JP7577577B2 - Information processing device and program - Google Patents

Description

An embodiment of the present invention relates to an information processing device and a program.

In consideration of environmental measures, etc., there are products (hereinafter referred to as "special products") that require specific disposal methods that differ from general waste collected by garbage trucks. Examples of such products include televisions and refrigerators, which are subject to the Home Appliance Recycling Law, and PCs (Personal Computers), which are subject to the Small Home Appliance Recycling Law. In addition to electrical appliances, large furniture and other items are treated as so-called bulky waste and require disposal methods that differ from general waste.

The above-mentioned specific products are disposed of by businesses or local governments (collectively referred to below as "businesses") through collection, disposal, etc. Generally, there is a fee for the disposal of specific products by businesses.

When consumers purchase a new specific product, they often discard the specific product they have been using. Although a system has been proposed in which the store where the specific product was purchased accepts the disposal of the product (for example, Patent Document 1), this system does not allow customers to choose the company that will dispose of the product, and is not necessarily satisfactory for customers. It would be convenient for customers who purchase a new specific product to be able to obtain information on companies that can dispose of the specific product.

The problem that this invention aims to solve is to provide an information processing device and program that can improve the convenience of customers who replace specific products.

The information processing device of the embodiment includes an input unit to which product identification information that identifies a product is input, a payment processing unit that executes processing related to payment for the product identified by the product identification information input to the input unit, a vendor information acquisition unit that acquires the vendor information corresponding to the product identification information input to the input unit by referring to vendor management information that associates the product identification information with vendor information related to the vendor that performs the disposal, if the product identified by the product identification information input to the input unit is a product that requires specific disposal, and an output unit that outputs the vendor information acquired by the vendor information acquisition unit when processing of the payment processing unit is executed.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a POS system including an information processing apparatus according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the data configuration of the product master in the memory unit of the information processing apparatus of the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the data configuration of the vendor master in the memory unit of the information processing apparatus of the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the data configuration of the disposition information management table in the memory unit of the information processing apparatus of the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the data configuration of the area management master in the memory unit of the information processing apparatus of the first embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the data structure of a disposition information setting file in the memory unit of the information processing apparatus of the first embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the data structure of a product management file in the memory unit of the information processing apparatus of the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating the functional configuration of the information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the process of the control unit at the time of payment in the information processing apparatus of the first embodiment. FIG. 12 shows a receipt issued by the information processing apparatus of the first embodiment. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the process of the control unit when updating the product management file of the information processing apparatus of the first embodiment. FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing a sales system including an information processing device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of an information processing apparatus according to the second embodiment. FIG. 16 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of an information processing apparatus according to the second embodiment. FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing the process of the control unit at the time of accepting the purchase of the information processing apparatus of the second embodiment. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a display screen of a user terminal of the information processing apparatus of the second embodiment.

(First embodiment)
The information processing device and the program according to the first embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a POS (Point Of Sales) system including an information processing device according to the embodiment. The POS system 1 is a system that processes sales and manages sales of products sold in a store, and in this embodiment, is installed in a store such as a home electronics retailer. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the POS system 1 can be widely applied to stores that sell specific products.

The POS system 1 comprises one or more POS terminals 2 installed in a store, and a store server 3 installed in the store's back yard. The POS terminals 2 and the store server 3 are connected by a communication line such as a LAN (Local Area Network). This enables the POS terminals 2 and the store server 3 to communicate with each other and send and receive information (data) between them.

In transactions with customers, the POS terminal 2 executes payment processing related to the registration of products purchased by customers and the payment of registered products. Here, product registration refers to storing product information (product name, price, etc.) in a storage device based on a product code entered into the POS terminal 2. Payment processing refers to processing executed by the POS terminal 2 to allow a customer to pay for an item. Payment processing includes, for example, calculating the transaction amount based on the product information of the registered product, calculating the change amount for a deposit received from a customer, and displaying various information such as the transaction amount and change amount. The POS terminal 2 is an example of an information processing device.

The store server 3 receives from each POS terminal 2 product information and payment information for products paid for in the payment process. The store server 3 also receives settlement information from each POS terminal 2 that settles sales for a specified period (e.g., one day). The store server 3 centrally manages the product information, payment information, settlement information, etc. received from each POS terminal 2, and performs sales management for one store. The store server 3 also updates the product master stored in each POS terminal 2 as appropriate.

Next, the configuration of the POS terminal 2 will be described. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the POS terminal 2. The POS terminal 2 includes a keyboard 21, an operator display 22, an operator touch panel 23, a customer display 24, a customer touch panel 25, a printer 26, a card reader 27, a scanner 28, and a money storage unit 29.

The keyboard 21 is equipped with various keys. The various keys include, for example, a selection key for selecting a payment method such as credit card payment, a transaction start key for declaring the start of a transaction, quantity keys for inputting a product code and amount, etc., a subtotal key (payment process start key) for declaring the calculation of the total sales amount, a closing key for declaring that the payment is to be settled by closing the transaction, and a clear key for clearing input.

The operator display 22 is composed of a liquid crystal panel or the like, and displays payment information related to the payment process, such as product information, transaction amount, and change amount, to the operator operating the POS terminal 2. The operator touch panel 23 is provided on the surface of the operator display 22, and inputs information according to the touched position to the control unit 200 (see Figure 3) of the POS terminal 2.

