JP7664104B2 - PRIVILEGE PROVIDING SYSTEM, PRIVILEGE PROVIDING SYSTEM CONTROL METHOD, SERVER, AND PROGRAM - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a reward provision system that provides rewards to customers based on their use of a store, a control method for the reward provision system, a server, and a program.

Conventionally, systems that provide benefits to customers based on store usage are known. For example, the following Patent Document 1 describes an information management system that calculates the length of time a customer stays in a store, and provides more advantageous benefits to the customer the longer the calculated stay time is.

JP 2012-203529 A

A store's sales are affected not only by an increase in customer purchasing opportunities, but also by customer turnover (replacement rate) and repeat visit rate. For example, in a restaurant at lunchtime, the higher the customer turnover rate, the higher the number of purchases per hour and the higher the sales. For this reason, in such cases, it is preferable to give customers an incentive to increase turnover. In the above system, customers are offered more advantageous benefits the longer they stay, which ends up lowering customer turnover.

In view of these problems, the present invention aims to provide a reward provision system, a control method for the reward provision system, a server, and a program that can increase customer turnover in a store and thereby increase sales at the store.

A first aspect of the present invention relates to a reward provision system, which includes a stay determination unit that determines a start and end of a stay of a customer in a store based on information from an information output unit that outputs information capable of determining a stay of the customer in the store, a stay time calculation unit that calculates a stay time of the customer in the store based on a determination result of the stay determination unit, a reward provision unit that executes a process to provide a reward to the customer based on the stay time being shorter than a preset time, and a notification processing unit that executes a process to notify the customer of information indicating a relationship between the stay time, the set time, and the reward, during the stay time of the customer a predetermined time before the set time .

According to the reward provision system of this embodiment, a reward is provided to a customer based on the fact that the customer's stay time is shorter than a set time. Therefore, the customer is encouraged to leave the store as soon as possible after receiving the service. This makes it possible to increase the customer turnover rate in the store, thereby increasing the benefits to customers from the reward and increasing the store's profits. In addition, the customer can understand the relationship between his or her stay time and the set time for obtaining the reward. This makes it possible for the customer to be encouraged to leave the store by the set time. Therefore, it is possible to effectively increase the customer turnover rate in the store while reliably providing customers with an opportunity to obtain the reward.

The reward provision system according to this embodiment may be further configured to include a notification processing unit that executes processing to notify the customer of at least one of the dwell time, the set time, and the reward.

This configuration allows customers to know the content of the benefit, the set time to obtain the benefit, and the remaining time. Therefore, customers can be effectively encouraged to leave the store by the set time.

In this configuration, the notification processing unit can be configured to execute processing to notify the customer of information regarding the remaining time obtained by subtracting the stay time from the set time.

This configuration allows customers to accurately grasp the remaining time to obtain the benefit. This can encourage customers to complete their activities in the store within the remaining time in order to obtain the benefit. This allows customers to obtain the benefit more reliably, and the store can effectively increase customer turnover.

In the reward provision system according to this aspect, the stay determination unit may be configured to determine at least one of the start and end of the stay based on information from a medium carried by the customer.

In general, information from a medium carried by a customer can identify a customer more accurately than when the customer is identified by facial recognition or the like. Therefore, with the above configuration, at least one of the start and end of a stay can be set more accurately.

Alternatively, the stay determination unit may be configured to determine at least one of the start and end of the stay based on information generated by the customer himself/herself.

With this configuration, the customer does not need to present any media or other items that he or she possesses. Therefore, the customer can determine at least one of the start and end of their stay through a simpler task, improving customer convenience.

The reward provision system according to this embodiment further includes a storage unit that stores a history of the customer's stay time in the store, and the reward provision unit may be configured to execute a process for providing the customer with a reward based on the number of stay times stored in the history that are shorter than a preset set time being equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold.

With this configuration, special benefits are offered to customers who visit the store frequently but tend to stay for a short time. This can encourage customers who tend to stay for a short time to visit the store again. This can effectively increase the store's sales and profits.

The reward provision system according to this embodiment further includes a payment unit that processes the payment at the store, and the reward provision unit may be further configured to execute a process for providing the reward to the customer based on the payment unit having settled the customer's payment.

With this configuration, if a customer only stays in a store but does not make a purchase, the customer is prevented from receiving a special benefit. This allows the store's sales and the provision of special benefits to customers to be linked together, allowing the benefits of both parties to be smoothly achieved.

In this case, the reward provision unit may be configured to set the reward higher in accordance with an increase in the settlement amount settled by the settlement unit.

With this configuration, customers are more likely to be encouraged to purchase products with higher payment amounts, since the higher the payment amount, the greater the benefits. This can increase sales at the store.

A second aspect of the present invention relates to a control method for a reward provision system that provides a reward to a customer who visits a store, the control method including the steps of: determining a start and an end of a stay of the customer in the store based on information from an information output unit that outputs information capable of determining the stay of the customer in the store, calculating a stay time of the customer in the store based on a result of the determination, providing a reward to the customer based on the stay time being shorter than a preset time, and notifying the customer of information indicating a relationship between the stay time, the set time, and the reward, during the stay time of the customer a predetermined time before the set time .

The control method according to this aspect can achieve the same effect as the first aspect described above.

A third aspect of the present invention is a program that causes a control unit of a reward provision system that provides rewards to customers visiting a store to execute the following processes: determining the start and end of the customer's stay in the store based on information from an information output unit that outputs information capable of determining the customer's stay in the store; calculating the length of time the customer stayed in the store based on the determination result; providing the customer with a reward based on the fact that the stay time is shorter than a preset time; and informing the customer of information indicating the relationship between the stay time, the set time, and the reward, during the customer's stay time a predetermined time before the set time .

The program according to this aspect can achieve the same effect as the first aspect described above.

A fourth aspect of the present invention relates to a server capable of communicating with a mobile terminal via an external communication network. The server according to this aspect executes the following processes: receiving information capable of determining a customer's stay in a store from the mobile terminal, calculating the customer's stay time in the store based on the information, transmitting information related to a special offer to the mobile terminal based on the calculated stay time being shorter than a preset time, and notifying the customer of information indicating a relationship between the stay time, the set time, and the special offer during the customer's stay time a predetermined time before the set time .

The server according to this aspect can achieve the same effect as the first aspect above.

A fifth aspect of the present invention is a program that causes a control unit of a mobile terminal to execute the following functions: determining the start and end of a customer's stay in the store based on information from an information output unit that outputs information capable of determining the customer's stay in the store; calculating the length of time the customer stayed in the store based on the determination result; issuing a bonus based on the calculated stay time being shorter than a preset time; and informing the customer of information indicating the relationship between the stay time, the set time, and the bonus during the customer's stay time a predetermined time before the set time .

The program according to this aspect can achieve the same effect as the first aspect described above.

As described above, the present invention provides a reward provision system, a control method for the reward provision system, a server, and a program that can increase customer turnover in a store and increase sales at the store.

The effects and significance of the present invention will become clearer from the description of the embodiment shown below. However, the embodiment shown below is merely an example of how the present invention can be put into practice, and the present invention is in no way limited to the embodiment described below.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a privilege providing system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configurations of the ticket vending machine, the mobile terminal, and the server according to the first embodiment. 3A to 3C are diagrams showing the configurations of store management information, store visit history, and customer management information stored in the storage unit of the server according to the first embodiment, respectively. 4(a) and 4(b) are diagrams showing the configurations of a store list and store information stored in the storage unit of a mobile terminal according to the first embodiment, respectively. 5(a) and 5(b) are flowcharts showing the processes performed in the control unit of the ticket vending machine and the control unit of the mobile terminal when a ticket is issued in the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a process performed in the control unit of the mobile terminal when it is determined that a customer has started to stay in a store according to the first embodiment. 7A and 7B are diagrams showing notification screens displayed on the operation display unit of the mobile terminal in the notification process according to the first embodiment. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the bonus issuing process according to the first embodiment. FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the configurations of a ticket vending machine, a mobile terminal, and a server according to a modification of the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a configuration of a privilege providing system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a face settlement apparatus and a gate apparatus according to the second embodiment. Figures 12(a), 12(b), and 12(c) are diagrams showing the configuration of bonus setting information, store visit history, and customer management information stored in the memory unit of the facial settlement device of embodiment 2. Fig. 13(a) is a flowchart showing a process performed by a control unit of a face settlement device at the time of settlement according to embodiment 2. Fig. 13(b) is a flowchart showing a process performed by a control unit of a gate device at the time of receiving a store visit notification according to embodiment 2. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the processing performed in the control unit of the face settlement device when it is determined that a customer has started to stay in a store according to the second embodiment. 15(a) and 15(b) are diagrams showing a settlement screen and a notification screen, respectively, according to the second embodiment. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a configuration of a privilege providing system according to a modification of the second embodiment. FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a configuration of a privilege providing system according to the third embodiment. FIG. 18 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of an order terminal and a management device according to the third embodiment. FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing a process performed by the control unit of the order terminal when issuing a bonus according to the third embodiment. 20(a) and 20(b) are flowcharts illustrating a process for determining the start and end of a customer's stay according to the third embodiment. Fig. 21(a) is a diagram showing an order screen according to embodiment 3. Fig. 21(b) to Fig. 21(d) are diagrams showing notification screens according to embodiment 3.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

<Embodiment 1>
In the first embodiment, the present invention is applied to a reward provision system that provides rewards to customers based on their use of a restaurant. In the first embodiment, the reward provision system of the present invention is applied to a store that provides food and beverages based on ticket issuance by a ticket vending machine and payment. However, the store to which the reward provision system of the present invention is applied is not limited to such a store, and may be other types of stores.

