JP2002092121A - In-store settlement system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an in-store settlement system by which settlement procedures in a restaurant can be simplified. SOLUTION: A waitress 26 transmits an order of a customer 20 to a kitchen 14 and an accounting system 100 via a portable order terminal 36 via a short- range radio communication means. The accounting system 100 receives customer- specific information and order information via the short-range radio communication means and integrates the amount to be charged to the customer according to the contents of the order. Settlement of restaurant charges is conducted between a bank 304, in which the customer has an account for settlement and a credit company 302.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an in-store settlement system for processing a settlement procedure in a store where services are provided on the spot in accordance with a customer's order, such as in a restaurant. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a store such as a restaurant, after sitting at a table to which a customer is guided, an order is received by a waiter, waitress or other customer service clerk, and the order is written down or written or orally. Generally, the contents of an order are notified to a kitchen by inputting the information to a portable terminal, and cooked meals are provided.

[0003] In this way, after all services such as meals have been provided, when performing settlement, settlement is performed by cash or a credit card or the like in accordance with the fee required for eating and drinking.

[0004]

However, in such a system, a customer cannot make a payment unless he or she has cash or a credit card, but it is safe to carry around with cash. From the above point of view, this is not always preferred. Also, with a credit card, the safety and portability when carrying around is better than cash, but for example, even if the customer wants to easily keep a record of the payment at the store,
There is a problem that it is troublesome to manage this on a paper basis (such as a receipt).

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide an in-store settlement system capable of simplifying the settlement procedure in a store such as a restaurant. It is to provide.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an in-store settlement system, comprising: a short-distance wireless communication means for enabling in-store wireless communication with a portable terminal held by a customer; An order terminal capable of inputting an order and transmitting it via the short-range wireless communication means, receiving information for specifying the customer given via the short-range wireless communication means and customer order information, Accounting means for calculating the amount charged to the customer according to the content of the order information,
The accounting means can authenticate the settlement possibility of the customer based on the information for identifying the customer, and can communicate with the settlement institution where the customer can perform the settlement processing from the financial institution having the settlement account. And an authentication communication means for performing the communication in the above.

In the in-store settlement system according to the second aspect, in addition to the configuration of the in-store settlement system according to the first aspect, it is a customer service clerk of the store that inputs an order from the order terminal.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the in-store settlement system according to the first aspect, a customer inputs an order from an order terminal.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the store settlement system, in addition to the configuration of the in-store settlement system according to the third embodiment, the accounting means includes a storage means for storing order history information ordered by the customer in the past. Means for transmitting order history information based on an instruction given from the order terminal via the short-range wireless communication means, the order terminal displays the order history information and selects an order content for the customer. It has means to make it.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the in-store settlement system according to the first aspect, the settlement institution includes a credit company which handles a customer's credit card, and specifies a customer. The information includes information for specifying the credit card.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the in-store settlement system according to the first aspect, the portable terminal can communicate via a portable telephone network, and the settlement institution is a portable telephone. The information for specifying the customer includes the mobile phone company that manages the network, and the information for specifying the customer includes the information for specifying the mobile terminal.

[0012]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS [First Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram for explaining an outline of an in-store settlement system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, an accounting system 100 (for example, a Point of Sales system, hereinafter referred to as a POS system) in a restaurant store 10 communicates with a mobile phone 30 carried by a customer 20 seated on a table 12 by radio. Connected through.

Here, the mobile phone 30 in the store 10
Using the short-range wireless system, the accounting system 10
Connected to 0. In particular, the mobile phone 30 and the accounting system 100 are connected via a repeater 40 installed in the room 12 where the meal is performed, a repeater 42 provided on the ceiling of a corridor in the store 10, and the like.

The waitress 26 holds a mobile order terminal 36, and transmits the order contents of the customer 20 to the accounting system 100 via the short-range wireless system.

A display 44 is provided in the kitchen 14 so that the cook 28 can check the contents of the order transmitted via the short-range wireless system.

The fee to be paid to the restaurant 10 is transmitted via the accounting system 100 to a credit company 302 constituting the settlement institution 300 via a modem.
Collects the billing amount together with the telephone charge from the bank 304 in which the customer 20 has the settlement account, and pays the fee to the restaurant 10.

Here, as the short-range wireless communication system as described above, for example, "Bluetooth" can be used. When "Bluetooth" is used, such a search signal establishes a link between the mobile phone 30 serving as a customer terminal and the short-range wireless communication system as follows.