The customer display 24 has the same configuration as the operator display 22. That is, the customer display 24 is composed of a liquid crystal panel or the like, and displays product information, payment information, etc. to customers who purchase products. The customer touch panel 25 is provided on the surface of the customer display 24, and inputs information according to the touched position to the control unit 200 of the POS terminal 2.

The printer 26 is, for example, a thermal printer. The printer 26 prints product information, payment information, vendor information (described later), etc. on a roll of receipt paper stored in the POS terminal 2, and issues a receipt.

The card reader 27 magnetically reads member information identifying the member from a member card, point card, or other medium presented by the customer. The card reader 27 also magnetically reads credit information required for payment from a credit card. The card reader 27 may also be an IC card reader that reads information from a card with an embedded IC chip.

The scanner 28 optically recognizes a code symbol, such as a barcode, attached to the product purchased by the customer or to the box in which the product is packed. The scanner 28 then decodes the recognized code symbol and reads the product code indicated by the code symbol. Note that the code symbol recognized by the scanner 28 may be decoded by the control unit 200 of the POS terminal 2.

The money storage machine 29 has an internal drawer for storing coins and bills, and stores money received from customers, valuable securities such as gift certificates, and change to be handed over to customers. The money storage machine 29 is opened to expose the drawer for storing money in response to a command from the control unit 200 of the POS terminal 2.

Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the POS terminal 2. The POS terminal 2 includes a control unit 200, a memory unit 210, an input/output controller 220, and a communication I/F (Interface) 230. The control unit 200, the memory unit 210, the input/output controller 220, and the communication I/F 230 are connected to each other via a bus 240.

The control unit 200 is configured as a computer equipped with a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 201, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 202, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 203. The CPU 201, the ROM 202, and the RAM 203 are connected to each other via a bus 240.

The CPU 201 controls the overall operation of the POS terminal 2. The ROM 202 stores various programs, such as a program used to drive the CPU 201, and various data. The RAM 203 is used as a work area for the CPU 201, and expands the various programs and data stored in the ROM 202 and the memory unit 210. The control unit 200 executes various control processes for the POS terminal 2 by the CPU 201 operating in accordance with the control programs stored in the ROM 202 and the memory unit 210 and expanded in the RAM 203.

The memory unit 210 is composed of storage media such as a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or flash memory, and maintains the stored contents even when the power is cut off. The memory unit 210 stores a control program 211, a product master 212, a vendor master 213, a disposal information management table 214, a region management master 215, a disposal information setting file 216, and a product management file 217. The vendor master 213 and the disposal information management table 214 constitute vendor management information. In other words, each piece of information registered (stored) in the vendor master 213 and the disposal information management table 214 is information about the vendor.

The control program 211 is a control program for functioning as the POS terminal 2 and a control program for printing the name of the company that will handle the specific disposal on the receipt.

The product master 212 is a master file that stores information about products handled in the store. Figure 4 is a diagram explaining an example of the data configuration of the product master 212. Each piece of data registered in the product master 212 corresponds to a product code, product name, price, and specific product flag. Note that since the products handled in the store change daily, the product master 212 is updated as appropriate by the store server 3 connected via the communication I/F 230.

The product code is a code for identifying a product, and is an example of product identification information. The product name is information indicating the name of the product. The price is information indicating the unit price of the product. The specific product flag is information indicating whether the product is a specific product, that is, a product that requires a specific disposal method different from general waste. A product with a "1" registered in the specific product flag record is a specific product, and a product with a "0" registered is not a specific product.

The contractor master 213 is a master file that stores contractors who carry out specific waste disposal. A specific waste disposal is the disposal of a specific product, and is a disposal method that is different from that of general waste collected by garbage trucks. Disposal is any action for disposing of a product, and includes any of the collection, disposal, and recycling of the product. A contractor is a person who carries out a specific waste disposal, and includes businesses, local governments, etc. Figure 5 is a diagram explaining an example of the data configuration of the contractor master 213. Each piece of data registered in the contractor master 213 corresponds to a product code, product name, contractor code, contractor name, location, area code, area name, and contact information.

The product code and product name are the information described above. The vendor code is vendor identification information that identifies the vendor. The vendor name is information that indicates the name of the vendor. The location is information that indicates the location of the vendor, such as an address. The area code is area identification information that identifies the area that includes the location. The area name is information that indicates the name of the area identified by the area code, such as a city, ward, mayor, or village. The contact information is information that indicates the contact information of the vendor, such as a telephone number or email address. The vendor code, vendor name, location, area code, area name, and contact information are each examples of vendor information. Also, the location, area code, and area name are also examples of area information.

The disposal information management table 214 manages information related to disposal by businesses. Figure 6 is a diagram explaining an example of the data configuration of the disposal information management table 214. Each piece of data registered in the disposal information management table 214 corresponds to a business code, business name, cost, and time.

The vendor code and vendor name are the same information as described above. The cost is information indicating the cost required for disposal. The time is information indicating the time required from the application for disposal to the vendor collecting the product to be disposed of. The information indicating the cost and time is registered by the store that obtained the information from the vendor, and is an example of disposal information.

The area management master 215 is a master file for managing areas. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the data configuration of the area management master 215. Each piece of data registered in the area management master 215 corresponds to an address, area code, and area name.

