JP7714248B2 - Food product sales system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a food product sales system. More specifically, it relates to a food product sales system that can reduce food waste.

Consumers have traditionally focused on product safety, particularly food, and when choosing a product, they are increasingly interested in the product itself and the ingredients that make up it.

For this reason, product providers provide their products by listing information about the ingredients, origin, and manufacturing date of the products and their raw materials on labels affixed to the product packaging or by recording it on an IC tag.

However, simply providing written or recorded information attached to products makes it easy to falsify or counterfeit that information, and in fact, information has been falsified or counterfeited in some cases, leading to low consumer trust and making it difficult for consumers to select products with confidence.

The inventors of the present invention have therefore proposed a technology in which food is provided with a sample of raw material powder made from powdered ingredients, rather than simply attaching written or recorded information to the food (see Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-5656

By the way, while making food quality visible will allow consumers to choose foods with peace of mind, it is difficult to directly link this to reducing food waste, which has become a problem in recent years.

The present invention was devised in light of the above points, and aims to provide a food product sales system that can reduce food waste.

To achieve the above objective, the food product sales system of the present invention defines a predetermined deadline as one of the best-before date, shipping date, or date when a predetermined number of days remain until the expiration date, and is a food product sales system for selling expired food products that have passed the predetermined deadline. The system comprises: an inventory information recording means for recording inventory information for predetermined foods sold by the food product sales system, including information on stock quantities and information on the predetermined deadline; an instruction information creation means for creating instruction information used by the recipe information generation means to generate recipe information using the first food and the expired food products that are in stock, upon receiving a request from a consumer's terminal to output information on a first food product that is one of the predetermined foods; and an output means for outputting the instruction information created by the instruction information creation means to the consumer's terminal.

The food product sales system of the present invention defines a predetermined deadline as one of the best-before date, shipping date, or date when the number of days remaining until the expiration date is a predetermined number, and sells expired food products that have passed the predetermined deadline. The system includes an inventory information recording means for recording inventory information, including information on the number of items in stock and information on the predetermined deadline, for predetermined foods sold by the food product sales system, and a device for confirming the inventory information recorded in the inventory information recording means upon receiving a request from a consumer terminal to output information on a first food product, which is one of the predetermined foods. The system includes an instruction information creation means that creates instruction information to be input to a predetermined recipe information generation means when the expired food is out of stock, so that the recipe information generation means generates recipe information using the first food and the specified food that is in stock; and an instruction information creation means that creates instruction information to be input to a predetermined recipe information generation means when the expired food is in stock, so that the recipe information generation means generates recipe information using the first food and the expired food that is in stock; and an output means that outputs the instruction information created by the instruction information creation means to the consumer's terminal.

Here, the output means outputs instruction information to the consumer's terminal for generating "recipe information using the 'first food' and the 'expired food in stock,'" which is expected to lead to the purchase of the "expired food."

Furthermore, when there is no expired food in stock (in other words, when there is no expired food to sell), outputting instruction information to the consumer's terminal to generate "recipe information using the 'first food' and the 'specified food in stock'" can be expected to lead to the purchase of the "specified food in stock."
In this case, "certain foods in stock" necessarily means "foods that are not expired," given that there is no stock of expired foods.

In addition, even if food is "not expired" at any given time, it is possible that it may become "expired food" in the future, so stimulating consumer purchasing desire for "not expired food" is also important in reducing food waste.

Incidentally, a certain number of sales can also be expected by outputting to the consumer's terminal instruction information for generating "recipe information using only 'expired food' (recipe information that does not use 'first food')" rather than instruction information for generating "recipe information using 'first food' and 'expired food'."
However, for a person (consumer) who wishes to purchase the "first food," the food that they want to obtain (purchase) is the "first food." Therefore, even if instruction information for generating "recipe information using only 'expired food' (recipe information that does not use the 'first food')" is output to the consumer's terminal, it cannot be said that the needs of the person (consumer) who wishes to purchase the "first food" are met.
Therefore, in this invention, by outputting instruction information to the consumer's terminal for generating "recipe information using 'first food' and 'expired food'", it is possible to meet the consumer's need to obtain (purchase) the "first food" while also stimulating their desire to purchase the "expired food".

