JP7557363B2 - Tobacco product order support system and tobacco product order support method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to technology that supports operations related to receiving orders for tobacco products from tobacco retailers, etc.

To operate a tobacco retail business, permission from the Minister of Finance is required, and various regulations are in place for tobacco retail sales, such as the requirement that retail prices must be approved. For this reason, tobacco distribution businesses must only accept orders and deliver to tobacco retail stores that have received retail sales permission. However, tobacco accessory products provided as accessories to tobacco products, such as devices and accessories necessary for the use of electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products, do not require the above-mentioned retail sales permission.

Patent Document 1 below discloses a system that supports product ordering in tobacco retail stores and the like. This system consists of a center device installed at the product ordering destination and an ordering terminal installed at the product ordering source, and this ordering terminal stores touch panel type input means and a database of product data, sender/receiver data, input means key position data, etc., displays order information entered from the input means, and transmits the order information and sender data to the center device.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-212740

Tobacco manufacturers may take sales promotion measures to sell certain tobacco products by limiting distribution to a certain area or store, etc. Although such sales promotion measures using distribution restrictions can be implemented by retailers, the more tobacco stores, etc. that are targeted, the more difficult it becomes to spread the measures.
Therefore, tobacco distributors need to respond to such sales promotion measures that take advantage of distribution restrictions. However, it requires a lot of effort for tobacco distributors to respond to each and every sales promotion measure that is implemented on a constant basis.

In view of the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides an order support technology for tobacco products that can appropriately and efficiently respond to sales promotion measures for tobacco products that utilize distribution restrictions.
In this specification, the term "tobacco product" is used in a broad sense to include not only cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco, snuff, and pipe tobacco, but also cartridges used for tobacco products known as electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products, and further to include tobacco accessory products provided as accessories for tobacco products.

According to the present invention, a tobacco product order support system can be provided, which includes: a reference means capable of referencing a brand information storage unit that stores brand management information that associates the brand identifier of a specific brand of tobacco products for general distribution with the brand identifier of a limited brand whose price, tar content, and nicotine content are at least the same as those of the specific brand and whose distribution is restricted; a means for acquiring ordered brand information and ordering source information that includes one or more brand identifiers of the tobacco products to be ordered; a means for extracting the brand identifier of the specific brand from the one or more brand identifiers included in the acquired ordered brand information; an identification means for identifying the brand identifier of the limited brand that is associated with the brand identifier of the extracted specific brand in the brand management information; and a generation means for generating ordered brand information of the ordering source indicated by the acquired ordering source information, in which the brand identifier of the extracted specific brand is replaced with the brand identifier of the identified limited brand.
In addition, as another aspect, the present invention can provide a tobacco product order support method executed by one or more computers that can reference a brand information storage unit that stores brand management information that associates a brand identifier of a specific brand of tobacco products for general distribution with a brand identifier of a limited brand whose price, tar content, and nicotine content are at least the same as the specific brand and whose distribution is restricted, the method including: acquiring order brand information and order source information that include one or more brand identifiers of the tobacco products to be ordered, extracting the brand identifier of the specific brand from the one or more brand identifiers included in the acquired order brand information, identifying the brand identifier of the limited brand that is associated with the brand identifier of the extracted specific brand in the brand management information, and generating ordered brand information corresponding to the acquired order brand information, in which the brand identifier of the extracted specific brand is replaced with the brand identifier of the identified limited brand.
In addition, for example, a computer program may be provided that causes one or more computers to execute the tobacco product order support method described above, or a computer-readable recording medium having such a computer program recorded thereon may be provided.

The present invention provides a tobacco product order support technology that can appropriately and efficiently respond to sales promotion measures for tobacco products that utilize distribution control.

1 is a conceptual diagram of a system configuration of a tobacco product order support system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram conceptually showing a hardware configuration of a support server. FIG. 2 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating an example of the software configuration of a support server. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a brand master table. FIG. 13 illustrates an example of a child brand management table. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing examples of limited brands in response to sales promotion measures by tobacco manufacturers. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of an order source master table. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of an orderer limitation table. 4 is a flowchart showing some steps of a tobacco product order receiving support method according to the present embodiment. 13 is a flowchart showing the remaining steps of the tobacco product order receiving support method according to the present embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a modified example of the orderer limitation table.

The following describes embodiments of the present invention. Note that the embodiments described below are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to the configurations of the following embodiments.

[overview]
Before describing the details of a tobacco product order support system (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as the present system) 1 according to this embodiment, an overview of the features of the present system 1 will be described.
FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of the system configuration of a tobacco product order support system 1 according to this embodiment.
As shown in Figure 1, the present system 1 supports operations such as accepting orders for tobacco products from tobacco stores, convenience stores, supermarkets, etc., which sell retail tobacco products. Hereinafter, businesses (stores) that sell retail tobacco products will be referred to as retail stores or ordering stores.
In this embodiment, for ease of understanding, cigarettes will be mainly used as an example of a tobacco product, but it will be appreciated that the present system 1 can also be used in the same manner with tobacco products other than cigarettes.
The present system 1 mainly comprises the following means, which are realized by the operation of the support server 10, which will be described later.

The system 1 is equipped with a reference means capable of referencing a brand information storage unit that stores brand management information that associates the brand identifiers of specific brands of tobacco products for general distribution with the brand identifiers of limited brands whose price, tar content, and nicotine content are at least the same as those of the specific brands and whose distribution is restricted.
In this specification, the term "brand" is used not only to refer to a tobacco product unit that has been approved for a fixed price, but also to refer to a product unit that is managed in the context of distribution and inventory management. Therefore, the specific brand and the limited brand that are associated in the brand management information described above are the same brand in terms of tobacco product units that have been approved for a fixed price, but are different brands in terms of distribution and inventory management, that is, a brand for general distribution and a brand with restricted distribution.
A "specific brand for general distribution" is a specific brand among brands of tobacco products for general distribution that is associated with a limited brand in the brand management information.
"Limited brands with limited distribution" refers to brands whose retail sales period, region, or retail stores are limited due to sales promotion measures for tobacco products. In this specification, brands whose distribution is limited are referred to as limited brands.
The above-mentioned stock information storage unit may be provided in the support server 10 or another server device within the present system 1, or may be provided outside the present system 1.

The system 1 also includes a means for acquiring order brand information, which includes one or more brand identifiers of the tobacco products to be ordered, and order source information.
The ordered brand information includes one or more brand identifiers capable of identifying each brand of tobacco product ordered by the ordering store.
The orderer information is information about the orderer store, and includes, for example, an identifier that can identify the orderer store.
There are no limitations on the method of acquiring the order issue information and the order source information, and the details will be described later.