The address is information that indicates an address. The area code is area identification information that identifies the area in which the address is included. The area name is the name of the area identified by the area code, such as a city, ward, mayor, or village.

The disposal information setting file 216 manages information that is prioritized when selecting a contractor, in other words, conditions that are prioritized when selecting a contractor. Figure 8 is a diagram explaining an example of the data configuration of the disposal information setting file 216. Each piece of data registered in the disposal information setting file 216 corresponds to an item and a condition flag.

The item is information indicating the item related to the disposal by the contractor. In this embodiment, information indicating cost or time is registered in the item record. The condition flag is information indicating the condition to be prioritized when selecting a contractor. An item with a "1" registered in the condition flag record indicates that it is a prioritized item, and an item with a "0" registered indicates that it is not a prioritized item. In the example shown in FIG. 8, cost is set as the prioritized item, so the contractor that will dispose of the specific product purchased by the customer will be selected in order of the lowest cost. The condition flag can be rewritten by the store at any time. Note that the condition flag may be rewritten, for example, by a customer who purchases a specific product operating the customer touch panel 25 to input.

The product management file 217 manages the sales and disposal dates for each individual product. Figure 9 is a diagram explaining an example of the data configuration of the product management file 217. Each piece of data registered in the product management file 217 corresponds to a product code, product name, manufacturer code, manufacturer name, individual product code, sale date, and disposal date.

The product code and product name are the information described above. The manufacturer code is manufacturer identification information that identifies the manufacturer of the product. The manufacturer name is information that indicates the company name of the manufacturer. The individual item code is individual item identification information that identifies each individual item of the product, and is information uniquely assigned to each individual item, such as a serial number. The sales date is information that indicates the date on which the individual item was sold. The disposal date is information that indicates the date on which the individual item was disposed of, such as the date on which the individual item was brought to a dealer or the date on which the dealer disposed of the individual item. The product code and product name are registered in advance, and the manufacturer code, manufacturer name, and individual item code are registered, for example, when the individual item arrives. The sales date is registered when the individual item is purchased. The disposal date is registered when information is obtained from a dealer. The store can provide the information registered in the product management file to the manufacturer. The manufacturer can recognize the actual useful life of each product in the market using the provided information, and can use the information to formulate a production plan.

Returning to FIG. 3, the input/output controller 220 is connected to the keyboard 21, the operator display 22, the operator touch panel 23, the customer display 24, the customer touch panel 25, the printer 26, the card reader 27, the scanner 28, and the money storage machine 29. The input/output controller 220 has a function as an input/output interface for the connected hardware and a function for controlling the hardware. This allows the control unit 200 to send and receive information (data) to and from the keyboard 21, the operator display 22, the operator touch panel 23, the customer display 24, the customer touch panel 25, the printer 26, the card reader 27, the scanner 28, and the money storage machine 29 via the input/output controller 220, and also to control the hardware based on instructions from the control unit 200.

The communication I/F 230 is an interface for communicating with the store server 3. The control unit 200 is connected to the store server 3 via the communication I/F 230, enabling the control unit 200 to send and receive information (data) to and from the store server 3.

Next, the functional configuration of the POS terminal 2 will be described. FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the POS terminal 2. The control unit 200 functions as an input unit 2001, a registration unit 2002, a judgment unit 2003, a payment processing unit 2004, a trader information acquisition unit 2005, a region information acquisition unit 2006, a disposal information acquisition unit 2007, an output unit 2008, a reception unit 2009, a sales time information acquisition unit 2010, and a storage processing unit 2011, as the CPU 201 operates in accordance with a control program stored in the ROM 202 or memory unit 210. Each of these functions may be configured as hardware such as a dedicated circuit.

Product identification information that identifies a product is input to the input unit 2001. Specifically, the product code read by the scanner 28 from a barcode attached to a product or the like, or the product code input to the keyboard 21 is input to the input unit 2001. In addition, various information is input to the input unit 2001 from the keyboard 21, the operator touch panel 23, and the customer touch panel 25.

The registration unit 2002 performs product registration for the product whose product code is input to the input unit 2001. Specifically, the registration unit 2002 refers to the product master 212 based on the product code input to the input unit 2001 to obtain product information (product name, price, etc.) and temporarily stores the information in the RAM 203.

The determination unit 2003 determines whether the product whose product code has been input into the input unit 2001 is a specific product. Specifically, the determination unit 2003 refers to the product master 212 and determines whether "1" is registered in the specific product flag corresponding to the product code input into the input unit 2001. If "1" is registered in the specific product flag, the determination unit 2003 determines that the product identified by the product code input into the input unit 2001 is a specific product.

The payment processing unit 2004 executes processing related to the payment of products identified by the product identification information input to the input unit 2001. Specifically, the payment processing unit 2004 calculates the total price (transaction amount) of registered products, calculates the change amount, and instructs the operator display 22 and customer display 24 to display various information. Note that in this embodiment, instructions to the printer 26 to issue a receipt are not included in the payment processing.

When the product identified by the product identification information input to the input unit 2001 is a product that requires specific disposal, the vendor information acquisition unit 2005 refers to vendor management information that associates the product identification information with vendor information related to a vendor that performs specific disposal to acquire vendor information corresponding to the product identification information input to the input unit 2001. Specifically, when the judgment unit 2003 judges that the product identified by the product code input to the input unit 2001 is a specific product, the vendor information acquisition unit 2005 refers to the vendor master 213 to acquire vendor information corresponding to the product code from the product master 212. In this embodiment, the vendor information acquisition unit 2005 acquires vendor information of multiple vendors.