In the following embodiment 1, the short-range wireless communication unit 118 and the position detection unit 126 correspond to the "information output unit" described in the claims. However, this correspondence is merely an example and does not limit the claims in any way.

Figure 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a privilege provision system 1 according to embodiment 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, the privilege provision system 1 includes a ticket vending machine 11, a mobile terminal 12, and a server 13. The ticket vending machine 11 is installed in a store 2. The store 2 is a restaurant that provides food and drink based on issued tickets. The ticket vending machine 11 has functions for issuing tickets and settling payments, as well as a function for performing short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) with the mobile terminal 12.

The ticket vending machine 11 has a roughly cubic housing 11a that forms the outer shell of the device. A touch panel 11b for receiving ticket issuing operations is disposed on the upper front surface of the housing 11a. The touch panel 11b is configured with a transparent touch sensor disposed on the upper surface of the display. The display is, for example, a liquid crystal display, and the touch sensor is, for example, a pressure-sensitive (resistive film) touch pad. The configuration of the touch panel 11b is not limited to this, and the touch sensor may be, for example, a capacitive touch pad.

A banknote deposit/withdrawal port 11c for depositing and withdrawing banknotes, a coin deposit port 11d for depositing coins, a coin withdrawal port 11e for withdrawing coins, and a ticket issuing port 11f for issuing tickets are located in the center of the front of the housing 11a. In addition, a human presence sensor 11g is located below the touch panel 11b. The human presence sensor 11g detects when a customer is standing directly in front of the ticket vending machine 11.

When the human presence sensor 11g detects that a customer is standing in front of the ticket vending machine 11, options are displayed on the touch panel 11b. Here, the options are food and drink options that the store can provide. The customer touches the desired option from among the multiple options displayed on the touch panel 11b, and deposits bills or coins in the amount required to purchase the option into the bill deposit/withdrawal slot 11c or coin deposit slot 11d. This causes a voucher corresponding to the option to be issued from the ticket issuing slot 11f. Furthermore, if there is change, the bills or coins corresponding to the change are dispensed from the bill deposit/withdrawal slot 11c or coin withdrawal slot 11e. This completes one process of the transaction.

The mobile terminal 12 is a mobile phone carried by a customer. The mobile terminal 12 may be another mobile information device such as a tablet. The mobile terminal 12 can be connected to an external communication network 14 via wireless communication with a router 15 installed in the store 2. The external communication network 14 is, for example, the Internet. The mobile terminal 12 can also be connected to the external communication network 14 via wireless communication with a router 16 or a base station 17 installed outside the store 2. The mobile terminal 12 is equipped with a touch panel 12a for inputting and displaying information.

The server 13 manages information necessary for the reward provision system 1. The server 13 can communicate with the mobile terminal 12 via the external communication network 14. The server 13 and the mobile terminal 12 each hold address information for exchanging information with each other. The mobile terminal 12 appropriately obtains information necessary to provide rewards in accordance with the use of the store 2 from the server 13.

Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the ticket vending machine 11, the mobile terminal 12, and the server 13.

The ticket vending machine 11 includes a control unit 111, a memory unit 112, an operation display unit 113, a sensor unit 114, a banknote processing unit 115, a coin processing unit 116, and a ticket issuing processing unit 117.

The control unit 111 includes an arithmetic processing circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and controls each unit according to a program stored in the memory unit 112. The memory unit 112 includes storage media such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and a hard disk, and stores the programs executed by the control unit 111 and various data. The memory unit 112 is also used as a work area when the control unit 111 performs control.

The operation display unit 113 includes the touch panel 11b shown in FIG. 1 and its processing circuit. The operation display unit 113 displays a predetermined screen in response to control from the control unit 111, and also outputs information related to operations performed by the customer on the screen to the control unit 111. The sensor unit 114 includes various sensors such as the human presence sensor 11g shown in FIG. 1, and outputs the detection results of each sensor to the control unit 111.

The banknote processing unit 115 includes a banknote storage unit for storing banknotes of each denomination, a transport unit for transporting the banknotes, and a denomination discrimination unit for discriminating the denomination of the transported banknotes, and transports banknotes between the banknote storage unit and the banknote deposit/withdrawal port 11c (see FIG. 1) under the control of the control unit 111. The coin processing unit 116 includes a coin storage unit for storing coins of each denomination, a transport unit for transporting the coins, and a denomination discrimination unit for discriminating the denomination of the transported coins, and transports coins between the coin storage unit and the coin deposit port 11d and coin withdrawal port 11e (see FIG. 1) under the control of the control unit 111.

The ticket issuing processing unit 117 includes a paper strip generating unit that generates a paper strip, and a printing unit that prints on the strip, and sends the voucher, on which the name of the food or drink has been printed by the printing unit, to the ticket issuing port 11f.

The short-range wireless communication unit 118 is a wireless communication module for short-range wireless communication. The short-range wireless communication unit 118 performs short-range wireless communication with the short-range wireless communication unit 128 of the mobile terminal 12 in response to control from the control unit 111.

The mobile terminal 12 includes a control unit 121, a memory unit 122, an operation display unit 123, an audio output unit 124, an audio input unit 125, a position detection unit 126, a wireless communication unit 127, and a short-range wireless communication unit 128.

The control unit 121 includes an arithmetic processing circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and controls each unit according to a program stored in the memory unit 122. The memory unit 122 includes a storage medium such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory) and stores the programs executed by the control unit 121 and various data. The memory unit 122 is also used as a work area when the control unit 121 performs control.

In this embodiment, the application program 122a of the privilege provision system 1 is installed in the memory unit 122.

The operation display unit 123 includes the touch panel 12a shown in FIG. 1 and its processing circuit. The operation display unit 123 displays a predetermined screen in response to control from the control unit 121, and also outputs information regarding operations performed by the customer on the screen to the control unit 121.

The audio output unit 124 includes a speaker and its processing circuit. The audio input unit 125 includes a microphone and its processing circuit. The position detection unit 126 is equipped with a GPS (Global Positioning System) and constantly acquires the current position of the mobile terminal 12.

The wireless communication unit 127 is a wireless communication module for performing wireless communication with the router 15, the base station 17, etc. The wireless communication unit 127 communicates with the server 13 via the router 15 and the base station 17 according to the control from the control unit 121.

The short-range wireless communication unit 128 is a wireless communication module for performing short-range wireless communication with the ticket vending machine 11, etc. The short-range wireless communication unit 128 performs short-range wireless communication with the short-range wireless communication unit 118 of the ticket vending machine 11 in response to control from the control unit 121.

The server 13 includes a control unit 131, a memory unit 132, and a communication unit 133.

The control unit 131 includes an arithmetic processing circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and controls each unit according to a program stored in the memory unit 132. The memory unit 132 includes storage media such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and a hard disk, and stores the programs executed by the control unit 131 and various data. The memory unit 132 is also used as a work area when the control unit 131 performs control.

In this embodiment, the application program 132a of the privilege provision system 1 is installed in the storage unit 132. In addition, this application program 132a stores various management information for operating the privilege provision system 1 in the storage unit 132.

Figure 3 (a) is a diagram showing the configuration of store management information stored in the memory unit 132 of the server 13.

The store management information is composed of a store ID, a set time, a checkout threshold, bonus information, location information, store visit history, and a threshold number of times, all of which are associated with each other.

The store ID is identification information for the store. The set time is the upper limit of the stay time set for granting a benefit. As described below, if the customer's stay time in the store is shorter than the set time, the benefit is provided to the customer. The settlement threshold is the threshold for the settlement amount. Here, the content of the benefit changes depending on the settlement amount. Benefit information is associated with each settlement threshold. The benefit information is a discount coupon. The benefit information may also be points, etc.

For example, in the store management information of FIG. 3(a), in a store with store ID S1, if the settlement amount is equal to or less than the settlement threshold M11, the benefit of benefit information B11 is provided, if the settlement amount is higher than the settlement threshold M11 and equal to or less than the settlement threshold M12, the benefit of benefit information B12 is provided, and if the settlement amount is higher than the settlement threshold M12, the benefit of benefit information B13 is provided. In this case, the higher the settlement amount, the more advantageous the benefit provided.

The location information is information that indicates the location of the store. The store visit history is information that indicates the customer's visit history to the store with the store ID. The threshold number of times is a threshold for providing a special benefit to a customer based on the number of visits where the stay time was shorter than a set time, which is obtained from the store visit history.

The store visit history has the structure shown in FIG. 3(b). The customer ID is identification information of the customer. The customer ID is set arbitrarily by the customer, for example. The customer ID may be an email address set in the customer's mobile terminal 12, or a Mac address set in the wireless communication unit 127 (wireless communication module) of the customer's mobile terminal 12.