Furthermore, the present system 1 is equipped with a means for extracting a stock identifier of a specific stock from one or more stock identifiers contained in the acquired order stock information, and a means for identifying the stock identifier of a limited stock associated with the stock identifier of the extracted specific stock in the stock management information.
By these means, the stock identifier of a specific stock that is associated with the stock identifier of a limited stock in the stock management information is detected from the acquired order stock information, and the stock identifier of the limited stock that is associated with the stock identifier of the specific stock is identified.

In addition, the present system 1 is equipped with a generation means for generating order stock information of the order source indicated by the acquired order source information, in which the stock identifier of the specific stock extracted as described above is replaced with the stock identifier of the limited stock identified as described above.
The generating means may update the ordered issue information to generate the received order issue information, or may generate the received order issue information separately from the ordered issue information so as to include at least a part of the ordered issue information.
The order item information thus generated is referenced by a sales and logistics system (not shown) and is used for sorting, delivery, settlement, and other operations.

In this manner, in this embodiment, a stock information storage unit that stores stock management information that associates the stock identifiers of specific stocks for general distribution with the stock identifiers of limited stocks whose distribution is restricted is referenced, the stock identifiers of the specific stocks are extracted from the order stock information, and the stock identifiers of limited stocks that are associated with the stock identifiers of the specific stocks are identified, and order stock information is generated in which the stock identifiers of the specific stocks are replaced with the stock identifiers of the limited stocks.
As a result, even if an ordering store places an order by specifying the brand identifier of a specific brand for general distribution without being aware of the sales promotion measures of the tobacco manufacturer, by preparing brand management information that associates the specific brand with limited brands, the limited brand corresponding to the measure will be automatically allocated.
As described above, according to this embodiment, sales promotion measures for tobacco products that utilize distribution restrictions can be appropriately and efficiently handled in order receiving operations.

[Tobacco product order support system]
The tobacco product order support system (this system) 1 according to this embodiment having the above-mentioned characteristics will be described in detail below.
This system 1 constitutes a tobacco product sales and logistics system together with, for example, a warehouse management system, a sorting support system, a delivery management system, etc., and can provide various order receiving channels to retail stores 2 that are the ordering sources, as shown in Fig. 1. For example, telephone, fax, the web, email, electronic ordering system (EOS), etc. can be provided as order receiving channels. However, the order receiving channels supported by this system 1 are not limited to these examples.

The system 1 includes at least a support server 10 .
FIG. 2 is a block diagram conceptually showing the hardware configuration of the support server 10. As shown in FIG.
2, the support server 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a memory 12, an input/output interface (I/F) 13, a communication unit 14, etc. The CPU 11 is connected to each of the other units via a communication line such as a bus.
The CPU 11 includes not only a general CPU, but also a micro controller unit (MCU), a micro processing unit (MPU), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a digital signal processor (DSP), a graphics processing unit (GPU), and the like.
The memory 12 is a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), or an auxiliary storage device (such as a hard disk).

The input/output I/F 13 can be connected to user interface devices such as a display device 15 and an input device 16. The display device 15 is a device that displays a screen corresponding to drawing data processed by the CPU 11 or the like, such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) display. The input device 16 is a device that accepts input of user operations, such as a keyboard, a mouse, etc. The display device 15 and the input device 16 may be an integrated touch panel, or may not be connected to each other.
The communication unit 14 performs wired or wireless communication with other computers and exchanges signals with other devices. In this embodiment, the communication unit 14 can communicate with an electronic order receiving system or an electronic ordering system (EOS) to which order information received by fax or telephone from the retail store 2 is input. A portable recording medium or the like can also be connected to the communication unit 14.

The hardware configuration shown in FIG. 2 is an example, and the hardware configuration of the support server 10 is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 2. The support server 10 may have other hardware elements not shown, and the number of each hardware element is not limited to the example in FIG. 2. For example, the support server 10 may have multiple CPUs 11. The support server 10 may also be composed of multiple computers.

Figure 3 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating an example of the software configuration of the support server 10. The support server 10 has, as software elements, an information acquisition unit 21, a brand determination unit 22, an order source determination unit 23, an information generation unit 24, a data reference unit 25, an information management database (DB) 26, and the like. Each of these software elements is realized, for example, by the CPU 11 executing a computer program stored in the memory 12. The computer program may also be installed, for example, from a portable recording medium such as a CD (Compact Disc) or memory card, or from another computer on a network, via the input/output I/F 13 or communication unit 14, and stored in the memory 12.

In addition to the brand management information described in the overview section, the information management DB 26 stores information about retail stores and inventory information for each brand of tobacco products. The information management DB 26 can be described as a brand information storage section, an inventory information storage section, etc. In this embodiment, the information management DB 26 stores various data tables such as those illustrated in Figures 4 to 7.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a brand master table.
As shown in Fig. 4, the brand master table stores brand information (hereinafter sometimes referred to as brand record) such as brand ID, brand name, brand image, price, tar content, nicotine content, number of individual packs, start date, discontinuation date, and limited flag for each brand of tobacco product (cigarettes in this embodiment). In this embodiment, the brand master table stores brand information on limited brands in response to sales promotion measures by tobacco manufacturers, in addition to brands for general distribution. However, the brand master table may store only brand information for brands for general distribution. The brand master table may also store other brand information such as smoking taste, which is not illustrated in Fig. 4.

The brand ID is information that can identify the brand of a tobacco product, and is an identifier assigned to each brand that is the unit of product that is the subject of order allocation or inventory allocation. The brand ID can also be called a brand code. Each brand record stored in the brand master table contains a unique brand ID. In this embodiment, each brand record stored in the brand master table indicates the brand of a tobacco product that has been approved for a fixed price. However, as another example, a general distribution brand and a limited edition brand stored as individual brand records in the brand master table may indicate the same brand when viewed as a tobacco product that has been approved for a fixed price.
The start date indicates the date on which the acceptance of orders begins. However, as another example, the start date may be the date on which sales begin.
The abolition date indicates the date on which acceptance of orders will end, however, as another example, this abolition date may be the date on which sales will end.
The limited flag is a flag that indicates whether the brand is for general distribution or limited edition, and in the example of Fig. 4, if it is a limited edition brand, the flag is set (set ON), and if it is a brand for general distribution, the flag is released (set OFF). In the example of Fig. 4, the brand "Star Tobacco Original" with brand ID 1000, the brand "Star Tobacco Light" with brand ID 1001, and the brand "Star Tobacco Super Light" with brand ID 1002 are general distribution brands, and the brand "Limit Star Tobacco" with brand ID 9000 is a limited edition brand.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a child brand management table.
The child brand management table stores information about limited brands in response to sales promotion measures by tobacco manufacturers. Each limited brand whose brand information is stored in the child brand management table is associated with one specific brand whose brand information is stored in the brand master table. The information stored in this way in the child brand management table can be referred to as brand management information.
In this specification, a brand whose brand information is stored in the child brand management table may be referred to as a child brand, and a brand whose information is associated with the child brand and stored in the brand master table may be referred to as a parent brand. A parent brand and a child brand refer to the same brand when viewed in terms of tobacco products that have been approved for a fixed price, and are brands that have at least the same price, tar content, and nicotine content.
The child stock management table stores, for each child stock, information such as the stock ID of the associated parent stock (parent stock ID), the stock ID of the child stock (child stock ID), stock image, start date, abolition date, limitation flag, allocation order, etc. (hereinafter, these may be referred to as child stock records).

