JP7730185B2 - Information Provision System - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an information provision system. More specifically, it relates to an information provision system that enables consumers to make food selections with peace of mind.

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

The quality of various products, including food, is strongly influenced by various factors in the process leading up to the product being delivered to the consumer.

Thus, although food ingredient powder samples are a factor in obtaining information about food quality, they are only one factor, and the technology described in Patent Document 1, in which food is provided with ingredient powder samples attached, may not be sufficient to achieve the goal of allowing consumers to select foods with confidence.

The present invention was devised in light of the above points, and aims to provide an information provision system that allows consumers to select foods with even greater peace of mind.

To achieve the above object, the information provision system of the present invention comprises: a food information recording means for recording food information, which is information about a specific food, and prepared food information, which is information about a dish prepared from the food; a prepared food information output means for outputting first prepared food information, which is the prepared food information for the first food recorded in the food information recording means, to allow the consumer to make a selection, provided that identification information displayed on a first food, which is one of the foods, is read at the consumer's terminal; a food information output means for identifying a second food, which is a food (excluding the first food) to be used in the prepared food selected by the consumer from the first prepared food information output by the prepared food information output means, from the food information recorded in the food information recording means, and outputting information about the second food to allow the consumer to make a selection; and an information output means for outputting information about the selected food, which is the food selected by the consumer, from the information about the second food output by the food information output means, to the consumer's terminal.

The information provision system of the present invention also includes a food information recording means for recording food information, which is information about a specific food; a cooking item information output means for searching for first cooking item information, which is information about a dish made from a first food, on the condition that identification information displayed on one of the foods, which is a first food, is read into a consumer's terminal, and outputting the first cooking item information to allow the consumer to make a selection; a food information output means for identifying a second food, which is a food (excluding the first food) to be used in the dish selected by the consumer from the first cooking item information output by the cooking item information output means, from the food information recorded in the food information recording means, and outputting information about the second food to allow the consumer to make a selection; and an information output means for outputting information about the selected food, which is a food selected by the consumer, from the information about the second food output by the food information output means to the consumer's terminal.

Furthermore, the information provision system of the present invention comprises a food information recording means for recording food information, which is information about a specific food; a cooking item information output means for generating first cooking item information, which is information about a dish made from a first food, on the condition that identification information displayed on a first food, which is one of the foods, is read at a consumer's terminal, and outputting the first cooking item information for the consumer to select; a food information output means for identifying a second food, which is a food (excluding the first food) to be used in the dish selected by the consumer from the first cooking item information output by the cooking item information output means, from the food information recorded in the food information recording means, and outputting information about the second food for the consumer to select; and an information output means for outputting information about the selected food, which is a food selected by the consumer, from the information about the second food output by the food information output means to the consumer's terminal.

Here, the "cooked item information output means" that outputs the first cooked item information allows the consumer to check the first cooked item information (information about the cooked item of the food whose identification information the consumer has read on their own device) and select the cooked item they want.

Furthermore, by the "cooked food information output means" outputting the first cooked food information on the condition that it has read the identification information displayed on the first food, the "target food (first food)" can be identified based on the information sent from the consumer's terminal, even if the consumer does not identify the "target food (first food)."
That is, the consumer can identify the "target food (first food)" simply by reading the identification information.

Furthermore, the "food information output means" that outputs information about the second food allows the consumer to check information about the second food (information about the food to be used in the dish selected by the consumer) and select the food they want.

In addition, the "information output means" that outputs information about selected foods can provide the consumer with information about the selected foods (information about the foods selected by the consumer themselves).

Here, when recording "cooked item information" in the food information recording means, the cooked item information can be recorded within the information providing system, and the cooked item information (first cooked item information) can be output from the cooked item information output means without exchanging cooked item information with an external entity (outside the information providing system).

Furthermore, when the cooking item information output means outputs the "searched first cooking item information," even if the cooking item information is not recorded within the information providing system, cooking item information (first cooking item information) can be output from the cooking item information output means by exchanging cooking item information with an external entity (outside the information providing system).

When searching for cooking item information recorded in an external information recording means separate from the information provision system (for example, when searching a recording means that records only cooking item information), the search targets are limited, allowing for a quick search and smooth search for cooking item information.