As a communication system between the short-range wireless communication system as the master and the portable telephone 30 as the slave, a spread spectrum system of a frequency hopping system is used. First, the master sends an “Inquiry”, which is a message including a key for connection, to 6
Transmit at 25 μs intervals. Since the slave always switches channels with the same hopping pattern,
In about 2 seconds, transmission from the master side is hit, and synchronization is achieved. Thereby, the master recognizes the slave, and the slave recognizes the 3-bit active member address (Active
member address) and enters the network (piconet). After that, the master
It sends a "Page" message, from which the slave operates in a hopping pattern determined by the master. Thereafter, an authentication process is performed. Once the authentication is completed, a dedicated key for encrypting the communication is passed to the slave side, so that the subsequent processes are simplified. Then, it will shift to data transmission / reception.

Among the points described above, an important point in performing wireless communication between the short-range wireless communication system and the mobile phone 30 is that, for example, wireless communication is performed over a short distance (for example, 1
0 m range). This is sufficient for communication within the store 10, and in addition to performing communication after being encrypted, the possibility of leakage of communication contents to the outside of the store 10 is low, which is advantageous in security. is there. In addition, if the distance is short, there is an advantage that the circuit scale required for the interface is small, and it is easy to mount on the mobile phone 30 in terms of power consumption and cost. Therefore, with such a feature, the present invention can be used in a suitable mode even in a system other than “Bluetooth”.

The outline of the restaurant performance and fee settlement processing in such a configuration is as follows.

The waitress 26 is a portable order terminal 36
Then, the order contents of the customer 20 are input. This content is displayed on the display 4 of the kitchen 14 via the short-range wireless communication system.
4 is displayed. The cook 28 can use the display 44
Cooking is performed according to the display of. At this time, for example, the customer 20 stores not only that day but also information on dishes ordered in the past in the storage device of the accounting system 100 (for example,
(HDD), and the dish information may also be transmitted to the mobile phone 30.

On the other hand, the accounting system 10 according to the contents of the order
At 0, a billing process is performed. After the meal prepared in this way is completed, the customer 20 confirms the order item and the total amount transmitted from the accounting system 100 when reconciling the fee, and when approving, confirms the fact. Reply to accounting system 100.

The accounting system 100 transmits information such as charges to the credit company 302. The credit company 302 withdraws this sum together with the telephone charge from the bank in which the customer 20 has an account. The credit company 302 is a telephone company (not shown).
And pay the fee collected to the restaurant 10.

[Order and Settlement Procedure] FIG. 2 is a flow chart for explaining the order and settlement procedure at the restaurant in the first embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, first, waitress 26
Inputs the order from the customer to the mobile order terminal 36 (step S100). From the mobile order terminal 36, the order contents and the terminal identification number of the customer's mobile phone 30 (for example, "Blue
The ID number for "tooth" is transmitted to the accounting system (step 102).

The accounting system 100 stores the order contents in the kitchen 1
4 (step 104). Next, in the accounting system 100, the billing amount is totaled based on the price of each item from the contents of the order (step S106).

By the time the customer 20 finishes eating, the accounting system 100 sends the order items and the total sum of the final bill to the mobile phone 30. (Step S108). On the mobile phone 30, the order content, the price of each item, and the total price are displayed (step S11).
0).

When the customer 20 approves the billing item and the total billing amount displayed on the mobile phone 30, the customer, the telephone number and the user ID (such as data obtained by encrypting a credit card number and a personal identification number) are written. A message is transmitted from the mobile phone 30 to the accounting system 100 (step S11).
2).

In the accounting system 100, after confirming the billing amount, the telephone number, user ID, and total amount received from the customer 20 are transmitted to the credit company 302 via a line after being encrypted in a predetermined manner ( Step S114).

The credit company 302 has a telephone number and a user ID
If the customer 20 is authenticated by, for example, referencing the past settlement status of the customer 20 or the like and approving the settlement, the fact is returned to the accounting system 100 (step S11).
6).

When the accounting system 100 receives approval from the credit company 302, it issues a receipt to the customer 20 (step S118).

On the other hand, the credit company 302 bills the bank 304 having the account of the customer 20 together with the total amount of the restaurant charge and the telephone charge (step S1).
20).

When the total amount of the restaurant fee and the telephone fee are deducted from the bank 304 (step S12).
2) The credit company 302 issues a usage statement to the customer (step S124), pays a telephone charge to the telephone company (step S126), and provides the restaurant 10 with the total amount of the charge. Payment (transfer to the account of the restaurant 10) is performed (step S12).
8).