The parent issue ID indicates the issue ID of the parent issue associated with the child issue, and indicates any one of the issue IDs stored in the issue master table.
The brand ID of a child brand is information that can identify the child brand, and is a unique identifier that does not overlap with brand IDs stored in the brand master table. In other words, the brand ID of a child brand is a brand ID that indicates the same brand when viewed in units of tobacco products that have been approved for a fixed price, but is different from the brand ID of the parent brand.
The start date indicates the date on which orders for the child issue will start being accepted, although as another example, the start date may be the date on which sales will start.
The abolition date indicates the date on which the acceptance of orders for the child brand will end, however, as another example, the abolition date may be the date on which sales will end.
The limited flag is a flag that indicates whether or not the retail store is limited, and in the example of Figure 5, if the retail store is limited, the flag is set (set ON), and if the retail store is not limited, the flag is cleared (set OFF). In the example of Figure 5, the child stock with a stock ID of 5000 does not have a limited retail store, and the child stock with a stock ID of 5001 has a limited retail store. A child stock indicated by a child stock record with a limited flag set can be said to be a stock that is limited for a limited time and to a limited retail store or region. On the other hand, a child stock indicated by a child stock record with a cleared limit flag can be said to be a limited time stock that does not have a limited retail store.
The allocation priority is a priority given to the issue ID of each child issue when multiple child issues are associated with one parent issue. The higher the allocation priority (the smaller the value), the higher the allocation priority.

6 is a diagram showing an example of limited brands in response to sales promotion measures by tobacco manufacturers. By using the brand master table and the child brand management table, it is possible to manage information on limited brands in response to sales promotion measures by tobacco manufacturers, as shown in FIG.
6(a) shows an example of a sales promotion measure in which two brands are sold for a limited time as tobacco products with the same fixed price approval as a specific brand for general distribution. That is, two child brands (brand ID = 5001) and (brand ID = 5002) are associated with a specific brand for general distribution (brand ID = 1000) as limited-time brands with the same fixed price approval. In this example, only the packaging is different between the parent brand and the child brand.
In this example, in the process of receiving orders for tobacco products, when an order is placed from a retail store specifying the brand ID (1000) of a parent brand for general distribution, the parent brand ID (1000) is automatically replaced with the brand ID (5001 or 5002) of one of two child brands corresponding to a sales promotion measure, and the order is accepted.

6B shows an example of a sales promotion measure in which a brand is sold in a limited area for a limited time as a tobacco product approved for the same fixed price as a limited brand (sometimes referred to as a limited area brand) that is sold in a limited area. That is, as a tobacco product approved for the same fixed price as the limited brand (brand ID=9000), one child brand (brand ID=9501) is associated with the parent brand as a brand limited to a limited area and for a limited time. In this example, only the packaging is different between the parent brand and the child brand.
In this example, in the tobacco product order process, when an order is placed from a retail store specifying the brand ID (9000) of a regionally limited brand, the brand ID (9000) is automatically replaced with the brand ID (9501) of one of the child brands in accordance with a sales promotion measure, and the order is accepted.

In this embodiment, each retail store that places an order is informed of the information required for ordering (such as brand ID) for general distribution brands and limited edition brands, whose brand information is stored in the brand master table, and each retail store places an order by specifying the brand of tobacco product to be ordered using the brand ID stored in the brand master table.
Details will be described later, but when the stock ID of a parent stock associated with a child stock is the subject of an order, it is automatically allocated to the stock ID of the child stock as described above, so the information on the child stock stored in the child stock management table, including the child stock ID, does not need to be made known to each retailer.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of an order source master table.
The order source master table stores master information on retail stores that can be order sources. The order source master table stores, for each retail store, information such as the store ID, store name, store location, and transaction start date (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as order source record).
The store ID is information (identifier) that identifies a retail store that can be an order source. For example, each retail store that is a franchise member store, such as a convenience store or a supermarket, is assigned an individual store ID.
The store name indicates the name of the retail store, the store location indicates the location of the retail store, and the transaction start date is the date on which transactions with the retail store begin.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of an orderer limitation table.
The orderer limited table stores a list of retail stores that are permitted to sell retail products in the sales promotion measures for each limited brand whose brand information is stored in the brand master table or child brand management table. Specifically, the orderer limited table stores each brand ID (referred to as limited brand ID) of the limited brand in association with the store ID of the retail store that is permitted to sell retail products.
In this specification, when the term "permission for retail sale" is used in relation to a limited brand tobacco product, it does not refer to permission (authorization) under legal regulations, but rather to permission as to whether or not to include the product in sales promotion measures.
In the example of Figure 8, retail sales of the brand "Limit Star Tobacco" with brand ID 9000 are permitted to retail stores with store IDs "0035,""0036," and "0037," and retail sales of a child brand of "Star Tobacco Original" with brand ID 5001 are permitted to retail stores with store IDs "0110" and "0111."
In the case where a group of store IDs of retail stores in a specific region are associated with a limited brand ID in the orderer limited table, the brand indicated by the limited brand ID can be called a region-limited brand. In addition, in the case where only the store IDs of a specific retail store are associated with a limited brand ID in the orderer limited table, the brand indicated by the limited brand ID can be called a store-limited brand sold in a limited number of stores.

In addition, the information management DB26 stores inventory information for each brand of tobacco product. This inventory information includes the number of tobacco products in stock for each brand ID. Such inventory information is obtained, for example, from another system such as a warehouse management system via communication or the like, and is stored in the information management DB26.

The support server 10 can obtain the latest brand information from an external system, such as a system operated by a cigarette manufacturer, and automatically reflect the brand information in the brand master table and the child brand management table.
In addition, after obtaining the latest brand information, retail store information, retail store permission information for each limited brand, etc., the various types of information mentioned above may be manually reflected in the information management DB 26 of the support server 10 based on that information.
Figure 3 shows an example in which the information management DB 26 is provided within the support server 10, but the information management DB 26 may be provided within another server device within the system 1, or may be provided within a server device outside the system 1.