Furthermore, if the instruction information creation means uses the food product sales system to create instruction information for generating "recipe information using the first food and the second food" in response to a request from the terminal of a consumer who has purchased the first food and the second food, which is one of the expired foods, and the output means outputs such instruction information to the consumer's terminal, the consumer will be able to obtain the instruction information for generating recipe information for the purchased food even after purchase, which is expected to increase the consumer's incentive to purchase "expired foods."

By the way, "food" here includes both "primary products" and "secondary products," and naturally includes food and drink intended for nutrient intake or enjoyment (animal foods, plant foods, processed foods, frozen foods, luxury foods, seasoning ingredients, health foods, supplements, beverages, processed ingredients, etc.), as well as pharmaceuticals and quasi-drugs. For example, herbal medicines are included. It also includes feed, aquaculture feed, dog food, and other products intended for fish and animals.

In this context, "primary products" refers to unprocessed fresh foods, animal foods, and plant foods themselves, such as vegetables like radishes and cabbage, or raw meat like chicken and beef. Other examples include fruits, beans, shellfish, and fish.

Furthermore, "secondary products" here refer to products made from unprocessed fresh foods, unprocessed animal foods, or unprocessed plant foods, and include mochi (rice cakes), buns, pickles, stir-fried vegetables, steaks, hamburgers, ramen, bento boxes, bread, milk, cheese, beer, wine, sake, whiskey, frozen foods, canned goods, bottled tea and juice, coffee, and soft drinks.

In addition, "secondary products" here not only include secondary products processed using primary products as raw materials, but also secondary products processed using secondary products as raw materials. For example, it includes tamagoyaki (rolled omelet) made by purchasing seasoned eggs as the raw material and baking them. Furthermore, "secondary products" here also includes secondary products purchased using secondary products as raw materials. For example, it includes boxed lunches filled with purchased tamagoyaki (rolled omelet).

Furthermore, the "first food" may be singular or plural, and the "second food" may be singular or plural.

Also, the "best before" here means "the date by which the product can be eaten deliciously without any change in quality," and does not mean that the product becomes immediately inedible even after the best before date.

Also, the "expiration date" here means "the date by which it can be safely eaten," meaning that the food is no longer edible after the expiration date.

Furthermore, the "shipping deadline" here means the "deadline by which wholesalers and manufacturers can deliver to retailers," and if the shipping deadline is exceeded, commercial practices mean that the product will be returned by the retailer to the wholesaler or manufacturer.
In commercial practice, the "shipping by date" is often set to "one-third of the food's expiration date" (for example, if the expiration date of a food product is six months from the date of manufacture, the shipping by date is two months from the date of manufacture), but the "shipping by date" here can also be "one-quarter of the food product's expiration date." It can also be "two months before the food product's expiration date" or "one year before the food product's use-by date."

The food product sales system of the present invention makes it possible to reduce food waste by reducing unsold expired food products.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of a configuration example of the present invention.

Hereinafter, a mode for carrying out the invention (hereinafter referred to as "embodiment") will be described.
Here, in this embodiment, the explanation will be based on April 21, 2023. Therefore, if the expiration date is before April 20, 2023, the expiration date has passed, and if the expiration date is after April 21, 2023, the expiration date has not yet arrived. The explanation will be given in the following order.
1. First embodiment 2. Modification

1. First embodiment
[Configuration of the present invention]
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the configuration of a food product sales system to which the present invention is applied, and is an example of the system configuration for providing (selling) foods 1A to 1D.
Although the following description will be given of a case where four types of food, namely food 1A to food 1D, are sold, it goes without saying that the number of types may be three or less, or five or more.

Here, food 1A has a best-before date of May 31, 2023, a use-by date of September 30, 2023, and a list price of 1,500 yen.

Food 1B has a best-before date of April 30, 2023, a use-by date of August 31, 2023, and a list price of 800 yen.

Food 1C has a best-before date of April 20, 2023, a use-by date of August 20, 2023, and a list price of 2,000 yen.

