JP2006067482A - Accounting terminal, and account information printing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide more various and much more information to a client using a receipt. <P>SOLUTION: A receipt 10 is composed of a shop name area 11, a note area 12, an account information area 13, and the like. In the shop name area 11, a shop name, such as "bar Santaro" is printed together with a logo and further, information on connection to a predetermined Web site is embedded by a digital watermark 14. The connection information is constituted of URL (Uniform Resource Locators), for example. When connection information constituted of a digital watermark is photographed by a camera with a built-in mobile phone, the portable phone recognizes the connection information by extracting the digital watermark from photographed image data, and automatically connects a Web site designated by the connection information. Thus, since connection information is embedded in a receipt by the digital watermark, various kinds of much information can be provided on a Web site. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an accounting terminal and an accounting information printing method, and for example, relates to a method for embedding additional information with a digital watermark in a receipt.

When a customer purchases a product or service at a retail store or the like, the store receives payment of a fee and issues a receipt at a cash register.
Receipts are printed with the individual items and prices of the products and services purchased by the customer, and the total price, so that the customer can confirm that the payment has been made, and the store must keep a sales record. Can do.

In addition to this, the store logo, address, phone number, accounting date and time, etc. are printed on the receipt for customer convenience.
Recently, color printing has been performed and advertisements have been printed on the back side, and efforts have been made to incorporate as much information as possible in a limited space.
As described above, the invention for incorporating additional information into the receipt is as follows.

JP 2000-235669 A

  According to the present invention, information is embedded in a receipt with a two-dimensional barcode, and exceptional processing such as return and exchange of goods is efficiently performed using the information.

In recent years, information distribution media has become multi-media such as text, still images, moving images, and audio, whereas information that can be provided by receipts is limited to characters printed in a limited space or simple designs. there were.
In addition, the contents of the information provided are uniform and did not correspond to individual customers.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide customers with a greater variety of information using receipts.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is associated with accounting information generating means for generating accounting information by receiving input of product information specifying a product purchased by a customer, and product information that has received the input. Connection information acquisition means for acquiring connection information to a predetermined site, digital watermark information generation means for generating digital watermark information in which the acquired connection information is embedded, the generated accounting information, and the generated digital watermark There is provided an accounting terminal comprising accounting information printing means for printing information on a receipt (first configuration).
In the first configuration, when there are a plurality of pieces of connection information associated with the product information that has received the input, the digital watermark information generation unit selects any one of the plurality of pieces of connection information and selects the digital watermark information. Can also be configured (second configuration).
In the first configuration or the second configuration, connection information receiving means for receiving connection information associated with product information from the connection information server, and storing the received connection information together with association with product information. Connection information storage means, and the connection information acquisition means can be configured to acquire connection information from the connection information storage means (third configuration).
According to the present invention, in a computer comprising accounting information generation means, connection information acquisition means, digital watermark information generation means, and accounting information printing means, a product purchased by a customer can be obtained by the accounting information generation means. An accounting information generating step for generating accounting information by receiving input of product information to be identified, and connection information to a predetermined site associated with the product information for which the input has been received is acquired by the connection information acquisition means. A connection information acquisition step; a digital watermark information generation step for generating digital watermark information in which the acquired connection information is embedded by the digital watermark information generation unit; and the accounting information generated by the accounting information printing unit; The generated digital watermark information, and accounting information printing step for printing the receipt on the receipt, Providing accounting information printing method (fourth configuration).

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide customers with more diverse and large amounts of information using receipts.

(1) Outline of Embodiment FIG. 1A is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of a receipt printed by the accounting terminal of the present embodiment.
For example, this accounting terminal is installed as a cash register in a restaurant or retail store, and prints a receipt by performing a checkout process for a customer's shopping.

The receipt 10 includes a store name area 11, a note area 12, a transaction information area 13, and the like.
In the store name area 11, the store name is printed together with a logo, such as “Izakaya Santaro”.
When the customer later confirms the receipt 10 by this display, the customer can confirm which store the receipt is from.

