JP2011238255A - Commodity display position alert system and commodity display position alert program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily improve efficiency in a commodity arrangement work by a shop clerk.SOLUTION: For each commodity display rack 109 installed in a sales space 105 in a shop, a RFID reader 122 is attached. The RFID reader 122 reads a commodity code from a RFID tag 121 attached to a commodity 103. A server 117 which performs a system control unit compares the commodity code in the commodity 103 with display permission information stored in a data base 142 which performs a rack rule storage unit, for determining whether the read commodity code is the commodity 103 which is to be displayed in the commodity display rack 109. If it is determined that a commodity other than the commodity 103 which is to be displayed in the commodity display rack 109 is displayed, the server 117 controls output of notification signal to perform notification operation against a PDA terminal 112.

Description

  Embodiments described herein relate generally to a product display position alert system and a product display position alert program.

  In a retail store, it is desirable that various products are displayed and sold in a place where they should be displayed. For example, underwear should not be mixed in a shelf on which T-shirts are to be displayed. However, some customers feel that it is troublesome to return the product that they have picked up for purchase to the original location, and leave the product in a place where it should not be.

  As an example of a technique for leaving such a commodity, there is an article movement identification device (see Patent Document 1). This article movement identification device includes an RFID reader arranged on a merchandise display shelf, and an RFID reader and a notification unit having a wireless communication function attached to a shopping basket carried by a customer at the time of shopping. According to this mobile identification device, the RFID reader reads the identification code unique to each product from the RFID tag attached to each product, thereby making it possible to grasp the current position of the product. Further, when the customer tries to return the product to a place other than the place where the product should be returned, the operation of the notification unit can prompt the customer to return the product to the place where the product should be returned. Patent Document 1 discloses a product position abnormality display unit connected to a communication network provided in the store so as to notify the store manager of the product position abnormality when the customer returns the product to the wrong place. It also describes displaying a product position error.

  In the technique described in Patent Document 1, the notification unit is attached to the shopping basket to urge the customer to return the product to the original position. However, by encouraging the customer to return the product to its original position, the customer is limited in part for the purchase operation. This hinders the customer's purchasing behavior and deprives the customer of the opportunity to purchase the product. In addition, some customers do not have a shopping basket and do shopping with a product to be purchased in their hands, and such customers cannot be prompted to return the product to its original position. Furthermore, the technology described in Patent Document 1 is to attach an RFID reader and a notification unit having a wireless communication function to all shopping baskets prepared in the store, and initials when introducing this technology to the store. The cost is significant.

  The product display position alert system according to the embodiment includes a product display shelf and an RFID tag that is provided for each product display shelf and that is attached to the product displayed on the product display shelf and stores the product type. An RFID reader that reads a signal, a signal output unit that outputs a signal toward a notification terminal, and any type of product or category as display permission information of a product to be displayed on the product display shelf for each product display shelf A shelf master that stores whether the product is used, a shelf detail master that stores the type or category of the product to be displayed on the product display shelf for each product display shelf, and the RFID that has read the product When the type of the display permission information of the shelf detail master corresponding to the product display shelf provided with the reader is different from the type of the shelf master, the shelf manager Processing to correct the display permission information of the shelf detail master based on the data and output a notification signal to the signal output unit when it is determined that a product that does not match the display permission information of the shelf detail master is displayed A system control unit for executing

  The product display position alert system according to the embodiment includes a product display shelf and an RFID tag provided for each product display shelf and periodically emitting radio waves and attached to the product displayed on the product display shelf. An RFID reader that performs wireless communication and acquires and outputs a product code stored in the RFID tag, a signal output unit that outputs a signal toward a notification terminal, and a shelf code that identifies a product display shelf The product display shelf provided with the shelf detail master for storing the category of the product to be displayed on the product display shelf, the product code output from the RFID reader, and the RFID reader from which the product code is output A shelf status table that stores a shelf code that identifies a product, a category code that defines which category the product belongs to, and the product code The product master to be stored and the product code corresponding to the shelf code of the product display shelf to be processed is obtained with reference to the shelf status table, and the category code corresponding to the obtained product code is obtained as the product code. Acquired from the master, and the category code includes those that do not match the category corresponding to the shelf code of the product display shelf provided with the RFID reader of the output source associated with the shelf detail master A system control unit that executes a process of causing the signal output unit to output a notification signal that determines that there is an exceptional product and causes the notification terminal to perform a notification operation.