The visit date, length of stay, and amount paid are respectively the date on which the customer with the customer ID visited the store, the length of time they stayed in the store on that day, and the amount paid on that day. The acquired benefit is information indicating the content of the benefit provided to the customer for their stay on that day, and corresponds to any of the benefit information in Figure 3(a).

When a store manager joins the reward provision system 1, he/she accesses the homepage of the server 13 from his/her mobile terminal 12 and registers the following items of store management information: store ID, set time, settlement threshold, reward information, location information, and threshold number of times. The set time, settlement threshold, reward information, and threshold number of times are set arbitrarily by the manager. The settlement threshold and the number of categories of reward information are also set arbitrarily by the manager. The server 13 provides the reception screen for setting these to the manager's mobile terminal 12. This registration may be performed via an information processing terminal other than the mobile terminal 12.

When registering location information, information acquired by the location detection unit 126 of the administrator's mobile terminal 12 may be transmitted to the server 13. Alternatively, the reception screen provided by the server 13 may include an address input field, and location information corresponding to the input address may be acquired by the server 13. Alternatively, the reception screen provided by the server 13 may display a rescalable map, and the administrator may specify a location on the map to register the location information.

The server 13 acquires the store visit history through communication with the customer's mobile terminal 12. As described below, the customer's mobile terminal 12 measures the time spent in the store, triggered by short-range wireless communication with the ticket vending machine 11, and upon leaving the store, transmits information indicating the settlement amount at the store, the time spent, and any benefits acquired as a result of that stay, together with the customer ID and store ID, to the server 13. The server 13 registers this received information as history information in the store management information.

Figure 3 (c) is a diagram showing the configuration of customer management information stored in the memory unit 132 of the server 13.

The customer management information is composed of a customer ID, address information, and a password associated with each other. As described above, the customer ID is customer identification information. The address information is information that enables the server 13 to communicate with the customer's mobile terminal 12. The password is set by the customer. The password is used, for example, when the customer refers to his or her store visit history, etc.

When a customer participates in the reward provision system 1, the customer accesses the homepage of the server 13 from his/her mobile terminal 12 and downloads and installs the application program 122a of the reward provision system 1 to the mobile terminal 12. This application program 122a contains the address information of the server 13 that enables the mobile terminal 12 to communicate with the server 13.

When a customer starts application program 122a for the first time, control unit 121 displays a customer information registration screen on operation display unit 123 (touch panel 12a). On this registration screen, the customer sets his/her customer ID and password, and also sets address information such as his/her email address. When the settings are complete, control unit 121 transmits the set information to server 13. At this time, control unit 121 also transmits address information necessary for communication such as push notification, such as the MAC address of wireless communication unit 127, to server 13. Server 13 registers the received information in customer management information. Furthermore, control unit 121 of mobile terminal 12 stores the information set by the customer in memory unit 122.

Figure 4 (a) shows a list of stores stored in the memory unit 122 of the mobile terminal 12.

When the registration of information into the customer management information is completed as described above, the server 13 transmits only the store ID and location information from among the information managed in the store management information of FIG. 3(a) to the mobile terminal 12. The control unit 121 of the mobile terminal 12 stores the received store ID and location information in the memory unit 122 as the store list of FIG. 4(a). When the server 13 subsequently registers information about a new store into the store management information, it transmits the newly registered store ID and location information to the mobile terminal 12. This transmission is performed, for example, in response to a push notification or the like, when the application program 122a is launched and the mobile terminal 12 accesses the server 13.

The control unit 121 of the mobile terminal 12 adds the received store ID and location information to the store list in FIG. 4(a). In this way, the store list stored in the memory unit 122 of the mobile terminal 12 is updated. Note that when updating, all store IDs and location information in the store management information may be sent to the mobile terminal 12, rather than the added store ID and location information. In this case, the memory unit 122 of the mobile terminal 12 replaces the existing store list information with the newly received store ID and location information.

Returning to FIG. 2, in this embodiment, in order to provide customers with benefits according to their stay time, the control unit 111 of the ticket vending machine 11 is given the functions of a payment unit 111a by a program stored in the memory unit 112. In addition, the control unit 121 of the mobile terminal 12 is given the functions of a stay determination unit 121a, a stay time calculation unit 121b, a benefit provision unit 121c, and a notification processing unit 121d by an application program 122a stored in the memory unit 122.

The payment unit 111a handles payment processing at the store.

The stay determination unit 121a determines the start and end of the customer's stay in the store based on information from the short-range wireless communication unit 128 and the position detection unit 126. The stay time calculation unit 121b calculates the stay time of the customer in the store based on the determination result of the stay determination unit 121a. The reward provision unit 121c executes processing to provide a reward to the customer based on the stay time being shorter than a preset set time. The notification processing unit 121d executes processing to notify the customer of at least one of the stay time, the set time, and the reward. The notification processing unit 121d also executes processing to notify the customer of information indicating the relationship between the stay time, the set time, and the reward.

The reward provision system 1 performs processing to provide rewards to customers using the functions of the payment unit 111a, stay determination unit 121a, stay time calculation unit 121b, reward provision unit 121c, and notification processing unit 121d, as well as the functions of the application program 132a stored in the memory unit 132 of the server 13. This processing is described below.

Figure 5 (a) is a flow chart showing the process carried out by the control unit 111 of the ticket vending machine 11 when issuing a ticket. This process is carried out by the control unit 111 using the function of the payment unit 111a.

When the control unit 111 has completed issuing the voucher and settling the payment in response to the customer's operation (S101: YES), it communicates with the mobile terminal 12 via the short-range wireless communication unit 128 and transmits the store ID and the settlement amount to the mobile terminal 12 (S102).

Here, the store ID is registered in advance in the ticket vending machine 11 by the store manager in conjunction with the above registration process. This registration may be performed by short-range wireless communication between the manager's mobile terminal 12 and the ticket vending machine 11, or the manager may operate a registration screen displayed on the operation display unit 123 of the ticket vending machine 11. The registered store ID is stored in the memory unit 112 of the ticket vending machine 11. In step S102, the control unit 111 reads out the store ID from the memory unit 112 and transmits it to the mobile terminal 12 together with the settlement amount.

Figure 5 (b) is a flowchart showing the processing performed by the control unit 121 of the mobile terminal 12 when a voucher is issued.

When the control unit 121 receives the information transmitted in step S102 in FIG. 5(a) (S201: YES), it compares the received store ID with the store list stored in its own memory unit 122 (see FIG. 4(a)), and determines whether the received store ID is included in the store list (S202). If the received store ID is not included in the store list (S202: NO), the control unit 121 ends the process. On the other hand, if the received store ID is included in the store list (S202: YES), the control unit 121 determines that the stay at the store has started (S203), and transmits a request to transmit store information for that store to the server 13 (S204). This transmission request includes the store ID received in step S201.

When the server 13 receives this transmission request, it compares the store ID included in the transmission request with the store management information shown in Figure 3 (a), and transmits one line of information (store information) corresponding to the received store ID to the mobile terminal 12 that sent the request.

When the control unit 121 of the mobile terminal 12 receives the store information corresponding to the store ID (S205: YES), the control unit 121 stores the received store information in the storage unit 122 (S206). For example, if the store ID of the store is S1, the store information shown in FIG. 4(b) is stored in the storage unit 122.

Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the processing performed by the control unit 121 of the mobile terminal 12 when it is determined that a customer has begun to stay in the store.

Of the processes in FIG. 6, steps S211 and S216 are performed by the control unit 121 using the function of the stay determination unit 121a, steps S212, S217, and S218 are performed by the control unit 121 using the function of the stay time calculation unit 121b, steps S213 to S215 are performed by the control unit 121 using the function of the notification processing unit 121d, and steps S219 and S220 are performed by the control unit 121 using the function of the privilege provision unit 121c. In the following, the processing steps in FIG. 6 will be described as being performed by the control unit 121 using these functions.

When the control unit 121 determines in step S203 of FIG. 5(b) that a stay has begun (S211: YES), it starts timing the stay time (S212) and executes a bonus notification process (S213). In step S213, the control unit 121 notifies the content and conditions of the bonus. This notification may include at least one of the bonus, the stay time, and the set time. Alternatively, this notification may include information indicating the relationship between the stay time, the set time, and the bonus. This notification is performed, for example, by causing the operation display unit 123 to display a notification screen.

Figure 7 (a) is a diagram showing the notification screen P1 displayed on the operation display unit 123 (touch panel 12a) of the mobile terminal 12 in the notification process of step S213 in Figure 5 (b).

The notification screen P1 includes a message M1 and a button B1. The message M1 notifies the customer that a discount coupon (benefit) can be obtained, provided that the duration of the stay is within a specified time (within a set time). Here, the customer refers to the message M1, understands the content and conditions of the benefit, and then operates the button B1. This causes the notification screen P1 to disappear. Together with the display of the notification screen P1, a notification sound such as a chime may be output from the mobile terminal 12.

Returning to FIG. 6, the control unit 121 subtracts the current stay time, for which timing began in step S212, from the set time, which is a condition for obtaining the benefit, to calculate the remaining time to obtain the benefit. The control unit 121 then determines whether the calculated remaining time has reached a preset threshold time (e.g., 10 minutes) (S214). If the remaining time reaches the threshold time (S214: YES) before the stay ends (S216: NO), the control unit 121 executes a process of notifying the remaining time as information indicating the relationship between the stay time and the set time (S215).