The vendor information acquisition unit 2005 also refers to vendor management information that associates vendor information with regional information to acquire vendor information corresponding to the regional information acquired by the regional information acquisition unit 2006. For example, the vendor information acquisition unit 2005 acquires vendor information of vendors that correspond to the product code input to the input unit 2001 and that have been narrowed down by the regional information acquired by the regional information acquisition unit 2006.

Furthermore, the vendor information acquisition unit 2005 refers to vendor management information that associates vendor information with disposal information to acquire vendor information corresponding to the disposal information acquired by the disposal information acquisition unit 2007. For example, the vendor information acquisition unit 2005 acquires vendor information of vendors that correspond to the product code input to the input unit 2001 and that have been narrowed down by the disposal information acquired by the disposal information acquisition unit 2007.

Note that the vendor information acquisition unit 2005 does not necessarily need to narrow down the vendors based on the regional information acquired by the regional information acquisition unit 2006 or the disposal information acquired by the disposal information acquisition unit 2007.

The regional information acquisition unit 2006 acquires regional information indicating a region. Specifically, the regional information acquisition unit 2006 acquires regional information related to a customer, for example, information indicating a region including a customer's residence or a region including a delivery address of a specific product purchased by the customer. The regional information acquisition unit 2006 acquires regional information obtained by an operator from a customer who has purchased a specific product and input from the keyboard 21 or the operator touch panel 23. Hereinafter, the keyboard 21, the operator touch panel 23, or the customer touch panel 25 may be referred to as an "operation unit". When a customer's address or a delivery address of a specific product is input to the operation unit, the regional information acquisition unit 2006 acquires regional information by referring to the regional management master 215 and identifying a region corresponding to the address. The regional information acquisition unit 2006 may acquire regional information stored in a member database (not shown) in association with a member ID based on a member ID read by the card reader 27.

The disposal information acquisition unit 2007 acquires disposal information related to the waste disposal by the contractor. Specifically, the disposal information acquisition unit 2007 acquires disposal information set by referring to the disposal information setting file 216, that is, disposal information in which "1" is registered in the condition flag. Note that the disposal information acquisition unit 2007 may acquire disposal information input from the operation unit in response to a customer's request.

When the processing of the payment processing unit 2004 is executed, the output unit 2008 outputs the vendor information acquired by the vendor information acquisition unit 2005. Specifically, when the processing of the payment processing unit 2004 is executed, the output unit 2008 outputs the vendor information acquired by the vendor information acquisition unit 2005 to the printer 26. The output unit 2008 also outputs payment information related to the payment and a receipt issuance instruction to the printer 26. The payment information includes product information such as the product name and unit price of the product purchased by the customer, and information related to the amount such as the amount deposited by the customer, change, and tax amount. This allows the printer 26 to print the payment information and vendor information on receipt paper and issue it as a receipt.

The reception unit 2009 receives disposal time information that associates individual item identification information that identifies individual items of merchandise with the time when the item is to be disposed of. Specifically, the reception unit 2009 receives disposal time information that the store obtains from a company that handles disposal and that is input from the operation unit. For example, the individual item identification information is an individual item code, and the disposal time information is information that indicates the date of disposal. The reception unit 2009 may receive disposal time information via a network from a PC or the like managed by the company.

The sales time information acquisition unit 2010 acquires sales time information that associates individual item identification information with the sales time of the item. Specifically, the sales time information acquisition unit 2010 acquires sales time information that associates individual item codes with sales dates from the product management file 217.

Based on the disposal time information and the sales time information, the storage processing unit 2011 associates the individual item identification information, sales time, and waste disposal time, and stores them in the memory unit 210. Specifically, the storage processing unit 2011 associates the disposal time information and the sales time information with each other using the individual item identification information (individual item code) contained in the disposal time information accepted by the acceptance unit 2009 and the sales time information acquired by the sales time information acquisition unit 2010 as keys, and stores them in the memory unit 210. More specifically, when the acceptance unit 2009 accepts the disposal time information, the storage processing unit 2011 updates the product management file 217 by registering the waste disposal date in the product management file 217 stored in the memory unit 210. In addition, the storage processing unit 2011 registers the sales date in the product management file 217 for the registered product.

Next, we will explain the operation of the POS terminal 2 based on the above configuration. Figure 11 is a flowchart showing the processing of the control unit 200 when a customer makes a payment.

The control unit 200 determines whether a product code has been input to the input unit 2001 (S1), and if not (N in S1), returns to the process of S1 and waits. When a product code is input to the input unit 2001, for example by the scanner 28 reading a barcode attached to the product (Y in S1), the determination unit 2003 refers to the product master 212 and determines whether the product identified by the product code is a specific product (S2). At this time, an individual product code is also input to the input unit 2001 along with the product code. The individual product code is input by operating the operation unit, or by an RFID tag reader (not shown) reading it from an RF tag attached to the product.

