JP2000134147A - Data communication system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhance convenience by automatically starting data communication between a purchaser side device and a sales shop side device, so as to realize advertisement of articles from the sales shop side device when the purchaser side device carried directly or indirectly by a purchaser approaches a selling office. SOLUTION: A radio wave beacon transmission reception section 22 of a selling office side device 20 always transmits a radio wave beacon signal, and when a purchaser side device 10 carried by a purchaser enters the reception area of the radio wave beacon signal, a radio wave beacon transmission reception section 12 of the purchaser side device 10 transmits an acknowledgement signal. The selling office side device 20 accesses the purchaser side device 10 by using access data specified by a purchaser ID in the acknowledgement signal via a public telephone line 30 and transmits article advertisement information to the purchaser side device 10. The purchaser can decides on the intention of purchase by looking at the advertisement information, before actually looking at articles in the sales shop. Then the purchaser can also use the purchaser side device 10 to place an order to the selling office side device 20.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to information for trading by communicating data between, for example, a seller's device installed at a store and a buyer's device that purchases goods at the store. The present invention relates to a data communication system for performing exchange.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been widely known a "mail order sales" system in which a user can make a purchase while staying at home by, for example, telephone, facsimile, or data communication using a personal computer. In this system, a purchaser's device such as the telephone, facsimile or personal computer accesses a seller's device (also a telephone, facsimile or personal computer) to order a product. However, for example, there may be cases where it is desired to know in detail the product to be ordered or whether or not the product is in stock at the time of access. Therefore, information on the product is transmitted from the seller device to the buyer device by bidirectional data communication. Preferably, it is transmitted.

[0003] However, in these mail-order systems, generally, access from the buyer's device to the seller's device triggers data communication between the two devices.
In other words, the situation is not established unless the seller's device is the main body and an order for a product is made to the seller's device, or a request to return product information is made. Note that a method of triggering the data communication between both the user side and the seller side device from the seller side device as described above is also conceivable. In this case, for example, the purchase It is necessary for the seller's device to individually call the seller's device to advertise the product or to make a so-called "call-to-call" request for a product order. Therefore, for example, when contracts are made with 100 user terminal devices, 100 accesses are required. In addition, since the necessity of ordering a product does not always occur at the time of "calling" performed at a regular time, there are many irrational aspects.

A fundamental problem in the mail order system is that a relatively long time is required from the time of ordering to the time of actual product purchase. On the other hand, if a user goes to a store and purchases a product,
It is suitable in that you can purchase the products you want when you want them. However, it is also conceivable that the merchant actually went to the merchant, but the merchant did not have any merchandise. And even if there is a product at the store, the store must first take necessary measures when purchasing the product.
Specifically, it is necessary to specify a desired product to be purchased in consideration of a product type, a price, and the like, to inform the seller of the intention to purchase, and wait for the seller to perform necessary processing. .

[0005] Therefore, if these points are compared and weighed, it is assumed that the user himself / herself will go to the store when purchasing a product, but not after the user actually sees it at the store. It is preferable from the viewpoint of convenience to complete processing such as product confirmation and ordering before arrival at the store.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a method for automatically starting data communication between a purchaser's device and a device carried by the purchaser when the purchaser's device directly or indirectly approaches the store. The purpose of the present invention is to improve convenience by realizing product advertisements and the like.

[0007]

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention The data communication system according to the first aspect of the present invention, which has been made to achieve the above object, is installed in a store as exemplified in the claim correspondence diagram of FIG. A system in which a seller's device and a buyer's device carried directly or indirectly by a buyer are connected via a wireless communication line, and data communication for merchandise trading is performed between the two devices. Each device functions as follows.

[0008] That is, the presence notification signal transmitting means of the seller-side device can receive only within a predetermined notification area,
In addition, it transmits a signal for notifying its existence. On the other hand, in the buyer device, when the presence notification signal receiving means receives the presence notification signal transmitted from the seller device,
The response signal transmitting means transmits a predetermined response signal including the identification information of the own device. The transmitted response signal is received by response signal receiving means of the seller device.

In this case, as the signal in this case, for example, a radio wave beacon signal or an optical beacon signal can be adopted, but it is necessary to consider the following points. In other words, the “predetermined notification area” in which the presence notification signal can be received is appropriately set for the purpose of system construction. Specifically, it is not effective if reception is not possible unless the user is too close to a position, and conversely, there is no benefit even if reception is possible even at a position that is too far away. Therefore, for example, a configuration is conceivable in which a signal is transmitted that can be received if the distance is as close as 30 m and cannot be received if the distance is 1 km or more.
Therefore, a signal transmitting / receiving mechanism having such a capability is employed. Of course, these numerical values are merely examples, and a signal transmission / reception mechanism having an appropriate capability may be adopted according to a situation to which the present system is applied. In reality, it is considered that the radio wave beacon signal is appropriate also from the point of its receivable area, but it is also possible to use, for example, an optical beacon signal using an infrared ray or an FM signal.

[0010] Then, in the seller-side device that has received the above-mentioned response signal, the access means connects the buyer-side device via the wireless communication line based on the identification information of the buyer-side device included in the response signal. Access data for access is specified, and the purchaser device is accessed via the wireless communication line using the access data. The above-mentioned access data may be, for example, a telephone number or an e-mail address. Then, the advertisement information notifying unit notifies the buyer side device of the access destination by the access unit of the advertisement information of the predetermined product. For example, promotional information about "Today's Sale Items"
Notify at least about the price. It is preferable to include not only sale items but also items that are likely to be purchased on a daily basis in the advertisement information.

[0011] In the buyer's device, when the seller's device accesses and the advertisement information is notified by the product information notification means, the advertisement information notifying means notifies the user of the notified advertisement information. I do. In this case, it is preferable to display the information on a display device or the like to visually notify the user. Of course, voice notification may be used instead of display notification (or together with display notification). Note that, for example, when advertising information is displayed on a display device and visually notified only, the purchaser may not know what is being displayed. Therefore, in such a case, it is preferable to output a warning sound to alert the user and notify the user of the display.

