JP2003196739A - Program performed by adjustment system, program performed by adjustment check system, method and system for adjustment, and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an adjustment system for improving the convenience of a consumer by making adjustment processing time reducible and enabling a selling side to reduce cost such as employment cost. <P>SOLUTION: In this adjustment system which reads merchandise information recorded on an electronic price tag attached to the merchandise and performs adjustment processing by using the merchandise information, a selling source ID being information showing a merchandise selling store and/or selling place is read from the electronic price tag to check whether the selling source ID coincides with an ID registered with the adjustment system. If the IDs do not coincide with each other, the merchandise information recorded on the electronic price tag is not subjected to adjustment processing, and if the IDs coincide, the merchandise information recorded on the electronic price tag is subjected to adjustment processing. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention reads out price data recorded on an electronic price tag attached to a product and carries out a payment process using the price data, and a payment check system for monitoring illegal take-out of products. Regarding

2. Description of the Related Art When purchasing a product at a retail store, it is often necessary to wait for a long time at a cash register. In the past, in order to solve this problem, efforts were made to reduce waiting time by predicting peaks, adding adjustment lanes and arranging cashiers. This was a heavy burden for retailers. In addition, in the general checkout process at the current cash register, the consumer puts the desired product for purchase in a special (previously placed in the sales floor) basket, and the cashier takes out the products one by one from the basket at the time of checkout. After scanning the code, transfer the products that have read the product information to another basket, etc., perform this work for all the products, and then settle the payment, and the consumers who settled the payment will change from the basket to the shopping bag provided by the retailer. It is carried out by the work of transferring. These complicated actions are factors that prolong the settlement unit time, and it is required to shorten it.

As described above, the settlement method which is generally used at present requires the consumer to perform complicated actions and requires a large number of employees. Also on the consumer side, products purchased from other stores, products purchased at other stores of the store (for example, other floors of large retail stores), and uncleared products at the store currently being purchased. Must be kept separately. The invention of the present application has been made in view of such a problem, and it is possible to improve the convenience of consumers by shortening the settlement processing time, and it is also possible to reduce costs such as personnel expenses on the sales side. The purpose is to provide a checkout system.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above problems, the present invention reads out product information recorded on an electronic price tag attached to a product and performs a payment process using the product information. A program executed by the system, a step of reading a seller ID, which is information indicating a store and / or a selling point of the product, from the electronic price tag and checking whether the ID matches the ID registered in the settlement system, If the IDs do not match in the step, the product information recorded in the electronic price tag is not subjected to the settlement process, and if the IDs match, the product information recorded in the electronic price tag is subjected to the settlement process. It is characterized by having. In such a program, further, a receipt and / or a journal are provided in a form capable of distinguishing both records of information relating to an electronic price tag that has been used for settlement and information relating to an electronic price tag that has not been used for settlement. It is desirable to have a step of printing out on. In addition,
The "form capable of distinguishing both records" includes a configuration in which, for each item of information related to an electronic price tag, it is printed to clearly indicate whether or not it has been subjected to a settlement process. It is desirable to enter the information of the product that has been subjected to the processing and the information of the product that has not been subjected to the settlement processing in separate columns, and it is also desirable to insert a perforation, etc. to enable cutting of both. . Another aspect of the present invention is a program executed by a settlement check system that reads out data recorded on an electronic price tag attached to a product and monitors unauthorized removal of the product. And / or a step of reading a seller ID, which is information indicating a selling point, from the electronic price tag and checking whether the ID matches the ID registered in the settlement check system; Checking the settlement information indicating whether or not the settlement is completed on the price tag, and if it is determined that the settlement is not completed, an alarm is output. Still another embodiment of the present invention is a program executed by a settlement system that reads out product information recorded on an electronic price tag attached to a product and performs a payment process using the product information, the electronic price tag Based on the information recorded in, the step of obtaining the weight information of each product and the step of calculating the total weight of all the products brought into the settlement system by integrating the weight information of the products obtained in the step When,
A step of obtaining an actual measurement value of the total weight of the product brought into the adjustment system from a weight measuring device connected to the adjustment system, comparing the calculated total weight with the actual measurement value, If the difference is equal to or more than the allowable range, a step of outputting a warning is included. The present invention provides a function of recording data for use in product settlement processing and a read / write operation based on communication of the data with the outside.