Although the list price of food 1C is 2,000 yen, it will be sold at a reduced price (discount) because the expiration date has passed.
In this embodiment, if the expiration date has passed by one day, the price is reduced by "90% off the list price," if the expiration date has passed by two days, "95% off the list price," and if the expiration date has passed by three days or more, "99% off the list price." Since food 1C is one day past its expiration date, it is sold for 200 yen (90% off the list price).

Food 1D has a best-before date of March 20, 2023, a use-by date of July 20, 2023, and a list price of 1,000 yen.

Although the food item 1D has a list price of 1,000 yen, it will be sold at a reduced price (discount) because the expiration date has passed.
In this embodiment, the discount is as described above, and food 1D is sold for 10 yen (99% off the list price) because it is more than three days past its expiration date.

The food product sales system 11 shown in Figure 1 is configured to be able to exchange various information with consumer terminals 13 used by those (consumers) who wish to purchase food products via the Internet 12.

The food product sales system 11 also has inventory information recording means 14A, 14B, 14C, and 14D, inventory information confirmation means 15, prompt creation means 16, and information output means 17. The prompt creation means 16 is an example of instruction information creation means.

Here, the inventory information recording means 14A is configured to be able to record at least information 14Aa on the name of the food 1A, information 14Ab on the inventory quantity of the food 1A, information 14Ac on the expiration date of the food 1A, information 14Ad on the expiration date of the food 1A, and information 14Ae on the price of the food 1A.
Specifically, for food 1A whose expiration date has not yet arrived (since the expiration date has not yet arrived, the use-by date has not yet arrived either), its name, quantity in stock, expiration date, use-by date, and price are recorded.

In addition, the inventory information recording means 14B is configured to be able to record at least information 14Ba on the name of food 1B, information 14Bb on the inventory quantity of food 1B, information 14Bc on the expiration date of food 1B, information 14Bd on the expiration date of food 1B, and information 14Be on the price of food 1B.
Specifically, for food 1B whose expiration date has not yet arrived (since the expiration date has not yet arrived, the expiration date has not yet arrived either), its name, quantity in stock, expiration date, use-by date, and price are recorded.

In addition, the inventory information recording means 14C is configured to be able to record at least information 14Ca on the name of the food product 1C, information 14Cb on the number of items in stock of the food product 1C, information 14Cc on the expiration date of the food product 1C, information 14Cd on the expiration date of the food product 1C, and information 14Ce on the price of the food product 1C.

Specifically, for food 1C that has passed its best-before date but has not yet passed its expiration date, the name, quantity in stock, best-before date, expiration date, and price (price deducted from the list price) are recorded.

In addition, the inventory information recording means 14D is configured to record at least information 14Da on the name of the food product 1D, information 14Db on the number of items in stock of the food product 1D, information 14Dc on the expiration date of the food product 1D, information 14Dd on the expiration date of the food product 1D, and information 14Dee on the price of the food product 1D.

Specifically, for food 1D that has passed its best-before date but is not past its expiration date, the name, quantity in stock, best-before date, expiration date, and price (price discounted from the list price) are recorded.

In addition, the inventory information checking means 15 is configured to be able to check the information recorded in the inventory information recording means 14A to 14D when a consumer requests information on the food products for sale (i.e., food products 1A to 1D).
Specifically, when a request is made from consumer terminal 13 to output information on foods 1A to 1D, information 14Ab on the stock quantity of food 1A, information 14Bb on the stock quantity of food 1B, information 14Cb on the stock quantity of food 1C, and information 14Db on the stock quantity of food 1D are accessed to confirm the stock quantities.

In addition to "Inventory quantity information 14Ab for food 1A," "Inventory quantity information 14Bb for food 1B," "Inventory quantity information 14Cb for food 1C," and "Inventory quantity information 14Db for food 1D," the inventory information confirmation means 15 also checks "Expiration date information 14Ad for food 1A," "Expiration date information 14Bd for food 1B," "Expiration date information 14Cd for food 1C," and "Expiration date information 14Dd for food 1D." If expiration date information 14Ad for food 1A has passed, it is determined that food 1A is out of stock; if expiration date information 14Bd for food 1B has passed, food 1B is out of stock; if expiration date information 14Cd for food 1C has passed, food 1C is out of stock; and if expiration date information 14Dd for food 1D has passed, food 1D is out of stock.