  The product display position alert program according to the embodiment includes a product code from a product display shelf and an RFID tag that is provided for each product display shelf and stores a product attribute of the product attached to the product displayed on the product display shelf. Is installed in a computer that constitutes a product display position alert system including an RFID reader that reads a signal and a signal output unit that outputs a signal toward a notification terminal, and corresponds to a shelf code that identifies the product display shelf on the computer In addition, the shelf detail master for storing the category of the product to be displayed on the product display shelf, the product code output from the RFID reader, and the RFID reader from which the product code is output are provided. A shelf status table that associates and stores shelf codes that identify display shelves, and to which category a product belongs A shelf rule storage unit that stores a category code that defines the category code and a product master that stores the product code in association with each other, and corresponds to the shelf code of the product display shelf to be processed from the shelf status table The product code is obtained, the category code corresponding to the obtained product code is obtained from the product master, and the output source RFID reader associated with the shelf detail master is included in the category code. When a category that does not match the category corresponding to the shelf code of the product display shelf provided is included, the signal output unit determines that there is an exceptional product and causes the notification terminal to perform a notification operation. Realize the function to output.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the entire merchandise display position alert system. FIG. 2 is a front view schematically showing the commodity display shelf. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the server. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of the database. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a part of the flow of the merchandise display position alert process. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing another part of the flow of the merchandise display position alert process. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the remaining part of the flow of the merchandise display position alert process. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing display contents of the PDA terminal. FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the POS terminal. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing executed in the POS terminal. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing the display contents of the display screen of the POS terminal display.

  One embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an entire product display position alert system 101. The merchandise display position alert system 101 is installed in the supermarket 102. The supermarket 102 is divided into a sales floor space 105 where merchandise 103 is displayed and a customer 104 shop, and a backyard 107 where only a store clerk 106 can enter.

  In the sales space 105, eight product display shelves 109 are installed. Each of these merchandise display shelves 109 will be described with reference numerals A to H as shown in FIG. Clothing is displayed on the product display shelves A to D, and food items are displayed on the product display shelves E to G, respectively. A special corner for selling only a specific product 103 is opened in the product display shelf H. The customer 104 walks through the sales space 105 with the shopping basket 110 prepared in advance by the supermarket 102, puts the product 103 to be purchased into the shopping basket 110, and goes to the cash register area 111 for accounting. The customer 104 may carry out the accounting by holding the product 103 directly in the hand without picking up the shopping basket 110 in the cash register area 111. On the other hand, the store clerk 106 performs guidance and product display work for the customer 104 in the sales floor space 105, and performs inventory check work in the backyard 107. The store clerk 106 operates a POS terminal 113 installed in the cash register area 111 of the sales floor space 105 to perform accounting transactions of the product 103 with the customer 104, or guides terminals 115 installed in the service counter 114 in the sales floor space 105. To guide the customer 104. Both the POS terminal 113 and the guidance terminal 115 are connected to a LAN 116 disposed in the supermarket 102. A server 117 serving as a system control unit installed in the backyard 107 is connected to the LAN 116. A wireless access point 119 is connected to the LAN 116. As an example, the wireless access point 119 is provided on the ceiling (not shown) of the sales space 105. The wireless access point 119 performs wireless communication with the PDA terminal 112 as a notification terminal carried by the clerk 106 during business. Here, the server 117 and the wireless access point 119 constitute a signal output unit that transmits and outputs a wireless signal.

  RFID tags 121 are attached to all the products 103 displayed on the product display shelf 109. Each RFID tag 121 stores a product attribute related to each product. As the product attribute, for example, a product code that identifies each product can be adopted as long as it is a product that is clearly different for each model number, such as stationery. As another example, a category code indicating the category of each product can be adopted as long as the product cannot be clearly classified, such as a side dish assortment pack. Any product attribute can be used as long as it plays the role of identifying the nature of the product, and is not limited to such product code or category code. Hereinafter, description will be made assuming that a product code is stored in the RFID tag 121.

  FIG. 2 is a front view schematically showing the commodity display shelf 109. The product display shelf 109 includes three shelf plates 123 having a radio wave absorption function, and three product storage spaces 124 are formed. In each merchandise storage space 124, an antenna 126 that is attached to the back plate 125 of the merchandise display shelf 109 and performs short-distance wireless communication with the RFID tag 121 is disposed. The antenna 126 is provided in the full width direction of the product storage space 124 so that short-distance wireless communication with the RFID tag 121 can be performed wherever the RFID tag 121 is positioned in the product storage space 124. The antenna 126 is connected to a reading circuit 127 positioned below the merchandise display shelf 109. The reading circuit 127 is connected to a wireless communication interface 128 that transmits and outputs a wireless signal to the wireless access point 119 (see FIG. 1). Here, the reading circuit 127 reads the product code stored in the RFID tag 121 attached to the product 103 via the antenna 126, and causes the wireless communication interface 128 to transmit and output the product code as a radio signal. That is, the antenna 126 and the reading circuit 127 constitute an RFID reader 122.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the server 117. The server 117 includes an information processing unit 134 that includes a CPU 131, a ROM 132, and a RAM 133. The information processing unit 134 is connected to the hard disk 136, the keyboard 137, the display 138, and the network interface 139 via the bus line 135. The network interface 139 realizes data communication between the server 117 and other devices connected to the LAN 116.

