by a computer.

In recent years, shoppers have begun registering the products they have decided to purchase at a store using terminals installed on trolleys such as shopping carts, and then placing the registered products on the trolley. A system has been realized.

In a store that uses such a system, a customer moves with a trolley to the sales floor where the products they wish to purchase are displayed, picks up the products, inspects them, and then registers the product for purchase. Therefore, if there are multiple other shoppers in the sales area or the area around the sales area that is crowded, the customer will not be able to move with the trolley to the sales area and will not be able to shop. difficult. In such cases, customers may wait near the sales area until the congestion has cleared, visit the sales area multiple times at different times to see if the congestion has eased, or give up shopping at the desired sales area. etc. In other words, situations such as longer shopping hours and lost purchasing opportunities have occurred.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-264461

The problem to be solved by the embodiments of the present invention is to provide an information notification device and a notification program that can notify shoppers of information so that they can efficiently make their desired purchases.

According to the embodiment, the information notification device includes a detection means, a reception means, a setting means, and a first notification means. The detection means detects the congestion situation in the store for each of a plurality of areas. The receiving means receives a notification request for information regarding the congestion situation from an electronic device in the store. The setting means sets a specific area to be notified of the information corresponding to the electronic device in response to the notification request. The first notification means notifies the electronic device that the congestion has been resolved when it is determined that the congestion in the specific area has been resolved.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the layout of a store to which the present embodiment is applied. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a cart used in this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the main circuit configuration of the cart terminal in this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the main circuit configuration of the information notification server in this embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the data structure of congestion information and notification management information in this embodiment. 5 is a flowchart showing congestion information notification processing executed by the information notification server in this embodiment. 7 is a flowchart showing congestion information request processing executed by the cart terminal in this embodiment. The figure which shows the example of a display of the display screen of congestion information in this embodiment. The figure which shows the example of a display of the display screen of congestion information in this embodiment. The figure which shows the example of a display of the congestion relief notification screen in this embodiment.

This embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a notification system according to this embodiment. The notification system of this embodiment is installed in a store S such as a supermarket, a mass retailer, a large electronics store, or a home center. The notification system in this embodiment sets the area of the store according to the customer's request when the sales floor in the store that the customer is interested in is crowded, and when the congestion is relieved, the notification system alerts the customer. Can be notified.

First, an example of the layout of a store to which this embodiment is applied will be described using FIG. 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, the store S is divided into a sales floor S1 where a plurality of product shelves R are arranged and a cart storage area S2 near the entrance IN. Each product shelf R displays products that are examples of products. A shopper who enters the store from the entrance IN takes out a cart C from the cart storage area S2 and enters the sales area S1. Then, the shopper moves around the sales floor S1 while operating the cart C, takes out the product to purchase from among the products displayed on the product shelf R, and purchases it at the cart terminal 10 (described later) attached to the cart C. Register and add to Cart C. After picking up the items, the shopper operates the cart C to move to a cash register (not shown) and pay the bill.

A transmitter B used to detect the position of the cart C is attached to each product shelf R. In this embodiment, a transmitter B is attached to a corner of a product shelf R, for example. Transmitter B periodically transmits a beacon signal by, for example, short-range wireless communication. The beacon signal includes a unique beacon ID. Transmitter B basically transmits beacon signals with approximately the same transmission strength. Transmitter B may intentionally change the transmission intensity depending on the surrounding environment.

On the other hand, although the details will be described later, the cart C is equipped with a transmitting/receiving circuit 104 (see FIG. 3) for receiving the beacon signal transmitted from the transmitter B. Circuit 104 receives beacon signals transmitted from at least one receiver B. Note that the mounting location of the transmitter B is not limited to the layout example shown in FIG. In short, as described above, it is sufficient that the transmitting/receiving circuit 104 of the cart C that has entered the sales floor S1 can receive the beacon signal transmitted from at least one receiver B.

A plurality of areas AR1 to AR14 are set in the sales floor S1. Areas AR1 to AR14 are set, for example, for each sales area of a specific product. In the notification system in this embodiment, the congestion situation is detected for each area in areas AR1 to AR14, and information regarding the congestion situation in a specific area can be notified in response to a request from a customer.