If it is a specific product (Y in S2), the regional information acquisition unit 2006 acquires regional information input to the operation unit or regional information selected based on the input address (S3). The disposal information acquisition unit 2007 acquires disposal information from the disposal information management table 214 by referring to the disposal information setting file 216 (S4).

The vendor information acquisition unit 2005 acquires vendor information as follows (S5). First, the vendor information acquisition unit 2005 selects a vendor code corresponding to the product code input to the input unit 2001 by referring to the vendor master 213. Next, the vendor information acquisition unit 2005 narrows down the vendor codes selected based on the product code based on the regional information acquired by the regional information acquisition unit 2006. In other words, the vendor information acquisition unit 2005 narrows down the vendor codes selected based on the product code to those that correspond to the regional information acquired by the regional information acquisition unit 2006 in the vendor master 213.

Then, the vendor information acquisition unit 2005 further narrows down the vendor codes narrowed down based on the regional information, based on the disposal information acquired by the disposal information acquisition unit 2007. That is, the vendor information acquisition unit 2005 narrows down the vendor codes narrowed down based on the regional information to a few, for example two, vendor codes in the order of lowest cost in the disposal information management table 214. Then, the vendor information acquisition unit 2005 acquires vendor information on these two vendors from the vendor master 213. This allows the vendor information acquisition unit 2005 to acquire vendor information that is considered to be most suitable for the customer who purchased the specific product. Note that the number of vendor codes selected by the vendor information acquisition unit 2005 is not limited to two, and can be set as appropriate.

Following the process of S5, the storage processing unit 2011 registers the sales date in the product management file 217 (S6). The storage processing unit 2011 registers information indicating the sales date in the record of the sales date corresponding to the individual product information input to the input unit 2001 in the product management file 217. If the product management file 217 does not manage the sales time and disposal time for each individual product, the input of the individual product code in S1 and the registration of the sales date in S6 are unnecessary. Then, the registration unit 2002 executes product registration (S7). Specifically, the registration unit 2002 reads product information such as the product name and price from the product master 212 based on the product code input to the input unit 2001 and stores it in the RAM 203. In addition, if the judgment unit 2003 judges in the process of S2 that the product identified by the product code input to the input unit 2001 is not a specific product (N in S2), the control unit 200 skips the processes of S3 to S6 and moves to the process of S7.

Next, the control unit 200 determines whether or not payment instruction information has been input to the input unit 2001 by operating the operation unit (S8), and if payment instruction information has not been input (N in S8), the process returns to S1. If payment instruction information has been input (Y in S8), the payment processing unit 2004 executes the payment process (S9). If an input to cancel the purchase of the product is made to the input unit 2001 at this time, the control unit 200 erases the information indicating the sale date registered in S6 and the product information stored in S7, and ends the process. After the payment process is executed, the output unit 2008 outputs the vendor information acquired by the vendor information acquisition unit 2005 and the payment information related to the payment process executed by the payment processing unit 2004 to the printer 26 together with a receipt production instruction. Then, the control unit 200 ends the process.

The printer 26 then issues a receipt on which the vendor information is printed. Figure 12 shows an example of an issued receipt. The receipt has a payment information printing area 51 on which the payment information is printed, and a vendor information printing area 52 on which the vendor information is printed.

In the payment information printing area 51, the product name, price, subtotal, tax amount, total amount, etc. of the purchased product are printed. In addition, for the specific product purchased, a mark 511 is printed corresponding to the product name. The mark 511 indicates that the corresponding product is a specific product. In the vendor information printing area 52, the vendor's name, location, and contact information are printed as vendor information. By looking at the receipt, a customer who has purchased a specific product can confirm the vendor that will dispose of the previous product, i.e., the product that they have been using.

Next, the product management file update will be described. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the processing of the control unit 200 when updating the product management file. The processing of the control unit 200 shown in FIG. 13 is executed periodically.

First, the control unit 200 judges whether the reception unit 2009 has received disposal time information that associates the individual item code with the disposal date (S11). If not (N in S11), the control unit 200 returns to the process of S11 and waits. If the reception unit 2009 has received disposal time information (Y in S11), the sales time information acquisition unit 2010 acquires sales time information that associates the individual item code with the sale date from the product management file 217 (S12).

Then, the memory processing unit 2011 updates the product management file 217 (S13). In detail, the memory processing unit 2011 registers the disposal date in the product management file 217 by associating the disposal time information with the sales time information using the individual product code as a key. Then, the control unit 200 ends the process.

This updates the product management file 217 for a specific product, allowing the store to manage the period from when the product is sold until it is disposed of.

According to the first embodiment, a customer who has purchased a specific product can obtain vendor information about a vendor that will dispose of the specific product by checking the vendor information printed on the receipt issued by the POS terminal 2. Therefore, the POS terminal 2 can improve the convenience for customers who purchase specific products. In addition, the vendor information printed on the receipt is that of a vendor that is located in an area that includes the customer's place of residence, etc., and has lower costs, making it more useful to the customer.

Second Embodiment
The information processing device and program of the second embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the first embodiment, the information processing device is applied to a POS terminal 2, whereas in the second embodiment, the information processing device is applied to a server device. In addition, in the second embodiment, the sales time and disposal time for each individual item are not managed. Fig. 14 is a diagram showing a sales system including an information processing device. Sales system 6 is a system for so-called internet shopping.