In addition, the prompt creation means 16 is configured to be able to create "prompts" for generating recipe information for foods (i.e., Food 1A, Food 1B, Food 1C, and Food 1D) sold by the food product sales system 11 using general-purpose generative AI.

Specifically, the system is configured to be able to create "prompts" for generating the following recipe information (1) to (10).
(1) Recipe information using "Food 1A" and "Food 1B" (2) Recipe information using "Food 1A" and "Food 1C" (3) Recipe information using "Food 1A" and "Food 1D" (4) Recipe information using "Food 1B" and "Food 1C" (5) Recipe information using "Food 1B" and "Food 1D" (6) Recipe information using "Food 1C" and "Food 1D" (7) Recipe information using "Food 1A", "Food 1B", and "Food 1C" (8) Recipe information using "Food 1A", "Food 1B", and "Food 1D" (9) Recipe information using "Food 1B", "Food 1C", and "Food 1D" (10) Recipe information using "Food 1A", "Food 1B", "Food 1C", and "Food 1D"

In addition, by inputting the "prompt" created by the prompt creation means 16 as input information into a general-purpose generative AI, recipe information for the food products (food products A to D) sold by the food product sales system 1 can be obtained as the output result of the generative AI.

In addition, when a consumer requests information on food products for sale (i.e., food products 1A to 1D), the information output means 17 is configured to output "information on the food product requested by the consumer" and "a prompt for generating recipe information for the food product requested by the consumer" to the consumer terminal 13.

Specifically, when a consumer requests information about food 1A, the information output by the information output means 17 is as follows:

(1. When food 1A is out of stock)
If the result of checking by the inventory information checking means 15 is that food 1A is out of stock, the means 15 outputs "information on food 1A" or "a prompt to generate recipe information for food 1A", but outputs "food 1A is out of stock and therefore cannot be sold".

(2. If food 1A is in stock)
If the inventory information confirmation means 15 finds that food 1A is in stock, the following information about food 1A is output: "information 14Aa on the name of food 1A,""information 14Ab on the number of items in stock of food 1A,""information 14Ac on the expiration date of food 1A,""information 14Ad on the expiration date of food 1A," and "information 14Ae on the price of food 1A."

Furthermore, the "prompt for generating recipe information for food 1A" that is output when food 1A is in stock is as follows:
It should be noted that a prompt can be input to the generation AI 18, and recipe information can be obtained as an output result of the generation AI 18.

(2-1. When Food 1C and Food 1D are in stock)
If the inventory information confirmation means 15 finds that food 1C and food 1D are in stock, the following prompts are output to generate recipe information for food 1A: a prompt to generate recipe information using "food 1A" and "food 1C", a prompt to generate recipe information using "food 1A" and "food 1D", and a prompt to generate recipe information using "food 1A", "food 1C", and "food 1D".
That is, the system outputs prompts for generating the recipe information (2), (3), (7), (8), and (10) described above. However, if the food item 1B is out of stock, only the prompts for generating the recipe information (2) and (3) are output.

(2-2. When food 1C is in stock)
If the inventory information confirmation means 15 finds that food 1C is in stock (food 1D is out of stock), a prompt to generate recipe information using "food 1A" and "food 1C" is output as a prompt to generate recipe information for food 1A.
That is, the prompt for generating the recipe information of (2) and (7) described above is output. However, if the food 1B is out of stock, only the prompt for generating the recipe information of (2) is output.

(2-3. If food 1D is in stock)
If the inventory information confirmation means 15 finds that food 1D is in stock (food 1C is out of stock), a prompt to generate recipe information using "food 1A" and "food 1D" is output as a prompt to generate recipe information for food 1A.
That is, the prompt for generating the recipe information of (3) and (8) described above is output. However, if the food 1B is out of stock, only the prompt for generating the recipe information of (3) is output.