  The hard disk 136 stores a program 140 for causing the CPU 131 to perform various types of information processing, and a database 142 (described later with reference to FIG. 4). The program 140 also includes a product display position alert program 141 that causes the CPU 131 to realize the processing shown in FIGS. In addition, the program 140 includes an OS and a driver program. The CPU 131 copies all or part of the program 140 to the RAM 133 when the server 117 is activated, and executes processing according to the description content of the program 140.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of the database 142. The database 142 includes a shelf master 143, a shelf detail master 144, a shelf status table 145, a product master 146, and a notification rule table 147, and functions as a shelf rule storage unit.

  The shelf master 143 defines a shelf mode 143b indicating the degree of diversity of the products 103 to be displayed on each product display shelf 109 in association with a shelf code 143a that identifies the product display shelf 109. More specifically, when only the product 103 of one predetermined category is displayed on the product display shelf 109, the shelf mode 143b corresponding to the shelf code 143a of the product display shelf 109 is set to “0”. Further, when displaying products 103 of a predetermined plurality of categories on the product display shelf 109, the shelf mode 143 b corresponding to the shelf code 143 a of the product display shelf 109 is set to “1”. When a predetermined type of product 103 is displayed on the product display shelf 109, the shelf mode 143b corresponding to the shelf code 143a of the product display shelf 109 is set to “2”.

  The shelf detail master 144 stores the shelf code 144a and the display permission information 144b that defines the product 103 to be displayed on the product display shelf 109 in association with each other, and forms the core of the shelf rule storage unit. In FIG. 4B, “category γ” is stored as the display permission information 144b in association with the shelf code 144a “A”. Here, the category γ indicates bottoms. This indicates that only the product 103 belonging to the category γ should be placed on the product display shelf A specified by the shelf code 144a. In FIG. 4B, “category α, category β” is stored as the display permission information 144b in association with the shelf code 144a “B”. Here, category α indicates tops, and category β indicates bottoms. This indicates that the product 103 belonging to either the category α or the category β should be placed on the product display shelf B specified by the shelf code 144a. Further, in FIG. 4B, “code M1” is stored as display permission information 144b in association with the shelf code 144a “C”. This indicates that only the product 103 specified by the product code of the code M1 should be displayed on the product display shelf C specified by the shelf code 144a. The shelf detail master 144 also stores a notification rank 144c in association with the shelf code 144a. This notification rank 144c is the type of notification signal transmitted and output to the PDA terminal 112 when a product other than the product to be placed on the product display shelf 109 is placed on the product display shelf 109 by the display permission information 144b. Shows the difference. “Level 1” is set as the notification rank 144c for the merchandise display shelf 109 where it is not desirable to mix other types of merchandise. Further, “level 2” is set as the notification rank 144c for the product display shelf 109 where it is desired to avoid mixing other types of products. As an example, “level 2” is set in the notification rank 144c corresponding to the shelf code 144a of the product display shelf 109 that is a special corner where only one type of product should be displayed. In this way, the notification rank 144c is set according to the type of the product 103 to be displayed on the product display shelf 109.

  The shelf status table 145 has a structure capable of storing the shelf code 145a and the product code 145b in association with each other.

  The product master 146 defines which category each product 103 belongs to, and stores a product code 146a and a category code 146b in association with each other.

  The notification rule table 147 defines which PDA terminal 112 is to be notified when a product other than the product to be placed on the product display shelf 109 is placed, and identifies the PDA terminal 112. The notification terminal code 147a and the notification rank 147b are stored in association with each other.

  The program 140 stored in the hard disk 136 of the server 117 includes an application program (not shown) for editing the contents of the shelf master 143, the shelf detail master 144, the shelf status table 145, the product master 146, and the notification rule table 147. It is included. Then, the user can start this application program via the keyboard 137 and the display 138 provided in the server 117, and can rewrite the contents of these data constituting the database 142 as necessary.