An electronic price tag having a function of writing, for example, RFID
(Radio Frequency IDentification System) tag,
It is supposed to be attached (pasted, etc.) to the product. The seller has information ("Product I
D ”and / or“ price data ”) and the vendor ID are recorded on the electronic price tag, and the electronic price tag is attached to the product for display. The buyer brings the product to the settlement lane and pays for it. The settlement system of the present invention is installed in the settlement lane, and the reader reads the recorded information from the electronic price tag attached to the brought-in product. Then, the seller ID is checked, and if it does not match the ID registered in advance, it is regarded as a product of another store and is not used for the settlement process. With this configuration, consumers can purchase their own items in their shopping bags,
It is possible to mix products that have already been paid for at one's store and those for other stores, and the settlement is completed without the need for the cashier's scanning operation and without the need for the consumer to transfer them to bags. This improves convenience for consumers and
Since the settlement time can be shortened, the number of settlement lanes can be reduced, and the number of cashiers can be reduced, it is possible to reduce costs on the selling side. Furthermore, since shopping bags brought in by consumers can be used, it is possible to reduce the number of baskets and shopping bags on the selling side, which is also environmentally friendly. At this time, in order to prevent illegal removal of the electronic price tag or change of the function, the weight information of the product recorded in the electronic price tag (or the weight information previously recorded in the checkout system is searched from the product ID). (Weight information obtained by doing this) is totaled, and this total weight information is compared with the total weight of the product measured by the weight measuring device to determine the allowable range (weight of the basket in which the product is placed, etc.) If it exceeds the above), a warning may be issued. With this configuration, shopping using a shopping bag brought by a consumer becomes difficult, but the effect of preventing theft is enhanced. When such settlement is completed, the settlement information is received from the cashier and the writer writes the settlement information on the electronic price tag. At the exit, it is checked whether the settlement of the products in the store is completed by reading information from the electronic price tag, and if the settlement is not completed, an alarm is output.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1) Description of the outline of the first embodiment of the present invention FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the outline of the first embodiment. In the figure, reference numerals 101 to 108 are reference numerals indicating the states of information recorded on label-type RFID tags (hereinafter, sometimes simply referred to as tags) attached (attached or the like) to products. Further, 111 to 115 are reference numerals indicating the work performed in the store. The RFID tag has a built-in memory and can read / write the contents of the memory by non-contact access using an external reader / writer. Non-contact access (communication) means includes one using electromagnetic induction, one using microwaves and light waves, and any of them may be adopted. Further, in the present embodiment, it is assumed that the label type RFID tag is attached to the product, but the tag of another shape may be attached to the product. In addition to controlling the read / write of the memory, this RFID tag determines whether or not the access is made to the own RFID tag in the processing described later, and if the access to the own RFID tag is performed, the designated processing is performed. It also has a processor for performing it (not shown). In this embodiment, the following information is recorded on the RFID tag. -Product ID: JAN (Japanese Articl
e Number), UPC (Universal P
It is a unique code and information for identifying a product, which is described in a code system such as a product code. -Production number: Unique code and information within the same product. -Company store ID: Unique code and information that can be used to identify the difference from other stores. When there are a plurality of sales areas such as a large retail store, information for identifying each sales area may be included. -Payment information: Information that can be used to identify whether the payment has been made. This may be just a flag, but in this embodiment the date,