In the store name area 11, as shown in FIG. 1B, connection information to a predetermined website is embedded with a digital watermark 14.
The connection information is composed of, for example, URL (Uniform Resource Locators), and is “http://tori.com” in the example of FIG.

The digital watermark is invisible information that is difficult or impossible to recognize with the naked eye, and can be printed superimposed on the visible information (here, the store name). Therefore, a narrow space can be effectively utilized by printing a digital watermark.
Various methods for embedding a digital watermark in an image have been developed and put to practical use, such as a method for embedding digital watermark information in a sample value of image data and a method for embedding by converting to a frequency component.

In the caution area 12 (FIG. 1A), contents for notifying the customer that the digital watermark is embedded in the store name area 11 are printed.
Since the digital watermark is invisible information, it is necessary to indicate to the customer where the digital watermark is printed and how to use the digital watermark.
In the example shown in the figure, a notice “URL is embedded in the store name. Let's take a picture with a mobile phone.” Is printed.

Here, a method of using the customer's digital watermark will be described. In recent years, mobile phones compatible with the Internet with a built-in digital camera have been actively used.
In the present embodiment, an Internet-compatible mobile phone incorporating such a digital camera that corresponds to connection information printed with a digital watermark is used.

  When this mobile phone captures connection information composed of digital watermarks with a built-in camera, it extracts the digital watermark from the captured image data, recognizes the connection information, and automatically connects to the website specified by the connection information. It has a function to connect automatically.

  In the store name area 11, connection information associated with the product purchased by the customer is embedded in the digital watermark. When the customer photographs the store name area 11 with a mobile phone in accordance with the instructions in the note area 12, he / she purchases it. Automatically access websites related to selected products.

For example, in the example of FIG. 1 (a), connection information to the website of a chicken trader who wholesales yakitori is stored in the store name area 11 in the store “Izakaya Santaro”, and the customer is concerned about yakitori that he / she consumed. Information can be obtained.
In the website, for example, information can be provided to customers using various media such as characters, still images, moving images, and audio, and the present invention is not limited to print media such as receipts.

The accounting information area 13 is printed with accounting information such as purchased items, their quantity and price, and the total amount thereof, as in a normal receipt.
In the example of FIG. 1A, the quantity of the item “beer” is 5 and the subtotal is 1500 yen, the quantity of the item “Yudofu” is 5 and the subtotal is 2000 yen, and the total amount is 6100 yen. It has become.
In addition, additional information such as the date and time of receipt issuance (20:05 on June 29, 2004) and the number of customers (3 persons) are also printed.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, various and large amounts of information can be provided on a website by embedding connection information in a receipt with a digital watermark.

(2) Details of Embodiment FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the system configuration of the information distribution system of the present embodiment.
The information distribution system 1 includes a connection information server 2, accounting terminals 3, 3,..., A mobile phone 7, a web server 8, and the like.
Hereinafter, the accounting terminals 3, 3,.

The accounting terminal 3 is a terminal device installed as a cash register at a store accounting location.
The accounting terminal 3 has various functions such as an accounting information input function, a calculation function, a digital watermark information generation function, a printing function, a sales data storage function, and a connection information download function.
These functions will be described below.

[Accounting information input function]
The accounting terminal 3 includes input devices such as a character key, a numeric keypad, other keys, and a barcode reading device, so that a person in charge of the store can input a product / service purchased by the customer (hereinafter simply referred to as a product). It has become.

  In addition, the accounting terminal 3 stores products sold in the store in the product database together with product codes, unit prices, etc., and input information input by the person in charge (pressed keys, read barcode information, etc.) To the product database to identify the product and quantity purchased by the customer.

FIG. 3 shows an example of the logical configuration of the product database.
As shown in the figure, the product database includes items such as a product code 21, a product name 22, a price 23, ..., connection information 25, and the like.

The product code 21 is identification information uniquely assigned to each product sold in the store.
The person in charge of the store can input the input information into the accounting terminal 3 by inputting, for example, a product code and a quantity.