The data reference unit 25 can refer to various information stored in the information management DB 26, and corresponds to the reference means described in the overview section.
Here, when the information management DB 26 is provided in a server device other than the support server 10 , the data reference unit 25 can access the other server device through communication and refer to the information management DB 26 .

The information acquisition unit 21 acquires ordered brand information and order source information. The ordered brand information and order source information are as described in the overview section. In this embodiment, the ordered brand information includes the order date, the brand ID and the ordered quantity for each brand of tobacco product to be ordered, and the order source information includes the store ID of the retailer that is the order source. Naturally, the acquired ordered brand information and order source information may also include other information.
Moreover, the method of acquiring the information by the information acquiring unit 21 is not limited at all. The information acquiring unit 21 may acquire the information by email or EDI (Electronic Data Interchange). The information acquiring unit 21 may also acquire the information based on information input on the input screen by displaying an input screen on a computer used by an operator of a call center or the like that accepts orders from retail stores by telephone, fax, or the like. The information acquiring unit 21 may also acquire the information by receiving the information from another server device.

The issue determination unit 22 identifies limited issues associated with general distribution issues or child issues of limited issues based on the order issue information acquired by the information acquisition unit 21.
Specifically, as described in the overview section, the issue determination unit 22 extracts an issue ID indicating a parent issue associated with a child issue from one or more issue IDs included in the order issue information acquired by the information acquisition unit 21, and identifies the child issue ID associated with the extracted parent issue ID. Therefore, the issue determination unit 22 corresponds to the identification means described in the overview section. At this time, the issue determination unit 22 extracts an issue ID that matches a parent issue ID in the child issue management table from the issue IDs included in the order issue information, and identifies a child issue ID in the child issue management table that has the extracted issue ID as a parent issue ID.

Here, each child issue record in the child issue management table includes a start date and an abolition date as described above. Therefore, when identifying a child issue ID as described above, the issue determination unit 22 identifies the start date and abolition date corresponding to that child issue ID and determines the relationship between the order date included in the order issue information and the identified start date and abolition date. The issue determination unit 22 identifies the child issue ID if the order date falls within the period between the start date and the abolition date, and does not identify the child issue ID if the order date does not fall within the period between the start date and the abolition date.
If the child issue ID is not specified by the issue determination unit 22, the corresponding parent issue ID included in the ordered issue information will be included as is in the received order issue information without being replaced with a child issue ID.
By managing the start and end dates for each child brand in this way, it is possible to control the period during which automatic allocation from the parent brand to the child brand takes place. As a result, orders for limited-time brands due to sales promotion measures can be accepted appropriately and efficiently.

5, the start date of the child issue ID (5000) associated with the parent issue ID (1000) is May 10, 2016, and its abolition date is December 31, 2016. Therefore, if the order date included in the order issue information is February 10, 2020, the issue determination unit 22 will not identify the child issue ID (5000) for the parent issue ID (1000) included in the order issue information, because the order date does not fall within the period between the start date and abolition date of the child issue.
On the other hand, the start dates of child issue IDs (5001) and (5002) associated with parent issue ID (1000) are both September 1, 2019, and both have abolition dates of May 31, 2020. Therefore, since the order date (February 10, 2020) falls within the period between the start date and abolition date, the issue determination unit 22 identifies either child issue ID (5001) or (5002) for the parent issue ID (1000) included in the order issue information.

As in this example, in the child issue management table, a plurality of child issue IDs may be associated with one parent issue ID.
When multiple child issue IDs are associated with a parent issue ID extracted from the order issue information in the child issue management table, the issue determination unit 22 identifies one of the multiple child issue IDs based on the allocation rank (priority) assigned to the child issue IDs and the inventory quantity of the child issue IDs stored in the inventory information. Specifically, the issue determination unit 22 selects child issue IDs in order of highest allocation rank, and sequentially determines whether the inventory quantity of the selected child issue ID satisfies the order quantity of the parent issue ID corresponding to the child issue ID included in the order issue information. The issue determination unit 22 then identifies a child issue ID that has an inventory quantity that satisfies the order quantity of the corresponding parent issue ID. This identifies the issue ID of a child issue that has a high allocation rank and an inventory quantity that satisfies the order quantity.
This allows appropriate and efficient response even in cases where multiple limited edition brands are released on a prioritized basis as part of a sales promotion initiative.

In the example of FIG. 5, child stock IDs (5001) and (5002) are candidates for parent stock ID (1000) included in the order stock information based on the relationship between the start date, abolition date, and order date as described above. The stock determination unit 22 first selects the child stock ID (5001) with the highest allocation priority, and if the inventory quantity of that child stock ID meets the order quantity of the parent stock ID (1000) included in the order stock information, it identifies that child stock ID (5001). On the other hand, if the inventory quantity does not meet the order quantity, the stock determination unit 22 selects the next child stock ID (5002), and if the inventory quantity of that child stock ID (5002) meets the order quantity of the parent stock ID (1000), it identifies that child stock ID (5002).

However, even if the stock ID of a parent stock is extracted from the order stock information, there are cases where the stock quantity of any child stock ID associated with the parent stock ID does not satisfy the order quantity of the parent stock ID. In this case, the stock determination unit 22 stops identifying the child stock ID. In other words, when one or more child stock IDs are associated with the parent stock ID extracted from the order stock information in the child stock management table, the stock determination unit 22 determines whether or not there is a child stock ID among the one or more child stock IDs that has a stock quantity that satisfies the order quantity based on the stock information of the one or more child stock IDs stored in the information management DB 26 and the order quantity of the parent stock ID included in the order stock information, and if none of the one or more child stock IDs satisfies the order quantity, the stock determination unit 22 does not identify a child stock ID for that parent stock ID.
As described above, if the child issue ID is not identified by the issue determination unit 22, the corresponding parent issue ID included in the ordered issue information will be included as is in the received order issue information without being replaced with a child issue ID.
This allows sales promotion measures to be stopped appropriately depending on the stock levels of limited brands.

In addition, there are cases where a restricted stock ID is directly specified as the order target in the order stock information acquired by the information acquisition unit 21. For this reason, the stock determination unit 22 also determines whether the stock ID extracted from the order stock information is a restricted stock ID. This determination can be made using the restricted flag in the stock master table.