  In the product display position alert system 101 configured as described above, the reading circuit 127 of the RFID reader 122 installed in each product display shelf 109 periodically emits radio waves and is positioned in the product display shelf 109. Short-distance wireless communication is performed with the tag 121, the product code stored in the RFID tag 121 is acquired, and transmitted from the wireless communication interface 128 to the server 117. The server 117 waits for reception of a product code transmitted from the RFID reader 122. When the server 117 determines reception, the server 117 associates the received product code with the shelf code that identifies the product display shelf 109 to which the receiving RFID reader 122 is attached, and stores the received product code in the shelf status table 145 in the database 142. To remember. In this way, the shelf status table 145 stores the product codes of all the products 103 displayed on each product display shelf 109.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a part of the flow of the merchandise display position alert process. The CPU 131 of the server 117 executes the product display position alert program 141 during the activation of the device, and starts the product display position alert process. With this commodity display position alert program 141, the CPU 131 refers to the notification rule table 147 and stores the notification terminal code 147a and the notification rank 147b corresponding thereto in the RAM 133 (step S100).

  Subsequently, the CPU 131 waits for processing for a predetermined waiting time (step S101), and then refers to the shelf master 143 to change the shelf mode 143b set in the one product display shelf 109 to be processed. Grasp (step S102). The standby time in step S101 can be set to a desired time (for example, 3 minutes) by the user via the keyboard 137 and the display 138 by the processing by the program 140 stored in the hard disk 136 of the server 117.

  Hereinafter, description will be given assuming that the product display shelf A is the product display shelf 109 to be processed. Subsequently, the CPU 131 refers to the shelf detail master 144 and acquires the notification rank 144c corresponding to the shelf code of the processing target product display shelf 109 (step S102a).

  Subsequently, the CPU 131 branches the process depending on whether the shelf mode 143b grasped in step S102 is “0”, “1”, or “2” (step S103, step S104). The case where the shelf mode 143b is “1” or “2” will be described later with reference to FIGS. When it is determined that the shelf mode 143b is “0” (Y in Step S103), the CPU 131 refers to the shelf detail master 144 and acquires the display permission information 144b corresponding to the shelf code of the product display shelf 109 to be processed. Then, one category of the product 103 to be displayed on the product display shelf 109 is determined (step S105).

  In step S <b> 105, the CPU 131 refers to the shelf detail master 144, and sets the category determined in the display permission information 144 b corresponding to the shelf code of the product display shelf 109 to be processed on the product display shelf 109. It is adopted as the category 103 (see the symbol P in FIG. 4B). For this reason, for the product display shelf 109 for which the shelf mode 143b is set to “0” in the shelf master 143, it is desirable that a single category is set in the display permission information 144b of the shelf detail master 144. On the other hand, in step S105, if the data stored as the display permission information 144b of the shelf detail master 144 indicates two or more categories, the CPU 131 displays the category stored at the head as the product display. Adopted as a category of the commodity 103 to be displayed on the shelf 109 (see reference sign Q in FIG. 4B). In step S105, if the data stored as the display permission information 144b of the shelf detail master 144 is a product code, the CPU 131 refers to the product master 146 and the product code stored at the head belongs. The category is determined, and the category is adopted as the category of the product 103 to be displayed on the product display shelf 109 (see symbol R in FIG. 4B).

  As a subsequent process, the CPU 131 refers to the shelf status table 145 to obtain the product code 145b corresponding to the shelf code of the product display shelf 109 to be processed, and all the products displayed on the product display shelf 109 to be processed. The product code 103 is grasped (step S106).

  As a subsequent process, the CPU 131 determines whether or not there is a product 103 (exception product) that should not be displayed on the product display shelf 109 to be processed (step S107). In this determination, the category code 146b corresponding to all the product codes grasped in step S106 is grasped with reference to the product master 146, and the category code 146b includes those that do not match the category decided in step S105. If it is, the CPU 131 determines that there is an exceptional product. Only when it is determined that there is an exceptional product (Y in step S107), the CPU 131 notifies the notification rule table 147 stored in the RAM 133 in step S100 that matches the notification rank 144c acquired in step S102a. The terminal code 147a is extracted, and control is performed to transmit and output a notification signal for notifying the PDA terminal 112 specified by the extracted notification terminal code 147a to the wireless access point 119 (step S108). The notification signal includes the shelf code of the product display shelf 109 in which the exceptional product is generated and the notification rank. The contents of the notification rank and the operation of the PDA terminal 112 when receiving the notification signal will be described later with reference to FIG.