The product name 22 is, for example, the name of the product sold by the store, such as “yakitori”, “yaki pork”, “edamame”, etc., and is associated with the product code.
The price 23 is a unit price of each product, and includes a consumption tax.

The connection information 25 is connection information for connecting to a predetermined website, for example, and is composed of, for example, a URL.
The connection information is associated with each product, and information related to each product can be provided on the website.

[Calculation function]
When the accounting terminal 3 (FIG. 2) receives the input of the product code and the quantity from the person in charge of the store, the accounting terminal 3 sums up these amounts and displays the total amount on the display device. The customer will pay the displayed amount.

[Digital watermark information generation function]
Upon receipt of the price from the customer, the person in charge of the store can request the receipt terminal to issue a receipt by pressing a receipt issuing button.
When the accounting terminal 3 issues a receipt, the accounting terminal 3 selects any one of the connection information associated with the product purchased by the customer in the product database.

There are various possible selection methods, such as selecting the connection information of the product with the largest purchase amount, or selecting it randomly, or even allowing each product to be selected on average. it can.
Alternatively, it is possible to prioritize the products and select connection information of products with higher priority among products purchased by the customer.

When selecting the connection information to be printed on the receipt, the accounting terminal 3 embeds the connection information selected as the store name in the store name area 11 as a digital watermark to generate digital watermark information.
Here, the digital watermark information is, for example, image data for printing a store name in which connection information is embedded as invisible information.

[Print function]
When the accounting terminal 3 generates the electronic watermark information, the electronic watermark information and the accounting information are printed on a receipt and output.
The receipt is cut by a cutter built in the accounting terminal 3 and delivered to the customer by the person in charge at the store.

[Sales data storage function]
The accounting terminal 3 records the contents printed on the receipt in the sales database as sales data.
That is, the sales database stores the product code, quantity, date and time, printed connection information, and other information of the sold products.
The store can statistically analyze the sales performance by searching the sales database.

[Connection information download function]
The accounting terminal 3 can be connected to the connection information server 2 via the Internet.
The accounting terminal 3 accesses the connection information server 2 about once a day, for example, and downloads the latest connection information. As described above, the accounting terminal 3 includes connection information receiving means.

The connection information transmitted by the connection information server 2 is associated with the product code, and the accounting terminal 3 rewrites the connection information recorded in the product database with the downloaded product information using the product code. Thus, the accounting terminal 3 includes connection information storage means.
When the connection information is changed in the connection information server 2 by the above processing, the accounting terminal 3 can quickly download the latest information and update the product database.

[Other features]
For example, when the headquarters manages the sales of a plurality of stores such as chain stores, the sales data can be transmitted from the accounting terminal 3 to a sales management server (not shown) installed in the headquarters. .

In this case, the sales management server and the accounting terminal 3 are arranged to be connectable via a network such as the Internet.
Then, at the closing time (for example, every day at midnight), the accounting terminal 3 accesses the sales management server and transmits the sales data stored in the sales database.

  Each accounting terminal 3 is assigned terminal identification information, and the sales management server can identify which accounting data is transmitted from which accounting terminal 3 by this terminal identification information. .

  The sales management server can receive and store sales data from each accounting terminal 3 and manage sales at each store.

Next, the connection information server 2 (FIG. 2) will be described.
The connection information server 2 has a connection information input function, a connection information distribution function, and the like.
[Connection information input function]
An operator of the information distribution system 1 (hereinafter, distribution operator) performs a connection information maintenance in response to a request from the website operator.
The connection information server 2 includes an output device such as a display and a printer, and an input device such as a keyboard and a mouse.

The distribution company obtains connection information from the company that wholesales each product (hereinafter referred to as the product company) (for example, using communication means such as mail, fax, e-mail, etc.), and connects in association with the product code. Enter information.
The connection information server 2 includes a connection information database that stores each product and connection information in association with each other, and is managed so that the connection information becomes the latest by maintenance of the distribution company.