The order source determination unit 23 determines whether or not the retail store that is the order source is permitted to sell the limited brand at retail, based on the order source information acquired by the information acquisition unit 21. For this reason, the order source determination unit 23 corresponds to an order source determination means.
Specifically, when the brand determination unit 22 determines that the brand ID extracted from the order brand information is a limited brand ID, the orderer determination unit 23 determines whether the orderer's store ID included in the orderer information is associated with the limited brand ID in the orderer limited table. When the orderer's store ID is associated with the limited brand ID in the orderer limited table, the orderer determination unit 23 determines that the orderer retail store is authorized to sell the limited brand at retail, and when they are not associated, the orderer determination unit 23 determines that the orderer retail store is not authorized to sell the limited brand.
In addition, even if a restriction flag is set for a child stock ID identified from the child stock management table for a parent stock ID extracted from the order stock information, the order source determination unit 23 determines whether the order source store ID included in the order source information is associated with that child stock ID in the order source restriction table.

On the other hand, if the issue ID extracted from the order issue information is not a limited issue ID but an issue ID of a general distribution issue, the order source determination unit 23 does not perform the above-mentioned order source determination for that issue ID. Also, even if a limited flag is not set for a child issue ID specified from the child issue management table for a parent issue ID extracted from the order issue information, the order source determination unit 23 does not perform the above-mentioned order source determination for that child issue ID.
In this way, by using the restriction flag in the brand master table or the child brand management table, it is possible to easily determine whether the brand specified as the order target or a child brand associated with that brand is a brand that is retailed in a limited area or store. Furthermore, based on the result of this determination, it is possible to determine whether it is necessary to determine whether the ordering store is authorized to sell retail.

The information generating unit 24 generates received order issue information corresponding to the ordered issue information acquired by the information acquiring unit 21. Therefore, the information generating unit 24 corresponds to a generating means for received order issue information. As described above, the information generating unit 24 may update the acquired ordered issue information to generate received order issue information, or may generate received order issue information so as to include at least a part of the ordered issue information separately from the ordered issue information.
In the present embodiment, the information generating unit 24 generates, in addition to the order issue information, received order issue information including at least the issue ID and order quantity of the order target included in the order issue information. At this time, when the issue determination unit 22 has identified a parent issue ID included in the order issue information and a child issue ID associated with the parent issue ID, the information generating unit 24 replaces the parent issue ID with the child issue ID in the received order issue information.
As a result, even if a brand ID of a general distribution brand is specified in the order brand information, a brand ID (child brand ID) of a limited brand corresponding to a sales promotion measure can be automatically allocated in place of the brand ID of the general distribution brand. As a result, according to this embodiment, it is possible to support order taking operations so that sales promotion measures for tobacco products that utilize distribution restrictions can be appropriately and efficiently handled.

However, if the orderer determination unit 23 determines that the ordering retail store is not authorized to sell the limited stock at retail, even if the order issue information contains a stock ID (parent issue ID) associated with the child issue ID, the child issue ID will not be substituted, and the parent issue ID contained in the order issue information will also be specified in the received order issue information. In other words, depending on the result of the determination by the orderer determination unit 23, it is determined whether or not the information generation unit 24 needs to replace the parent issue ID with the child issue ID.
In this manner, in this embodiment, the replacement of brand IDs performed in the process of generating ordered brand information is not simply a replacement of brand management codes, but a method for realizing automatic allocation of tobacco product brands in accordance with sales promotion measures taken by tobacco manufacturers, etc.

Furthermore, even if the order stock information contains a stock ID (parent stock ID) associated with the child stock ID, if the stock determination unit 22 determines that there is no child stock ID with an inventory quantity that satisfies the order quantity of the parent stock ID and the child stock ID is not identified, no replacement with the child stock ID will be made, and the parent stock ID contained in the order stock information will also be specified in the order receipt stock information.
In addition, even if the order stock information contains a stock ID (parent stock ID) associated with the child stock ID, if the stock determination unit 22 determines that the order date included in the order stock information is not within the period between the start date and abolition date of the child stock ID and the child stock ID is not identified, replacement with the child stock ID will not be performed.

Furthermore, the information generating unit 24 generates delivery information based on the received order brand information generated as described above. Therefore, the information generating unit 24 corresponds to a delivery information generating means.
The information generating unit 24 determines whether the generated ordered issue information includes a replaced child issue ID, and if the replaced child issue ID is included, returns the child issue ID to the original parent issue ID to generate delivery information. The information generating unit 24 can identify, from among the issue IDs included in the ordered issue information, an issue ID that matches an issue ID (child issue ID) stored in the child issue management table as the replaced child issue ID.
In this way, by returning the brand ID of the limited brand that was automatically allocated in response to a sales promotion measure to the original parent brand brand ID in the delivery information, it is possible to prevent the ordering retailer from being confused by an erroneous order or receipt.

The ordered item information generated by the information generating unit 24 is sent from the system 1 to a sorting support system, a delivery management system, etc., and is used in sorting operations, delivery operations, settlement operations, etc.
Furthermore, the delivery information generated by the information generating unit 24 is output as a delivery slip by the present system 1 or another system.

[Tobacco product order support method]
The tobacco product order-receiving support method according to this embodiment (hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as this method) will be described below with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. FIG.
FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing some of the steps of the tobacco product order support method according to this embodiment, and FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the remaining steps of the tobacco product order support method according to this embodiment.
This method is executed by a computer including at least one processor and a memory, such as the above-mentioned support server 10. Note that the specific content of each step included in this method is similar to the processing content of each software element of the above-mentioned support server 10, and therefore will be omitted as appropriate.

First, the support server 10 acquires order issue information indicating the order contents from a certain retail store and order source information related to the retail store (S101). The contents of this information and the method of acquiring it are as described in the explanation of the information acquisition unit 21, etc.

The support server 10 extracts from the order brand information acquired in (S101) one brand ID from a group of brand IDs each indicating the brand of tobacco product to be ordered and the order quantity of that brand (S102).

Then, the support server 10 determines whether the extracted stock ID indicates a limited stock (S103). Specifically, the support server 10 identifies a stock record that includes the extracted stock ID in the stock master table, and can make this determination by referring to the limited flag of the identified stock record.

If the extracted brand ID indicates a limited brand (S103; YES), the support server 10 determines whether the ordering retailer is authorized to sell the limited brand at retail based on the ordering source information acquired in (S101) (S104). The support server 10 can make the determination in (S104) by identifying a record in the ordering source limited table that contains the extracted brand ID as a limited brand ID, and determining whether a record that contains the store ID of the retailer indicated by the ordering source information exists among the identified records.

If it is determined that the ordering retailer is not authorized (S104; NO), the support server 10 does not set the issue ID in the received order issue information, and determines whether there are any issue IDs remaining in the ordered issue information that have not yet been extracted (S109). If it is determined that there are any remaining issue IDs (S109; YES), the support server 10 extracts the next issue ID and the order quantity of that issue from the ordered issue information (S102), and performs the process from step (S103) onwards.
On the other hand, if it is determined that there are no issue IDs that have not yet been extracted, that is, all issue IDs of the order targets have been extracted (S109; NO), the support server 10 ends the processing of this method.