In addition, a plurality of cameras (see FIG. 3) are installed in the sales floor S1, whose shooting range covers the entire range of the sales floor S1, at least areas AR1 to AR14. Images taken by the camera are used for processing to detect customers, carts C, etc. in the sales floor S1.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of the cart C. The cart C has four casters C3 attached to the lower part of a frame C2 provided with a handle C1, and is movable in the front-back and left-right directions. A part of the frame C2 serves as a support portion C4 for detachably supporting the shopping cart E. The shopper places the products to be purchased into the shopping cart E supported by the support part C4 from above.

A cart terminal 10 (electronic device) is attached to the frame C2 near the handle C1. The cart terminal 10 is equipped with a touch panel 107, and is attached at a position where a shopper who operates the cart C by gripping the handle C1 can view an image displayed on the touch panel 107.

A camera 30, which is an imaging device, is attached to the opposite side of the support portion C4 from the handle C1. The camera 30 is provided so as to be able to photograph the shopping cart E placed on the cart C. The camera 30 is used to monitor when customers put products into and take out products from the shopping cart E.

Note that although this embodiment will be described with reference to the dedicated cart terminal 10 attached to the cart C, it is also possible to use other electronic devices. For example, it is possible to install an application program that executes the processing described below on a smartphone owned by a customer, and to execute the same processing by activating the program when entering the store.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the notification system in this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 3, the notification system includes a cart terminal 10, a communication network 40, an information notification server 50, a camera 60, and a camera controller 61.

FIG. 3 shows the main circuit configuration of the cart terminal 10. The cart terminal 10 includes a processor 101, a main memory 102, an auxiliary storage device 103, a transmission/reception circuit 104, a scanner 105, an image processing circuit 106, a touch panel 107, a reader 109, a communication unit 110, and a system bus 112.

The cart terminal 10 connects a processor 101 , main memory 102 , auxiliary storage device 103 , transmission/reception circuit 104 , scanner 105 , image processing circuit 106 , touch panel 107 , reader 109 , and communication unit 110 to a system bus 112 directly or via a signal input/output circuit. Connect via. The cart terminal 10 constitutes a computer including a processor 101, a main memory 102, an auxiliary storage device 103, and a system bus 112 that connects these.

Processor 101 corresponds to the central part of the computer. The processor 101 controls each part to realize various functions of the cart terminal 10 according to the operating system and application programs.

Main memory 102 corresponds to the main memory portion of the computer. Main memory 102 includes a nonvolatile memory area and a volatile memory area. The main memory 102 stores an operating system and application programs in a nonvolatile memory area. The application program includes a program that executes congestion information request processing (see FIG. 7), which will be described later. Further, the main memory 102 may store data necessary for the processor 101 to execute processing for controlling each unit in a non-volatile or volatile memory area. The main memory 102 uses a volatile memory area as a work area in which data is appropriately rewritten by the processor 101.

The auxiliary storage device 103 corresponds to the auxiliary storage portion of the computer. For example, an EEPROM (Electric Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), an HDD (Hard Disc Drive), or an SSD (Solid State Drive) is used as the auxiliary storage device 103. The auxiliary storage device 103 stores data used by the processor 101 to perform various processes and data generated by processing by the processor 101. The auxiliary storage device 103 may also store the above application program.

Transmission/reception circuit 104 receives a beacon signal transmitted from transmitter B, and detects a beacon ID from the beacon signal. The transmitting/receiving circuit 104 also includes a measuring circuit for measuring the radio wave reception strength, and measures the radio wave reception strength of the received beacon signal. Every time the transmitting/receiving circuit 104 receives a beacon signal, it supplies the beacon ID detected from the beacon signal and the radio wave reception strength value measured by the measuring circuit to the processor 101.

When the processor 101 receives the beacon ID and the radio wave reception strength value from the transmission/reception circuit 104, it calculates the distance between the transmitter B specified from the beacon ID and the cart terminal 10 based on the radio wave reception strength value. The processor 101 calculates the position of the cart terminal 10, that is, the position of the cart C in the sales floor S using the distance information with the single or plural transmitters B. While the cart terminal 10 is being used by a customer, the processor 101 sends position information indicating the current position of the cart terminal 10 (cart C) to an information notification server via the communication network 40 along with a terminal ID unique to the cart terminal 10. Send to 50. Note that the method of detecting the current position of the cart terminal 10 is not limited to the method of using the beacon signal (beacon ID) transmitted from the transmitter B. For example, a method is provided in which the cart terminal 10 is provided with a sensor (an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor (angular velocity sensor), a geomagnetic sensor (electronic compass), etc.) to detect the movement of the cart C and determine the current position; Instead of detecting the cart C, it is also possible to use a method in which the information notification server 50 detects the cart C from an image taken by the camera 60.