(2-4. When Food 1C and Food 1D are out of stock)
If the result of the check by the inventory information confirmation means 15 shows that food 1C and food 1D are out of stock, a prompt to generate recipe information using "food 1A" and "food 1B" is output as a prompt to generate recipe information for food 1A.
That is, the prompt for generating the recipe information in (1) above is output. However, if the food item 1B is out of stock, the prompt is not output.

In this embodiment, the explanation is based on April 21, 2023. That is, the explanation is given by taking as an example a case where information on food products 1A and 1B whose expiration dates have not passed is recorded in inventory information recording means 14A and 14B, and information on food products 1C and 1D whose expiration dates have passed is recorded in inventory information recording means 14C and 14D.
However, whether the expiration date has passed (whether the expiration date has arrived) depends on the reference date for judgment, so whether the food recorded in the inventory information recording means is a food that has passed its expiration date will be determined taking into consideration the reference date for judgment.

Specifically, if a food with a best-before date of October 31, 2023 is called Food A, and a food with a best-before date of June 20, 2023 is called Food B, then (1) before June 20, 2023, both Food A and Food B fall under Food 1A and Food 1B (in other words, foods whose best-before date has not passed), (2) between June 21, 2023 and October 31, 2023, Food A falls under Food 1A and Food 1B (in other words, foods whose best-before date has not passed) and Food B falls under Food 1C and Food 1D (in other words, foods whose best-before date has passed), and (3) after November 1, 2023, both Food A and Food B fall under Food 1C and Food 1D (in other words, foods whose best-before date has passed).

More specifically, the inventory information confirmation means 15 uses the date on which the consumer requested the information as the reference date (in other words, the date on which the inventory information confirmation means 15 confirms the inventory quantity as the reference date), and after determining whether each food item recorded in the inventory information recording means 14A-14D falls into the category of "food that has not passed its expiration date" or "food that has passed its expiration date," it checks the inventory information for foods 1A-1D.

Therefore, even if the information recorded in the inventory information recording means 14A-14D does not change (specifically, if the expiration date information for food products 1A-1D does not change), the information output by the information output means 17 will change depending on the reference dates (1), (2), and (3).

In addition, the information output means 17 is configured to be able to output a "prompt for generating recipe information for the purchased food" at the request of a consumer who has purchased "food that has passed its expiration date (food 1C or food 1D)."

For example, in response to a request from a consumer who has purchased "Food 1A" and "Food 1C," a prompt for generating the recipe information (2), (7), and (10) described above is output.
When recipe information is requested after a purchase, all prompts for generating recipe information using the purchased food are output regardless of whether food 1A to food 1D are in stock.

[effect]
In the food product sales system 11 to which the present invention is applied as described above, even if a consumer desires information on food 1A (in other words, does not desire information on foods 1B to 1D), sales promotion of foods 1B to 1D is realized by outputting a prompt to generate recipe information using foods 1B to 1D, provided that foods 1B to 1D are in stock.

In addition, by outputting a prompt to generate recipe information using food 1A about which the consumer wants information (in other words, which the consumer wants to purchase), sales of foods 1B to 1D can be further promoted.
In other words, rather than outputting a prompt regardless of the "food product (food 1A) that the consumer wishes to purchase," by outputting a prompt to generate recipe information using the "food product (food 1A) that the consumer wishes to purchase," sales promotion of foods 1B to 1D can be further achieved.

Furthermore, if there is stock of food 1C or food 1D that has passed its expiration date, a prompt to generate recipe information for food 1C or food 1D can be output preferentially, thereby promoting sales of food 1C or food 1D and reducing food waste by preventing the disposal of food 1C or food 1D.

In addition, by outputting prompts not only at the time of food purchase but also after purchase, sales of "food that has passed its expiration date" can be further promoted.

2. Modified Examples
[Modification 1]
In the first embodiment described above, an example is given in which a prompt for generating recipe information for food items (food items 1C and 1D) that have passed their best-before date is output preferentially based on the expiration date, but it is also possible to output a prompt for generating recipe information for food items that have passed their shipping deadline or reference date based on the shipping deadline or reference date.
The "reference date" here refers to the date when the number of days remaining until the expiration date is a predetermined number (for example, 30 days).