[Connection information distribution function]
The connection information server 2 accepts access from the accounting terminal 3. When the connection information request is received from the accounting terminal 3, the connection information stored in the connection information database is transmitted to the accounting terminal 3 in association with the product code.

Next, the mobile phone 7 will be described.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of a mobile phone.
The mobile phone 7 includes a camera 37, a display unit 32, operation keys 38, an input key 34, and the like.

  Although not shown, the mobile phone 7 includes an information processing unit including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable, for example). and Programmable ROM), and has a built-in readable / writable storage medium for storing various programs and data.

The CPU of the mobile phone 7 performs various types of information processing according to programs stored in a ROM or other storage medium.
For example, the RAM provides a working memory when the CPU extracts connection information composed of digital watermarks from the image data of a receipt, or connects to a website using the extracted connection information.

  An automatic connection that allows the CPU to perform functions such as extracting a digital watermark by image processing, acquiring connection information from the extracted digital watermark, and automatically connecting to a website specified by the extracted connection information. A program and a browser program for using a website on the Internet are stored.

  The CPU of the mobile phone 7 processes information input from the operation key 38 and the input key 34 by the customer and information input from the camera 37 in accordance with a program stored in the storage medium, and as a result, via the Internet. It communicates with the server and displays information processing results on the display unit 32.

  The camera 37 includes an optical system including a lens and the like, and a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) that converts an image of a subject projected by the optical system into digital data. The customer takes a receipt with the camera 37, and receives the receipt. The contents printed on can be converted into digital data.

  The display unit 32 is configured by a liquid crystal display, for example, and displays information related to a call such as a telephone number, and can display various screens transmitted from a website via the Internet on a browser.

The operation key 38 is a key for the customer to perform various screen operations on the screen displayed on the display unit 32 such as selecting an icon displayed on the display unit 32 or selecting a link. .
The input key 34 is a key for inputting numbers, characters, symbols, and the like to the mobile phone 7.

  With the mobile phone 7 configured as described above, connection information recorded with a digital watermark can be extracted from a digitalized receipt image, and automatically connected to a website using the extracted connection information.

  In this embodiment, the customer is configured to use the mobile phone 7 to access the website of the merchandise company. However, the terminal device used by the customer is not limited to the mobile phone 7, and the mobile phone 7 PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) equipped with the same function (function to extract connection information formed by digital watermark from digital image and automatically connect to website), other portable terminals, or stationary types such as personal computers It is also possible to use a terminal device.

Next, the web server 8 (FIG. 2) will be described.
The web server 8 is a web server that operates a website set up by a merchandise company that wholesales merchandise sold by a store.
In FIG. 2, only one web server 8 is shown, but a plurality of web servers 8 can exist.

The merchandise company operates its own website, notifies the distribution company of connection information of the website, and prints it on a receipt.
Merchandisers can use their websites to offer their own advertising and other services to their customers.

FIG. 5 is an example of a top screen provided on the website of the merchandise company.
This website is provided by a chicken processor who sells yakitori to the store (Izakaya Santaro) that issued the receipt of FIG. 1, and is displayed on the display unit 32 (FIG. 4) of the mobile phone 7. Is.

  On this screen, items such as an invitation to a chicken farm tour such as a “Chicken Farm Tour”, an advertisement for direct sale of egg production, and the location of the chicken farm are displayed. The customer can select these items and obtain more detailed information.

Customers can know where and how the poultry they consumed are produced by visiting the company's website, providing a sense of security.
In addition, it is possible to know a product (egg egg in the example of the figure) related to the product consumed by the customer, increasing the opportunity for the product provider to provide the product, and increasing the opportunity for purchasing the good product for the customer.

  The example in Fig. 5 is related to chicken, but in addition to this, for products related to customer health such as fresh food (sashimi, etc.), processed food (pork, beef, etc.), pharmaceuticals, etc. Providing information can increase customer comfort.

In this embodiment, connection information is associated with each product and printed on a receipt with a digital watermark. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a portal site (for example, a distribution business) linked to the website of each product. It is also possible to configure so as to print connection information to (operated by a person).
If comprised in this way, any customer can access a portal site first and can select what is interested from the websites of the merchandise business operators listed on the portal site.