The scanner 105 is used to register the purchase of a product, and reads code symbols such as barcodes and two-dimensional data codes attached to products. Each product is assigned a code symbol unique to that product. The scanner 105 outputs the read code symbol data to the processor 101. The scanner 105 may be of a type that reads code symbols by scanning with laser light, or may be of a type that reads code symbols from an image captured by an imaging device.

The image processing circuit 106 connects the camera 30. The image processing circuit 106 captures images captured by the camera 30 in real time and processes them as necessary. The processor 101 executes processing such as product identification based on the image captured by the image processing circuit 106.

The touch panel 107 functions as an input device and a display device of the cart terminal 10. The touch panel 107 displays an operation screen including various function buttons according to the operating state of the cart terminal 10, and also accepts input operations by the customer.

The reader 109 reads data recorded on a recording medium such as a point card or membership card, and outputs the read data to the processor 101. The reader 109 is a magnetic card reader when the recording medium is a magnetic card, and an IC card reader when the recording medium is a contact type IC card. In the case of a recording medium using RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), such as a non-contact IC card or a smartphone, an RFID reader is used as the reader 109.

The communication unit 110 performs data communication with the information notification server 50 connected via the communication network 40. Communication network 40 is, for example, a wireless network.

The information notification server 50 detects the congestion situation for each area in areas AR1 to AR14 of the sales floor S1, and transmits information about the congestion situation for a specific area in response to a notification request for information about the congestion situation received from the cart terminal 10. Executes congestion information notification processing.

The information notification server 50 receives image data of images taken by a plurality of cameras 60 installed in the sales floor S1 through the camera controller 61. The information notification server 50 stores, for example, the number of cart terminals 10 in each area specified based on position information received from the cart terminals 10, and the number of customers in each area detected from photographed images based on image data. The congestion situation in each area can be detected based on the number of carts and carts C, etc.

The camera controller 61 connects the camera 60 via wired or wireless communication and controls its operation. The camera controller 61 receives image signals of images taken by each camera 60 and transmits image data to the information notification server 50.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the main circuit configuration of the information notification server 50. The information notification server 50 includes a processor 51, a main memory 52, an auxiliary storage device 53, a communication unit 54, an I/O interface 55, and a system bus 56. The information notification server 50 connects the processor 51, main memory 52, auxiliary storage device 53, communication unit 54, and I/O interface 55 to the system bus 56 directly or via a signal input/output circuit. Thus, the information notification server 50 constitutes a computer by the processor 51, the main memory 52, the auxiliary storage device 53, and the system bus 56 that connects these.

The processor 51 corresponds to the central part of the computer. The processor 51 controls each part to implement various functions of the information notification server 50 according to the operating system and application programs.

The main memory 52 corresponds to the main memory portion of the computer. Main memory 52 includes a nonvolatile memory area and a volatile memory area. The main memory 52 is a nonvolatile memory area that stores an operating system and application programs. The application program includes a program that executes congestion information notification processing (see FIG. 6), which will be described later. Further, the main memory 52 may store data necessary for the processor 51 to execute processing for controlling each unit in a non-volatile or volatile memory area. The main memory 52 uses a volatile memory area as a work area in which data is appropriately rewritten by the processor 51.

The auxiliary storage device 53 corresponds to the auxiliary storage portion of the computer. For example, an EEPROM, HDD, or SSD is used as the auxiliary storage device 53. The auxiliary storage device 53 stores data used by the processor 51 in performing various processes and data generated by processing by the processor 51. The auxiliary storage device 53 may also store the above application program.

By executing the congestion information notification process, the main memory 52 or the auxiliary storage device 53 stores congestion information 81 indicating the congestion status of each area of the sales floor S1, and a notification request source (congestion status notification destination) of information regarding the congestion status. Notification management information 82 for managing the cart terminal 10 is recorded.

The communication unit 54 performs data communication with each cart terminal 10 connected via the communication network 40.