The sales system 6 includes a server device 7, a payment server 8, and a user terminal 9. The server device 7, the payment server 8, and the user terminal 9 are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via a network N such as the Internet.

The server device 7 is installed, for example, in a data center of a company that operates a store, and is used for Internet shopping. The server device 7 accepts product orders from the user terminal 9, and executes a payment process related to the payment of the price of the product for which the order has been accepted. The payment process executed by the server device 7 refers to a process executed by the server device 7 for a customer to make payment for a product purchase, such as a process of sending credit information including card information entered from the user terminal 9 to the payment server 8 in order to perform authorization (credit approval) in a credit payment. The server device 7 may be composed of multiple computers.

The payment server 8 is installed in a data center of a credit company or the like. The payment server 8 performs authorization based on the credit information sent from the server device 7. Authorization is a process that determines whether the credit card is valid, whether the credit limit has been exceeded, and so on. In addition, when the payment server 8 receives payment request information, it executes the payment related to the payment of the price of the product to be purchased.

The user terminal 9 is an information terminal such as a PC or smartphone owned by a customer who purchases a product. The user terminal 9 transmits information related to the product purchase input by the customer to the server device 7. The information related to the product purchase includes customer information that identifies the customer, product identification information that identifies the product to be purchased, and credit information for making payment.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the server device 7. The server device 7 includes a control unit 700, a memory unit 710, an input/output controller 720, and a communication I/F 730. The control unit 700, the memory unit 710, the input/output controller 720, and the communication I/F 730 are connected to each other via a bus 740.

The control unit 700 is composed of a computer equipped with a CPU 701, a ROM 702, and a RAM 703. The CPU 701, the ROM 702, and the RAM 703 are connected to each other via a bus 740.

The CPU 701 controls the overall operation of the server device 7. The ROM 702 stores various programs, such as a program used to drive the CPU 701, and various data. The RAM 703 is used as a work area for the CPU 701, and expands the various programs and data stored in the ROM 702 and the memory unit 710. The control unit 700 executes various control processes for the server device 7 by the CPU 701 operating in accordance with the control programs stored in the ROM 702 and the memory unit 710 and expanded in the RAM 703.

The memory unit 710 is composed of a storage medium such as a HDD or flash memory, and maintains the stored contents even when the power is cut off. The memory unit 710 stores a control program 711, a product master 712, a vendor master 713, a disposal information management table 714, a region management master 715, and a disposal information setting file 716. The vendor master 713 and the disposal information management table 714 constitute vendor management information. In other words, each piece of information registered in the vendor master 713 and the disposal information management table 714 is information about the vendor.

The control program 711 is a control program for accepting product orders from the user terminal 9 and executing a settlement process for paying for the product for which the order was accepted, and a control program for transmitting vendor information regarding a vendor that performs specific waste disposal to the user terminal 9.

The product master 712, vendor master 713, disposal information management table 714, area management master 715, and disposal information setting file 716 have the same data structure as that stored in the memory unit 210 of the POS terminal 2 in the first embodiment (see Figures 4 to 8), so a description thereof will be omitted.

The input/output controller 720 is connected to an operation unit 71 such as a keyboard and a display unit 72 such as a display. The input/output controller 220 has a function as an input/output interface for the connected hardware and a function for controlling the hardware. This enables the control unit 200 to send and receive information to and from the operation unit 71 and the display unit 72 via the input/output controller 720, and to control the hardware based on instructions from the control unit 700.

The communication I/F 730 is an interface for communicating with the payment server 8 and the user terminal 9. The control unit 700 is connected to the payment server 8 and the user terminal 9 via the communication I/F 730, thereby enabling the control unit 700 to send and receive information to and from the payment server 8 and the user terminal 9.

Next, the functional configuration of the server device 7 will be described. FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the server device 7. The control unit 700 functions as an input unit 7001, a registration unit 7002, a judgment unit 7003, a payment processing unit 7004, a trader information acquisition unit 7005, a region information acquisition unit 7006, a disposal information acquisition unit 7007, and an output unit 7008 by the CPU 701 operating according to the control program stored in the ROM 702 and the memory unit 710. Each of these functions may be configured with hardware such as a dedicated circuit. The functions of the functional components of the server device 7 shown in FIG. 16 are almost the same as those of the functional components of the POS terminal 2 in the first embodiment. In the following description, functions that are different from those of the functional components of the POS terminal 2 in the first embodiment will be described, and similar functions will not be described.

The input unit 2001 receives input from the user terminal 9 of customer information identifying the customer, a product code identifying the product to be purchased, and credit information for making payment. The payment processing unit 7004 executes processing related to the payment for the product identified by the product code input to the input unit 7001. For example, the payment processing unit 7004 obtains credit information including card information input from the user terminal 9, and transmits information necessary for the payment server 8 to make payment to the payment server 8.

The regional information acquisition unit 7006 acquires regional information inputted on the user terminal 9. When a customer's address or the delivery address of a specific product is inputted on the user terminal 9, the regional information acquisition unit 7006 acquires regional information by referring to the regional management master 715 to identify the region corresponding to the address. When the processing of the payment processing unit 7004 is executed, the output unit 7008 outputs the vendor information acquired by the vendor information acquisition unit 7005 to the user terminal 9. This enables the user terminal 9 to display the vendor information on its own display unit.