In addition, when searching for cooking product information published on the Internet, it is possible to search through a vast amount of information, including the latest cooking product information, and it is expected that consumers will be able to find cooking product information that meets their needs.

Furthermore, when searching for cooking product information recorded in an Internet information recording means that records information that has been made public on the Internet, the search only targets information recorded in the Internet information recording means. Compared to searching for cooking product information made public on the Internet (information made public on the Internet, not limited to information recorded in the Internet information recording means), the amount of information to be searched is less, but by creating a search index, search results can be obtained more quickly.

Furthermore, when the cooking item information output means outputs the "generated first cooking item information," cooking item information can be generated and cooking item information (first cooking item information) can be output from the cooking item information output means even if cooking item information is not recorded within the information provision system or externally (outside the information provision system).

Furthermore, when the reference information generating means generates reference information (reference information for cooking item information) based on selection criteria information, it is possible to obtain information to be referenced when selecting "information to be output (first cooking item information)" from "first cooking item information recorded in the food information recording means (cooked item information for the first food among the cooking item information recorded in the food information recording means)."

Furthermore, by having the information selection means select the "information to be output (first cooking item information)" based on reference information ("reference information generated by the reference information generation means" or "reference information sent from the consumer's terminal"), it becomes possible to select the "information to be output (first cooking item information)" based on the information sent by the consumer ("selection criteria information" or "reference information") without the consumer having to select specific information.
The information selection means may select one or more pieces of "information to be output (first cooking item information)."

Furthermore, when a consumer sends selection criteria information as the "criteria for the information they want to select," the reference information generated based on the selection criteria information (the criteria for the information they want to select) can be considered as "model information to be output (i.e., the information the consumer wants to select)."
Therefore, when the selection criteria information is transmitted as the "criteria for information to be selected," the "first cooking item information" that has a high similarity to the reference information (model information) is selected.

Similarly, when a consumer submits reference information as "reference information for the information they wish to select," they will select the "first cooking item information" that has a high degree of similarity to the reference information (model information).

On the other hand, when a consumer sends selection criteria information as "criteria for information that the consumer does not want to select," the reference information generated based on the selection criteria information (criteria for information that the consumer does not want to select) can be considered "negative example information for the information to be output (i.e., information that the consumer does not want to select)."
Therefore, when the selection criteria information is transmitted as the "criteria for information not to be selected," the "first cooking item information" that has a low similarity to the reference information (information serving as a negative example) will be selected.

Similarly, if a consumer submits reference information as "reference information for information they do not want to select," they will select "first cooking item information" that has a low similarity to the reference information (bad example information).

In addition, compared to sending "criteria for information you do not want to select" as selection criteria information, sending "criteria for information you want to select" as selection criteria information allows you to more directly identify the information that the consumer wants to select, so in terms of fully reflecting the consumer's wishes, sending "criteria for information you want to select" as selection criteria information is preferable.

Similarly, in order to more directly identify the information that the consumer wants to select and fully reflect the consumer's wishes, it is preferable to send "reference information for the information that the consumer wants to select" as reference information.

Incidentally, "food" here includes both primary and secondary products.
That is, it is intended to include not only foods and drinks intended for nutrient intake or enjoyment (fresh foods, animal foods, plant foods, processed foods, frozen foods, luxury foods, seasoning ingredients, health foods, supplements, beverages, processed ingredients, etc.), but also pharmaceuticals and quasi-drugs. For example, herbal medicines are included. It is also intended to include feed, aquaculture feed, dog food, and other products intended for fish and animals.

In this context, "food (primary products)" refers to unprocessed fresh foods, animal foods, and plant foods themselves, such as vegetables such as radishes and cabbage, or raw meat such as chicken and beef. It also includes fruits, beans, shellfish, and fish, for example.

In addition, "food (secondary products)" here refers to products made from unprocessed fresh foods, unprocessed animal foods, and unprocessed plant foods, such as 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.

Furthermore, the term "secondary products" here not only includes 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 raw materials and baking them.