The I/O interface 55 receives image data of an image photographed by the camera 60 through the camera controller 61.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are diagrams showing an example of the data structure of congestion information 81 and notification management information 82 managed by the information notification server 50.

As shown in FIG. 5(A), the congestion information 81 records data indicating the current congestion status of each of a plurality of areas AR1 to AR14 set in the sales floor S1. It is assumed that the information notification server 50 continuously detects the congestion status of each area AR1 to AR14 and updates the congestion information 81 during business hours of the store S, for example.

The congestion situation is detected based on, for example, the number of cart terminals 10 in each area based on the position information received from each cart terminal 10, the number of customers and carts C in each area detected from the photographed image, etc. be done. The processor 51 determines the congestion situation based on at least one of the number of cart terminals 10, customers, or carts C existing in the area. The congestion situation can be expressed as a ratio (%) between the expected maximum congestion state and a state where there are no customers at all, or it can be expressed as a stage divided into multiple stages.

Based on the congestion determination criteria set for each area, the information notification server 50 determines that the congestion state exceeds the criteria and indicates that the congestion has been resolved (congested). shall be managed as a state (no).

Note that the processor 51 does not determine the congestion situation based on the number of cart terminals 10, customers, or carts C existing in each of the areas AR1 to AR14, but based on the number of cart terminals 10, customers, or carts C existing in each of the areas AR1 to AR14. The congestion situation may be determined by including the number of cart terminals 10, customers, or carts C.

For example, in a supermarket, when customers shop at store S, there are trends in the routes they travel. In other words, customers who were in a certain area are likely to move to a specific surrounding area. Therefore, the congestion status may be determined by integrating the congestion status of the target area (such as the number of cart terminals 10) and the congestion status of other specific areas on the route. Furthermore, in addition to treating the congestion state of the target area and the congestion state of other areas equally, it is also possible to integrate the congestion state of the other area by giving a lower weight to it.

This allows us to not only determine the congestion status based only on the current congestion status of the area, but also to determine the congestion status based on the congestion status assumed after a short period of time (equivalent to the time when customers move to another area). It becomes possible to determine the Furthermore, even if the congestion in the target area is resolved, it is difficult to operate and move the cart C if surrounding areas are crowded. Therefore, by determining the congestion situation including the surrounding area, it is possible to find an appropriate congestion situation for determining whether it is possible to move the cart C and shop.

As shown in FIG. 5(B), the notification management information 82 includes data for managing the cart terminal 10 that is the sender of the notification request in response to receiving a notification request for information regarding congestion status from the cart terminal 10. recorded. In the notification management information 82, for example, a terminal ID received from the cart terminal 10, a notification target area (specific area), and data indicating the current position of the cart terminal 10 are set in association with each other. One cart terminal 10 can designate multiple areas as notification target areas. The current position is updated as the cart terminal 10 moves. In addition, in the notification management information 82, when a congestion information re-notification request is received from the cart terminal 10, a predetermined time (for example, 5 minutes later) that is set in advance from the time when this re-notification request is received. The re-notification time is set.

Next, the operation of the notification system in this embodiment will be explained.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing congestion information notification processing executed by the information notification server 50. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing congestion information request processing executed by the cart terminal 10 in this embodiment.

During normal shopping, the cart terminal 10 causes the touch panel 107 to display a list of products registered for purchase according to the code symbol read by the scanner 105 through the customer's operation. Furthermore, the touch panel 107 is provided with a function button for transmitting a notification request for congestion information, for example.

Assume that a customer moves a cart C to a desired sales area at a store S and finds that it is crowded. The customer operates a function button displayed on the touch panel 107 to instruct the transmission of a congestion information notification request in order to shop after the congestion in the sales floor is resolved.

When the processor 101 is instructed to transmit a congestion information notification request (FIG. 7, Act 1, Yes), the processor 101 detects the current position based on the beacon signal (beacon ID) received by the transmitting/receiving circuit 104 (Act 2). ), transmits a congestion information notification request including the terminal ID and location information indicating the current location to the information notification server 50 (Act 3).