  After performing the process of step S108 or when it is determined in step S107 that there is no exceptional product (N in step S107), the CPU 131 moves the product display shelf 109 to be processed to the next product display shelf 109. (Step S109), the process returns to Step S101. In step S109, when the product display shelf 109 to be processed this time is the product display shelf A, the CPU 131 sets the next processing target to the product display shelf B, and the product display shelf 109 to be processed this time is the product display shelf B. If it is B, the next processing target is the product display shelf C,..., And if the current product display shelf 109 is the product display shelf H, the next processing target is the product display shelf A. For this reason, the merchandise display shelf 109 to be processed changes every moment as the merchandise display position alert process proceeds.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing another part of the flow of the merchandise display position alert process. When the server 117 determines that the shelf mode 143b of the product display shelf 109 to be processed grasped in step S102 of the product display position alert process (see FIG. 5) is “1” (N in step S103, step S104) Y) The CPU 131 refers to the shelf detail master 144 to obtain the display permission information 144b corresponding to the shelf code of the product display shelf 109 to be processed, and the plurality of categories of the product 103 to be displayed on the product display shelf 109. Is determined (step S201). The difference between the above-described step S105 (see FIG. 5) and step S201 is the number of categories. That is, the shelf mode 143b “0” is a mode in which only the products 103 to be displayed on the product display shelf 109 belong to a single category, while the shelf mode 143b “1” is a product display shelf. In this mode, the product 103 to be displayed in 109 is allowed to belong to one of a plurality of categories.

  In step S <b> 201, the CPU 131 refers to the shelf detail master 144, and sets the category determined in the display permission information 144 b corresponding to the shelf code of the product display shelf 109 to be processed on the product display shelf 109. It is adopted as the category 103 (see the symbol Q in FIG. 4B). For this reason, for the product display shelf 109 for which the shelf mode 143b is set to “1” in the shelf master 143, it is desirable that a plurality of categories be set in the display permission information 144b of the shelf detail master 144. On the other hand, in step S201, if the data stored as the display permission information 144b of the shelf detail master 144 indicates one category, the CPU 131 displays the one category on the product display shelf 109. Adopted as a category of the product 103 to be performed (see reference P in FIG. 4B). In step S201, if the data stored as the display permission information 144b of the shelf detail master 144 is a product code, the CPU 131 refers to the product master 146 to determine a category to which these product codes belong. The category is adopted as the category of the product 103 to be displayed on the product display shelf 109 (see reference numeral R in FIG. 4B).

  As a subsequent process, the CPU 131 refers to the shelf status table 145 to obtain the product code 145b corresponding to the shelf code of the product display shelf 109 to be processed, and all the products displayed on the product display shelf 109 to be processed. The product code 103 is grasped (step S202), and the process proceeds to step S107 (see FIG. 5).

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the remaining part of the flow of the merchandise display position alert process. When the server 117 determines that the shelf mode 143b of the product display shelf 109 to be processed grasped in step S102 of the product display position alert process (see FIG. 5) is “2” (N in step S103, step S104) N), the CPU 131 acquires the display permission information 144b corresponding to the shelf code of the product display shelf 109 to be processed with reference to the shelf detail master 144, and sets the product code of the product 103 to be displayed on the product display shelf 109. Determine (step S301). That is, the shelf mode 143b “2” is a mode in which a product that matches the product code defined in the display permission information 144b of the shelf detail master 144 is permitted as a product to be displayed on the product display shelf 109.

  In step S301, the CPU 131 refers to the shelf detail master 144 and should display the product code defined in the display permission information 144b corresponding to the shelf code of the product display shelf 109 to be processed on the product display shelf 109. Adopted as the product code of the product 103 (see symbol R in FIG. 4B). For this reason, for the product display shelf 109 for which the shelf mode 143b is set to “2” in the shelf master 143, it is desirable that the product code is set in the display permission information 144b of the shelf detail master 144. On the other hand, in step S301, when the data stored as the display permission information 144b of the shelf detail master 144 is one or more categories, the CPU 131 refers to the product master 146 and sets these categories. The corresponding product code is grasped and adopted as the product code of the product 103 to be displayed on the product display shelf 109 (see reference symbols P and Q in FIG. 4B).

  As a subsequent process, the CPU 131 refers to the shelf status table 145 to obtain the product code 145b corresponding to the shelf code of the product display shelf 109 to be processed, and all the products displayed on the product display shelf 109 to be processed. The product code 103 is grasped (step S302), and the process proceeds to step S107 (see FIG. 5). In the determination process performed by the CPU 131 in step S107 at this time, if the CPU 131 determines that the product code grasped in step S302 includes a product code that does not match the product code grasped in step S301, an exception is made. It is determined that the product exists.

  FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing display contents of the PDA terminal 112. The PDA terminal 112 is a portable terminal that includes a display screen 112 a and has a function of receiving a wireless signal transmitted from the wireless access point 119 and displaying it on this 12 a, and is carried by the store clerk 106. In this display screen 112a, a message display unit 151 is provided above, and an alert unit 152 is provided below. The alert unit 152 includes a shelf code of the product display shelf 109 in which the exceptional product is generated, and a notification rank (notification rank 144c shown in FIG. 4 (e), see also the notification rank 147b). The notification rank includes “level 1” and “level 2”, and “level 2” indicates that the degree of urgency is higher than “level 1”.

  While the PDA terminal 112 has not received the notification signal transmitted and output in step S108 (see FIG. 5) of the merchandise display position alert process, the message display section 151 of the display screen 112a says “No display shelf exception merchandise”. A message is displayed (FIG. 8A).

  When the PDA terminal 112 receives a notification signal including information that the notification rank is “level 1”, the PDA terminal 112 displays a message “A display shelf exception product has been found” on the message display unit 151 of the display screen 112a, Further, the alert code is displayed in association with the shelf code of the product display shelf 109 in which the exceptional product is generated and the notification rank corresponding to the product display shelf 109, which are transmitted by the notification signal, in the alert unit 152 (FIG. 8B). )).

  When the PDA terminal 112 receives a notification signal including information that the notification rank is “level 2”, the message display unit 151 of the display screen 112a says “A display shelf exception product has been found. A message is displayed, and the alert code is displayed on the alert unit 152 in association with the shelf code of the product display shelf 109 in which the exceptional product is generated and the notification rank corresponding to the product display shelf 109, which is transmitted by the notification signal, A buzzer (not shown) provided in the PDA terminal 112 is sounded (FIG. 8C).

  In the supermarket 102 in which the product display position alert system 101 configured as described above is introduced, the efficiency of ordering work of products by the store clerk can be easily realized as follows.

  First, the store clerk operates the keyboard 137 and the display 138 of the server 117 to edit the data stored in the database 142, so that the merchandise display shelves 109 (A to H) to be displayed on the product display shelves 109 (A to H). Determine the type. As an example, since the merchandise display shelf A displays clothing belonging to the bottoms category, the shelf mode 143b corresponding to 143a “A” is set to “0” in the shelf master 143, and the shelf code in the shelf detail master 144 is set. The category code “category γ” is stored in the display permission information 144 b corresponding to 144 a “A”. Also, since the clothing display shelf B displays clothing belonging to either the tops or the coat category, the shelf mode 143b corresponding to 143a “B” is set to “1” in the shelf master 143, and the shelf detail master is set. In 144, the category code “category α, category β” is stored in the display permission information 144b corresponding to the shelf code 144a “B”. Further, the product display shelf H is provided with a special corner for selling only the specific product 103, and only the product 103 whose product code is “code M1” is sold there. The shelf mode 143b corresponding to 143a “H” is set to “2”, and one type of product code “code M1” is stored in the display permission information 144b corresponding to the shelf code 144a “H” in the shelf detail master 144.

  In this way, when the customer 104 picks up the product 103 from the product display shelf 109 for which the condition is set for the product display shelf 109 and returns the product 103 to the product display shelf 109 that should not be displayed, the product 103 The RFID reader 122 provided in the returned merchandise display shelf 109 reads the merchandise code stored in the RFID tag 121 attached to the merchandise 103 and transmits it to the server 117. When the server 117 determines that a product (exception product) that is not the product 103 to be displayed on the product display shelf 109 is displayed, a notification signal is sent from the server 117 to the PDA terminal 112 carried by the store clerk 106. Is emitted. Upon receiving this notification signal, the store clerk 106 looks at the display content displayed on the display screen 112a of the PDA terminal 112 and grasps the product display shelf 109 in which exceptional products are mixed, whereby the exceptional product is displayed on the product display shelf 109. The work to remove from can be done immediately. Here, the PDA terminal 112 performs an operation corresponding to each of “level 1” and “level 2” for each notification rank. For this reason, the store clerk 106 is in balance with other operations currently being performed. Thus, it is possible to determine whether it is necessary to urgently remove the exceptional product or to remove the removal work later. In particular, the commodity display position alert system 101 according to the present embodiment can be introduced into the supermarket 102 without attaching the RFID reader 122 to the shopping basket 110 or the PDA terminal 112 as a notification terminal. The initial cost can be greatly reduced. Furthermore, since the product display position alert system 101 according to the present embodiment prompts the clerk 106 to remove the exceptional product, the customer 104 does not interfere with the purchase behavior and deprives the customer of the opportunity to purchase the product. There is no end.