Next, the operation of the server device 7 based on the above configuration will be described. Figure 17 is a flowchart showing the processing of the control unit when a purchase is accepted from the user terminal 9.

First, the control unit 700 determines whether or not customer information has been input from the user terminal 9 to the input unit 7001 (S21), and if no information has been input (N in S21), the control unit 700 returns to S21 and waits. Customer information is information that can identify an individual, such as a member ID. When customer information has been input to the input unit 7001 (Y in S21), the control unit 700 determines whether or not a product code has been input to the input unit 7001 (S22). In other words, the control unit 700 determines whether or not a product order has been accepted from the user terminal 9.

If a product code is not input (N in S22), the control unit 700 returns to the process of S22 and waits. If a product code is input to the input unit 7001 (Y in S22), the determination unit 7003 refers to the product master 712 and determines whether the product identified by the product code is a specific product (S23).

If it is a specific product (Y in S23), the regional information acquisition unit 7006 acquires regional information input from the user terminal 9 to the input unit 7001, or regional information selected based on the input address (S24). The disposal information acquisition unit 7007 acquires disposal information from the disposal information management table 714 by referring to the disposal information setting file 716 (S25).

The vendor information acquisition unit 7005 acquires vendor information as follows (S26). First, the vendor information acquisition unit 7005 refers to the vendor master 713 to select a vendor code corresponding to the product code input to the input unit 7001. Next, the vendor information acquisition unit 7005 narrows down the vendor codes selected based on the product code based on the regional information acquired by the regional information acquisition unit 7006. In other words, the vendor information acquisition unit 7005 narrows down the vendor codes selected based on the product code to those that correspond to the regional information acquired by the regional information acquisition unit 7006 in the vendor master 713.

Then, the vendor information acquisition unit 7005 further narrows down the vendor codes narrowed down based on the regional information, based on the disposal information acquired by the disposal information acquisition unit 7007. That is, the vendor information acquisition unit 7005 narrows down the vendor codes narrowed down based on the regional information to a few, for example two, vendor codes in the disposal information management table 714 in order of lowest cost. Then, the vendor information acquisition unit 7005 acquires vendor information on these two vendors from the vendor master 713. This allows the vendor information acquisition unit 7005 to acquire vendor information that is deemed most suitable for the customer who purchased the specific product. Note that the number of vendor codes selected by the vendor information acquisition unit 7005 is not limited to two, and can be set as appropriate.

Following the process of S26, the registration unit 7002 executes product registration (S27). Specifically, the registration unit 7002 reads product information such as the product name and price from the product master 712 based on the product code input to the input unit 7001, and stores the information in the RAM 703. Note that in the process of S23, if the determination unit 7003 determines that the product identified by the product code input to the input unit 7001 is not a specific product (N in S23), the control unit 700 skips the processes of S24 to S26 and proceeds to the process of S27.

Next, the output unit 7008 outputs to the user terminal 9 the product information of the product input to the input unit 2001 and a payment instruction request for the product (S28). The payment instruction request requests the customer to confirm the purchased product and input a payment instruction for the purchased product. The control unit 700 then determines whether or not payment instruction information has been input to the input unit 7001 from the user terminal 9 (S29), and if payment instruction information has not been input (N in S29), returns to the processing of S29. If payment accounting instruction information has been input (Y in S29), the payment processing unit 2004 executes the payment processing (S30). The payment instruction information includes credit information such as card information. If an input to cancel the purchase of the product is made from the user terminal 9 to the input unit 7001 at this time, the control unit 700 erases the product information stored in S27 and ends the processing. After the payment process is executed, the output unit 7008 outputs the vendor information acquired by the vendor information acquisition unit 7005 and the payment information related to the payment process executed by the payment processing unit 7004 to the user terminal 9. Then, the control unit 700 ends the process.

This allows the user terminal 9 to display vendor information on its own display. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of the user terminal 9. The information displayed on the display screen is similar to the information printed on the receipt in the first embodiment. The display screen has a payment information display area 91 in which payment information is displayed, and a vendor information display area 92 in which vendor information is displayed.

The payment information display area 91 displays the product name, price, subtotal, tax amount, total amount, etc. of the purchased product. In addition, a mark 911 is displayed in association with the product name of the specific product purchased. The mark 911 indicates that the corresponding product is a specific product. The vendor information display area 92 displays the vendor's name, location, and contact information as vendor information. By looking at the display screen, a customer who has purchased a specific product can confirm the vendor that will dispose of the product before it is replaced, i.e., the product that has been used until now.

According to the second embodiment, a customer who has purchased a specific product through internet shopping can obtain information on businesses that will dispose of the specific product by checking the display screen of the user terminal 9 that the customer owns. As a result, the server device 7 can improve the convenience of customers who purchase specific products. In addition, the business information displayed on the display screen is information on businesses that are located in an area that includes the customer's place of residence, etc., and have lower costs, so it is more useful to the customer.

As described above, the information processing device of each of the above embodiments includes an input unit to which product identification information that identifies a product is input, a payment processing unit that executes processing related to payment for the product identified by the product identification information input to the input unit, a vendor information acquisition unit that acquires the vendor information corresponding to the product identification information input to the input unit by referring to vendor management information that associates the product identification information with vendor information related to the vendor that will perform the disposal, if the product identified by the product identification information input to the input unit is a product that requires specific disposal, and an output unit that outputs the vendor information acquired by the vendor information acquisition unit when processing of the payment processing unit is executed.