The information provision system of the present invention allows consumers to select foods with greater peace of mind, thereby improving the reliability of food products.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining food product A. 1 is a schematic diagram (1) for explaining an example of the configuration of a food information providing system. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram for explaining cooking item information 15B. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining how to use the food information providing system. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram (2) illustrating an example of the configuration of a food information providing system. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram (3) for explaining an example of the configuration of a food information providing system.

Hereinafter, modes for carrying out the invention (hereinafter referred to as "embodiments") will be described in the following order.
1. First embodiment 2. Second embodiment 3. Third embodiment

1. First embodiment
[Food Description]
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating food products whose information is registered in a food product information providing system, which is an example of an information providing system to which the present invention is applied. Food product A shown here is ramen noodles.
Specifically, food product A is made by packaging dried noodles 1 for instant ramen in a packaging film 2, and identification information 4 (for example, a two-dimensional barcode) is displayed on the packaging film 2.

Furthermore, food product A only contains dried noodles 1 and does not include "soup" (the "powdered soup" contained in typical instant ramen is sold separately).
Therefore, even if one purchases only food product A (only dried noodles 1), one cannot make ramen, and one must purchase "soup" separately.

Here, by reading the identification information 4 with a consumer terminal such as a smartphone, the food information provision system of the present invention can be accessed via the Internet.

Specifically, a consumer who wishes to purchase food product A (dried noodles 1) can access the food information system via identification information 4 to obtain information about "soup" (for example, information about "soup" that can be purchased at a store that sells food product A).

[Configuration of the present invention]
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the configuration of a food information providing system, which is an example of an information providing system to which the present invention is applied.

The food information provision system 11 shown in Figure 2 is configured to be able to exchange various information with consumer terminals 13 used by consumers via the Internet 12.

The food information provision system 11 also includes a receiving unit 14, a food information recording means 15, a cooking item information selection means 16, a selection criteria information recording means 17, a model information generation means 18, an information selection means 19, an information output means 20, and a food information selection means 21.

The "cooking item information selection means 16 and information output means 20" correspond to the "cooking item information output means," and the "food information selection means 21 and information output means 20" correspond to the "food information output means."

Here, the receiving unit 14 is configured to be able to receive various information from the "consumer terminal 13" and the "terminal used by the food provider (not shown)."
When the receiving unit 14 receives various information, the cooking product information selecting means 16 and the food information selecting means 21 are activated. The information received by the receiving unit 14 is recorded in the food information recording means 15 and the selection criteria information recording means 17.

The food information recording means 15 also records "food information 15A," which is information about various foods. It also records "cooked food information 15B," which is information about the cooked food of various foods (foods recorded in food information 15A).

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the "ramen name" and "soup name" are recorded as the cooking item information 15B.
In Figure 3, information on the cooked product "ramen (instant ramen)" is assigned control numbers such as 1 to 13, with control numbers 1 to 3 recording information on miso ramen, control numbers 4 and 5 on soy sauce ramen, control numbers 6 and 7 on salt ramen, control numbers 8 to 11 on tonkotsu ramen, and control numbers 12 to 13 on tsukemen.

The food information 15A may include "food description information,""food sales area information,""food package image information,""cooking method information using food," and "food price information."
For example, in the case of the food product "Powdered soup (tonkotsu thick flavor)" with control number 8 in Figure 3, the product description of the "Powdered soup (tonkotsu thick flavor)", sales area information for the "Powdered soup (tonkotsu thick flavor)", cooking instructions for tonkotsu ramen using the "Powdered soup (tonkotsu thick flavor)", and price information for the "Powdered soup (tonkotsu thick flavor)" are recorded.

In addition, the cooking item information selection means 16 selects a "cooked item using the first food" from the cooking item information 15B based on the "food information (the food here is referred to as the "first food")" received by the receiving unit 14.
In addition, a "cooked dish using the first food" is referred to as a "first cooked dish," and information selected by the cooked dish information selection means 16 from the cooked dish information 15B is referred to as "first cooked dish information."

For example, when the identification information 4 for food product A shown in Figure 1 is read, the receiving unit 14 receives information for "Dried Noodles 1," and from the cooking product information 15B, "instant ramen" is selected as the cooking product (first cooking product) that uses "Dried Noodles 1."