  In addition, according to the product display position alert system 101 of the present embodiment, in step S101 (see FIG. 5) of the product display position alert process, the process is advanced by waiting for a predetermined waiting time. Thereby, when the customer 104 arranges the plurality of products 103 on the product display shelf 109 in order to determine the product 103 to be purchased, the product code of the exceptional product that should not be displayed there is transferred from the RFID tag 121 to the RFID reader. Even if it is read by 122, the notification operation is not performed at the PDA terminal 112 each time.

  Next, another embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In this case, the same reference numerals are used for the same parts as those in the embodiment described with reference to FIGS. The merchandise display position alert system 101 of the present embodiment is an application of a POS terminal 113 installed in a cash register area 111 as a notification terminal.

  FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the POS terminal 113. The POS terminal 113 includes a display 113a as a display unit having a display screen 161 (see FIG. 11), a keyboard 113b, a barcode reader 113c, a receipt printer 113d, and a hard disk 113e storing various programs and data. And a microcomputer 113f as a terminal control unit that controls these controls. A touch panel 113g is laminated on the display 113a, and coordinate information indicating coordinates touch-designated by the touch panel 113g is input to the microcomputer 113f. The microcomputer 113f is connected to a communication interface 113h as a signal receiving unit that receives signals. The microcomputer 113f executes a communication program that realizes data communication between the server 117 and the POS terminal 113 via the communication interface 113h.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing executed by the POS terminal 113. The microcomputer 113f of the POS terminal 113 executes a program stored in the hard disk 113e during the activation of the device and waits for reception of a notification signal transmitted and output from the server 117 (step S401). When the reception of the notification signal is determined (Y in step S401), the microcomputer 113f pops up a balloon-shaped status grasping icon 162 (see FIG. 11A) on the display screen 161 of the display 113a. In the present embodiment, the notification signal is not transmitted as a wireless signal from the wireless access point 119 but is input from the server 117 to the POS terminal 113 via the LAN 116. That is, in this embodiment, the server 117 itself is a signal output unit.

  In addition, the microcomputer 113f waits for the touch designation on the situation grasping icon 162 from the touch panel 113g with the situation grasping icon 162 displayed on the display screen 161 (step S501). If it is determined that touch designation has been made (Y in step S501), the microcomputer 113f outputs a transmission request for causing the server 117 to transmit information regarding the presence or absence of exceptional products in each product display shelf 109 (step S502). ). Then, the microcomputer 113f displays the information regarding the presence / absence of the exceptional product received from the server 117 on the display screen 161 of the display 113a (step S503, FIG. 11B).

  FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing display contents on the display screen 161 of the display 113a of the POS terminal 113. As shown in FIG. Normally, a product registration screen 161 a as shown in FIG. 11A is displayed on the display screen 161 of the display 113 a of the POS terminal 113. This product registration screen is used for an accounting transaction for the product 103 performed between the store clerk 106 and the customer 104. In such a lower left area of the display screen 161, the status grasping icon 162 is displayed by the process of step S402 described above. The status grasping icon 162 includes a message “display shelf exceptional product ant”. The clerk operating the POS terminal 113 recognizes that the exceptional product is displayed on any of the product display shelves 109 in the supermarket 102 by looking at the status grasping icon 162. Can do.

  When the store clerk 106 touches and designates the status grasping icon 162 via the touch panel 113g, the product registration screen 161a is switched to the display shelf status list screen 163 by the process of step S503 described above (FIG. 11B). . The display shelf status list screen 163 schematically represents the arrangement of the product display shelves 109 in the sales floor space 105. On the display shelf status list screen 163, the product display shelf 109 corresponding to the notification signal with the exceptional product being displayed and the notification rank “level 1” is stacked with the letters “caution” on the shaded background. Displayed. Further, on the display shelf status list screen 163, a white character “warning” is superimposed and displayed on a black background. The store clerk operating the POS terminal 113 can recognize which merchandise display shelves 109 in the supermarket 102 need to remove exceptional products as soon as possible by viewing the display shelves status list screen 163. .

  As yet another embodiment, a status grasping icon 162 and a display shelf status list screen 163 displayed on the display screen 161 of the display 113a of the POS terminal 113 are displayed on the guidance terminal 115 installed in the service counter 114. You may do it.