On the other hand, if the stock ID extracted in (S102) does not indicate a limited stock, i.e., if the stock ID indicates a stock for general distribution (S103; NO), the support server 10 proceeds to step (S105) without performing a judgment regarding the order source (S104).
Also, when it is determined that the ordering retailer is authorized (S104; YES), the support server 10 proceeds to step (S105).

In step (S105), the support server 10 determines whether a child issue ID associated with the issue ID exists.
Specifically, the support server 10 searches the child stock management table for a child stock record that includes the stock ID as the parent stock ID and whose order date falls within the period between the start date and the abolition date. The order date can be obtained from the order stock information obtained in (S101). If the support server 10 detects one or more corresponding child stock records, it determines that the child stock ID exists (S105; YES), and if it cannot detect them, it determines that the child stock ID does not exist (S105; NO).

If the child issue ID does not exist (S105; NO), the support server 10 acquires the stock quantity of the issue ID extracted in (S102) from the stock information stored in the information management DB 26 (S106).
The support server 10 determines whether the inventory quantity of that stock ID meets the order quantity (S107), and if it determines that the inventory quantity is equal to or greater than the order quantity (S107; YES), sets the stock ID and the order quantity in the received order stock information (S108).
Thereafter, the support server 10 performs the above-mentioned process from the determination in (S109) onward.
On the other hand, if it is determined that the stock quantity of the extracted issue ID does not satisfy the order quantity (S107; NO), the issue ID is not set in the received order issue information, and the process from the determination described above (S109) onwards is carried out.

On the other hand, if it is determined that a child stock ID exists (S105; YES), the support server 10 selects one child stock ID associated with the stock ID extracted in (S102) (S111). Specifically, the support server 10 extracts from the child stock management table one or more child stock records that include the stock ID as a parent stock ID and whose order date falls within the period between the start date and the abolition date, selects one child stock record from the one or more extracted child stock records according to the allocation priority, and selects the stock ID (child stock ID) included in the selected child stock record (S111). At this time, the child stock record with the higher allocation priority is selected preferentially.

Then, the support server 10 determines whether the selected child stock ID is a store-limited (including area-limited) stock (S112). Specifically, the support server 10 identifies a child stock record that includes the selected child stock ID in the child stock management table, and can make this determination by referring to the restriction flag of the identified child stock record.

If the selected child stock ID indicates a store-limited (including area-limited) stock (S112; YES), the support server 10 determines whether the ordering retailer is authorized to sell the limited stock indicated by the child stock ID at retail based on the order source information acquired in (S101) (S113). The support server 10 can make the determination (S113) by identifying a record in the order source limited table that contains the selected child stock ID as a limited stock ID, and determining whether a record that contains the store ID of the retailer indicated by the order source information exists among the identified records.

If it is determined that the ordering retailer is not authorized (S113; NO), the support server 10 determines whether or not there are other child stock IDs remaining that have not yet been selected in (S111) (S116). If it is determined that there are (S116; YES), the support server 10 selects the child stock ID with the next highest allocation priority (S111) and performs the process from step (S112) onwards.

On the other hand, if it is determined that there are no child stock IDs that have not yet been selected, i.e., that all necessary child stock IDs have been selected (S116; NO), the support server 10 performs the above-mentioned processing from (S106) onwards based on the stock ID of the parent stock extracted in (S102), without setting any of the selected child stock IDs in the order stock information.

If it is determined that the ordering retailer is authorized (S113; YES), the support server 10 obtains the inventory quantity of the child brand ID selected in (S111) from the inventory information stored in the information management DB 26 (S114).
The support server 10 determines whether the inventory quantity of the child stock ID satisfies the order quantity extracted in (S102) (S115), and if it determines that the inventory quantity is equal to or greater than the order quantity (S115; YES), it sets the child stock ID, together with the order quantity, in the order stock information in place of the stock ID of the parent stock extracted in (S102) (S117).
Thereafter, the support server 10 performs the above-mentioned process from the determination in (S109) onward.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the inventory quantity of the selected child issue ID does not satisfy the order quantity (S115; NO), the child issue ID is not set in the received order issue information, and the processing from the determination described above (S116) onwards is carried out.
In addition, if it is determined that the child brand ID does not indicate a store-limited (including area-limited) brand (S112; NO), the support server 10 performs processing from (S114) onwards without making the determination in (S113).

9 and 10 show only one example of the flow of the present method, and the order of execution of each step shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 can be changed as appropriate.
In the above example, if the stock ID extracted from the ordered stock information indicates a limited stock (S103; YES) and the ordering retailer is not permitted to sell the limited stock (S104; NO), the stock ID was not set in the received order stock information, but the stock ID may be set in the received order stock information as an order status of "pending" or "not available for order." This also applies to the case where the stock quantity of the stock ID extracted in (S102) does not satisfy the corresponding order quantity (S107; NO).

[Modification]
The above-described embodiment is merely an example, and the above-described contents can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
For example, in the above-described embodiment, the target is a cigarette product, but the target may be some or all of other tobacco products such as electronic cigarettes or heated tobacco cartridges and cigars, and tobacco accessory products such as accessories. Heat-not-burn tobacco cartridges and other tobacco products may be handled by a separate system similar to the above-described embodiment.

In the above embodiment, when a child brand is associated with a brand of tobacco product to be ordered and the stock quantity of the child brand does not satisfy the order quantity, the brand ID of the parent brand is set in the received order brand information without being replaced with the child brand. However, even if the stock quantity is insufficient, stock of the child brand may be reserved so that the order quantity is satisfied by the child brand and the parent brand.
Furthermore, when a plurality of sub-brands are associated with the brand of tobacco product to be ordered, the order quantity may be satisfied with the plurality of sub-brands.

Furthermore, the structures of the various tables stored in the information management DB 26 are merely examples, and the table structures can be modified as appropriate as long as each process or operation of the support server 10 can be realized.
For example, the start date and abolition date information may be removed from the child stock management table. In this case, when the order start date for a certain child stock arrives, the record of the child stock may be stored in the child stock management table, and when the order stop date for the child stock arrives, the record of the child stock may be deleted from the child stock management table.
In addition, although the store IDs of retailers that are permitted to sell limited brands of tobacco products at retail are set in the orderer limited table, the store IDs of retailers that are not permitted to sell such products at retail may also be set.