Figure 7 (b) is a diagram showing the notification screen P2 displayed on the operation display unit 123 (touch panel 12a) of the mobile terminal 12 in the notification process of step S215 in Figure 5 (b).

The notification screen P2 includes a message M2 and a button B2. The message M2 notifies the customer of the remaining time in which a discount coupon (benefit) can be acquired. The customer refers to the message M2 to ascertain the remaining time to acquire the benefit, and then operates the button B2. This causes the notification screen P2 to disappear. Together with the display of the notification screen P2, a notification sound such as a chime may be output from the mobile terminal 12.

Returning to FIG. 6, the control unit 121 then determines whether the customer's stay at the store has ended, i.e., whether the customer has left the store (S216). The control unit 121 makes this determination by comparing the location information input from the location detection unit 126 (see FIG. 2) at any time with the location information in the store information exemplified in FIG. 4(b) (location information of the store during the visit).

Specifically, the control unit 121 determines that the stay has ended (the customer has left the store) when the positions based on these two pieces of location information are separated by a predetermined threshold distance or more. The threshold distance may be set to a uniform value (e.g., 100 m) for all stores. Alternatively, the threshold distance may be set for each store according to the size of the store. When the threshold distance is set for each store, the threshold distance is stored in the store management information of FIG. 3(a) in association with the store ID along with the location information. As a result, the store information of FIG. 4(b) also includes the threshold distance for that store.

When the customer's stay in the store ends (S216: YES), the control unit 121 stops timing the stay time and confirms the stay time (S218). Note that in steps S212 and S217, the start time and end time of the stay may be stored, respectively. In this case, in step S218, the stay time at the time of leaving the store is calculated from the difference between the start time and the end time. In this case, in step S214, the difference between the current time and the start time is subtracted from the set time to calculate the remaining time.

Once the stay time is thus determined, the control unit 121 determines whether the determined stay time is shorter than the set time (S219). If the determined stay time is shorter than the set time (S219: YES), the control unit 121 executes a bonus issuing process (S220). On the other hand, if the determined stay time is equal to or longer than the set time (S219: NO), the control unit 121 advances the process to step S211 without executing the bonus issuing process.

The control unit 121 then sends the history information related to this stay, together with the store ID and customer ID, to the server 13 (S221), and ends the process. The history information is one line of information in FIG. 3(b). If no special benefit was obtained, a flag indicating this is set in the obtained special benefit. The server 13 adds the received history information to the store management information in association with the received store ID. As a result, the history information related to the stay at the store is managed by the server 13.

Figure 8 is a flowchart showing the bonus issuance process in step S220 of Figure 6.

The control unit 121 compares the settlement amount for this stay with the store information shown in FIG. 4(b) and determines which range, defined by the settlement threshold of the store information, the current settlement amount falls within. The control unit 121 then extracts from the store information the bonus information associated with the threshold range that includes the current settlement amount (S231).

For example, in the example of FIG. 4(b), if the current settlement amount is equal to or less than the settlement threshold M11, bonus information B11 is extracted, if the settlement amount is higher than the settlement threshold M11 and equal to or less than the settlement threshold M12, bonus information B12 is extracted, and if the settlement amount is higher than the settlement threshold M12, bonus information B13 is extracted.

Next, the control unit 121 refers to the visit history of the store information shown in FIG. 4(b) and counts the number of visits to the store that were shorter than the set time during past visits (S232). The control unit 121 then determines whether the counted number of visits is equal to or greater than the threshold number included in the store information (S233).

If the counted number of visits is equal to or greater than the threshold number (S233: YES), the control unit 121 increases the bonus according to the bonus information extracted in step S232 (S234) and stores the increased bonus in the memory unit 122 (S235). On the other hand, if the counted number of visits is less than the threshold number (S233: NO), the control unit 121 stores the bonus according to the bonus information extracted in step S232 as is in the memory unit 122 (S235). In this way, the control unit 121 ends the bonus issuing process. In step S235, the acquired bonus may also be displayed on the operation display unit 123 to notify the customer.

For example, the customer performs an operation on the mobile terminal 12 to use the acquired benefit the next time they visit the store. As a result, information about the benefit to be used is transferred from the mobile terminal 12 to the ticket vending machine 11 through communication between the short-range wireless communication units 118 and 128. This allows the customer to receive a discount on the settlement amount due to the benefit (discount coupon). However, the manner in which the benefit can be used is not limited to this.

In step S234 of FIG. 8, for example, a bonus benefit (discount coupon) is added to the benefit (here, a discount coupon) based on the benefit information extracted in step S232. Alternatively, in step S234, the benefit (discount coupon) based on the benefit information extracted in step S232 is multiplied by a predetermined multiplier greater than 1 (for example, 1.5) to enhance the benefit.

The set time applied in step S232 may be set to a time different from the set times shown in Figures 3(a) and 4(b). That is, the set time for acquiring the bonus information in Figure 3(a) may be different from the set time for counting the number of visits to be compared with the threshold number based on the store visit history. In this case, the set time for counting the number of visits to be compared with the threshold number is further stored in association with the store ID in Figure 3(a).

In this way, special benefits can be offered to customers based on their store visit history, reducing the time spent in the store while increasing the customer's repeat visit rate to the store.

Effects of First Embodiment
According to the first embodiment, the following effects can be achieved.

As shown in FIG. 6, the functions of the stay determination unit 121a, stay time calculation unit 121b, and reward provision unit 121c, which are assigned to the control unit 121 by the application program 122a, provide a reward to the customer (S220) based on the fact that the stay time is shorter than the set time (S219: YES). As a result, the customer is encouraged to leave the store as soon as possible after receiving the service. This makes it possible to increase the customer turnover rate at the store, and as a result, it is possible to increase the profits of the store while increasing the benefits to customers through the provision of rewards.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the reward provision system 1, the application program 122a gives the control unit 121 the functionality of the notification processing unit 121d. Then, in step S213 of FIG. 6, the notification processing unit 121d executes processing to notify the customer of at least one of the stay time, the set time, and the reward, as exemplified in FIG. 7(a). This allows the customer to know the content of the reward, the set time for obtaining the reward, the current stay time, etc. Therefore, the customer can be effectively urged to leave the store by the set time. The current stay time may also be displayed on the notification screen in FIG. 7(a).

In addition, in step S215 of FIG. 6, the notification processing unit 121d executes processing to notify the customer of information indicating the relationship between the stay time, the set time, and the benefit, as exemplified in FIG. 7(b). This allows the customer to understand the relationship between his or her stay time and the set time for obtaining the benefit. This encourages the customer to leave the store by the set time. Therefore, it is possible to effectively increase the customer turnover rate in the store while reliably giving customers an opportunity to obtain the benefit.

More specifically, in the example of FIG. 7(b), the notification processing unit 121d executes processing to notify the customer of information regarding the remaining time obtained by subtracting the stay time from the set time. This allows the customer to accurately grasp the remaining time to obtain the benefit, and can be encouraged to complete their actions in the store within the remaining time in order to obtain the benefit. This allows the customer to obtain the benefit more reliably, and the store can effectively increase customer turnover.

In steps S211 and S216 of FIG. 6, the stay determination unit 121a determines the start and end of a stay based on information generated by the customer himself. That is, in step S211, the stay determination unit 121a determines the start of a stay based on information based on the operation performed by the customer on the ticket vending machine 11 (information received via short-range wireless communication), and in step S216, determines the end of a stay based on information based on the customer's own movement (information from the position detection unit 126). This eliminates the need for the customer to separately present any media or other items that they possess. Therefore, at least one of the start and end of a stay can be determined by a simpler operation from the customer, improving customer convenience.

As shown in FIG. 8, the bonus offer unit 121c executes a process to offer a bonus to a customer (S234) based on the fact that the number of stay times shorter than a preset time among the stay times stored in the store visit history in FIG. 4(b) is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold (S233: YES). As a result, a bonus is offered to customers who frequently visit the store and tend to stay for short periods of time, which can encourage customers who tend to stay for short periods of time to visit the store again. This can effectively increase the store's sales and profits.

Based on the fact that the settlement unit 111a has settled the customer's bill through the process of FIG. 5(a) (S101: YES, S102), the bonus provision unit 121c executes the process of FIG. 5(b) and FIG. 6 to provide a bonus to the customer. This prevents a customer from being provided with a bonus if the customer only stays in the store and does not make a purchase. This allows the store's sales and the provision of bonuses to customers to be linked to each other, smoothly achieving the benefits of both.

In this case, the bonus provision unit 121c sets a higher bonus in accordance with an increase in the settlement amount settled by the payment unit 111a. That is, in step 231 of FIG. 8, the bonus provision unit 121c provides a bonus based on the bonus information corresponding to the settlement amount, among the bonus information shown in FIG. 4(b). With this configuration, the higher the settlement amount, the higher the bonus for the customer, and therefore the customer is more likely to be encouraged to purchase products with a higher settlement amount. This can increase the store's sales.