When the processor 51 of the information notification server 50 receives the notification request for congestion information (FIG. 6, Act 31, Yes), it receives the terminal ID of the notification request source and the current location information (Act 32), and receives the terminal ID and the current location information. The location information is associated and recorded in the notification management information 82 (Act 33). The processor 51 generates congestion information based on the current congestion status of each area AR1 to AR14 recorded in the congestion information 81, and transmits it to the cart terminal 10 that is the source of the notification request (Act 34). . Processor 51 generates congestion information for reporting a crowded area within a predetermined range from the current location of cart terminal 10 based on location information indicating the current location of cart terminal 10 . Alternatively, the target may be the crowded area closest to the current location.

When the processor 101 of the cart terminal 10 receives the congestion information from the information notification server 50 (FIG. 7, Act 4, Yes), it displays the congestion information instead of displaying the list of products registered for purchase on the touch panel 107 (Act 5).

FIG. 8 shows a display example of the congestion information display screen SC1 displayed on the touch panel 107 of the cart terminal 10. In the example shown in FIG. 8, based on the congestion information, it is shown that area AR1 (○○ department) and area AR7 (XX department) are crowded.

For example, when a customer was heading towards the destination "○○ department" in area AR1 with cart C (cart terminal 10), he noticed that "○○ department" in area AR1 was crowded when he was in area AR2. Since it has been confirmed, it is assumed that an instruction has been given to send a congestion information notification request. At this time, congestion information indicating that area AR1 (○○ department) and area AR7 (XX department), which are close to area AR2 including the current location of the customer (cart terminal 10), are crowded is notified.

The customer specifies an area to which information regarding the congestion situation is to be notified from the congestion information display screen SC1 by a touch operation on the touch panel 107. For example, when the processor 101 detects that "○○ department" in the area AR1 of the display screen SC1 is designated (Act 6), it transmits notification target area information indicating this designated area AR1 to the information notification server 50. (Act 7).

When the processor 51 of the information notification server 50 receives the notification target area information from the cart terminal 10 (FIG. 6, Act 35, Yes), the processor 51 of the information notification server 50 associates the notification target area information with the terminal ID indicating the cart terminal 10 of the notification management information 82 and sets the notification target area information. Record information (Act 35).

In this way, by transmitting a congestion information notification request from the cart terminal 10, the information notification server 50 notifies the cart terminal 10 of congestion information indicating a crowded area in a range near the current location of the cart terminal 10. . Therefore, in the cart terminal 10, when specifying a notification target area that requires congestion information, the options are limited, making the operation easier.

In the above description, it is assumed that the notification target area is specified from a crowded area close to the current position of the cart terminal 10, but the notification target area may be specified by other methods. For example, for all areas AR1 to AR14 of the store S, crowded areas may be displayed and specified in the same manner as in FIG.

Further, in addition to instructing a customer to request notification of congestion information while shopping in the sales floor S1, the customer may be notified of the current congestion status of the store S when entering the store, and may be able to specify an area to be notified.

When a notification target area is set in the notification management information 82, the processor 51 of the information notification server 50 monitors whether congestion has been resolved in this notification target area. The processor 51 continues monitoring until it is detected that the congestion has been resolved (Act 39, No).

On the other hand, in the cart terminal 10, after the notification target area is set, it is possible to transmit a request to send the congestion status of the notification target area at any timing. In order to send a notification request for information regarding the current congestion status of the notification target area, the customer operates a function button displayed on the touch panel 107 and instructs to send a notification request for congestion information. When the processor 101 is instructed to send a congestion information notification request (FIG. 7, Act 10, Yes), the processor 101 sends the congestion information notification request together with the terminal ID to the information notification server 50 (Act 11).

When the processor 51 of the information notification server 50 receives the congestion information notification request from the cart terminal 10 (FIG. 6, Act 37, Yes), the processor 51 of the information notification server 50 performs processing according to the congestion status of the notification target area associated with the terminal ID in the notification management information 82. Then, congestion information is generated and transmitted to the cart terminal 10 (Act 38). For example, when the processor 51 receives a notification request from the cart terminal 10 with the terminal ID "0001", the processor 51 reports the congestion status of the notification target area "AR1" that is set in association with the terminal ID "0001" in the notification management information 82. Congestion information is generated by determining from the congestion information 81.

When the processor 101 of the cart terminal 10 receives the congestion information from the information notification server 50 (FIG. 7, Act 12, Yes), it displays the congestion information display screen SC2 instead of displaying the list of products registered for purchase on the touch panel 107. (Act 13).