As described above, according to the data communication system of the present invention, when the purchaser's device directly or indirectly carried by the purchaser approaches the store, the data communication between the two devices is automatically performed. It is started and the merchandise is advertised from the seller's device. Therefore, based on the product promotion,
The purchase intention can be determined before the buyer arrives at the store and actually sees the product, and the convenience is improved. In addition, since product advertisements are notified when approaching the store, users can bring their own print media such as so-called advertisement leaflets inserted in newspapers, etc. It is convenient without having to keep it.

In the case of the data communication system according to the first aspect of the present invention, the access via the wireless communication line is performed from the seller side device. Conversely, such access may be performed from the purchaser's device. That is, as exemplified in the claim correspondence diagram of FIG. 9, in the data communication system of claim 2, the presence notification signal transmitted from the presence notification signal transmitting means of the seller-side device includes its own device (that is, this device). In this case, the identification information of the seller device is included, and in the buyer device that has received the presence notification signal, the access means includes:
Based on the identification information of the seller device included in the presence notification signal, access data for accessing the seller device via the wireless communication line is specified, and the access data is used for wireless communication. Access the seller's device via the line.

The seller device accessed by the buyer device notifies the buyer device of the access source of the advertisement information of the predetermined product, and the buyer device receives the notification information. Notify the user of the advertising information. Even with the data communication system configured as described above, the same effects as those of the system according to claim 1 can be obtained.
When accessing from the purchaser side device in this way, for example, when using a general telephone line, a telephone charge is usually charged to the owner of the purchaser side device which is the access subject. Therefore, if a system of the receiving side such as so-called free dialing is used, the fee for such access can be borne by the store side, which is preferable in terms of promoting use. From this point of view, when the seller-side device is the main subject of access as described in claim 1, there is no particular problem since the store bears the telephone charge as a rule in principle.

On the other hand, in the case of the data communication system according to claim 1 or 2, a method is used in which a presence notification signal is transmitted from the seller device and the purchaser device receiving the signal notifies the presence notification signal. That is, the trigger for starting data communication between the seller-side device and the buyer-side device is a transmission signal from the seller-side device. It is also conceivable to perform the processing from the purchaser's device.

That is, as exemplified in the claim correspondence diagram of FIG. 10, in the data communication system according to claim 3,
The purchaser device can detect the current position of the device itself, and further stores the location of the store and access data for accessing the seller device installed in the store via a wireless communication line. are doing. Therefore, if the current position detected by the position detecting means is within a predetermined range from the position of the store, the access means accesses the seller's device via the wireless communication line using the access data. . That is, the above-mentioned signal from the purchaser device is not used.

Then, the seller device accessed from the buyer device via the wireless communication line notifies the buyer device of the access source of the advertisement information of the predetermined product. The purchaser device notifies the user of the advertisement information notified from the seller device. Even with the data communication system configured as described above, the same effect as in the case of the system according to claim 1 or 2 can be obtained. In the system of claim 1 or 2, since the signal is transmitted from the seller's device, it is necessary to always transmit the signal regardless of the presence or absence of the buyer's device. When accessing from the seller side device, signal transmission from the seller side device is unnecessary. Of course, for example, GP
A configuration for position detection using S (Global Positioning System) or the like is required.

The purchaser device in this case can be configured as a dedicated device for this system, but can also be configured as a comprehensive portable information terminal having functions such as a mobile phone function. In the case of such a configuration, it may be preferable to provide a position detection function using a GPS or the like in consideration of other applications.

In each of the above-described data communication systems, the following measures can be taken with respect to the advertisement information notifying means of the buyer's device. For example, as described in claim 4, when a plurality of pieces of advertisement information are notified for the same type of product, only the advertisement information that meets a predetermined condition is selected and notified. This is effective when a plurality of brands exist for the same type of product and a plurality of pieces of advertisement information are notified. Of course, all of a plurality of pieces of advertising information may be reported, but in that case, the buyer himself must make some selection from the advertising information. Therefore, if the condition for selection by the buyer is set in advance, only the advertisement information meeting the condition is selected and notified, so that only the information truly necessary for the buyer can be obtained. Note that the same situation occurs when one buyer-side device is configured to simultaneously receive advertisement information from a plurality of seller-side devices.
This is also effective in this case.

It is conceivable that the predetermined condition is at least related to a commodity price. For example, when multiple pieces of advertising information are notified for the same type of product, it is often necessary to select the cheapest item or set an upper limit on the price and select only products below the upper limit price Conceivable. These reflect the contents considered at the time of normal product purchase. That is, for example, when a plurality of stores are close to each other, it is common to visit each store, compare prices, and buy at the cheapest store. Also, if the user knows the lowest price of a specific product based on his / her past purchasing experience, he / she may want to purchase the specific product if the price is lower than the lowest price. Therefore, if the purchaser's device automatically determines that the purchaser has made the determination, convenience is improved.

On the other hand, in the description so far, up to the point that the advertisement information notifying means of the purchaser device notifies the advertisement information, as described in claim 6, the purchaser device is connected to the seller device. The apparatus may be provided with ordering means for ordering goods via the wireless communication line, while the seller-side apparatus may be provided with order receiving means for receiving a product order made by the ordering means. The ordering means and the order receiving means are indicated by broken lines in the claims correspondence diagrams of FIGS. For example, if the buyer is in a car or the like, and the dealer uses a so-called drive-through system, the purchaser can place an order using the device on the purchaser side, and then receive the product through the drive-through. In addition, it is only necessary to carry out payment and the like, and convenience is improved.

In the case where the order can be placed from the buyer's device to the merchandise, the buyer's device determines the purchaser's own information from the advertisement information notified from the seller's device. May further include a selection unit for selecting an arbitrary product, and the ordering unit may place an order for the product selected by the selection unit. This arrangement is convenient because there is no need for the purchaser himself to input the product name at the time of ordering, and a simple operation of selecting the displayed product, for example, is convenient.