In this embodiment, the settlement threshold is set arbitrarily for each store, so depending on the store, there may be cases where the settlement threshold is not set and only one piece of bonus information is set. In this case, the customer will be provided with a bonus based on one piece of bonus information regardless of the settlement amount.

<Modification of the First Embodiment>
In the above embodiment 1, the stay determination unit, stay time calculation unit, privilege provision unit and notification processing unit are realized as functions of the control unit 121 of the mobile terminal 12, but some or all of these may be arranged in other devices that constitute the privilege provision system 1.

Figure 9 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the ticket vending machine 11, mobile terminal 12, and server 13 in a modified example.

In this modified example, the application program 132a stored in the memory unit 132 of the server 13 provides the functions of the stay determination unit 131a, the stay time calculation unit 131b, the privilege provision unit 131c, and the notification processing unit 131d to the control unit 131 of the server 13.

When the control unit 121 of the mobile terminal 12 receives the store ID and the settlement amount from the control unit 111 (payment unit 111a) of the ticket vending machine 11 via short-range wireless communication in response to the completion of settlement, the control unit 121 transmits settlement information including the received store ID and settlement amount to the server 13. After that, the control unit 121 of the mobile terminal 12 transmits the location information input from the location detection unit 126 to the server 13 as needed.

The control unit 131 of the server 13 executes processing that is substantially the same as the processing in FIG. 6 in the above embodiment 1, using the functions of the stay determination unit 131a, the stay time calculation unit 131b, the privilege provision unit 131c, and the notification processing unit 131d.

That is, the control unit 131 of the server 13 performs the same determination as in steps S211 and S216 by using the function of the stay determination unit 131d. That is, the control unit 131 determines whether the store ID included in the payment information received from the mobile terminal 12 is included in the store management information of FIG. 3(a), and if so, determines that the customer has started staying at that store ID and starts timing the stay time. The control unit 131 also compares the location information received from the mobile terminal 12 at any time with the location information associated with that store ID, determines whether the customer carrying the mobile terminal 12 has left the store, and ends timing the stay time if the customer has left the store.

The control unit 131 of the server 13 also performs the same processing as steps S213 to S215 by using the function of the notification processing unit 131d. That is, when the control unit 131 starts timing the stay time, it transmits information for notifying at least one of the benefit, the set time, and the stay time to the mobile terminal 12 by push notification or e-mail. Furthermore, when the remaining time obtained by subtracting the stay time from the set time reaches the threshold time, the control unit 131 transmits information regarding the remaining time to the mobile terminal 12 by push notification or e-mail.

The control unit 131 of the server 13 further performs processing similar to step S218 using the function of the stay time calculation unit 131b to determine the stay time, and performs processing similar to steps S219 and S220 using the function of the bonus provision unit 131c to issue a bonus based on the settlement threshold, bonus information, and store visit history associated with the store ID. The bonus is issued by sending information indicating the content of the bonus to the mobile device 12 via push notification or email.

Then, instead of step S221, the control unit 131 of the server 13 adds information about this visit to the store visit history associated with the store ID in the store management information of FIG. 3(a), and further executes a process of sending an end notification indicating that the process has ended to the mobile terminal 12. This causes the control unit 121 of the mobile terminal 12 to end the process of sending the location information to the server 13. This ends the series of processes in the bonus provision system 1.

This modification can achieve the same effects as the first embodiment.

In addition, in this modified example, the mobile terminal 12 does not need to update and store the store list in FIG. 4(a), and further does not need to perform the process of acquiring the store information in FIG. 4(b) from the server 13. This reduces the processing load on the mobile terminal 12.

In addition to this modified example, some or all of the stay determination unit, stay time calculation unit, benefit provision unit, and notification processing unit may be disposed in the ticket vending machine 11. In this case, the ticket vending machine 11 is connected to the external communication network 14 so as to be able to communicate with the server 13, and receives necessary information from the server 13 as appropriate.

Alternatively, another control device constituting the reward provision system 1 may be arranged, and some or all of the stay determination unit, stay time calculation unit, reward provision unit, and notification processing unit may be arranged in this control device. In this case, too, the information necessary for processing may be transmitted from the server 13 to the control device as appropriate.

These configurations can achieve the same effects as in embodiment 1 above.

<Embodiment 2>
In the second embodiment, the cameras 22b and 23b correspond to the "information output unit" described in the claims. However, this correspondence is merely an example and does not limit the claims in any way.

Figure 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of the privilege provision system 1 according to embodiment 2.

As shown in FIG. 10, the privilege provision system 1 includes a cash register 21, a facial settlement device 22, and a gate device 23. The cash register 21, the facial settlement device 22, and the gate device 23 are installed in a store 3. The cash register 21, the facial settlement device 22, and the gate device 23 are connected to each other so that they can communicate with each other via a LAN (Local Area Network). The store 3 is a cafeteria-style restaurant. A customer takes the food and drink they have selected to the cash register 21 and receives payment for the food and drink. The payment amount is transmitted from the cash register 21 to the facial settlement device 22.

The facial settlement device 22 is, for example, a tablet terminal. The facial settlement device 22 is installed near the cash register 21. The facial settlement device 22 displays the settlement amount received from the cash register 21 on the touch panel 22a. After checking the displayed settlement amount, the customer holds his/her face over the camera 22b of the facial settlement device 22. The facial settlement device 22 applies facial recognition processing to the captured facial image of the customer and compares the facial information of the recognized face with facial information registered in advance. Once the facial information comparison is complete, the facial settlement device 22 performs settlement based on payment information (e.g., credit card information) that is registered in advance in association with this customer. Once the settlement is complete, the facial settlement device 22 transmits the facial information of the customer who has made the settlement to the gate device 23 together with the customer ID.

The gate device 23 includes a control unit 23a and a camera 23b. The gate device 23 is installed at the exit of the store 3 and monitors the exit of customers. The gate device 23 captures the face of a customer exiting the store from the exit with the camera 23b and applies face recognition processing to the captured face image. The gate device 23 compares the face information of the recognized face with the face information received from the face settlement device 22, and if the two match, it sends an exit notification to the face settlement device 22, including the customer ID received from the face settlement device 22 together with the face image.

In response to this, the facial settlement device 22 calculates the customer's stay time in the store 3, and issues a special benefit to the customer if the calculated stay time is shorter than the set time. The special benefit is sent to the customer's mobile terminal 12 via the router 15 and external communication network 14. The mobile terminal 12 can communicate with the facial settlement device 22 via the router 15 and external communication network 14 installed in the store 3, the base station 17, and a router 16 outside the store. The application program of the special benefit provision system 1 is installed on the mobile terminal 12.

Figure 11 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the face settlement device 22 and the gate device 23.

The face settlement device 22 includes a control unit 221, a memory unit 222, an operation display unit 223, an audio output unit 224, an imaging unit 225, a communication unit 226, and a wireless communication unit 227.

The control unit 221 includes an arithmetic processing circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and controls each unit according to a program stored in the memory unit 222. The memory unit 222 includes storage media such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory) and stores the programs executed by the control unit 221 and various data. The memory unit 222 is also used as a work area when the control unit 221 performs control.

In this embodiment, the face recognition engine 222a and the application program 222b of the privilege provision system 1 are stored in the memory unit 222.

The operation display unit 223 includes the touch panel 22a shown in FIG. 10 and its processing circuit. The operation display unit 223 displays a predetermined screen in response to control from the control unit 221, and also outputs information related to operations on the screen to the control unit 221. The audio output unit 224 includes a speaker and its processing circuit.

The imaging unit 225 includes the camera 22b shown in FIG. 10 and its processing circuit. The imaging unit 225 captures images in response to control from the control unit 221, and transmits the captured images to the control unit 221. The communication unit 226 communicates with the cash register 21 and the gate device 23 via the LAN in response to control from the control unit 221. The wireless communication unit 227 is a wireless communication module for wirelessly communicating with the router 15. The wireless communication unit 227 communicates with the mobile terminal 12 via the router 15 or the external communication network 14 in response to control from the control unit 221.

The gate device 23 includes a control unit 231, a memory unit 232, an imaging unit 233, and a communication unit 235.

The control unit 231 includes an arithmetic processing circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and controls each unit according to a program stored in the memory unit 232. The memory unit 232 includes a storage medium such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) or a RAM (Random Access Memory) and stores the programs executed by the control unit 231 and various data. The memory unit 232 is also used as a work area when the control unit 231 performs control.

The imaging unit 233 includes the camera 22b shown in FIG. 10 and its processing circuit. The imaging unit 233 captures images in response to control from the control unit 231, and transmits the captured images to the control unit 231. The communication unit 234 communicates with the face settlement device 22 via the LAN in response to control from the control unit 231.

Figure 12(a) is a diagram showing the configuration of the privilege setting information stored in the memory unit 222 of the facial settlement device 22. Figure 12(b) is a diagram showing the configuration of the store visit history included in the privilege setting information. Figure 12(c) is a diagram showing the configuration of the customer management information stored in the memory unit 222 of the facial settlement device 22.

As shown in FIG. 12(a), the bonus setting information is the information for one store in the store management information in FIG. 3(a) minus the store ID and location information. The store visit history shown in FIG. 12(b) has the same structure as the store visit history in FIG. 3(b). The customer management information shown in FIG. 12(c) has a structure in which a facial image and payment information are added to the customer management information in FIG. 3(c).