  As described above, according to the product display position alert system of the embodiment, it is not necessary to attach an RFID to each shopping basket, and the notification terminal notifies when a product that should not be displayed on the product display shelf is displayed. Only when the operation is performed and the notification terminal performs the notification operation, the store clerk only needs to arrange the products displayed on the product display shelf, and thus, it is easy to improve the efficiency of the operation of arranging the products by the store clerk. be able to.

101 Commodity display position alert system 103 Commodity 109 Commodity display shelf 112 PDA terminal (notification terminal)
113 POS terminal (notification terminal)
113a Display (display unit)
113f Microcomputer (terminal control unit)
113h Communication interface (signal receiver)
117 server (system control unit)
119 Wireless access point (signal output unit)
121 RFID Tag 122 RFID Reader 141 Product Display Position Alert Program 142 Database (Shelf Rule Storage Unit)

JP 2005-352725 A

Claims (6)

Product display shelves,
An RFID reader that is provided for each of the product display shelves and reads a product type from an RFID tag that is attached to a product displayed on the product display shelf and stores the product type;
A signal output unit for outputting a signal toward the notification terminal;
A shelf master that stores which type of product or category is adopted as display permission information of a product to be displayed on the product display shelf for each product display shelf;
A shelf detail master for storing, for each of the product display shelves, the type or category of the product to be displayed on the product display shelf;
When the type of the display permission information of the shelf detail master corresponding to the product display shelf provided with the RFID reader that has read the product is different from the type of the shelf master, the shelf master is based on the shelf master. System control that corrects the display permission information of the shelf detail master and executes a process of outputting a notification signal to the signal output unit when it is determined that a product that does not match the display permission information of the shelf detail master is displayed And
Product display position alert system with. Product display shelves,
Provided for each of the product display shelves, periodically emit radio waves to perform near field communication with RFID tags attached to the products displayed on the product display shelves, and store product codes stored in the RFID tags. An RFID reader for obtaining and outputting;
A signal output unit for outputting a signal toward the notification terminal;
A shelf detail master for storing a category of a product to be displayed on the product display shelf in association with a shelf code specifying the product display shelf;
A shelf status table that stores the product code output from the RFID reader and a shelf code that specifies the product display shelf provided with the RFID reader that is the output source of the product code in association with each other;
A product master for storing a category code defining which category the product belongs to and the product code;
The product code corresponding to the shelf code of the product display shelf to be processed is obtained with reference to the shelf status table, the category code corresponding to the obtained product code is obtained from the product master, and the category code If there is a product that does not match the category corresponding to the shelf code of the product display shelf provided with the RFID reader of the output source associated with the shelf detail master, the exceptional product is A system control unit that executes a process of causing the signal output unit to output a notification signal that is determined to exist and causes the notification terminal to perform a notification operation;
Product display position alert system with. The product display shelf includes a product storage space formed by a plate having a radio wave absorption function,
The product display position alert system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the RFID tag is attached to a product displayed in the product storage space. The shelf detail master is a notification indicating a difference in the type of notification signal transmitted to the notification terminal when a product other than the product to be placed on the product display shelf is placed on the product display shelf. Store the rank in association with the shelf code,
The system control unit, when a product other than the product to be placed on the product display shelf is placed on the product display shelf, the notification rank associated with the shelf code of the product display shelf The product display position alert system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: A notification rule table for storing the notification terminal code for specifying the notification terminal and the notification rank in association with each other;
The commodity display position alert system according to claim 4, wherein the system control unit outputs the notification rank to the notification terminal that matches the notification rank. A product display shelf, an RFID reader that is provided for each product display shelf and that is attached to a product displayed on the product display shelf and reads a product code from an RFID tag that stores a product attribute of the product, and a notification terminal Installed in a computer constituting a product display position alert system including a signal output unit that outputs a signal, and displayed on the product display shelf in association with a shelf code that identifies the product display shelf on the computer Corresponding to the shelf detail master that stores the category of the product to be stored, the product code output from the RFID reader, and the shelf code that identifies the product display shelf provided with the RFID reader from which the product code is output Shelf status table to be stored, category code defining which category the product belongs to, and the product code The product master that stores and stores the product code corresponding to the shelf code of the product display shelf to be processed is obtained from the shelf status table by referring to the shelf rule storage unit that stores the product master. The category code corresponding to the code is acquired from the product master, and the shelf code of the product display shelf in which the RFID reader of the output source associated with the shelf detail master is provided in the category code If a category that does not match the category corresponding to is included, a product display position alert program that realizes a function of causing the signal output unit to output a notification signal for determining that there is an exceptional product and causing the notification terminal to perform a notification operation .

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