It consists of the time of day and the cashier number (for which the payment was made). There is a case (source marking) in which such a label-type RFID tag is previously recorded (recorded) with a product ID and a serial number by a manufacturer and attached (attached or the like) to a product. As described above, as the source marking in which the manufacturer records the product ID and the product serial number on the product, the recording by the bar code is popular now, but this embodiment is supposed to be a substitute for it. If the source marking as described above is not made (tag 102), the retailer side records the product ID and the manufacturing number (112), and then attaches the recorded tag 103 to the product (113). ) In some cases (in-store marking). In this way, the store side further writes the company store ID (114) to the tag (101, 103) in which the product ID and the serial number are recorded by the source marking or the in-store marking, and the product having this tag 104. Is displayed on the sales floor (115). When the purchaser brings the product to the cashier, the payment is made by the payment system 2 installed at the cashier, and the payment information is recorded in the tag of the product subjected to the payment processing (tag 10
5). A payment check system 3 having an alarm output function is installed at the exit of the retail store, and checks the payment information of the tag of the product that is about to be taken out, and the tag 105
If the payment information is recorded as in
Do not give an alarm). Further, when the user attempts to take out the product illegally without performing the settlement processing by the settlement system 2 (tag 106), it is detected that the settlement information is not recorded and an alarm is output. Furthermore, in the case of products purchased at other stores (tags 107, 108), the company store ID is checked to permit the product to be brought in and passed through the settlement check system. The configurations and processes of the settlement system 2 and the settlement check system 3 will be described in more detail below. 2) Configuration of the settlement system 2 and the settlement check system FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the settlement system provided at the cash register in the first embodiment. In the figure, 21 is R
The FID tag reader / writer is a device for reading and writing information from the label-type RFID tag 1. 22 is a check system, RF
The information read by the ID tag reader / writer 21 is checked, and the RFID tag reader / writer 21 is used to control the writing of information in the label-type RFID tag 1. Reference numeral 23 denotes a cashier system, which performs the settlement based on the information of the product recognized by the settlement check system 22 as the product of the own store (or the selling floor). A printer 24 has a function of printing and outputting the settlement information in the cash register system as a receipt and / or a journal. Reference numeral 25 is a log file for recording settlement information. Note that the check system 22 and the cash register system 23 may be physically configured as the same device, and the printer 24 may be housed in the same housing to have the same appearance as a conventional cash register system. Is also good. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the settlement check system 3 provided at the exit of the sales floor. Reference numeral 31 is an RFID tag reader, which is a label type R
It has a function of reading information from the FID tag 1. A check system 32 is a system for checking, based on the information read by the RFID tag reader, whether or not there is any uncleared product in the shop (or shop). Three
Reference numeral 3 denotes an alarm device, which outputs an alarm when the check system 22 finds an unpaid item (voice or lamp lighting,
Etc.). 3) Settlement Processing The settlement processing in the first embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. An example of information recorded on the label type RFID tag will be described with reference to FIG. As described above, the checkout system 2 is installed at the cashier of the checkout lane, and the checkout process and the check are performed based on the information of the label type RFID tag attached to the product brought when the purchaser passes the lane. The process is executed. First, the RFID tag reader / writer 21 of the settlement system 2 reads the information recorded on the label type RFID tag attached to the brought-in product (step 401). To read information from multiple label-type RFID tags, use the RFID
Label-type RFID with each tag reader / writer 11
There are selective access for reading information from tags and multi-access for reading information from all label-type RFID tags at one time, but the flowchart of FIG. 4 shows an example in which selective access is applied. Next, the settlement check system 12 determines whether the information of the read product is the own store product (or the product on the sales floor) or the other store product (or the product on the other sales floor of the own store) based on the read company store ID. (Step 402) If the product is another store's product (or another store's product in its own store), it is excluded from the settlement object, and the settlement information is determined to exclude the settlement completed product (Step 40).
3). By such processing, the tags 107 and 10 of FIG.