FIG. 9 shows a display example of the congestion information display screen SC2 displayed on the touch panel 107 of the cart terminal 10. In the example shown in FIG. 9, information indicating the degree of congestion of AR1 (○○ department) is displayed based on the congestion information. For example, a message is displayed indicating that the current congestion level of the "○○ department" is 60%, indicating that it is somewhat crowded. When the button B1 displayed on the display screen SC2 is operated, the processor 101 closes the congestion information display screen SC2 on the touch panel 107 and returns to displaying a list of products registered for purchase.

In this way, the customer can check the congestion status of the notification target area at any time. Therefore, for example, you can check the congestion situation before the congestion situation clears and head to the desired sales area to shop, so you can shop efficiently without having to wait until the congestion situation is cleared. be able to.

On the other hand, when it is determined that the congestion has been resolved in the notification target area set in the notification management information 82 (FIG. 6, Act 39, Yes), the processor 51 of the information notification server 50 sends the cart terminal 10 A congestion elimination notification is sent to notify the notification target area where congestion has been resolved (Act 40).

When the processor 101 of the cart terminal 10 receives the congestion relief notification from the information notification server 50 (FIG. 7, Act 14, Yes), it displays the congestion relief notification screen SC3 instead of displaying the list of products registered for purchase on the touch panel 107. (Act 15).

FIG. 10 shows a display example of the congestion relief notification screen SC3 displayed on the touch panel 107 of the cart terminal 10. In the example shown in FIG. 10, a message is displayed indicating that the congestion in the "○○ department" set as the notification target area has been resolved. In the congestion relief notification screen SC3 shown in FIG. 10, for example, a re-notification button B2 and a confirmation button B3 are displayed.

The customer can instruct the information notification server 50 to resend the congestion relief notification after a predetermined time by operating the re-notification button B2. Further, the customer can end the congestion relief notification and instruct deletion of the notification target area by operating the confirmation button B3.

When the processor 101 detects that the re-notification button B2 has been operated (Act 16, Yes), it transmits a re-notification request to the information notification server 50 (Act 17).

When the processor 51 of the information notification server 50 receives the re-notification request from the cart terminal 10 (FIG. 6, Act 41, Yes), the processor 51 of the information notification server 50 adds the re-notification request to the notification management information 82 after a preset period of time from the time when the re-notification request is received. Set the notification time and continue to monitor whether congestion in the notification target area has been resolved. For the notification target area for which the re-notification time has been set, even if it is detected that the congestion has been resolved, if the re-notification time has not yet been reached, the processor 51 sends a congestion relief notification to the cart terminal 10. shall not be done. In addition, if the notification target area becomes congested again before the re-notification time is reached, if it is detected that the congestion has been resolved after the re-notification time (Act 39, Yes), In the same manner as described above, a congestion relief notification is sent to the cart terminal 10 (Act 40).

In this way, when a congestion relief notification is received, even if you are unable to immediately go to the desired department where the congestion has been cleared due to shopping at another department, by instructing a re-notification request, After a predetermined period of time, the congestion information of the notification target area can be acquired again.

Note that in the above explanation, the information notification server 50 sets the re-notification time after a certain period of time in response to the re-notification request from the cart terminal 10; It may also be possible to set the re-notification time by specifying (minutes, etc.).

On the other hand, when the processor 101 detects that the confirmation button B3 has been operated (Act 16, No), it transmits a confirmation notification to the information notification server 50 (Act 18).

When the processor 51 of the information notification server 50 receives the confirmation notification from the cart terminal 10 (Act 42, Yes), it deletes the notification target area associated with the terminal ID of the confirmation notification transmission source set in the notification management information 82. (Act 43).

In this way, when the congestion relief notification is received, if the user can immediately move to the desired department and shop, the transmission of the congestion relief information can be stopped by transmitting the confirmation notification.

Although the above explanation deals with one customer (cart terminal 10), multiple customers may set the same area as a notification target area. In such a case, if a congestion relief notification is sent to multiple customers (cart terminal 10) at the same time once the congestion in the notification target area has been resolved, there is a possibility that multiple customers will gather at the same sales floor at the same time, causing congestion. There is.

The processor 51 of the information notification server 50 associates the information with multiple cart terminals 10 (terminal IDs) and shifts the timing for the multiple cart terminals 10 when the same area is set as the notification target area. to send a congestion relief notification.