Next, the procedure from the receipt issuance to the customer accessing the website will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
First, a customer makes a purchase at a store and applies for payment at a checkout office. An accounting terminal 3 is installed at the checkout office, and the person in charge inputs the product code and the quantity sold.

The accounting terminal 3 acquires the input information input from the person in charge (step 5).
The accounting terminal 3 collates the product code input from the person in charge with the product database, and generates accounting information (step 10). This is due to the accounting information generating means provided in the accounting terminal 3.
The accounting information is composed of unit price, number of units sold, total amount of sales price, etc. for each product code.

Next, the accounting terminal 3 selects and acquires connection information associated with one of the products purchased by the customer from the product database (step 15). This is due to the connection information acquisition means provided in the accounting terminal 3.
Next, the accounting terminal 3 embeds the acquired connection information as image data digital watermark to be printed in the store name area 11 (FIG. 1) to generate digital watermark information (step 20). This is due to the digital watermark information generating means provided in the accounting terminal 3.
Then, the accounting terminal 3 prints a receipt using the accounting information and the digital watermark information (step 25). This is due to the accounting information printing means provided in the accounting terminal 3.

  The person in charge of the store gives the receipt output from the accounting terminal 3 to the customer. The customer photographs the receipt with the mobile phone 7 in accordance with the instructions in the note area 12 (FIG. 1). Thereby, the mobile phone 7 acquires the image data of the receipt (step 30).

Next, the cellular phone 7 performs image processing on the image data of the receipt, and extracts connection information formed by the digital watermark (step 35).
Then, the mobile phone 7 accesses the website of the merchandise company using the extracted connection information (step 40).

The web server 8 receives access from the mobile phone 7 and transmits the screen data of the top screen of the website to the mobile phone 7 (step 45).
The cellular phone 7 receives the screen data from the web server 8 and displays the screen on the display unit 32 using this (step 50).

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the accounting terminal 3.
The accounting terminal 3 includes a CPU 45, a ROM 46, a RAM 47, an input unit 48, a display unit 49, a communication control unit 51, a printing unit 52, a storage medium driving unit 53, a storage unit 54, and other functional units connected by a bus line 55. It is configured.

The CPU 45 is a central processing unit that performs various types of arithmetic processing, information processing, and control of each component constituting the accounting terminal 3 in accordance with a predetermined program.
In the present embodiment, for example, the connection information is downloaded from the connection information server 2 to update the connection information recorded in the product database, or the accounting information is obtained by performing the accounting process based on the input information from the person in charge at the store. Generate digital watermark information by selecting connection information, or print a receipt using transaction information and connection information.

The ROM 46 is a read-only memory that stores basic programs and data for operating the accounting terminal 3.
The RAM 47 is a readable / writable memory that provides a working area for the CPU 45 to operate.

  The input unit 48 is a functional unit for inputting information to the accounting terminal 3, and includes a key for inputting a product code, a barcode reading device, and other input devices.

The display unit 49 includes a display device that displays character information and image information. For example, the display unit 49 displays the total amount based on the accounting information to the customer.
The display device includes, for example, a liquid crystal display, a plasma display, and other display devices.

The communication control unit 51 is a functional unit that connects the accounting terminal 3 to the Internet. The accounting terminal 3 can communicate with the connection information server 2 via the communication control unit 51.
When the sales management server at the headquarters manages sales, the accounting terminal 3 can connect to the sales management server via the communication control unit 51 to transmit sales data such as sales.

The printing unit 52 is a printing device that prints a receipt. The printing unit 52 acquires print data from the CPU 45 and prints it on a receipt (print medium composed of paper or the like).
The printing unit 52 can be configured by various printing apparatuses such as a laser printer, an inkjet printer, and a direct thermal printer.