On the other hand, when the commodity to be purchased is determined in advance, the purchase commodity inputted by the purchaser via the input means is stored in the purchaser side device. It is also conceivable to provide a product to be purchased storage means for storing the product to be purchased, and the ordering means to place an order for the product to be purchased stored in the product to be purchased storage means.

By the way, depending on the store, for example, a point card or a point sticker may be issued according to the usage amount. These point cards and point stickers are often stored in a wallet or a bag, but if the point card is not brought, the point increase processing cannot be performed, and the point seals are small and easily lost. Therefore, it is convenient if the points are stored in the buyer's device. Then, in consideration of a system in which an order can be placed in the purchaser's device as described above, instead of simply storing it in the device, there is no particular problem even if the points are increased when the order is placed.
Therefore, as described in claim 9, when the ordering process is executed by the ordering means in the purchaser's device, the counting means totals predetermined usage points based on the price of the ordered product, and the totaled points are calculated. The use points may be stored in the total point storage means.

[0025] Further, as set forth in claim 8, the planned goods input by the purchaser are stored in the planned goods storage means of the purchaser device, and the ordering means orders the planned goods. When a simple system is assumed, the following device may be applied to the seller's device. That is, as set forth in claim 10, a receipt issuing means for issuing a receipt at the time of payment processing for a product to be purchased ordered by the order receiving means is provided, and the receipt issuing means receives an order but is absent. If there is a product to be purchased that has not been settled, the fact is stated on the receipt.

In this way, the purchaser who has obtained the receipt can check the goods which he / she has planned to purchase but have not purchased yet. In the above description, the buyer-side device has been described as “the buyer-side device that is directly or indirectly carried by the buyer”.
This is not only a device that the purchaser himself holds, such as a mobile phone or a personal digital assistant (PDA), or a device that is carried in clothes or bags, but also a device on the purchaser side, such as a navigation device. This is intended to include the case where the vehicle is mounted on a vehicle. In this case, even if it is mechanically fixed to the car, it can be indirectly regarded as being carried by the purchaser who moves by the car.
Further, the functions and effects described so far are similarly exerted even when mounted on an automobile or the like. In particular, when it is only necessary to perform order placement by the purchaser's device and then to receive and settle the goods by drive-through, the vehicle may be mounted on a car. In view of that point, at present, the navigation system mounted on a car is shifting to a multimedia system that has not only a navigation function but also a telephone function and a data communication function, as in the present invention, The function of the buyer side device in the data communication system for trading information can also be added, and such an embodiment can be said to be preferable.

Although a data communication system has been described above, the present invention can be regarded as an invention of only a buyer-side device or a seller-side device which is effective for use in a data communication system. This is the same as that the invention can be grasped only with the portable telephone handset as a terminal of the portable telephone system, and the invention is distributed in the unit. Therefore, among the configurations as the data communication system described above, the invention as a "purchaser-side device" and a "seller-side device" which is realized only with the configuration related to the buyer-side device or the seller-side device is also included.

[0028]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. It is needless to say that the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the following examples, and can take various forms as long as they belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of the data communication system of the embodiment. Buyer-side device 10 and seller-side device 20
Are connected via a public telephone line 30, so that data communication for merchandise trading can be performed between the two devices 10, 20. The buyer side device 10 is directly or indirectly carried by the buyer, and its position is movable. On the other hand, the seller-side device 20 is installed in a store, and its position is basically fixed.

Although the purchaser's device 10 has been described as being "carried directly or indirectly by the purchaser", this is carried out by the purchaser himself / herself, such as a mobile phone or a personal digital assistant (PDA). This is intended to include not only items that are carried in clothes or bags, but also cases in which a purchaser-side device such as a navigation device is mounted on an automobile. In this case, even if it is mechanically fixed to the car,
It can be regarded as "indirectly carried" by a buyer traveling by car.

Although transmission and reception of a radio wave beacon signal can be performed between the two devices 10 and 20, this radio beacon signal can be received only within a predetermined notification area. As described above, the seller-side device 20 is installed at the store, and its position is fixed, so that the predetermined radio-wave beacon signal arrives at the position where the transmitter of the seller-side device 20 transmits the radio beacon signal. When the buyer's device 10 exists in the area, the buyer's device 10 can receive the radio wave beacon signal transmitted from the seller's device 20. Therefore, when the purchaser carrying the buyer-side device 10 approaches to a store where the seller-side device 20 is installed to some extent, a radio beacon signal from the seller-side device 20 is transmitted to the buyer-side device 10.
Will be received. Conversely, when the buyer's device 10 existing in the radio wave beacon signal arrival area transmits the radio beacon signal, the seller's device 20 can receive the signal.

In this case, the "predetermined notification area" in which the radio wave beacon signal can be received needs to be appropriately set for the purpose of constructing the system. Specifically, it is not effective if reception is not possible unless the user is too close to a position, and conversely, there is no benefit even if reception is possible even at a position that is too far away. Therefore, for example, it is configured to transmit a signal that can be received when the distance is as close as 30 m and cannot be received when the distance is 1 km or more. In addition,
These numerical values are examples. Although the radio beacon signal is used in this embodiment, for example, an optical beacon signal using an infrared ray, an FM signal, or the like may be used.

Next, referring to FIG.
The detailed configuration of the seller device 20 will be described.
First, the buyer-side device 10 includes a control unit 11, a radio wave beacon transmitting / receiving unit 12, a telephone line communication unit 13, a data storage unit 14, an operation switch group 15, a display unit 16, a position detection unit 17 , An LED 18 and a speaker 19.

The control section 11 has a well-known configuration including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like, controls the entire purchaser's apparatus 10, and also functions as "ordering means". The radio beacon transmitting / receiving unit 12 transmits and receives a radio beacon signal, and corresponds to a “presence notification signal receiving unit” and a “response signal transmitting unit”. The radio beacon signal uses radio waves as a medium, and the reception area is within a region of a predetermined shape centered on the transmission source of the radio beacon signal. Therefore, basically, no matter which direction the purchaser who carries the purchaser's device 10 approaches the store, the purchaser's device 20
The buyer-side device 10 can receive the radio beacon signal from.