For example, the processor 51 determines the current location of the cart terminal 10 to which the congestion relief notification is to be sent, based on the notification management information 82, and selects the predetermined location in order starting from the customer (cart terminal 10) closest to the notification target area. A congestion relief notification is sent every time the time elapses. As a result, customers arrive at the sales floor in order of purchase starting from the one closest to the target sales floor, so it is possible to avoid crowding due to multiple customers arriving at the sales floor at the same time. Note that the method of shifting the timing of the congestion relief notification is not limited to the method described above.

In this way, in the notification system of this embodiment, when the congestion in the notification target area selected according to the customer's specification is resolved, the information notification server 50 notifies the customer that the congestion has been resolved. Can be done. In other words, it is possible to notify customers of information so that they can efficiently make their desired purchases. Therefore, the customer does not have to wait near the sales floor until the congestion has cleared, or visit the sales floor multiple times at different times to check whether the congestion has cleared. Therefore, it is possible to avoid situations such as prolonged shopping and loss of purchasing opportunities.

In addition, in the above explanation, in response to a request from the cart terminal 10, a currently crowded area is set as a notification target area (specific area), but an area that is not crowded can be set as a specific area. You can also set it. In this case, for example, when a specific area becomes crowded, the cart terminal 10 is notified of the congestion situation, and when the congestion is resolved, the cart terminal 10 is notified that the congestion has been resolved in the same manner as described above. do.

Although several embodiments of the invention have been described, these embodiments are presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and gist of the invention, as well as within the scope of the invention described in the claims and its equivalents.

Furthermore, the processes described in the above-described embodiments can be performed on a recording medium such as a magnetic disk (flexible disk, hard disk, etc.), an optical disk (CD-ROM, DVD, etc.), a semiconductor memory, etc., as a program that can be executed by a computer. It can be written to and provided to various devices. It is also possible to transmit the information via a communication medium and provide it to various devices. A computer reads a program recorded on a recording medium or receives a program via a communication medium, and its operations are controlled by the program, thereby executing the above-described processes.

B...Transmitter, C...Cart, R...Product shelf, S1...Sales floor, S2...Cart storage area, 10...Cart terminal, 20...Antenna, 30, 60...Camera, 50...Information notification server, 51, 101...Processor, 52, 102...Main memory, 53, 103...Auxiliary storage device, 54...Communication unit, 81...Congestion information, 82...Notification management information, 104...Transmission/reception circuit, 105...Reader, 106...Image processing circuit, 107...Touch panel, 109...Reader, 110...Communication unit.

Claims (6)

a detection means for detecting the congestion situation in the store in each of multiple areas;
Receiving means for receiving a notification request for information regarding congestion status from an electronic device in the store;
a setting means for setting a specific area to be notified of the information corresponding to the electronic device in response to the notification request;
an information notification device comprising: first notification means for notifying the electronic device of congestion relief when it is determined that the congestion situation in the specific area has been resolved; position detection means for detecting the position of the electronic device when the notification request is received;
a second notification means for notifying the electronic device of a crowded area in a predetermined congestion situation based on the position of the electronic device;
2. The information notification device according to claim 1, wherein the setting means sets an area selected from the congested areas in the electronic device as the specific area. Claim 1 or Claim 2, further comprising a third notification means for notifying the electronic device of information indicating the congestion situation of the specific area when a notification request for information regarding the current congestion situation is received from the electronic device. Information notification device as described. The setting means sets the specific area corresponding to each of the plurality of electronic devices in response to the notification request from the plurality of electronic devices,
2. The first notification means, when the same area is set as the specific area corresponding to a plurality of electronic devices, notifies the plurality of electronic devices of congestion relief at different timings. The information notification device according to any one of ~3. The first notification means is configured to notify the electronic device according to the congestion situation in the specific area after a predetermined period of time when a re-notification request is received from the electronic device in response to the congestion relief notification to the electronic device. The information notification device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the information notification device notifies the user. computer,
a detection means for detecting the congestion situation in the store in each of multiple areas;
Receiving means for receiving a notification request for information regarding congestion status from an electronic device in the store;
a setting means for setting a specific area to be notified of the information corresponding to the electronic device in response to the notification request;
A notification program for causing the electronic device to function as a notification means for notifying the electronic device of the elimination of congestion when it is determined that the congestion has been eliminated based on the congestion situation detected for the specific area.