In addition, the selection criteria information recording means 17 records "selection criteria information for selecting cooking item information (hereinafter simply referred to as "selection criteria information")" transmitted from the consumer terminal 13 used by the consumer.
In this embodiment, the selection criteria information recording means 17 records "criteria for the food product information that the consumer wants to select" as the selection criteria information.

The model information generating means 18 also generates model information for the cooking item information (hereinafter simply referred to as "model information"). The model information generating means 18 is an example of a "reference information generating means."

Here, when selection criteria information is recorded in the selection criteria information recording means 17, the model information generation means 18 inputs the "selection criteria information" into a general-purpose generative AI (generation AI) (not shown) and generates model information by obtaining the output results of the generation AI. Note that when new model information is generated, it is registered in place of (overwrites) the previous model information.

For example, the selection criteria information may include:
(1) Prioritize dishes that include soup. (2) If it is recorded that the preferred ramen is "miso,""soysauce," or "tonkotsu," the contents of (1) and (2) are input into the generating AI to generate model information.

In addition, when model information is generated, the information selection means 19 selects cooking item information that has a high degree of similarity to the "model information" from the first cooking item information selected by the cooking item information selection means 16.

That is, when the "selection criteria information" is recorded, model information is generated by the model information generating means 18, and then the information selecting means 19 selects the first cooking item information that has a high similarity to the model information as the output target.
The information selected by the information selection means 19 from the first cooking item information is referred to as "specific cooking item information."

For example, from the first cooking item selected by the cooking item information selection means 16, "Instant Ramen (Miso Ramen, Soy Sauce Ramen, Tonkotsu Ramen, Salt Ramen, Tsukemen)," "Miso Ramen," "Soy Sauce Ramen," and "Tonkotsu Ramen" are selected as output items.

The cooking product information selection means 16 selects "specific cooking product information" after checking the stock status of "soup" and the expiration date and best-before date.
For example, if all soups with control numbers 1 to 3 are out of stock, "Miso Ramen" will not be selected ("Miso Ramen" will be excluded from the output targets).
Similarly, if all soups with management numbers 4 and 5 have expired (or are past their expiration date), "soy sauce ramen" will not be selected ("soy sauce ramen" will be excluded from the output targets).

In addition, the information output means 20 outputs the "specific cooking item information" selected by the information selection means 19 to the consumer terminal 13.

For example, the following output is displayed to prompt the consumer to select the desired dish.

(Example output)
Examples of ramen made with dried noodles include:
Please choose your favorite ramen.
A) Miso ramen B) Soy sauce ramen C) Tonkotsu ramen

In addition, the food information selection means 21 selects "food to be used in the selected dish" from the dish information 15B based on "information on the dish selected by the consumer from the specific dish information (the dish here is referred to as the "selected dish")" received by the receiving unit 14.
The "food to be used in the selected dish" is referred to as the "second food," and the information on the second food selected by the food information selection means 21 from the dish information 15B is referred to as the "second food information."

For example, if a consumer selects "Tonkotsu Ramen" from the specific dishes "Miso Ramen, Soy Sauce Ramen, Tonkotsu Ramen" output by the information output means 20 (assuming the selected dish is "Tonkotsu Ramen"), then from the dish information 15B, the soup to be used for "Tonkotsu Ramen" will be selected as "Powdered Soup (Tonkotsu Strong Flavor)," "Powdered Soup (Tonkotsu Light Flavor)," "Liquid Soup (Tonkotsu Strong Flavor)," or "Liquid Soup (Tonkotsu Light Flavor)."

The food information selection means 21 selects the "second food information" after checking the stock status of the "soup" and the expiration date and best-before date.
For example, if the "Powdered soup (lightly flavored tonkotsu)" with management number 9 is out of stock, "Powdered soup (lightly flavored tonkotsu)" will not be selected ("Powdered soup (lightly flavored tonkotsu)" will be excluded from the output targets).
Similarly, if the "Liquid Soup (Tonkotsu Rich Flavor)" with management number 10 has expired (or is past its expiration date), then "Liquid Soup (Tonkotsu Rich Flavor)" will not be selected ("Liquid Soup (Tonkotsu Rich Flavor)" will be excluded from the output targets).

In addition, the above-mentioned information output means 20 outputs the "second food information" selected by the food information selection means 21 to the consumer terminal 13.