For products brought in from other stores such as 8, or products for which settlement information has already been recorded, such as the tag 105,
It will be excluded from the settlement process. Step 40 above
The information excluding the products excluded in 2, 403 is sent to the cash register system 13 (step 404), and the cashier system performs a settlement process (step 405). In addition, the settlement information by the cashier system 13 and steps 402 and 403
The information of the product excluded from the settlement in step S6 is stored for printing on a receipt or journal later (step 406). For the tags of products that have been settled,
Under the control of the settlement check system 12, the RFID tag reader / writer 11 sends information in which the product ID, the manufacturing number, and the settlement information are associated with each other to the label type RFID tag (step 407). In the tag 1 attached to the product, if the received information has the same product ID and manufacturing number, the corresponding settlement information is recorded. In the tag of the product for which the settlement process is performed in this manner, the settlement information is written like the tag 105 in FIG. The above steps 401 to 406 are repeated until the information of all the label type RFID tags 1 is completed (step 408). In addition, label type RF
When multi-access is used to read information from the ID tag 1, the information of all the read label-type RFID tags is temporarily stored, and the process of steps 402 to 406 is performed for each piece of information of one label-type RFID tag. Should be done. When the processing for all the products is completed, the printing processing for the receipt journal, which will be described below, is performed, and recording is performed in the log file 25 (step 409). 4) Receipt / Journal Printing Information and Log Information FIG. 5 shows an example of a receipt or journal printed in step 409. The information printed on the receipt or journal is the information you want to notify the customer (such as the store name)
Header information 51, which is printed, cash register system 13 this time
This time's settlement target information 52, which is information on the products that have been settled in our shop, our settlement-completed product information 53, which is information on products that have already been settled among the products in our store, and information on products in other stores, etc. It consists of store product information 54. In addition, it is desirable to print perforations 55 or the like in the print area of the current payment target information 52 and the print areas of the shop adjusted product information 53 and the other shop product information 54 so that the receipt can be easily divided. Also, instead of the perforations 55, both may be divided and printed and output. Figure 6 shows an example of log information recorded in the cash register system. In the present embodiment, not only the product ID but also the production number, that is, the sales unit price, the discount amount, and the quantity are recorded for each product. This information is profit management, inventory management, expiration date management,
It is used for order management, inventory management, etc., and information management for each product is performed, so more detailed management can be performed. 5) Exit Confirmation FIG. 7 is a flow chart for explaining the processing of the settlement check system 3 in this embodiment. As mentioned earlier,
The checkout system 3 is installed at the exit and RF
The ID reader 21 reads out the recorded contents of the label type RFID tag attached to the product that the purchaser is going to take out (step 701), and uses the company store ID in the product as its own product (or its own product). It is identified whether or not there is any (step 702), and the settlement information is checked for the information of the product in the store (step 703), and if there is a tag in which the settlement information is not recorded (tag 106 in FIG. 1), connection is made. A warning is output by the warning device 23 (step 704). The processes of steps 701 to 704 are executed for all label type RFID tags (step 705). Although this example is an example in which the selective access described above is performed, the tag data may be first read by multi-access and the processes of steps 702 to 704 may be performed. With such a configuration, for a product (tag 107 in FIG. 1) brought in from another store (or another sales floor), the above step 702 is performed.
Since the checkout information is not checked at, no warning is output even if it passes. Further, since the product (the tag 108 in FIG. 1) brought in from its own store (or its own sales floor) is determined to have been settled by checking the settlement information in step 703, no alarm is output even if it passes. . For this reason, in this embodiment, it is not necessary to collect the label-type RFID tag of the payment-completed product. 6) Second Embodiment of the Present Invention A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. In this second embodiment, in order to prevent the tag from being removed illegally or changing its function, the label type R
The feature is that the product weight is recorded on the FID tag and the check is performed using the product weight in the settlement check system. The overall structure of the store is almost the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, but the structure of the settlement system is a structure including a weight measuring device for checking the weight. The configuration of the settlement system in this embodiment is shown in FIG.