The storage medium drive unit 53 is a functional unit that drives the attached removable storage medium and reads / writes data.
Examples of the readable / writable storage medium include a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk, a semiconductor storage device, a magnetic tape, and a paper tape.
As a read-only storage medium, for example, there are optical discs such as CD-ROMs.

  The accounting terminal 3 can install a program from a storage medium attached to the storage medium driving unit 53, and can write sales data stored in the storage medium.

The storage unit 54 is a large-capacity readable / writable storage device configured by, for example, a hard disk.
The storage unit 54 includes a program unit 56 that stores programs and a data unit 57 that stores data.

  As shown in FIG. 7B, the program unit 56 stores various programs such as an OS (Operating System) 61, a communication program 62, a receipt issuing program 63,.

The OS 61 is a program for causing the CPU 45 to perform basic functions for operating the accounting terminal 3 such as management of file input / output and control of various functional units.
The communication program 62 is a program for controlling the communication control unit 51 and causing the CPU 45 to exhibit a function for performing communication via the Internet.

  The receipt issuance program 63 is a program for causing the accounting terminal 3 to issue a receipt, and is a program for performing processing such as generation of accounting information, generation of digital watermark information, and printing of a receipt.

  Various data such as a product database 65 and a sales database 66 are stored in the data unit 57.

  Although the hardware configuration of the accounting terminal 3 has been described above, the hardware configurations of the connection information server 2, the mobile phone 7, and the web server 8 are basically the same.

The connection information server 2 stores a connection information database for managing connection information acquired from a merchandise company, and includes an input / output device for a person in charge to maintain the connection information database.
The web server 8 is installed with a server program and provides a website of a merchandise company.

While the present embodiment has been described above, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) Connection information can be printed on a receipt with a digital watermark.
(2) Since the digital watermark is printed on the receipt on the visible information, the printing space can be saved.
(3) Individual information can be provided to the customer by printing the connection information associated with the product purchased by the customer on the receipt.
(4) Since additional information on products is provided on the website, it is possible to provide information that is not limited to print media.
(5) The product company can advertise its own products on the website and provide services to customers.

It is the figure which showed an example of the external appearance of a receipt. It is the block diagram which showed an example of the system configuration | structure of the information delivery system of this Embodiment. An example of a logical structure of a product database is shown. It is the figure which showed an example of the external appearance of a mobile telephone. It is an example of the top screen provided with a product provider's website. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the procedure from issuance of a receipt until a customer accesses a website. It is the block diagram which showed an example of the hardware structure of an accounting terminal.

Explanation of symbols

1 Information Distribution System 2 Connection Information Server 3 Accounting Terminal 7 Mobile Phone 8 Web Server 10 Receipt

Claims (4)

Account information generating means for receiving account information input for identifying products purchased by a customer and generating account information;
Connection information acquisition means for acquiring connection information to a predetermined site associated with the product information that has received the input;
Digital watermark information generating means for generating digital watermark information embedded with the acquired connection information;
Accounting information printing means for printing the generated accounting information and the generated digital watermark information on a receipt;
An accounting terminal comprising:   When there are a plurality of pieces of connection information associated with the product information for which the input has been received, the digital watermark information generation unit selects one of the plurality of connection information to generate digital watermark information. The accounting terminal according to claim 1. Connection information receiving means for receiving connection information associated with product information from the connection information server;
Connection information storage means for storing the received connection information together with the association with product information;
Comprising
The accounting terminal according to claim 1, wherein the connection information acquisition unit acquires connection information from the connection information storage unit. In a computer comprising accounting information generation means, connection information acquisition means, digital watermark information generation means, and accounting information printing means,
An accounting information generation step of generating accounting information by receiving input of product information specifying a product purchased by a customer by the accounting information generating means;
A connection information acquisition step of acquiring connection information to a predetermined site associated with the product information for which the input has been received by the connection information acquisition means;
An electronic watermark information generating step of generating electronic watermark information in which the acquired connection information is embedded by the electronic watermark information generating means;
An accounting information printing step for printing the generated accounting information and the generated digital watermark information on a receipt by the accounting information printing means;
An accounting information printing method comprising:

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