For example, the following output is displayed to prompt the consumer to select the second food item they desire.

(Example output)
Tonkotsu ramen soup is available in the following flavors:
Please choose your favorite soup.
a) Powdered soup (tonkotsu rich flavor)
b) Powdered soup (light tonkotsu flavor)
c) Liquid soup (rich tonkotsu flavor)
d) Liquid soup (light tonkotsu flavor)

In addition, the above-mentioned information output means 20 outputs the information recorded in food information 15A (information corresponding to the selected food) to the consumer terminal 13 based on the information on the food selected by the consumer from the "second food information" received by the receiving unit 14 (the food here is referred to as the "selected food").

For example, if a consumer selects "Powdered soup (tonkotsu strong flavor)" from the second food information output by information output means 20, which is "Powdered soup (tonkotsu strong flavor)," "Powdered soup (tonkotsu light flavor)," "Liquid soup (tonkotsu strong flavor)," and "Liquid soup (tonkotsu light flavor)," the information for "Powdered soup (tonkotsu strong flavor)" recorded in food information 15A is output.

Specifically, it outputs information such as (1) a product description of the "Powdered Soup (Tonkotsu Rich Flavor)," (2) information on where to buy the "Powdered Soup (Tonkotsu Rich Flavor)," and (3) cooking methods using the "Powdered Soup (Tonkotsu Rich Flavor)."

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of how to use the food information providing system 11 described above.
In the following explanation, it is assumed that a consumer (new customer) 40 collects information about the "soup" at the store selling food product A when purchasing food product A (dried noodles 1) from food provider 10.

[1. Recording of various information]
In one example of a method of using the food information providing system 11 of the present invention, in order for a consumer 40 to obtain information about "soup," various pieces of information need to be recorded in the food information providing system 11. To this end, the recording of various pieces of information in the food information providing system 11 will be described.

In one example of a method of using the food information provision system 11 of the present invention, the food provider 10 first uses a food provider terminal (not shown) to send "food information" and "cooked food information" to the food information provision system 11 (step indicated by the symbol (1) in Figure 4).

Specifically, the information transmitted includes the name of the ramen using the dried noodles 1 (e.g., "miso ramen," "soy sauce ramen," "salt ramen," "tonkotsu ramen," "tsukemen," etc.), the name of the soup used in each ramen (e.g., "powdered soup (miso)," "liquid soup (miso)," "liquid soup (miso butter)," "powdered soup (soy sauce)," "powdered soup (burnt soy sauce)," "powdered soup (salt)," "liquid soup (salt)," "powdered soup (tonkotsu rich)," "powdered soup (tonkotsu light)," "liquid soup (tonkotsu rich)," "liquid soup (tonkotsu light)," "powdered soup (tonkotsu dipping sauce)," "powdered soup (soy sauce dipping sauce)," etc.), information about each soup (product description, sales area information, price information), and cooking instructions for ramen using each soup.

After recording the various information as described above, it becomes possible to provide the various information to the consumer 40.

Note that, here, we have only explained the case of recording various information about the "soup of food product A" provided by food provider 10, but the information recorded in food information provision system 11 does not only relate to "soup of food product A provided by food provider 10," but also includes information about "other foods provided by food provider 10" and "foods provided by food providers other than food provider 10."
That is, in this embodiment, an example will be given in which a consumer 40 obtains information about the "soup of food product A" provided by the food provider 10 (specifically, information about the soup of dried noodles 1) (described later), but the food information providing system 11 can also provide information about "foods other than the soup of food product A provided by the food provider 10" or "foods provided by a food provider other than the food provider 10."

[2. Provision of various information]
A consumer 40 who wishes to receive information on "soup" in relation to food product A (dried noodles 1) provided by a food provider 10 uses a consumer terminal 13 (not shown in Figure 4) to access the food information provision system 11 via the Internet 12 (step indicated by symbol (2) in Figure 4).

Specifically, when the identification information (identifier such as a two-dimensional barcode or color code) 4 displayed on food product A (dried noodles 1) is read by the consumer terminal 13, information about food product A (dried noodles 1) is sent from the consumer terminal 13 to the food information provision system 11.
The transmitted information is received by the receiving unit 14, and the food product A (dried noodles 1) about which the consumer 40 wants information is identified.