The telephone line communication unit 13 is connected to the public telephone line 30 to communicate with a counterpart device such as the seller device 20, for example. Means ". In this embodiment, for example, the public telephone line 3 is used in the same manner as the portable telephone handset and the PHS handset.
0, and has a communication antenna (not shown).

When a radio beacon signal is received from the seller device 20 via the radio beacon transmitting / receiving section 12, the LED 18 is turned on or blinks. Further, the seller device 20 is connected to the public telephone line 3.
0, and the telephone line communication unit 13 of the purchaser device 10 detects an incoming call, and a ringtone is output via the speaker 19. ing. Note that the LED 18 may also blink at the time of the incoming call.

The data storage section 14 is for storing data relating to the purchaser and data relating to the products to be purchased. The data relating to the purchaser includes the name, address, telephone number and the like of the purchaser. No. In addition,
These detailed data may be stored in the seller-side device 20 and the buyer-side device 10 may simply store the buyer ID. In addition, data on a product to be purchased includes a product name and quantity. Further, data indicating the location of the store and map data are also stored.

The display section 16 employs a liquid crystal display. The screen of the display section 16 displays a menu, displays data on a product to be purchased inputted by a purchaser, and displays the location of a store. Can be displayed on a map, and further, the advertisement information transmitted from the seller-side device 20 can be displayed. Therefore, it also functions as "advertising information notifying means".

The operation switch group 15 corresponds to "selection means", and for example, a touch switch or a mechanical switch integrated with the display unit 16 is used, and is used for various inputs. Position detector 17
Is equivalent to "position detecting means", and is a GPS for GPS that detects a position based on radio waves from satellites.
It has a receiver (not shown), receives radio waves from GPS satellites, and detects the current position based on the GPS signals contained therein. In the case where the purchaser carries the device directly, it is appropriate to use a GPS receiver. However, as described above, the purchaser's device is mounted on a car, and the purchaser's boarding the vehicle causes the "indirect" In the case of “portable”, it may be the same as the position detection mechanism employed in the navigation device. That is, not only the GPS receiver but also a plurality of sensors such as a well-known gyroscope and a vehicle speed sensor are provided. Since each of these sensors and the like has an error having a different property, the sensors and the like may be configured to be used while being interpolated by a plurality of sensors and the like. Depending on the accuracy, it may be constituted by a part of the above, and furthermore, a method based on geomagnetism or a method of accumulating the steering angle of the vehicle obtained from the rotation difference between the left and right steered wheels and finding the direction may be used. You may.

Next, the seller device 20 will be described. The seller-side device 20 includes a control unit 21, a radio beacon transmitting / receiving unit 22, a telephone line communication unit 23, a data storage unit 24, a keyboard 25, a display unit 26, a register output unit 27, and a data writing unit. And a section 28.

The control unit 21 has a well-known configuration including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like. The control unit 21 controls the entire purchaser's apparatus 10, and also functions as an “advertisement information notification unit” and an “order receiving unit”. The radio beacon transmitting / receiving unit 22 transmits and receives a radio beacon signal, and corresponds to a “presence notification signal transmitting unit” and a “response signal receiving unit”. A radio beacon signal is constantly transmitted from the radio beacon transmission / reception unit 22 of the seller device 20, and a response signal from the buyer device 10 that has received the signal is always waiting. In order to constantly transmit in this manner, it is necessary to set a frequency that does not interfere with a radio wave beacon signal used in another facility or an electric device used at home. Also,
When there are a plurality of stores where the seller-side device 20 is installed, it is necessary to distinguish them. The frequency can be changed for each store, but the same frequency is used here, and it is distinguished by the identification information (store ID) of the seller device 20 included in the radio beacon signal. In other words, the radio beacon transmission / reception unit 12 of the buyer-side device 10 is configured to, when receiving the radio beacon signal, demodulate the signal, decode the store ID, and send the information to the control unit 11. On the other hand, since it is assumed that the radio wave beacon signals are transmitted from the plurality of purchaser devices 10 also in the purchaser device 10, they must be distinguished. Therefore, similarly, the identification information of the purchaser device 10 (the purchaser I
D). That is, the radio beacon transmission / reception unit 22 of the seller device 20 is configured to, upon receiving the radio beacon signal, demodulate the signal, decode the purchaser ID, and send the information to the control unit 21.

The telephone line communication unit 23 is for connecting to the public telephone line 30 to communicate with a partner device such as the purchaser device 10. Equivalent to. Since the buyer-side device 10 of this embodiment is a fixed device installed at a store, unlike the above-described buyer-side device 10, the buyer-side device 10 is configured to communicate with the public telephone line 30 by wire. ing.

The data storage unit 24 stores advertisement information to be provided to the buyer's device 10, or registers data on products ordered from the buyer's device 10. Things. Keyboard 2
Reference numeral 5 is for the staff at the store to input advertising information and perform various other operation inputs. In addition, instead of the keyboard, for example, an input pen, a touch panel, a barcode reader, or the like may be used for inputting. In addition, the display unit 26 can display advertisement information provided by the store to the purchaser, order information from the purchaser device 10, and the like.

On the other hand, the register output unit 27 corresponds to “receipt issuing means”, and calls out data relating to goods ordered from the purchaser-side device 10 registered and stored in the data storage unit 24 at the time of receipt issuance. It is for outputting on R. Here, a printing mechanism (not shown) is provided for outputting on a paper receipt R.

The data writing unit 28 includes, for example, FD, MO,
Recording media M such as CD, cassette tape, and video tape
This is for writing data to. For example, it is possible to sell a recording medium in which data is already written, such as an FD in which a program is recorded, a book FD, a music CD, or a video tape in which a movie is recorded, but the purchaser himself brings the recording medium M. Then, it is also made possible to write only data therein. That is, it is possible to sell only data. This is effective in reducing the space on the dealer side. That is, it is sufficient to store a large amount of data in a large memory, and it is not necessary to prepare for each recording medium.