With the above configuration, the customer 20
If you have a mobile phone, you can use the restaurant 10 without carrying cash or a credit card. Conversely, the restaurant 10 can target customers who do not have payment means such as cash and credit cards as customers. Furthermore, by using a mobile phone, the history of payment at a restaurant can be easily managed, and a simple household account book function can be realized.

[Second Embodiment] FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram for explaining an outline of an in-store settlement system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

In the first embodiment, the waitress 26
According to the order of the customer 20, the contents of the order are input to the mobile order terminal 36.

On the other hand, in the second embodiment, the customer 20
Alternatively, 22 itself is configured to input an order from the order terminal 38.

The order terminal 38 may be configured to be received by the customer 20 at the counter when entering the store, or may be configured so that the order terminal 38 is provided in each table in advance.

At this time, information on the dishes ordered by the customer 20 in the past as well as on that day is also stored in the storage device (for example, HDD) of the accounting system 100. May be transmitted. By using this information, the customers 20 and 22 select an item of the dish name output on the display screen of the order terminal 38, and simply click on the item to place an order with the accounting system 100 and the kitchen 14. Content can be transmitted.

Since the other points are the same as those of the first embodiment, the same portions are denoted by the same reference characters and description thereof will not be repeated.

[Third Embodiment] FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram for explaining an overview of an in-store settlement system according to a third embodiment of the present invention, and is a diagram to be compared with FIG. 1 of the first embodiment. is there.

In the first embodiment, the settlement of the restaurant fee and the like is performed through the credit company 302 that handles the credit card of the customer 20.

In the third embodiment, the credit company 302
Instead, the mobile phone company 306 collects the restaurant fee as a telephone fee from the customer's 20 bank 304 account. The other points are the same as those in the configuration of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, and therefore, the same portions are denoted by the same reference characters and description thereof will not be repeated.

[Restaurant Charge Settlement Procedure] FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining a restaurant charge settlement procedure in the third embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, steps up to step S110 are the same as those in FIG. Subsequently, when the customer 20 approves the billing item and the total billing amount displayed on the mobile phone 30, the fact, the telephone number and the user ID (data obtained by encrypting the personal identification number) are transmitted from the mobile phone 30. Send to accounting system 100 (step S112)
´).

In the accounting system 100, after confirming the billing amount and the like, the telephone number, the user ID, and the total amount received from the customer 20 are transmitted to the telephone company 306 via a line after being encrypted in a predetermined manner. (Step S114 ').
Here, the reason why the encrypted password is transmitted as the user ID is to prevent “spoofing” by a third party who has picked up the mobile phone 30.

The telephone company 306 has a telephone number and a user ID
If the customer 20 is authenticated by, for example, referencing the past settlement status of the customer 20 and approving the settlement, the fact is returned to the accounting system 100 (step S1).
16 ').

Upon receiving approval from the telephone company 306, the accounting system 100 issues a receipt to the customer 20 (step S118). On the other hand, the telephone company 306 adds the total amount of the restaurant fee and the telephone fee to the customer 2
0 charges the bank 304 having the account (step S120).

When the total amount of the restaurant fee and the telephone fee are deducted from the bank 304 (step S12).
2) The telephone company 306 issues a usage statement to the customer (step S124), and pays the total amount of the restaurant fee to the restaurant (transfer to the restaurant account) (step S124). S128).

With the above configuration, the same effects as in the first embodiment can be obtained.

[Fourth Embodiment] FIG. 6 is a flow chart for explaining a restaurant fee settlement procedure in a fourth embodiment of the present invention, which is compared with FIG. 2 in the first embodiment. is there.

In the first embodiment, the customer 20 through the accounting system 100 of the restaurant store 10 sends the credit company 3
02, an inquiry is made as to whether or not to accept the account settlement of the customer 20.

In the fourth embodiment, the customer 20
From 0, an inquiry is made directly to the credit company 302 via the mobile telephone network to determine whether to accept the settlement of accounts.

That is, in the first embodiment, in step S114, the accounting system 100 checks the billing amount and the like, and sends the customer 20
In the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the telephone number, user ID and total amount received from
0, if the billing item and the total billing amount displayed on the mobile phone 30 are accepted, the fact is transmitted from the mobile phone 30 to the accounting system 100, and the credit company 302
Then, the telephone number, the user ID, and the total amount are transmitted through a mobile telephone line after being encrypted in a predetermined manner (step S112 ').