Next, when food product A (dried noodles 1) is identified, the cooking product information selection means 16 selects instant ramen with control numbers 1 to 13 ("Miso Ramen," "Shoyu Ramen," "Salt Ramen," "Tonkotsu Ramen," and "Tsukemen") as the first cooking product information.

Furthermore, when the identification information 4 is read by the consumer terminal 13, the "selection criteria information" pre-recorded in the consumer terminal 13 is transmitted to the food information providing system 11 and recorded in the selection criteria information recording means 17.
For example, selection criteria information such as "(1) Prioritize dishes that include soup, (2) My favorite ramen is miso, soy sauce, or tonkotsu" is transmitted.

If the "selection criteria information" is not recorded on the consumer terminal 13, the consumer will be prompted to enter the "selection criteria information" when the identification information 4 is read.

Next, when the "selection criteria information" is recorded in the selection criteria information recording means 17, the model information generating means 18 generates the model information, and the information selecting means 19 selects the specific cooking item information to be output from the "first cooking item information".
Specifically, the user selects "miso ramen" with control numbers 1 to 3, "soy sauce ramen" with control numbers 4 to 5, and "tonkotsu ramen" with control numbers 8 to 11.

When the information selection means 19 selects the specific dish information, the information output means 20 outputs the specific dish information to the consumer terminal 13, and the options "Miso Ramen," "Soy Sauce Ramen," and "Tonkotsu Ramen" are displayed on the consumer terminal 13 (step indicated by symbol (3) in Figure 4).

Next, when the consumer 40 selects "tonkotsu ramen," that information (information that the consumer has selected "tonkotsu ramen") is sent to the food information providing system 11 (step indicated by the symbol (4) in Figure 4).
The transmitted information is received by the receiving unit 14, and the "ramen information" that the consumer 40 wants to know about is identified.

Next, when the selected dish (tonkotsu ramen) is identified, the food information selection means 21 selects the soup names with control numbers 8 to 11 ("Powdered soup (tonkotsu strong flavor)," "Powdered soup (tonkotsu light flavor)," "Liquid soup (tonkotsu strong flavor)," and "Liquid soup (tonkotsu light flavor)") as the second food information.

Then, when the food information selection means 21 selects the second food information, the information output means 20 outputs the second food information to the consumer terminal 13, and the consumer terminal 13 displays the options "Powdered soup (tonkotsu strong flavor)," "Powdered soup (tonkotsu light flavor)," "Liquid soup (tonkotsu strong flavor)," and "Liquid soup (tonkotsu light flavor)" (step indicated by symbol (5) in Figure 4).

Next, when the consumer 40 selects "Powdered soup (tonkotsu rich flavor)," that information (information that the consumer selected "Powdered soup (tonkotsu rich flavor)") is sent to the food information providing system 11 (step indicated by symbol (6) in Figure 4).
The transmitted information is received by the receiving unit 14, and the "soup information" about which the consumer wants information is identified.

Then, when the selected food (powdered soup (tonkotsu thick flavor)) is identified, the information output means 20 outputs the information for "powdered soup (tonkotsu thick flavor)" recorded in the food information 15A to the consumer terminal 13 (step indicated by reference symbol (7) in Figure 4).

Thereafter, when consumer 40 receives food product A and powdered soup (tonkotsu thick flavor) B from food provider 10 (when purchasing food product A and powdered soup (tonkotsu thick flavor) B from food provider 10), food provider 10 provides food product A and powdered soup (tonkotsu thick flavor) B to the consumer.

[effect]
The food information provision system 11 to which the present invention described above is applied outputs information based on the information selected by the consumer 40 (information on the selected dish, information on the selected food), thereby providing information that meets the consumer's needs and allowing the consumer to select food with even greater confidence.

Furthermore, simply by the consumer 40 transmitting "selection criteria information," the information selection means 19 selects cooking item information that is highly similar to "the cooking item information that the consumer wishes to select," thereby enabling the selection of optimal cooking item information (i.e., in line with the consumer's 40 selection intentions).