Of the benefit setting information in FIG. 12(a), the set time, settlement threshold, benefit information, and threshold number of times are set by the store manager by operating the facial settlement device 22. One line of information is added to the store visit history depending on the customer's use of the store. The store manager operates the facial settlement device 22 to register customer management information when the customer joins the benefit provision system 1. The facial image is registered by capturing an image of the customer's face via the imaging unit 225. The payment information is information for settling the customer's payment amount (food and drink bill), such as information on the customer's credit card, bank account information, etc.

As shown in FIG. 11, in the second embodiment, the application program 222b stored in the memory unit 222 provides the functions of the stay determination unit 221a, the stay time calculation unit 221b, the privilege provision unit 221c, the notification processing unit 221d, and the payment unit 221e to the control unit 221 of the face settlement device 22. The functions of the stay determination unit 221a, the stay time calculation unit 221b, the privilege provision unit 221c, the notification processing unit 221d, and the payment unit 221e are substantially similar to the functions of the stay determination unit 121a, the stay time calculation unit 121b, the privilege provision unit 121c, the notification processing unit 121d, and the payment unit 111a shown in FIG. 2 of the first embodiment above.

Figure 13 (a) is a flowchart showing the processing performed by the control unit 221 of the face settlement device 22 at the time of settlement. This processing is performed by the control unit 221 using the function of the settlement unit 221e.

When the control unit 221 receives the settlement amount from the cash register 21, it determines that facial settlement has begun (S301: YES) and performs facial recognition processing on the image input from the imaging unit 225 (S302). When the control unit 221 extracts a facial image through this processing, it determines whether the extracted facial image (hereinafter referred to as the "extracted facial image") matches any of the facial images (hereinafter referred to as the "registered facial image") registered in the customer management information in Figure 12 (c) (S303).

If the extracted face image does not match any of the registered face images (S303: NO), the control unit 221 ends the payment by face recognition. In this case, the customer pays in cash using the cash register 21, for example.

If the extracted face image matches any of the registered face images (S303: YES), the control unit 221 performs a settlement process using the extracted face image (S304). Specifically, the control unit 221 performs settlement using payment information associated with the registered face image that matches the extracted face image in the customer management information of FIG. 12(c). Then, when this settlement process is completed (S305: YES), the control unit 221 determines that the customer has started staying at the store 3 (S306) and sends a store visit notification including the registered face image and the customer ID associated with the registered face image in the customer management information to the gate device 23 (S307).

Figure 13 (b) is a flowchart showing the processing performed by the control unit 231 of the gate device 23 when a store visit notification is received.

When the control unit 231 receives the visit notification sent in step S307 in FIG. 13(a) (S401: YES), it compares the registered face image included in the visit notification with the face image acquired from time to time via the imaging unit 233 (S402) and determines whether the two images match (S403). If the two images do not match (S403: NO), the control unit 231 returns the process to S402 and repeats the same process. If the two images match (S403: YES), the control unit 231 sends an exit notification indicating that the customer of the registered face image has left the store 3 to the face settlement device 22 together with the customer ID included in the visit notification (S404).

Figure 14 is a flowchart showing the processing performed by the control unit 221 of the face settlement device 22 when it is determined that a customer has begun staying at the store 3.

Of the processes in FIG. 14, steps S311 and S316 are performed by the control unit 221 using the function of the stay determination unit 221a, steps S312, S317, and S318 are performed by the control unit 221 using the function of the stay time calculation unit 221b, steps S313 to S315 are performed by the control unit 221 using the function of the notification processing unit 221d, and steps S319 and S320 are performed by the control unit 221 using the function of the privilege provision unit 221c.

The processing in steps S311 to S320 in FIG. 14 is similar to the processing in steps S211 to S220 in FIG. 6, except for the determination methods in steps S311 and S316.

The control unit 221 determines the start of a stay in step S306 in FIG. 13(a) and thus determines YES in step S311. The control unit 221 also determines YES in step S316 by receiving the exit notification transmitted in step S404 in FIG. 13(b).

Figure 15 (a) shows the settlement screen P3 displayed on the face settlement device 22 when settling using a facial image. Figure 15 (b) shows the notification screen P4 displayed in step S313 of Figure 14.

In step S302 in FIG. 13(a), the settlement screen P3 shown in FIG. 15(a) is displayed. The upper half of the settlement screen P3 displays an image captured by the imaging unit 225, and the lower half of the settlement screen P3 displays the settlement amount and its breakdown. When the settlement is completed and the start of the stay is determined, the determination in step S311 in FIG. 14 becomes YES, and in step S313, the notification screen P4 in FIG. 15(b) is displayed for a certain period of time instead of the settlement screen P3. The notification screen P4 includes a message M3 that notifies the customer of the stay time (set time) required to obtain the benefit and the content of the benefit. The customer can understand the relationship between his/her stay time and the benefit by referring to the message M3. Along with the notification screen P4, a voice message indicating the content of the message M3 may also be output from the face settlement device 22.

Returning to FIG. 14, in step S315, information indicating the remaining time to obtain the bonus is sent from the control unit 221 of the facial settlement device 22 to the customer's mobile device 12 by push notification, email, etc. In step S320, information indicating the issued bonus is sent from the control unit 221 of the facial settlement device 22 to the customer's mobile device 12 by push notification, email, etc. The bonus is issued using the settlement threshold, store visit history, and threshold number of times in FIG. 12(a), similar to step S220 in the first embodiment above.

After issuing the bonus in this manner, the control unit 221 links one line of history information related to this visit to the customer ID of the visiting customer and adds it to the visit history in FIG. 12(b) (S321). This causes the control unit 221 to end the process of issuing a bonus based on the customer's stay at store 3.

<Effects of the Second Embodiment>
In the second embodiment, the same effect as in the first embodiment can be achieved. That is, by the process of FIG. 14, a special offer is provided to the customer based on the fact that the stay time is shorter than the set time (S319: YES). Therefore (S320), the customer is encouraged to leave the store as soon as possible after receiving the service. This can increase the customer turnover rate in the store, and as a result, the profits of the store can be increased while increasing the benefits to customers through the provision of special offers.

<Modification of the second embodiment>
In the above embodiment 2, both the start and end of a customer's stay in a store were determined by the customer's facial image, which is information generated by the customer himself/herself, but at least one of the start and end of a customer's stay in a store may also be determined based on information from a medium carried by the customer.

Figure 16 shows the configuration of the privilege provision system 1 in this case.

In the configuration of FIG. 16, the reading units 24b and 25b correspond to the "information output unit" described in the claims. However, this correspondence is merely an example and does not limit the claims in any way.

In this configuration, the face settlement device 22 is changed to a settlement device 24, and the gate device 23 is changed to a gate device 25. The settlement device 24 includes a control unit 24a and a reading unit 24b, and the gate device 25 includes a control unit 25a and a reading unit 25b.

Reading units 24b, 25b read the customer ID from a medium held by the customer. The medium is, for example, a card issued by store 3. The card has, for example, an IC chip disposed thereon, and the customer ID is stored in this IC chip. The card is, for example, a contactless card with a built-in antenna coil. In this case, reading units 24b, 25b are equipped with a contactless communication section that communicates with the antenna coil on the card.

The card may be a contact card having a contact terminal. Alternatively, the card may hold the customer ID in other forms, such as a barcode. The medium is not limited to a card, and may be other media, such as a mobile terminal 12. For example, the mobile terminal 12 may display a barcode holding the customer ID on a screen. In these cases, the reading units 24b, 25b may be configured with a reading method that corresponds to the form in which the customer ID is held.

The control unit 24a executes the same process as the face settlement device 22. In this case, the control unit 24a executes settlement processing based on the customer ID read from the medium, instead of settlement processing based on the customer's face image.

The control unit 25a executes the same process as the gate device 23. In this case, the control unit 25a executes the exit determination based on the customer ID read from the medium, instead of the exit determination based on the customer's facial image.

When paying, the customer holds their card issued by store 3 over the reading unit 25b. If the control unit 24a is a tablet or the like, the payment amount may be displayed on the display. After checking the displayed payment amount, the customer simply holds their card over the reading unit 24b. When the customer ID is obtained from the card, the payment process is carried out in the same manner as above, and the start of the customer's stay is determined.

When a customer has finished eating and drinking at store 3 and is leaving store 3, the customer holds his/her card over the reading unit 25b of gate device 25. When the customer ID is obtained from the card, it is determined that the customer has left, and an exit notification is sent from control unit 25a to control unit 24a. Based on this determination of the start and end of the stay, control unit 24a performs the same notification process and special offer issuing process as described above.

This modification can achieve the same effect as the second embodiment.

In addition, in this modified example, the start and end of a stay are determined based on information from a medium carried by the customer. In general, information from a medium carried by the customer can identify a customer more accurately than when the customer is identified by facial recognition, etc. Therefore, according to the configuration of the modified example, the start and end of a stay can be determined more accurately.

In the above modified example, both the start and end of a customer's stay at store 3 were determined based on information from a medium carried by the customer, but either the start or end of the stay may be determined based on information from a medium carried by the customer. For example, only the start of the stay may be determined based on information from a medium carried by the customer, and the end of the stay may be determined based on information generated by the customer himself (for example, an image of the customer's face). In this case, in the configuration of FIG. 16, gate device 25 may be replaced with gate device 23 of FIG. 10.