The other points are the same as those in FIG. 2 of the first embodiment, and the same portions are denoted by the same reference characters and description thereof will not be repeated.

With the above configuration, it is possible to achieve the same effects as in the first embodiment.

[Fifth Embodiment] FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining a restaurant fee settlement procedure in a fifth embodiment of the present invention, which is compared with FIG. 5 in the third embodiment. is there.

In the third embodiment, the telephone company 30 is transmitted from the customer 20 via the accounting system 100 of the restaurant store 10.
Inquiry as to whether or not to accept the settlement of accounts of the customer 20 is performed.

In the fifth embodiment, the customer 20 makes an inquiry from the mobile phone 30 directly to the telephone company 306 via the mobile phone network as to whether to accept the settlement of accounts.

That is, referring to FIG. 7, step S1
Up to 10 is the same as in FIG. Subsequently, when the customer 20 approves the billing item and the total billing amount displayed on the mobile phone 30, the fact is transmitted to the accounting system 100 (step S112 ″).
The charge amount and the like are confirmed (step S114).

On the other hand, in step S112 ″, the mobile phone 30 performs predetermined encryption on the telephone number and user ID (such as data obtained by encrypting a personal identification number), The telephone company 306 authenticates the customer 20 based on the telephone number and the user ID, inquires about the past settlement status of the customer 20, and if the payment is approved, accounts for that. Reply to system 100 (step S11)
6 ").

When the accounting system 100 receives approval from the telephone company 306, it issues a receipt to the customer 20 (step S118).

Subsequent processing is the same as in FIG. 5 of the third embodiment, and therefore, the same portions are denoted by the same reference characters and description thereof will not be repeated.

With the above configuration, the same effects as in the third embodiment can be obtained.

In the above description, the customer takes the procedure via the mobile phone 30 or the like. However, any terminal other than the mobile phone may be used as long as the terminal can communicate via the mobile phone network. .

Further, similarly to the second embodiment, the third to fifth embodiments may be configured such that the customer himself / herself inputs the order contents from the order terminal 38.

The embodiments disclosed this time are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the description above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

[0069]

According to the above configuration, the user (customer) can use a restaurant or the like without having to carry cash or a credit card if he has a mobile phone. Conversely, a restaurant or the like can target customers who do not have payment means such as cash and a credit card as customers. Further, by using a mobile phone, it is easy to manage the history of payment at a restaurant, and a simple household account book function can be realized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram for describing an overview of an in-store payment system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining a procedure for ordering and paying at a restaurant in the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an overview of an in-store payment system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an overview of an in-store payment system according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining a procedure for adjusting a restaurant fee in Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining a restaurant fee settlement procedure in the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining a procedure for adjusting a restaurant fee in Embodiment 5 of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 restaurant stores, 12 dining rooms, 14 kitchens, 2
0,22 customers, 26 waitress, 28 cooks, 3
0 mobile phone, 36 mobile order terminal, 38 order terminal,
40, 42 repeaters, 100 accounting systems, 30
0 payment institution, 302 credit company, 304 bank, 30
6 Mobile phone company.

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. Short-range wireless communication means for enabling in-store wireless communication with a portable terminal held by a customer; and inputting an order of the customer and via the short-range wireless communication means An order terminal capable of transmitting, receiving information for specifying the customer and order information of the customer given via the short-range wireless communication means, and according to the content of the order information, Accounting means for calculating the amount charged to the customer, wherein the accounting means can authenticate the settlement possibility of the customer based on information for identifying the customer, and the customer An in-store payment system, comprising: authentication communication means for communicating with a settlement institution capable of performing payment processing from a financial institution having the same. 2. The in-store payment system according to claim 1, wherein the order input from the order terminal is a customer clerk at the store. 3. The in-store payment system according to claim 1, wherein said customer inputs said order from said order terminal. 4. The accounting means, based on an instruction given from the order terminal via the short-range wireless communication means, and a storage means for storing order history information ordered by the customer in the past. The in-store settlement system according to claim 3, further comprising: means for transmitting the order history information; and wherein the order terminal has means for displaying the order history information and allowing the customer to select an order content. 5. The store according to claim 1, wherein the settlement institution includes a credit company that handles the customer's credit card, and the information for identifying the customer includes information for identifying the credit card. Internal payment system. 6. The mobile terminal is capable of communicating via a mobile phone network, the settlement institution includes a mobile phone company managing the mobile phone network, and the information for specifying the customer is 2. The in-store payment system according to claim 1, including information for specifying the mobile terminal.