[Modification 1]
In the first embodiment described above, an example is given in which "selection criteria information" is sent from the consumer terminal 13 and the model information generation means 18 generates model information, but "model information" may also be sent from the consumer terminal 13.
In this case, a "model information recording means" is provided instead of the "selection criteria information recording means 17 and model information generating means 18," the "model information" sent from the consumer terminal 13 is recorded in the model information recording means, and the information selection means 19 selects the first cooking item information based on the "model information" recorded in the model information recording means.

[Modification 2]
In the first embodiment described above, an example is given in which the information selection means 19 selects the first cooking item information based on the "model information," but the information output means 20 may also output the "first cooking item information" selected by the cooking item information selection means 16.
In other words, instead of selecting from the "first cooking item information" selected by the cooking item information selection means 16, all of the "first cooking item information" selected by the cooking item information selection means 16 may be output.

[Modification 3]
In the first embodiment described above, "instant ramen" has been used as an example for explanation, but the subject matter of the present invention is not limited to "instant ramen" and may be other noodles such as "udon,""champon," or "soba," or may be prepared foods other than noodles.

2. Second embodiment
[Configuration of the present invention]
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the configuration of a food information providing system, which is another example of an information providing system to which the present invention is applied.
In the following, the differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described, and the same points as the first embodiment will not be described.

The food information providing system 31 shown in FIG. 5 has a food information recording means 32 (instead of the "food information recording means 15" in the first embodiment, the second embodiment has a "food information recording means 32").
The food information recording means 32 records "food information 32A (information recorded in "food information 15A" in the first embodiment)."

The food information providing system 31 also has a cooking item information searching means 33 (instead of the "cooking item information selecting means 16" in the first embodiment, the second embodiment has a "cooking item information searching means 33").
The "cooked item information search means 33 and information output means 20" correspond to the "cooked item information output means."

Here, the cooking product information search means 33 is configured to be able to access a cooking product information recording means 34 provided separately from the food information providing system 31 .
The cooked food information recording means 34 records cooked food information (cooked food information recorded in "cooked food information 15B" in the first embodiment) for various foods (foods recorded in food information 32A), and the cooked food information search means 33 accesses the cooked food information recording means 34 and searches for cooked food information.

In other words, when a consumer requests information on "soup" (specifically, when the identification information 4 shown in Figure 1 is read), the cooking item information search means 33 searches for the "first cooking item information" to be output from the cooking item information recorded in the cooking item information recording means 34.

[effect]
In the food information providing system 31 to which the present invention is applied as described above, the cooking item information search means 33 can search for cooking item information, so even if cooking item information is not recorded in the food information providing system 31, the information output means 20 can output the first cooking item information to the consumer terminal 13.

3. Third embodiment
[Configuration of the present invention]
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the configuration of a food information providing system, which is yet another example of an information providing system to which the present invention is applied.
In the following, the differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described, and the same points as the first embodiment will not be described.

The food information provision system 41 shown in Figure 6 has a food information recording means 32 (as in the second embodiment, the third embodiment has a "food information recording means 32" instead of the "food information recording means 15" of the first embodiment).

The food information providing system 41 also has a cooking item information generating means 42 (instead of the "cooking item information searching means 16" in the first embodiment, the third embodiment has a "cooking item information generating means 42").
The "cooked item information generating means 42 and information output means 20" correspond to the "cooked item information output means."

Here, the cooking item information generation means 42 is configured to be able to access a generation AI 43 that is provided separately from the food information provision system 41.

For example, for "Cooked product information for dried noodles 1," "Information on the name of dried noodles 1" and "Name of soup recorded in food information 32A" are input as input information to a general-purpose generative AI (generation AI) 43, and the output results of the generation AI 43 are obtained to generate "Cooked product information for dried noodles 1."

In other words, when a consumer requests information about "soup" (specifically, when the identification information 4 shown in Figure 1 is read), the cooking item information generation means 42 generates "first cooking item information" to be output.