Next, a data communication operation for buying and selling goods in the data communication system having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to flowcharts of FIGS. Figures 3-5
Are respectively a condition setting process, a beacon reception / transmission process, and a beacon reception / transmission process which are mainly executed by the control unit 11 of the buyer-side device 10.
It is a flowchart which shows a data communication process. 6 and 7 show a data communication process and a receipt output process mainly performed by the control unit 11 of the seller device 20.

Hereinafter, the contents of these processes will be described. Since the transmission and reception of the radio wave beacon signal and the data communication between the buyer's device 10 and the seller's device 20 will be described, the explanation will be mainly made on both devices. , 20 as needed. First, when a power switch (not shown) provided in the purchaser device 10 is turned on and the operation switch group 15 is set to a condition setting mode, the processing shown in FIG. 3 starts. When the purchaser device 10 is mounted on an automobile, the power from the vehicle-mounted battery may be supplied to the purchaser device 10 by operating an ignition switch of the vehicle.

In step S110, which is the first step in FIG. 3, a condition menu is displayed and the user waits for a selection (S120). When one of the menus is selected via the operation switch group 15 (S120: YES), the setting items of the selected menu are displayed (S130), and the process waits for setting by the user (S140). Then, when the setting is made via the operation switch group 15 (S14)
0: YES), the setting is registered in the data storage unit 14 (S150), and the condition setting processing ends.

The above is the outline of the condition setting processing, but the contents that can be set in this processing will be described with a specific example. (1) Setting of goods to be purchased The purchaser can register the goods to be purchased. In this case, the purchaser may directly input the product name. In this case, however, the operation switch group 15
In addition, since it is necessary to configure the operation corresponding process so that characters can be input, if the configuration is simple, for example, the display unit 1
6 "1. Milk", "2. Yogurt", "3. Detergent"
It is preferable to display typical product names such as... And select and input from them. In particular, if input can be performed by a touch panel method, the operation can be performed more easily. Since the size of the display unit 16 is limited,
By operating the operation switch group 15, the screen can be scrolled, or the next screen can be sequentially displayed, which can be dealt with. In addition, it is naturally necessary to set the number of products to be purchased. For example, an initial value may be determined for each product, and the value may be changed if necessary. For example, if the initial value of milk is 1000 ml, one bottle is used as the initial value, and if two or more bottles are to be purchased, or if 500 ml are desired, the setting is changed as described above.

(2) Limitation of dealers The buyer can limit dealers to use. For example, even if radio beacon signals from three stores A, B, and C can be received, it is possible to set whether or not to respond to them. In other words, by responding to the radio beacon signal only for the store you want to use,
It becomes possible to obtain the below-mentioned advertisement information and order products from the dealer.

(3) Setting of Purchasing Conditions The purchaser can set the conditions for the product to be purchased. For example, there are conditions such as "the cheapest product" and "the upper limit price". It is very common that there are multiple brands for the same type of product. Also, in actual purchasing behavior, for example, it is often practiced to visit a plurality of stores, compare prices, and buy at the cheapest store. Therefore, if you want to purchase the cheapest item among them, if you set the condition of “the cheapest item” in the purchase condition setting, the item will be automatically narrowed down, and it will be described later. This is convenient for displaying advertising information and ordering.

Further, if the user knows the minimum price of a specific product based on his / her past purchasing experience, he / she may want to purchase the specific product if the price is below the minimum price. Therefore,
If the buyer sets an upper limit for the price desired, only products below the upper limit price can be automatically narrowed down.

As described above, since it is possible for the purchaser apparatus 10 to automatically determine that the purchaser himself has judged by looking at the actual product price, the convenience is improved.
Next, the beacon reception / transmission processing shown in FIG. 4 will be described. This processing is executed at predetermined time intervals, and in the first step S210, it is determined whether or not a radio wave beacon signal has been received. As mentioned above,
Since the radio wave beacon signal is constantly transmitted from the seller side device 20, the buyer side device 1 is located within the receivable area.
If 0 exists, it can be received.

If the radio beacon signal has not been received (S210: NO), the present process is terminated as it is.
If received (S210: YES), the process proceeds to S220, where the LED 18 is turned on or blinks. Then, the shop ID is extracted from the radio wave beacon signal (S230), and it is determined whether or not the shop ID is a target of the own device 10 (S240).

As described above, since the radio wave beacon signal transmitted from the seller device 20 includes the store ID for identifying the store, the buyer device 10
The radio wave beacon transmitting / receiving section 12 demodulates the radio wave beacon signal to decode the shop ID, and sends the decoding information to the control section 11. On the other hand, in the data storage unit 14, the store to be purchased can be limitedly set in the above-described condition setting process (see FIG. 3). Therefore, the controller 11 extracts the store ID extracted from the received radio wave beacon signal.
Is determined as a store to be purchased (S240), and if it is a target (S240: Y
ES), a response signal is transmitted (S250). If the response signal is not targeted (S240: NO), this processing is terminated without doing anything (that is, without transmitting the response signal).

The response signal transmitted in S250 is transmitted from the radio wave beacon transmission / reception unit 12. Since the radio wave beacon signal contains the identification information (purchaser ID) of the purchaser apparatus 10, the response signal is transmitted. , The seller device 2 that received
In the case of 0, the buyer device 10 can be identified.

Note that the buyer's device 10 is the seller's device 2
There is a possibility that a radio wave beacon signal transmitted from another purchaser side device 10 may be received instead of 0, but in this case, the purchaser ID should be extracted instead of the store ID in S230. As a result, a negative determination is made in S240.