Shown in. The RFID tag reader / writer 81, the check system 82, the cash register system 83, the printer 84, and the log file 85 are the RFID tag reader / writer 21, the check system 22, the cash register system 23, the printer 24, and the log in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2, respectively. It corresponds to the file 85. In this embodiment, a weight measuring device 86 is connected to the check system 82 to perform a weight check described later. Next, the processing of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. First, the RFID tag / reader / writer 81
Reads the information recorded in the label type RFID tag attached to the brought-in product (step 90).
1). Then read the product weight information and accumulate it (
Step 902). Next, the settlement check system 82
Determines whether the information of the read product is the own store product (or the product in the relevant sales floor) or the other store product (or the product in the other sales floor of the own store) based on the read company store ID (step 903),
If the product is another store's product (or another store's product in its own store), the product is excluded from the settlement object, and the settlement information is determined to also exclude the settlement completed product (step 904). Steps 903 and 9
The product ID and serial number of the tag not excluded in 04 are sent to the cash register system 83 (step 905),
The cashier system 83 performs the settlement process (step 9).
06). In addition, the settlement information by the cashier system 83 and the information of the products excluded from the settlement in steps 402 and 403 are saved for later printing on a receipt or a journal (step 907). Regarding the tag of the product for which the payment processing has been performed, the RFID tag reader / writer 11 performs label-type R reading under the control of the payment check system 12.
Information in which the product ID, the serial number, and the settlement information are associated with each other is sent to the FID tag (step 908). In the tag 1 attached to the product, if the received information has the same product ID and manufacturing number, the corresponding settlement information is recorded. The settlement information is written in the tag of the product for which the settlement processing is performed in this way. The above steps 901 to 908 are repeated until the information of all the label type RFID tags 1 is completed (step 909). When multi-access is used to read information from the label-type RFID tag 1, the information of all read label-type RFID tags is temporarily stored, and steps 902 through 902 are performed for each piece of information of one label-type RFID tag. The process of step 908 may be performed. And when the processing for all products is completed,
The total weight information of all the products calculated in step 902 and the total weight of the products measured by the weight measuring device 865 (
(Including baskets and bags containing products) (Step 910), the difference between the total weight read and the weight measured by the weight measuring device is an allowable value (measurement error and weights of baskets, bags, etc. are taken into consideration. Warning device 8
The alarm output by 6 is performed (step 911). If the result of the weight check is normal, the receipt journal is printed and recorded in the log file 85 (step 912). In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the weight information is recorded for each tag, but it is assumed that the weight information is held by the settlement system side, and the above step 9 is performed.
In 09, the product ID may be read, the corresponding weight information may be searched, and the weight information may be integrated.

As described above, according to the settlement system and the settlement check system of the present invention, the consumer brings his or her desired shopping items, self-checked products, and
It is possible to mix and store products from other stores, and the settlement is completed without the need for the cashier's scanning operation and without the need for the consumer to transfer it to a bag. As a result, the convenience of the consumer is improved, and the settlement time can be shortened, the number of settlement lanes can be reduced, and the number of cashiers can be reduced, so that the cost on the selling side can be reduced. Furthermore, since shopping bags brought in by consumers can be used, it is possible to reduce the number of baskets and shopping bags on the selling side, which is also environmentally friendly. In addition, in the settlement system (program) described in claim 4 and the second embodiment of the present invention, since the weight is checked, it is difficult to shop in the shopping bag carried by the consumer, but the effect of preventing theft is not provided. high.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overview of an overall configuration and processing of a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a settlement system in the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a settlement check system in the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing processing of a settlement system in the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is an output example of a receipt in the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an example of log information in the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the processing of the settlement check system in the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a settlement system according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the processing of the settlement system in the second embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