[effect]
In the food information providing system 41 to which the present invention is applied as described above, the cooking item information generating means 42 can generate cooking item information, so that even if cooking item information is not recorded inside or outside the food information providing system 41, the information output means 20 can output the first cooking item information to the consumer terminal 13.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Dried noodles 2 Packaging film 4 Identification information 10 Food provider 11 Food information provision system 12 Internet 13 Consumer terminal 14 Receiving unit 15 Food information recording means 16 Cooked food information selection means 17 Selection criteria information recording means 18 Model information generation means 19 Information selection means 20 Information output means 21 Food information selection means 31 Food information provision system 32 Food information recording means 33 Cooked food information search means 34 Cooked food information recording means 40 Consumer 41 Food information provision system 42 Cooked food information generation means 43 Generation AI

Claims (6)

a food information recording means for recording food information, which is information about a predetermined food, and cooking information, which is information about a cooking product of the food;
a cooking item information output means for outputting first cooking item information, which is the cooking item information of the first food recorded in the food information recording means, to allow the consumer to select a first cooking item, on the condition that identification information displayed on a first food, which is one of the foods, is read at the consumer's terminal;
a reference information generating means for inputting the selection criteria information transmitted from the consumer's terminal, the selection criteria information for selecting the first cooking item information, into a general-purpose generating AI to generate reference information for the first cooking item information;
an information selection means for selecting the first cooking item information to be output from the first cooking item information recorded in the food information recording means based on the reference information generated by the reference information generation means;
a food information output means for identifying a second food, which is a food (excluding the first food) to be used in the dish selected by the consumer from the first cooking item information output by the cooking item information output means, from the food information recorded in the food information recording means, and outputting information on the second food to allow the consumer to select it;
and an information output means for outputting information on selected foods selected by the consumer from the information on the second foods output by the food information output means to the consumer's terminal ;
The cooking item information output means outputs the first cooking item information selected by the information selection means.
Information provision system. a food information recording means for recording food information, which is information about a predetermined food;
a cooking item information output means for retrieving first cooking item information, which is information on cooking items for the first food, on the condition that identification information displayed on a first food, which is one of the foods, is read on the consumer's terminal, and outputting the first cooking item information for the consumer to select;
a reference information generating means for inputting the selection criteria information transmitted from the consumer's terminal, the selection criteria information for selecting the first cooking item information, into a general-purpose generating AI to generate reference information for the first cooking item information;
an information selection means for selecting the first cooking item information to be output from the searched first cooking item information based on the reference information generated by the reference information generation means;
a food information output means for identifying a second food, which is a food (excluding the first food) to be used in the dish selected by the consumer from the first cooking item information output by the cooking item information output means, from the food information recorded in the food information recording means, and outputting information on the second food to allow the consumer to select it;
and an information output means for outputting information on selected foods selected by the consumer from the information on the second foods output by the food information output means to the consumer's terminal;
The cooking item information output means outputs the first cooking item information selected by the information selection means.
Information provision system. a food information recording means for recording food information, which is information about a predetermined food;
a cooking item information output means for generating first cooking item information, which is information on cooking items for the first food, on the condition that identification information displayed on a first food, which is one of the foods, is read at a consumer's terminal, and outputting the first cooking item information for the consumer to select;
a reference information generating means for inputting the selection criteria information transmitted from the consumer's terminal, the selection criteria information for selecting the first cooking item information, into a general-purpose generating AI to generate reference information for the first cooking item information;
an information selection means for selecting the first cooking item information to be output from the generated first cooking item information based on the reference information generated by the reference information generation means;
a food information output means for identifying a second food, which is a food (excluding the first food) to be used in the dish selected by the consumer from the first cooking item information output by the cooking item information output means, from the food information recorded in the food information recording means, and outputting information on the second food to allow the consumer to select it;
and an information output means for outputting information on selected foods selected by the consumer from the information on the second foods output by the food information output means to the consumer's terminal;
The cooking item information output means outputs the first cooking item information selected by the information selection means.
Information provision system. When the identification information is read by the consumer's terminal, if the selection criteria information is not recorded in the consumer's terminal, the consumer is prompted to input the selection criteria information.
4. The information providing system according to claim 1, claim 2 or claim 3. The selection criteria information is a criterion for information to be selected,
The information selection means selects first cooking item information having a high similarity to the reference information.
4. The information providing system according to claim 1, claim 2 or claim 3. The selection criteria information is a criterion for information that is not to be selected,
The information selection means selects first cooking item information having a low similarity to the reference information.
4. The information providing system according to claim 1, claim 2 or claim 3.