Since the buyer device 10 has transmitted the response signal in S250 of FIG. 4, the process executed by the seller device 20 having received the response signal will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. explain. This process is executed at predetermined time intervals, and in the first step S510, it is determined whether or not there is a response signal. Then, if there is no response signal (S510: NO), the present process is terminated as it is, but if there is a response signal (S510: YES),
The process shifts to S520, where the purchaser ID is extracted from the received response signal. The method of this extraction is determined by the buyer side device 10.
Since it is the same as described in, the description will not be repeated.

Subsequently, access data is acquired based on the purchaser ID (S530). In this case, the access data is data for accessing (calling) the purchaser device 10 via the public telephone line 30, such as a telephone number and an e-mail address. Further, two types of methods can be considered for acquiring the access data based on the purchaser ID. As one method, it is conceivable to include the access data together with the purchaser ID in the radio wave beacon signal and acquire the direct access data. As another method, the name and address of the purchaser corresponding to the purchaser ID and the data for accessing the owned purchaser's device 10 are stored in the data storage unit 24 of the seller's device 20. It is also conceivable to prepare a buyer data table and acquire access data by referring to the table.

At S540, the data is transmitted to the buyer's device 10 via the public telephone line 30, using the access data acquired at S530. Then, it is determined whether or not connection with the purchaser device 10 of the transmission destination has been established (S55).
0), if the connection has not been established (S550: NO),
The process proceeds to S560 and determines whether a predetermined time-out period has elapsed. If not timeout (S56
(0: NO), the process returns to S550, but if a timeout has occurred (S560: YES), this process ends. The time-out occurs, for example, when the device is connected to another seller-side device 20.

If the connection to the destination purchaser device 10 has been established (S550: YES), the flow shifts to S570 to transmit the advertising information to the destination purchaser device 10. Hereinafter, it is easier to understand that the data communication process in the buyer-side device 10 is also described in parallel.
The first part of the data communication process in the buyer device 10 of FIG. 5 will be described.

In the first step S310 in FIG. 5, it is determined whether or not there is an access from seller side device 20 via public telephone line 30, that is, whether or not there is an incoming call. The fact that there is an incoming call is transmitted from the telephone line communication unit 13 to the control unit 11, and when there is an incoming call (S310: YES), the control unit 11 causes the speaker 19 to output a ring tone (S320), and A line connection is made by the communication unit 13 (S330).

When the line connection is established, the advertisement information is transmitted from the seller side device 20 as described above (see S570 in FIG. 6), and therefore, as shown in FIG.
Then, the advertisement information is acquired (S340) and displayed on the display unit 16 (S350). The advertisement information includes, for example, a product name and a price of today's sale item. Of course, it is preferable to include not only sale items but also products that are likely to be purchased on a daily basis.
The display of the advertisement information allows the purchaser to decide his / her purchase intention before arriving at the store and actually seeing the product, thereby improving convenience. In addition, it is not necessary to bring an advertising content print medium such as a so-called advertising leaflet inserted in a newspaper or the like, and to remember the advertising content accurately.

In the following S360, inventory check processing is performed.
This is a process of notifying the seller-side device 20 of the product to be purchased before actually ordering the product, inquiring whether or not the product to be purchased can be prepared, and receiving a confirmation result. The product to be confirmed may be a product to be purchased which is set in the condition setting process of FIG. 3 and registered in the data storage unit 14, or the advertisement information displayed on the display unit 16 in S350. May be selected and designated. Of course, in addition to the products to be purchased registered in the data storage unit 14, some products in the advertisement information displayed on the display unit 16 may be selected and designated. After selecting a product using the operation switch group 15, the purchaser instructs to start notification for inventory confirmation. As a result, the control unit 11 transmits the product to be confirmed to the telephone line communication unit 1.
3 to the seller-side device 20.

On the other hand, the seller-side device 20 performs a stock check on the transmitted check target product, and performs a process of responding the check result to the buyer-side device 10 (see S580 in FIG. 6). For this inventory check, see FIG.
Although not shown, it is also possible to check the stock status by communicating with an inventory management device that exists separately from the buyer device 10, and the stock status is stored in the data storage unit 24 in the seller device 20 at any time. If the configuration is to be updated and registered, it may be confirmed based on the inventory data in the data storage unit 24.

Then, in the buyer's device 10 which has received the result of the inventory check returned from the seller's device 20,
The result is displayed on the display unit 16 (S370 in FIG. 5).
The purchaser who sees the displayed result instructs through the operation switch group 15 whether or not to place an order. If the instruction is not to place an order for a product (S380: NO), a response not to place an order is sent to the seller device 20 (S420), the line is disconnected (S430), and the data communication process is terminated. .

When placing an order for a product (S38)
0: YES), a predetermined order processing is performed (S390). In this order processing, as in the case of the inventory confirmation processing in S360 described above, it waits for the purchaser to specify the ordered product, and if there is an order instruction, the specified ordered product is transferred to the telephone line communication unit. 13 to the seller-side device 20. It should be noted that the product specified as the check target at the time of the inventory check processing in S360 may be directly specified as the ordered product, or a part thereof may be deleted, changed, or added.

After the order processing in S390, the line is disconnected (S400), and the store position and the current position of the order destination are displayed on the display unit 16 (S410). Specifically, the store ID
Since the store can be specified from, a map including the store is displayed, and the current position is displayed on the map. As described above, the map data is stored in the data storage unit 14, and the current position is detected by the position detection unit 17.
When displaying the map on the display unit 16, for example, the display may be performed so that the upper side of the screen faces north, or the current position may be displayed on the lower side (front side) of the screen. Conceivable. As a result, the buyer can know the positional relationship and distance between his / her current location and the store, and can reach the target store according to the map. In addition, not only the display on the display unit 16 but also, for example, "Super OO store,
Northwest direction, 50m remaining. Turn right at the next intersection. May be added. If both visual and auditory confirmations can be made, the guidance will be more appropriate.