2,8 Settlement system 21,81 RFID tag reader / writer 22,82 Check system 23, 83 Cash register system 24,84 printer 75 weighing machine 3 settlement check system 31 RFID tag reader 32 check system 33 Alarm device

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) G07G 1/12 301 G07G 1/12 301E (72) Inventor Yoshikazu Miyamoto 4-chome Ueodaanaka, Nakahara-ku, Kanagawa Prefecture 1-1 In Fujitsu Limited (72) Inventor Michiaki Morioka 4-1-1 Kamiotanaka, Nakahara-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa Kanagawa Prefecture (72) Inventor Takanori Miyazaki 4 Ueoda-chu, Nakahara-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa 1st-1st F-term in Fujitsu Limited (reference) 3E042 BA10 BA17 CA10 CD01 CD02 CE01 CE06 CE09

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A program executed by a settlement system for reading out product information recorded on an electronic price tag attached to a product and performing a payment process using the product information, which is a store and / or a sales store for the product. The step of reading out the vendor ID, which is the information indicating the location, from the electronic price tag and checking whether the ID matches the ID registered in the settlement system; and if the ID does not match in the step, it is recorded in the electronic price tag. A program executed by a settlement system, comprising the steps of not providing the product information for the settlement process and, if they match, providing the product information recorded on the electronic price tag for the settlement process. 2. The program according to claim 1, which further distinguishes between information on a product related to an electronic price tag that has been subjected to settlement processing and information on a product related to an electronic price tag that has not been subjected to settlement processing. A program executed by a settlement system, which has a step of printing out on a receipt and / or a journal in a form capable of performing. 3. A program executed by a settlement check system that reads out data recorded on an electronic price tag attached to a product and monitors unauthorized removal of the product, which is a store and / or a place of sale of the product. The step of reading the vendor ID, which is the information indicating the information, from the electronic price tag and checking whether the ID matches the ID registered in the settlement check system, and the electronic price tag having the matching ID in the step is settled to the electronic price tag. A program executed by a settlement system, comprising the step of checking the settlement information indicating whether or not it is, and outputting an alarm when it is determined that the settlement has not been completed. 4. A program executed by a settlement system that reads out product information recorded on an electronic price tag attached to a product and performs a payment process using the product information, the information recorded on the electronic price tag. A step of obtaining weight information for each product based on the above, and a step of calculating the total weight of all the products brought into the payment system by accumulating the weight information of the products obtained in the step, and the payment system. From the weight measuring instrument connected to, a step of obtaining an actual measurement value of the total weight of the product brought into the settlement system, and comparing the calculated total weight with the actual measurement value,
A program executed by a settlement system, comprising the step of outputting a warning if the difference between the two is within an allowable range. 5. A payment method for reading product information recorded on an electronic price tag attached to a product and performing a payment process using the product information, which is information indicating a store and / or a sales place of the product. A certain vendor ID is recorded in the electronic price tag, the vendor ID is read from the electronic price tag, and it is checked whether or not it matches the ID registered in the settlement system. If the ID does not match in the step, A payment method wherein the product information is read from the electronic price tag and the data is not subjected to the payment processing, and when the data match, the product information recorded in the electronic price tag is subjected to the payment processing. 6. A payment system for reading product information recorded on an electronic price tag attached to a product and performing a payment process using the product information, which is information indicating a sales store and / or a sales place of the product. Means for reading out a certain vendor ID from the electronic price tag and checking if the ID matches the ID registered in the settlement system; and if the IDs do not match in the step, the settlement process is performed on the product information recorded in the electronic price tag. And a means for subjecting the product information recorded on the electronic price tag to the settlement process when the two match, the settlement system. 7. A computer-readable recording medium in which a program executed by a settlement system that reads out product information recorded on an electronic price tag attached to a product and performs settlement processing using the product information is recorded. , A step of reading out a seller ID, which is information indicating a store and / or a selling point of the product, from the electronic price tag and checking whether the ID matches the ID registered in the settlement system, and the IDs must match in the step. For example, if the product information recorded in the electronic price tag is not subjected to the settlement process, and if they match, the product information recorded in the electronic price tag is subjected to the settlement process. A computer-readable recording medium in which a program to be executed is recorded.