In addition, in the above embodiment 2, one store 3 is the target of the privilege provision system 1, but if multiple stores form a group, for example, when there is a head office and branches, the server that manages the group may be connected to the external communication network 14.

In this case, among the information in Figures 12 (a) to (c), the store visit history and customer management information may be linked to the store ID and managed collectively by the server. In this configuration, the facial settlement device 22 of each store transmits facial information of the customer who visited the store to the server, acquires the customer management information and store visit history of the customer from the server, and performs the above-mentioned facial settlement process and processing for issuing the benefit based on the acquired customer management information and store visit history.

Alternatively, all the information in FIG. 12(a) to (c) may be linked to the store ID and managed collectively by the server. In this case, the facial settlement device 22 of each store transmits the facial information of the customer who visited the store to the server, acquires the customer management information of the customer from the server, and performs the above-mentioned facial settlement process based on the acquired customer management information. Then, when the settlement process is completed, the facial settlement device 22 transmits a settlement completion notification to the server, and further transmits the notification to the server in response to the detection of the face of the customer by the gate device 23. Based on the receipt of the settlement completion notification, the server determines the start of the stay of the customer corresponding to the previously received facial image, and based on the receipt of the detection notification of the gate device 23, determines the end of the stay of the customer. Based on these determination results, the server executes the same process as in FIG. 14 and issues a benefit. In this case, the notification process may be executed by the server sending a push notification or an e-mail to the customer's mobile terminal 12.

In the configuration of FIG. 10, the cash register 21 and the facial settlement device 22 are separate entities, but they may be integrated. Also, as in the modified configuration shown in FIG. 16, when a medium such as a card is used at the time of settlement, payment may be made, for example, with the amount charged to the card, or payment may be made using a payment application installed on the mobile terminal 12.

<Embodiment 3>
In the above-described first and second embodiments, the privilege provision system 1 is applied to a store where the payment is made before eating and drinking. In contrast, in the third embodiment, the privilege provision system 1 is applied to a store where the payment is made after eating and drinking is finished.

In the third embodiment, the imaging unit 315 and the operation display unit 313 correspond to the "information output unit" described in the claims. However, this correspondence is merely an example and does not limit the claims in any way.

Figure 17 is a diagram showing the configuration of the privilege provision system 1 according to embodiment 3.

The privilege provision system 1 comprises a plurality of order terminals 31 and a management device 32. Each order terminal 31 is installed at a seat in the store, and the management device 32 is installed in a staff room or the like of the store. The order terminals 31 and the management device 32 are connected to each other via a LAN. The order terminal 31 is, for example, a tablet terminal, and the management device 32 is, for example, a personal computer. The order terminal 31 comprises a touch panel 31a and a camera 31b, and is installed so that the camera 31b is substantially facing the front of a customer sitting in a seat.

Figure 18 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the order terminal 31 and the management device 32.

The order terminal 31 includes a control unit 311, a memory unit 312, an operation display unit 313, an audio output unit 314, an imaging unit 315, and a communication unit 316.

The control unit 311 includes an arithmetic processing circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and controls each unit according to a program stored in the memory unit 312. The memory unit 312 includes a storage medium such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) or a RAM (Random Access Memory) and stores the programs executed by the control unit 311 and various data. The memory unit 312 is also used as a work area when the control unit 221 performs control.

In this embodiment, the application program 312a of the privilege provision system 1 is stored in the memory unit 312.

The operation display unit 313 includes the touch panel 31a shown in FIG. 17 and its processing circuit. The operation display unit 313 displays a predetermined screen in response to control from the control unit 311, and also outputs information related to operations on the screen to the control unit 311. The audio output unit 314 includes a speaker and its processing circuit.

The imaging unit 315 includes the camera 31b shown in FIG. 17 and its processing circuit. The imaging unit 315 captures images in response to control from the control unit 311, and transmits the captured images to the control unit 311. The communication unit 316 communicates with the management device 32 via the LAN in response to control from the control unit 311.

The management device 32 includes a control unit 321, a memory unit 322, an operation unit 323, a display unit 324, and a communication unit 325. These components are well known as components of a personal computer, so a description of them will be omitted.

In the third embodiment, the application program 312a stored in the memory 312 provides the functions of the stay determination unit 311a, the stay time calculation unit 311b, the benefit provision unit 311c, and the notification processing unit 311d to the control unit 311 of the order terminal 31. The basic functions of the stay determination unit 311a, the stay time calculation unit 311b, the benefit provision unit 311c, and the notification processing unit 311d are similar to the functions of the stay determination unit 121a, the stay time calculation unit 121b, the benefit provision unit 121c, and the notification processing unit 121d shown in FIG. 2 of the first embodiment above.

In addition, in the third embodiment, the memory unit 312 of each ordering terminal 31 stores privilege setting information similar to that shown in FIG. 12(a). The store manager operates the management device 32 to set the privilege setting information in each ordering terminal 31. As a result, the same privilege setting information is set in all ordering terminals 31.

Figure 19 is a flowchart showing the processing performed by the control unit 311 of the order terminal 31 when issuing a bonus.

Of the processes in FIG. 19, steps S501 and S506 are performed by the control unit 311 using the function of the stay determination unit 311a, steps S502, S507, and S508 are performed by the control unit 311 using the function of the stay time calculation unit 311b, steps S503 to S505, and S511 are performed by the control unit 311 using the function of the notification processing unit 311d, and steps S509, S510, and S512 are performed by the control unit 221 using the function of the privilege provision unit 221c.

The control unit 311 determines whether the customer's stay has begun (S501).

Figure 20 (a) is a flowchart showing the process for determining when a customer has started to stay. The control unit 311 acquires an image from the imaging unit 315 at any time (S521), analyzes the acquired image, and determines whether or not the customer has sat down at the seat where the order terminal 31 is installed (S522). When the control unit 311 determines that the customer has sat down at the seat based on the analysis of the image (S513: YES), it determines that the customer has started to stay (S523), and the determination in step S501 in Figure 19 is YES.

Note that the method for determining the start of a stay is not limited to this. For example, it may be determined that a customer's stay has started when the customer performs an operation to place an order on the order terminal 31 for the first time.

Returning to FIG. 19, when the determination in step S501 becomes YES as a result of the above processing, the control unit 311 sequentially executes the processing in steps S502 to S505. The processing in steps S502 to S505 is similar to the processing in steps S212 to S215 in FIG. 6. In step S503, the control unit 311, for example, displays the notification screen P6 shown in FIG. 21(b) superimposed on the order screen P5 shown in FIG. 21(a).

As shown in FIG. 21(a), the order screen P5 includes multiple buttons B3 for selecting food and drink, a button B4 for going back one screen, a button B5 for going forward one screen, and a button B6 for making payment. Also, as shown in FIG. 21(b), the notification screen P6 includes a message M4 informing the customer of the contents of the benefit (discount on the payment amount) and the length of stay (set time) required to obtain the benefit, and a button B7 for closing the notification screen P6. By referring to the notification screen P6, the customer can understand the contents of the benefit and the length of stay (set time) required to obtain the benefit.

In addition, in step S505 of FIG. 19, the control unit 311, for example, causes the order screen P5 to be superimposed with the notification screen P7 shown in FIG. 21(c). The notification screen P7 includes a message M5 notifying the customer of the remaining time to obtain the benefit, and a button B8 for closing the notification screen P7. By referring to the notification screen P7, the customer can accurately grasp the remaining time to obtain the benefit.

Figure 20 (b) is a flowchart showing the process of determining the end of stay in step S506 of Figure 19.

The control unit 311 monitors whether the payment button B6 included in the order screen P5 has been operated (S531). When the control unit 311 detects that the button B6 has been operated, it determines that the customer's stay has ended (S532) and determines YES in step S506 in FIG. 19.

Returning to FIG. 19, the processing of steps S507 to S509 is the same as the processing of steps S217 to S219 in FIG. 6. The control unit 311 calculates the time measured from the start of timing (S502) to the end of timing (S507) as the stay time (S508), and determines whether the calculated stay time is shorter than the time set in the bonus setting information (see FIG. 12(a)) (S509). If the determination in S509 is YES, the control unit 311 issues a bonus according to the settlement amount based on the settlement threshold of the bonus setting information (S510). If the determination in S509 is NO, the control unit 311 decides not to issue a bonus (S512).

The control unit 311 performs a process to notify whether or not a bonus has been issued (S511). If a bonus has been issued in step S510, the control unit 311, for example, causes a notification screen P8 shown in FIG. 21(d) to be displayed superimposed on the order screen P5. The notification screen P8 includes a message M6 notifying the customer of the details of the acquired bonus, and a button B9 for closing the notification screen P8. The customer can understand the details of the acquired bonus by referring to the notification screen P8. When the customer operates the button B9, the settlement amount after the bonus is applied is displayed together with the settlement amount after the bonus is applied, and the settlement is performed.