[Modification 2]
In the first embodiment described above, the example is given in which a consumer requests information about food 1A (food that has not passed its expiration date), but the food for which the consumer requests information may also be a "food that has passed its expiration date."
For example, if a consumer requests information on food 1C, the information output means 17 will output a prompt to generate recipe information using "food 1C" and "food 1D."

[Modification 3]
In the first embodiment described above, an example is given in which the information output means 17 outputs a "prompt" when a consumer requests information about food products for sale, but "recipe information" may also be provided along with such a "prompt."
Specifically, the "prompt" created by the prompt creation means 16 may be input to the generation AI 18, and "recipe information" may be obtained as the output result of the generation AI 18, after which the information output means 17 may output the "prompt" and "recipe information" to the purchaser terminal 13.

11 Food product sales system 12 Internet 13 Consumer terminal 14A Stock information recording means 14B Stock information recording means 14C Stock information recording means 15 Stock information confirmation means 16 Prompt creation means 17 Information output means 18 Generation AI

Claims (6)

The predetermined deadline is defined as either the expiration date, the shipping date, or the date when the number of days remaining until the expiration date is a predetermined number of days.
A food product sales system for selling expired food products that have passed the specified expiration date,
an inventory information recording means for recording inventory information including information on the number of items in stock and information on the predetermined expiration date for a predetermined food item sold in the food product sales system;
Upon receiving a request from a consumer terminal to output information on a first food item that is one of the predetermined foods and has not yet been purchased , the inventory information recorded in the inventory information recording means is checked, and instruction information is input to a predetermined recipe information generating means, the instruction information being used by the recipe information generating means to generate recipe information using the first food item and the expired food item that is in stock ;
The recipe information generating means generates recipe information using the purchased predetermined food, and the recipe information generating means generates the recipe information using the purchased predetermined food, regardless of whether the food is in stock or not, based on the condition that recipe information for the purchased predetermined food is requested from the consumer's terminal.
instruction information generating means;
an output means for outputting the instruction information created by the instruction information creation means to a terminal of the consumer. The output means
The food product sales system according to claim 1 , further comprising: outputting, together with the instruction information, recipe information generated by inputting the instruction information into the recipe information generating means. The predetermined deadline is defined as either the expiration date, the shipping date, or the date when the number of days remaining until the expiration date is a predetermined number of days.
A food product sales system for selling expired food products that have passed the specified expiration date,
an inventory information recording means for recording inventory information including information on the number of items in stock and information on the predetermined expiration date for a predetermined food item sold in the food product sales system;
On the condition that a request for output of information on an unpurchased first food which is one of the predetermined foods is received from a consumer terminal, the inventory information recorded in the inventory information recording means is checked, and if the expired food is out of stock, instruction information to be input to a predetermined recipe information generating means is created, the instruction information causing the recipe information generating means to generate recipe information using the first food and the predetermined food which is in stock, and if the expired food is in stock, instruction information to be input to a predetermined recipe information generating means is created, the instruction information causing the recipe information generating means to generate recipe information using the first food and the expired food which is in stock ;
The recipe information generating means generates recipe information using the purchased predetermined food, and the recipe information generating means generates the recipe information using the purchased predetermined food, regardless of whether the food is in stock or not, based on the condition that recipe information for the purchased predetermined food is requested from the consumer's terminal.
instruction information generating means;
an output means for outputting the instruction information created by the instruction information creation means to a terminal of the consumer. The output means
The food product sales system according to claim 3 , further comprising: outputting, together with the instruction information, recipe information generated by inputting the instruction information into the recipe information generating means. the instruction information creation means creates instruction information for the recipe information generation means to generate recipe information using the first food and the second food, in response to a request from a terminal of a consumer who has purchased the first food and the second food, which is one of the expired foods, using the food product sales system;
5. The food product sales system according to claim 1, wherein the output means outputs the instruction information created by the instruction information creation means. The food product sales system according to claim 1 , 2 , 3 or 4 , wherein the recipe information generating means is a general-purpose generative AI.