As a result, when a customer purchases a specific product, i.e., a product that requires specific disposal, the information processing device of each embodiment can provide the customer with vendor information regarding vendors that will dispose of the specific product. Therefore, the information processing device of each embodiment can improve the convenience for customers who purchase specific products.

In addition, the information processing device of each embodiment further includes a regional information acquisition unit that acquires regional information indicating a region, and the vendor information acquisition unit acquires the vendor information corresponding to the regional information acquired by the regional information acquisition unit by referring to vendor management information that associates the vendor information with the regional information.

As a result, the information processing device of each embodiment can provide a customer who purchases a specific product with vendor information about vendors located in an area that includes the customer's place of residence. Therefore, the information processing device of each embodiment can provide useful vendor information to the customer.

In addition, the information processing device of each embodiment further includes a disposal information acquisition unit that acquires disposal information related to waste disposal by a contractor, and the contractor information acquisition unit acquires the contractor information corresponding to the disposal information acquired by the disposal information acquisition unit by referring to contractor management information that associates the contractor information with the disposal information.

As a result, the information processing device of each embodiment can provide a customer who purchases a specific product with vendor information in accordance with disposal information related to disposal, such as the cost required for disposal. Therefore, the information processing device of each embodiment can provide useful vendor information to the customer.

The information processing device of the first embodiment further includes a reception unit that receives disposal time information that associates individual item identification information that identifies individual items of a product with a disposal time of the product, a sales time information acquisition unit that acquires sales time information that associates the individual item identification information with a sales time of the product, and a storage processing unit that associates the individual item identification information, the sales time, and the disposal time with each other based on the disposal time information and the sales time information and stores them in a memory unit.

As a result, the information processing device of the first embodiment can manage the sales and disposal times of specific products. By being provided with information that manages the sales and disposal times of specific products, manufacturers of specific products can recognize the actual useful life of the specific products in the market, and can use this information to formulate production plans.

In each of the above embodiments, the control programs executed by the POS terminal 2 and server device 7 may be configured to be provided by recording them on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM. Also, the control programs executed by the POS terminal 2 and server device 7 in each of the above embodiments may be configured to be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by downloading them via the network, or may be configured to be provided via a network such as the Internet.

Although an embodiment of the present invention has been described above, this embodiment is presented as an example and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. This embodiment can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. This embodiment and its variations are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims.

2. POS terminal (information processing device)
7 Server device (information processing device)
2001 Input unit 2004 Settlement processing unit 2005 Business information acquisition unit 2006 Area information acquisition unit 2007 Disposal information acquisition unit 2008 Output unit 2009 Reception unit 2010 Sales time information acquisition unit 2011 Storage processing unit 7001 Input unit 7004 Settlement processing unit 7005 Business information acquisition unit 7006 Area information acquisition unit 7007 Disposal information acquisition unit 7008 Output unit

JP 2002-74013 A

Claims (7)

an input unit for inputting product identification information for identifying a product;
a payment processing unit that executes a process related to payment for a product identified by the product identification information input to the input unit;
a trader information acquisition unit that acquires trader information corresponding to the product identification information input to the input unit by referring to trader management information that associates the product identification information with trader information related to a trader that performs the waste disposal when the product identified by the product identification information input to the input unit is a product that requires specific waste disposal;
an output unit that outputs the vendor information acquired by the vendor information acquisition unit when the process of the payment processing unit is executed;
An information processing device comprising: A region information acquisition unit that acquires region information indicating a region is further provided,
the trader information acquisition unit refers to the trader management information in which the trader information and the area information are associated with each other, and acquires the trader information corresponding to the area information acquired by the area information acquisition unit;
The information processing device according to claim 1 . A disposal information acquisition unit for acquiring disposal information related to the waste disposal of the company is further provided,
the trader information acquisition unit refers to the trader management information in which the trader information and the disposal information are associated with each other, and acquires the trader information corresponding to the disposal information acquired by the disposal information acquisition unit;
3. The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2. a reception unit that receives disposal time information that associates individual item identification information that identifies an individual item of the product with a disposal time of the product;
a sales time information acquisition unit that acquires sales time information that associates the individual item identification information with a sales time of the product;
a storage processing unit that stores the individual item identification information, the sales time, and the waste disposal time in a memory unit in association with each other based on the disposal time information and the sales time information;
The information processing device according to claim 1 , further comprising: The information processing device is a POS terminal,
the output unit outputs the vendor information to a printer that prints a receipt.
5. The information processing device according to claim 1. The information processing device is a server device that accepts purchases of products from user terminals,
The output unit outputs the vendor information to the user terminal.
5. The information processing device according to claim 1. A program for controlling an information processing device by a computer,
The computer,
an input unit for inputting product identification information for identifying a product;
a payment processing unit that executes a process related to payment for a product identified by the product identification information input to the input unit;
a trader information acquisition unit that acquires trader information corresponding to the product identification information input to the input unit by referring to trader management information that associates the product identification information with trader information related to a trader that performs the waste disposal when the product identified by the product identification information input to the input unit is a product that requires specific waste disposal;
an output unit that outputs the vendor information acquired by the vendor information acquisition unit when the process of the payment processing unit is executed;
A program that makes it work.

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