If it is decided not to issue a special bonus in step S512 of FIG. 19, the control unit 311 in step S511 superimposes a notification screen on the order screen P5 to notify the customer that the special bonus was not issued because the customer's stay time was longer than the set time. This lets the customer know that the customer was not able to get the special bonus this time because the customer's stay time was too long.

<Effects of the Third Embodiment>
In the third embodiment, the same effects as those in the first and second embodiments can be achieved. In the process of Fig. 19, a special offer is provided to the customer based on the fact that the stay time is shorter than the set time (S509: YES), so the customer is encouraged to leave the store as soon as possible. This can increase the customer turnover rate in the store, and as a result, the store's profits can be increased while increasing the benefits to customers from the special offers.

<Modification of the third embodiment>
In step S510 in Fig. 19, the payment amount is adjusted by applying a discount based on the benefit, but for example, a QR code (registered trademark) for acquiring a coupon that can be used the next time the customer visits the store may be displayed on the payment screen. In this case, the customer reads the QR code (registered trademark) with their mobile terminal 12 to acquire the coupon.

In the third embodiment, similarly to the second embodiment, when multiple stores form a group, a server that manages these groups may be connected to the external communication network 14. In this case, each order terminal 31 is connected to the external communication network 14 via a router, and communicates with the server as appropriate to obtain necessary information from the server.

Also, in the third embodiment, each order terminal 31 or management device 32 may manage the customer's store visit history at the store. In this case, the customer may be managed by facial image, or may be managed by a customer ID stored on a card issued by the store. When the customer is managed by facial image, the customer's facial image is captured by camera 31b at the start of the stay and facial recognition processing is performed. When the customer is managed by a card, the card is read by a reading device attached to the order terminal 31 at the start of the stay to obtain the customer ID. In these cases, as in the first and second embodiments, a process of adding benefits can be performed based on the customer's store visit history.

<Other changes>
Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications of the embodiment of the present invention are possible.

For example, in the above embodiments 1 to 3, the benefit provided to the customer was a benefit that could be used at the store where the customer was staying. However, this is not limited to this, and the customer may be provided with a benefit that can be used widely, including at other stores, as long as it is beneficial to the customer. Furthermore, the benefit is not limited to discount coupons, points, or other benefits that provide the customer with benefits in relation to the price, but may also include, for example, benefits that provide the customer with a higher level of service than usual (such as use of a relaxation room).

The manner in which the notification processor notifies at least one of the special offer, the duration of stay, and the set time is not limited to the manner described in the above embodiments 1 to 3. For example, the special offer and the set time may be presented on a poster or the like displayed in the store, and the current duration of stay or the remaining time until the set time may be notified by the notification processor.

In addition, the information indicating the relationship between the stay time, the set time, and the benefit is not necessarily limited to the remaining time to obtain the benefit, but may be any information that allows the relationship between the stay time, the set time, and the benefit to be understood. For example, a message indicating that the benefit can be obtained at the present time may be output from the mobile terminal 12, or if the benefit decreases as the stay time passes, the content of the benefit at the present time may be notified.

In addition, the method of notification by the notification processing unit is not limited to the methods shown in the above embodiments 1 to 3, and may be performed, for example, by SMS (Short Message Service), etc.

In addition, as the "information generated by the customer himself" used to determine the start or end of a stay, in the above embodiment 1, the information output by the short-range wireless communication unit 128 in response to the payment operation on the ticket vending machine 11 and the position information output by the position detection unit 126 are shown, in embodiment 2, the customer's facial image output by cameras 22b and 23b are shown, and in embodiment 3, the image output by camera 31b and the information output by touch panel 31a in response to the operation of button B6 are shown, but the "information generated by the customer himself" used to determine the start or end of a stay is not limited to this. "Information generated by the customer himself" is information derived from the customer himself or from the customer's actions or behavior, and may include information that can be used to determine the start or end of a stay at a store.

The method of determining the start or end of a stay may be changed as appropriate. For example, in the configuration of the above-mentioned embodiment 1, the end of a stay may be determined using the gate device 23 shown in embodiment 2.

In addition, the benefit provided based on the set time and the benefit provided based on the store visit history may be unrelated to each other. In addition, when settlement is made for a group of multiple customers, the settlement amount compared to the settlement threshold may be the amount obtained by dividing the settlement amount by the number of people in the group.

In addition, in the above embodiments 1 to 3, the store to which the privilege provision system 1 is applied is a restaurant, but the store to which the privilege provision system 1 is applied is not necessarily limited to a restaurant, and may be other types of stores, such as bookstores, where sales increase in accordance with an increase in customer turnover.

In addition, the stay determination unit, stay time calculation unit, benefit provision unit, notification processing unit, and settlement unit do not necessarily have to be realized by program functions, and may be realized using hardware such as a logic circuit.

In addition, the embodiments of the present invention may be modified as appropriate within the scope of the claims.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 privilege provision system 12 mobile terminal 13 server 111a, 221e settlement unit 121a, 131a, 221a, 311a stay determination unit 121b, 131b, 221b, 311b stay time calculation unit 121c, 131c, 221c, 311c privilege provision unit 121d, 131d, 221d, 311d notification processing unit 122a, 132a, 222b, 312a application program

Claims (13)

a stay determination unit that determines the start and end of a stay of the customer in the store based on information from an information output unit that outputs information capable of determining the stay of the customer in the store;
a stay time calculation unit that calculates a stay time during which the customer stays in the store based on a determination result of the stay determination unit;
a reward provision unit that executes a process for providing a reward to the customer based on the fact that the stay time is shorter than a preset time;
and a notification processing unit that executes a process for notifying the customer of information indicating a relationship between the customer's stay time, the set time, and the benefit, during the customer's stay time a predetermined time before the set time .
The reward providing system is characterized by: a notification processing unit that executes a process for notifying the customer of at least one of the staying time, the set time, and the benefit,
2. The privilege providing system according to claim 1 . the notification processing unit executes a process for notifying the customer of information regarding a remaining time obtained by subtracting the stay time from the set time.
2. The privilege providing system according to claim 1 . The stay determination unit determines at least one of the start and end of the stay based on information from a medium carried by the customer.
4. The privilege providing system according to claim 1. The stay determination unit determines at least one of the start and end of the stay based on information generated by the customer himself/herself.
4. The privilege providing system according to claim 1. A storage unit that stores a history of the customer's stay time in the store,
the reward provision unit executes a process for providing a reward to the customer based on the fact that the number of stay times shorter than a preset set time among the stay times stored in the history is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold.
6. The privilege providing system according to claim 1, wherein the privilege providing system comprises: a stay determination unit that determines the start and end of a stay of the customer in the store based on information from an information output unit that outputs information capable of determining the stay of the customer in the store;
a stay time calculation unit that calculates a stay time during which the customer stays in the store based on a determination result of the stay determination unit;
a reward provision unit that executes a process for providing a reward to the customer based on the fact that the stay time is shorter than a preset time;
a storage unit that stores a history of the customer's stay time in the store,
the reward provision unit executes a process for providing a reward to the customer based on the fact that the number of stay times shorter than a preset set time among the stay times stored in the history is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold.
The reward providing system is characterized by: A payment unit for performing payment processing at the store is further provided,
The reward provision unit further executes a process for providing the reward to the customer based on the settlement unit having settled the charge for the customer.
8. The privilege providing system according to claim 1, wherein the privilege providing system comprises: the reward provision unit sets the reward higher in accordance with an increase in the settlement amount settled by the settlement unit;
9. The privilege providing system according to claim 8. A control method for a reward provision system that provides rewards to customers who visit a store, comprising the steps of:
determining the start and end of a customer's stay in the store based on information from an information output unit that outputs information that can determine the customer's stay in the store;
calculating a stay time of the customer in the store based on the determination result;
providing a reward to the customer based on the residence time being shorter than a preset time;
and notifying the customer of information indicating a relationship between the stay time, the set time, and the benefit during the stay time of the customer a predetermined time before the set time .
A control method for a reward providing system comprising: A control unit of a reward provision system that provides rewards to customers who visit a store,
A process of determining the start and end of a customer's stay in the store based on information from an information output unit that outputs information that can determine the customer's stay in the store;
A process of calculating the length of time the customer stayed in the store based on the determination result;
A process for providing a reward to the customer based on the fact that the stay time is shorter than a preset time;
and a process for notifying the customer of information indicating the relationship between the stay time, the set time, and the benefit during the stay time of the customer a predetermined time before the set time . A server capable of communicating with a mobile terminal via an external communication network,
receiving information from the mobile terminal that enables determination of a customer's stay in the store;
A process of calculating the length of time that a customer stays in a store based on the information;
transmitting information about a special benefit to the mobile terminal based on the calculated stay time being shorter than a preset time;
and executing a process for notifying the customer of information indicating a relationship between the stay time, the set time, and the benefit during the stay time of the customer that is a predetermined time before the set time.
A server comprising: A control unit of the mobile device
A function of determining the start and end of a customer's stay in the store based on information from an information output unit that outputs information that can determine the customer's stay in the store;
A function of calculating the length of time that the customer stayed in the store based on the determination result;
A function of issuing a reward based on the calculated stay time being shorter than a preset time;
a program for executing a function of notifying the customer of information indicating the relationship between the stay time, the set time, and the benefit during the stay time of the customer a predetermined time before the set time .

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