On the other hand, in the seller side device 20, S5 in FIG.
After replying the stock confirmation result to the purchaser device 10 at 80, the system waits for an order from the purchaser device 10 (S590).
When there is an order (see S390 in FIG. 5) from the purchaser apparatus 10 (S590: YES), a predetermined order receiving process is performed (S600). For example, the order contents are registered in the data storage unit 24. In addition, about this ordered product,
Since it is preferable that the purchaser be able to deliver the product when it arrives at the store, the store staff and the like prepare the product. Therefore, in the order receiving process in S600,
For example, the contents of the order may be displayed on the display unit 26 or transferred to a dedicated device provided separately.

When the order receiving process is completed, the line is disconnected (S610), and the data communication process in the seller device 20 is completed. Further, if there is a non-picture response (see S420 in FIG. 5) from the purchaser apparatus 10 that does not place an order (S590: NO), the order processing in S600 is not executed, and this processing is terminated as it is. I do.

As described above, when a product order is received by the data communication processing between the buyer's device 10 and the seller's device 20, after the buyer arrives at the store, the delivery and delivery of the product is performed. Payment is made. Therefore, next, the receipt output processing performed by the seller-side device 20 at the time of the settlement will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

In the first step S710 of FIG. 7, it is determined whether or not a check to forget to buy is performed. The forget-to-buy check is performed only when an order is received via the buyer-side device 10, and the purchase-forgotten-check is not performed when shopping at a store without passing through the buyer-side device 10. .

When the purchase forget check is performed (S71)
0: YES), the ordered product and quantity registered in the data storage unit 24 are called (S720). Then, after collation with the merchandise to be actually settled (S730), a receipt R is output by adding the collation result. For example, a check column is provided in front of each product name for which an order has been received, and “商品” is given to a product that has been actually settled, and “×” is given to a product that has not been settled. This allows the buyer to know which of the products he or she has not yet purchased.

When the forgotten purchase check is not performed (S
710: NO), a normal receipt R is output. That is, there is no check column before the product name, or even if there is a check column itself, ○ is not added. In addition, for example, some stores provide points for receiving benefits according to the usage amount. Therefore, it is conceivable that this point is also displayed on the receipt R. In this case, it is convenient to indicate both points for each settlement and accumulated points.

As described above, according to the data communication system of the present embodiment, when the buyer-side device 10 carried by the buyer directly or indirectly approaches the store where the seller-side device 20 is installed. Then, the data communication between the two devices 10 and 20 is automatically started, and the merchandise device 20 advertises the product. Therefore, based on the product promotion,
The purchase intention can be determined before the buyer arrives at the store and actually sees the product, and the convenience is improved.

Further, since the product advertisement is notified when approaching the store, the user can bring a print medium such as a so-called advertisement leaflet inserted in a newspaper or the like, or print the advertisement contents. It is convenient because you do not need to remember it accurately. Then, since the purchaser can place an order for the seller device 20 using the buyer device 10, it is only necessary to actually go to the store to receive and settle the merchandise. For example, if the purchaser is in a car or the like and the store employs a so-called drive-through system, the desired product can be quickly purchased without getting off, thereby improving convenience.

Although the embodiment has been described above, the present invention can be implemented in various modes as follows. In the case of the data communication system according to the above-described embodiment, the access via the public telephone line 30 is performed from the seller's device 20, but the access may be performed from the buyer's device 10. In this case, the seller ID is included in the radio wave beacon signal transmitted from the seller side device 20,
The purchaser-side device 10 receiving the radio beacon signal, based on the seller ID included in the radio beacon signal,
The access data for accessing the seller device 20 via the public telephone line 30 is specified, and the seller device 20 is accessed using the access data.
Then, the seller-side device 20 accessed from the buyer-side device 10 notifies the buyer-side device 10 of the accessing source of the advertisement information of the predetermined product, so that the buyer-side device 1
At 0, the user is notified of the notified advertisement information.

Even with the data communication system configured as described above, the same effects as those of the system of the above-described embodiment can be obtained. In addition, as described above, the buyer-side device 1
In the case of accessing from zero, if the system of the receiving side such as so-called free dial is used, the fee for such access can be borne by the store side, which is preferable in terms of promoting use.

In the above embodiment or another embodiment described above, a method is used in which a radio beacon signal is transmitted from the seller device 20 and the buyer device 10 receiving the signal transmits the radio wave beacon signal. In other words, a trigger for starting data communication between the seller device 20 and the buyer device 10 is a radio wave beacon signal from the seller device 20, but the trigger itself is transmitted to the buyer device. It is also conceivable to perform the processing from the device 10. For example, the buyer device 1
0 stores the location of the store and the data for accessing the store in the data storage unit 14, and the current position is within a predetermined range from the position of the store based on the current position of the own device detected by the position detection unit 17. Is determined. Then, if it is within the predetermined range, the seller side device 20 is accessed via the public telephone line 30 using the access data. That is, the radio wave beacon signal is not used. Even with such a trigger, the transmission of the advertising information from the seller-side device 20 and the subsequent ordering / order receiving process can be similarly realized.

In the system according to the above-described embodiment, the check on the forgotten purchase and the points are displayed on the receipt R output from the register output unit 27 of the seller-side device 20. It is preferable that these can be displayed in the unit 26. For example, loyalty cards and point stickers are often stored in wallets or bags, but if you do not bring your loyalty card, you will not be able to receive point increase processing,
Point seals are small and easily lost. Therefore, it is convenient if the points are stored in the buyer's device 10.

If the system is not limited to simply storing the information in the device, but can be ordered by the buyer's device 10 as described above, there is no particular problem even if the points are increased at the time of ordering. In the case where the order processing is executed in the buyer's device 10, predetermined use points may be totaled based on the price of the ordered product, and the totalized use points may be stored in the data storage unit 14. In this case, the control unit 11 corresponds to “totalizing means”, and the data storage unit 14 corresponds to “totalizing point storage means”.