Furthermore, the information on the start date and the end date may be added to the orderer restriction table as well, as shown in Fig. 11. Fig. 11 is a diagram showing a modified example of the orderer restriction table.
In this case, the start date and abolition date in the order source limitation table are set to each date within the period indicated by the start date and abolition date in the brand master table or child brand management table for each retail store. Then, in each determination in (S104) of Fig. 9 and (S113) of Fig. 10, the support server 10 (order source determination unit 23) identifies a record in the order source limitation table that includes the extracted brand ID as a limited brand ID, and determines whether or not there is a record among the identified records that includes the store ID of the retail store indicated by the order source information and whose order date falls within the period indicated by the start date and abolition date in the order source limitation table.
According to this modified example, it is possible to easily and efficiently respond to a sales promotion measure in which the same limited brand of tobacco products is sold at different retail stores for different periods.
For ease of explanation, an example has been shown in which the brand master table stores the brand image, tar, nicotine, and number of cigarettes, and the child brand management table stores the brand image, but this information may be omitted. Other information that is not used in the above-mentioned process may also be omitted from each table.

Some or all of the above-described embodiments and modifications may be specified as follows: However, the above-described embodiments and modifications are not limited to the following descriptions.
(1)
a reference means capable of referencing a brand information storage unit that stores brand management information in which a brand identifier of a specific brand of tobacco products for general distribution is associated with a brand identifier of a limited brand whose price, tar amount, and nicotine amount are at least the same as those of the specific brand and whose distribution is restricted;
A means for acquiring order brand information including one or more brand identifiers of tobacco products to be ordered and order source information;
means for extracting a stock identifier of the specific stock from one or more stock identifiers included in the acquired order stock information;
A means for identifying a stock identifier of the limited stock associated with the stock identifier of the specific stock extracted in the stock management information;
a generation means for generating ordered item information of an order source indicated by the acquired order source information, in which the item identifier of the extracted specific item is replaced with the item identifier of the specified limited item;
A tobacco product order support system equipped with:
(2)
an order source determination means for determining whether or not an order source is permitted to retail sell the specified limited brand based on the acquired order source information;
Further comprising:
whether or not the generation means needs to replace the stock identifier of the specific stock with the stock identifier of the limited stock, depending on the result of the judgment by the order source judgment means;
A tobacco product order support system as described in (1).
(3)
The method further includes a means for determining whether or not the issue identifier extracted from the acquired order issue information is an issue identifier of a limited issue whose distribution is restricted,
the order source determination means, when the extracted brand identifier is a brand identifier of a limited brand whose distribution is restricted, determines whether the order source is permitted to retail sell the limited brand, and when the extracted brand identifier does not indicate the limited brand, does not make the determination.
A tobacco product order support system as described in (2).
(4)
a delivery information generating means for generating delivery information based on the generated ordered product information;
Further comprising:
The delivery information generating means determines whether or not the generated order issue information includes a stock identifier of the replaced limited stock, and if the stock identifier of the replaced limited stock is included, generates the delivery information in which the stock identifier of the replaced limited stock is returned to the stock identifier of the original specific stock.
A tobacco product order support system according to any one of (1) to (3).
(5)
The reference means is further capable of referencing an inventory information storage unit that stores inventory information for each brand of tobacco products, including the specific brand and the limited brand;
When the stock identifier of the extracted specific stock in the stock management information is associated with the stock identifier of one or more limited stocks, the identification means determines whether or not there is a limited stock among the one or more limited stocks that has an inventory quantity that satisfies the order quantity, based on the inventory information of the one or more limited stocks stored in the inventory information storage unit and the order quantity of the specific stock included in the acquired ordered stock information, and when none of the one or more limited stocks satisfies the order quantity, does not identify the stock identifier of the limited stock for the specific stock.
A tobacco product order support system according to any one of (1) to (4).
(6)
The reference means is further capable of referencing an inventory information storage unit that stores inventory information for each brand of tobacco products, including the specific brand and the limited brand;
In the stock management information, when a stock identifier of the specific stock is associated with a stock identifier of a plurality of limited stocks, the stock identifiers of the plurality of limited stocks are assigned a priority order;
When the stock identifier of the extracted specific stock in the stock management information is associated with stock identifiers of a plurality of limited stocks, the identifying means identifies one of the stock identifiers of the plurality of limited stocks based on the priority order given to the stock identifiers of the plurality of limited stocks and the inventory information of the plurality of limited stocks stored in the inventory information storage unit.
A tobacco product order support system according to any one of (1) to (5).
(7)
In the stock management information, one or both of a start date and an abolition date are set for the stock identifier of the limited stock,
The identification means identifies one or both of a start date and an abolition date of the stock identifier of the limited stock set in the stock management information,
Whether or not the generation means replaces the stock identifier of the specific stock with the stock identifier of the limited stock is determined depending on the relationship between the order date included in the acquired order stock information and one or both of the specified start date and abolition date.
A tobacco product order support system according to any one of (1) to (6).
(8)
A tobacco product order support method executed by one or more computers capable of referencing a brand information storage unit that stores brand management information in which a brand identifier of a specific brand of tobacco products for general distribution is associated with a brand identifier of a limited brand whose price, tar amount, and nicotine amount are at least the same as the specific brand and whose distribution is restricted, comprising:
Obtaining order brand information and order source information, which includes one or more brand identifiers of the tobacco products to be ordered;
extracting a stock identifier of the specific stock from one or more stock identifiers included in the acquired order stock information;
Identifying a stock identifier of the limited stock associated with a stock identifier of the extracted specific stock in the stock management information;
generating order receipt issue information corresponding to the acquired order issue information, in which the issue identifier of the extracted specific issue is replaced with the issue identifier of the specified limited issue;
A tobacco product order support method, comprising:
(9)
performing an order source determination based on the acquired order source information to determine whether or not the order source is authorized to retail sell the specified limited brand;
It further includes:
Depending on the result of the order source determination, a determination is made as to whether or not it is necessary to replace the stock identifier of the specific stock with the stock identifier of the limited stock.
A tobacco product order support method as described in (8).
(10)
determining whether or not the issue identifier extracted from the acquired order issue information is an issue identifier of a limited issue whose distribution is restricted;
Further including:
In the order source determination, if the extracted brand identifier is a brand identifier of a limited brand whose distribution is restricted, a determination is made as to whether or not the order source is permitted to retail sell the limited brand, and if the extracted brand identifier does not indicate the limited brand, the determination is not made.
A tobacco product order support method as described in (9).
(11)
generating delivery information based on the generated ordered product information;
It further includes:
In generating the delivery information, it is determined whether or not the generated order issue information includes a stock identifier of the replaced limited stock, and if the stock identifier of the replaced limited stock is included, the delivery information is generated in which the stock identifier of the replaced limited stock is returned to the stock identifier of the original specific stock.
A tobacco product order support method according to any one of (8) to (10).
(12)
The one or more computers are further capable of referencing an inventory information storage unit that stores inventory information for each brand of tobacco products, including the specific brand and the limited brand;
When the stock identifier of the extracted specific stock in the stock management information is associated with the stock identifier of one or more limited stocks, a determination is made as to whether or not there is a limited stock among the one or more limited stocks that has an inventory quantity that satisfies the order quantity, based on the inventory information of the one or more limited stocks stored in the inventory information storage unit and the order quantity of the specific stock included in the acquired ordered stock information, and when none of the one or more limited stocks satisfies the order quantity, a stock identifier of the limited stock is not specified for the specific stock.
A tobacco product order support method according to any one of (8) to (11).
(13)
The one or more computers are further capable of referencing an inventory information storage unit that stores inventory information for each brand of tobacco products, including the specific brand and the limited brand;
In the stock management information, when a stock identifier of the specific stock is associated with a stock identifier of a plurality of limited stocks, the stock identifiers of the plurality of limited stocks are assigned a priority order;
When the stock identifier of the extracted specific stock in the stock management information is associated with stock identifiers of a plurality of limited stocks, one of the stock identifiers of the plurality of limited stocks is identified based on the priority order given to the stock identifiers of the plurality of limited stocks and the inventory information of the plurality of limited stocks stored in the inventory information storage unit.
The tobacco product order support method according to any one of (8) to (12), further comprising:
(14)
In the stock management information, one or both of a start date and an abolition date are set for the stock identifier of the limited stock,
Identifying one or both of the start date and the abolition date of the stock identifier of the limited stock set in the stock management information;
Further including:
Whether or not the generation means replaces the stock identifier of the specific stock with the stock identifier of the limited stock is determined depending on the relationship between the order date included in the acquired order stock information and one or both of the specified start date and abolition date.
A tobacco product order support method according to any one of (8) to (13).
(15)
A computer program that causes one or more computers to execute the tobacco product order support method described in any one of (8) to (14).

1. Tobacco product order support system (this system)
2 Retail store 10 Support server 11 CPU
12 Memory 13 Input/Output I/F
14 Communication unit 15 Display device 16 Input device 21 Information acquisition unit 22 Brand determination unit 23 Order source determination unit 24 Information generation unit 25 Data reference unit 26 Information management database (DB)

Claims (8)

a reference means capable of referencing a brand information storage unit that stores brand management information in which a brand identifier of a specific brand of tobacco products for general distribution is associated with a brand identifier of a limited brand whose price, tar amount, and nicotine amount are at least the same as the specific brand and whose distribution is restricted;
A means for acquiring order brand information including one or more brand identifiers of tobacco products to be ordered and order source information;
means for extracting a stock identifier of the specific stock from one or more stock identifiers included in the acquired order stock information;
A means for identifying a stock identifier of the limited stock associated with the stock identifier of the specific stock extracted in the stock management information;
a generation means for generating ordered item information of an order source indicated by the acquired order source information, in which the item identifier of the extracted specific item is replaced with the item identifier of the specified limited item;
A tobacco product order support system equipped with: an order source determination means for determining whether or not an order source is permitted to retail sell the specified limited brand based on the acquired order source information;
Further comprising:
Depending on the result of the judgment by the order source judgment means, it is determined whether or not the generation means needs to replace the stock identifier of the specific stock with the stock identifier of the limited stock.
The tobacco product order support system according to claim 1. The method further includes a means for determining whether or not the issue identifier extracted from the acquired order issue information is an issue identifier of a limited issue whose distribution is restricted,
the order source determination means, when the extracted brand identifier is a brand identifier of a limited brand whose distribution is restricted, determines whether the order source is permitted to retail sell the limited brand, and when the extracted brand identifier does not indicate the limited brand, does not make the determination.
The tobacco product order support system according to claim 2. a delivery information generating means for generating delivery information based on the generated ordered product information;
Further comprising:
The delivery information generating means determines whether or not the generated order issue information includes a stock identifier of the replaced limited stock, and if the stock identifier of the replaced limited stock is included, generates the delivery information in which the stock identifier of the replaced limited stock is returned to the stock identifier of the original specific stock.
The tobacco product order support system according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The reference means is further capable of referencing an inventory information storage unit that stores inventory information for each brand of tobacco products, including the specific brand and the limited brand;
When the stock identifier of the extracted specific stock in the stock management information is associated with the stock identifier of one or more limited stocks, the identification means determines whether or not there is a limited stock among the one or more limited stocks with an inventory quantity that satisfies the order quantity, based on the inventory information of the one or more limited stocks stored in the inventory information storage unit and the order quantity of the specific stock included in the acquired ordered stock information, and when none of the one or more limited stocks satisfies the order quantity, does not identify the stock identifier of the limited stock for the specific stock.
The tobacco product order support system according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The reference means is further capable of referencing an inventory information storage unit that stores inventory information for each brand of tobacco products, including the specific brand and the limited brand;
In the stock management information, when a stock identifier of the specific stock is associated with a stock identifier of a plurality of limited stocks, the stock identifiers of the plurality of limited stocks are assigned a priority order;
When the stock identifier of the extracted specific stock in the stock management information is associated with stock identifiers of a plurality of limited stocks, the identifying means identifies one of the stock identifiers of the plurality of limited stocks based on the priority order given to the stock identifiers of the plurality of limited stocks and the inventory information of the plurality of limited stocks stored in the inventory information storage unit.
The tobacco product order support system according to any one of claims 1 to 5. In the stock management information, one or both of a start date and an abolition date are set for the stock identifier of the limited stock,
The identification means identifies one or both of a start date and an abolition date of the stock identifier of the limited stock set in the stock management information,
Whether or not the generation means replaces the stock identifier of the specific stock with the stock identifier of the limited stock changes depending on the relationship between the order date included in the acquired order stock information and one or both of the specified start date and abolition date.
The tobacco product order support system according to any one of claims 1 to 6. A tobacco product order support method executed by one or more computers capable of referencing a brand information storage unit that stores brand management information in which a brand identifier of a specific brand of tobacco products for general distribution is associated with a brand identifier of a limited brand whose price, tar amount, and nicotine amount are at least the same as the specific brand and whose distribution is restricted, comprising:
Obtaining order brand information and order source information, which includes one or more brand identifiers of the tobacco products to be ordered;
extracting a stock identifier of the specific stock from one or more stock identifiers included in the acquired order stock information;
Identifying a stock identifier of the limited stock associated with a stock identifier of the extracted specific stock in the stock management information;
generating order receipt issue information corresponding to the acquired order issue information, in which the issue identifier of the extracted specific issue is replaced with the issue identifier of the specified limited issue;
A tobacco product order support method, comprising:

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