Further, the system in which the accumulated points up to that point are also transmitted at the time of ordering can be constructed in the seller-side apparatus 20 such that discounts are made according to the transmitted accumulated points. In the above-described embodiment, one buyer-side device 10 performs data communication with one seller-side device 20 to complete the order processing as it is. In some cases, it is desirable to select the most suitable product by comparing prices of the same type of product sold. Therefore, in that case, the advertisement information is sequentially received from the plurality of seller-side devices 20 and, for example, the lowest-priced one is selected from among them, and then the corresponding seller-side device is transmitted from the buyer-side device 10. 20 may be accessed to place an order.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a data communication system according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of a buyer's device and a seller's device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a condition setting process executed by the purchaser apparatus according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a beacon receiving / transmitting process executed by the buyer-side device of the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a data communication process executed by the purchaser apparatus of the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a data communication process executed by the seller device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a receipt output process executed by the seller device according to the embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a claim correspondence diagram showing an outline of the invention described in claim 1;

FIG. 9 is a claim correspondence diagram showing an outline of the invention described in claim 2;

FIG. 10 is a claim correspondence diagram showing an outline of the invention described in claim 3;

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Buyer side apparatus 11 ... Control part 12 ... Radio beacon transmission / reception part 13 ... Telephone line communication part 14 ... Data storage part 15 ... Operation switch group 16 ... Display part 17 ... Position detection part 19 ... Speaker 20 ... Seller side Device 21 Control part 22 Radio wave beacon transmitting / receiving part 23 Telephone line communication part 24 Data storage part 25 Keyboard 26 Display part 27 Register output part 28 Data writing part 30 Public telephone line

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A device between a seller installed in a store and a device connected to the seller via a wireless communication line and directly or indirectly carried by the buyer. A system for performing data communication for merchandise trading, wherein the seller-side device is capable of receiving a signal only within a predetermined notification area, and transmits a signal for notifying the presence of itself. Transmitting means; response signal receiving means capable of receiving a response signal transmitted from the purchaser device; and a response signal when the response signal from the purchaser device is received by the response signal receiving means. Based on the identification information of the purchaser device included in the, specify the access data for accessing the purchaser device via the wireless communication line, using the access data, via the wireless communication line Access means for accessing the purchaser-side device by the access means, and advertisement information notification means for notifying the purchaser-side device accessed by the access means of the advertisement information of the predetermined product. The seller-side device includes a presence-reporting signal receiving unit capable of receiving the presence-reporting signal transmitted from the seller-side device, and when the presence-reporting signal is received by the presence-reporting signal receiving unit, Response signal transmitting means for transmitting a predetermined response signal including the identification information of the apparatus; and when the seller information is accessed by the seller-side apparatus and the advertisement information is notified by the product information notification means, the notified advertisement information And a publicity information notifying means for notifying the user of the information. 2. A seller-side device installed in a store and a buyer-side device connected to the seller-side device via a wireless communication line and directly or indirectly carried by the buyer. A system for performing data communication for buying and selling goods, wherein the seller-side device transmits a predetermined presence notification signal that can be received only within a predetermined notification area and includes identification information of the own device. Presence notification signal transmitting means, and, when accessed from the purchaser device via the wireless communication line, advertisement information for notifying the purchaser device of the access source of the advertisement information of the predetermined product. Notifying means, on the other hand, the buyer-side device is a presence-reporting signal receiving device capable of receiving a presence-reporting signal transmitted from the seller-side device; and the presence-reporting signal receiving device. The presence notification signal When the communication is received, based on the identification information of the seller device included in the presence notification signal, access data for accessing the seller device via the wireless communication line is specified, and the access data is specified. Access means for accessing the seller-side device via the wireless communication line using the communication data, and when the seller-side device accessed by the access unit is notified of the advertisement information, the notified advertisement information And a publicity information notifying means for notifying the user of the information. 3. A device between a seller installed at a store and a device connected to the seller via a wireless communication line and directly or indirectly carried by the buyer. A system for performing data communication for buying and selling merchandise, wherein the buyer-side device includes: a position detecting unit capable of detecting a current position of the own device; a position of the store and a seller installed in the store. A store information storage unit storing access data for accessing the side device via the wireless communication line; and a current position detected by the position detection unit within a predetermined range from the position of the store. In some cases, using the access data, an access means for accessing the seller's device via the wireless communication line, and when the seller's device is notified of advertising information of a predetermined product, Advertisement information notifying means for notifying the user of the notified advertisement information, wherein the seller-side device is accessed from the purchaser-side device via the wireless communication line, A data communication system, comprising: advertisement information notifying means for notifying the purchaser apparatus of the access source of advertisement information of a predetermined product. 4. The data communication system according to claim 1, wherein said advertisement information notifying means of said purchaser apparatus receives a predetermined number of pieces of advertisement information for the same type of product. A data communication system comprising: selecting and reporting only advertisement information that meets conditions. 5. The data communication system according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined condition when the purchaser device notifies the selection is at least related to a commodity price. 6. The data communication system according to claim 1, wherein the purchaser device includes an ordering means for ordering a product to the seller device via the wireless communication line. On the other hand, the seller device includes an order receiving means for receiving a product order made by the ordering means. 7. The data communication system according to claim 6, wherein the purchaser device includes a selection unit for the purchaser to select an arbitrary product from advertisement information notified from the seller device. A data communication system, comprising: an ordering means for ordering a product selected by the selecting means. 8. The data communication system according to claim 6, wherein the purchaser-side device comprises a planned product storage means for storing a planned product input by a purchaser via input means, A data communication system, wherein the ordering means places an order for a product to be purchased stored in the product to be purchased storage means. 9. The data communication system according to claim 6, wherein said purchaser device performs a predetermined use based on a price of an ordered product when the order processing is executed by said ordering means. A data communication system, comprising: totaling means for totalizing points; and totaling point storage means for storing usage points totalized by the totalizing means. 10. The data communication system according to claim 8, wherein the seller-side device includes a receipt issuing unit for issuing a receipt when performing a checkout process on a product to be purchased ordered by the order receiving unit. The receipt issuing means, if there is an item to be purchased which has been ordered but has not been settled due to the absence of the item, describes that fact in the receipt.