JP2002236784A - Management system for reusable container - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To correctly grasp which process of physical distribution processes a reusable container exists at. SOLUTION: A content manufacturing company terminal 2, a processing company terminal 3, an intermediate dealer terminal 4 and a store terminal 5 transmit physical distribution situation information including at least the shipping date and the shipping place of the container 35 filled with the content or empty after being used to a main server 9. The server 9 stores the physical distribution situation information in a database 31 and transmits physical distribution history information obtained by analyzing the physical distribution situation information stored in the database 31 and including which position of the physical distribution process the container 35 exists at to the terminal 2, the terminal 3, the terminal 4 and the terminal 5.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a system for managing containers such as paint containers that are at least partially reusable.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In some cases, so-called petroleum cans, small cans and the like are used as paint containers used for transporting paints.
These oil cans, etc., after using the paint that is the contents,
The paint is attached to the industrial waste disposal company for a fee as industrial waste. Some of the petroleum cans and the like collected by the industrial waste disposal company are reused as scrap iron, and some are landfilled.

[0003] However, when reusing as scrap iron,
At the time of heating and melting, harmful components in the waste paint components volatilize into the atmosphere. Further, in the case of the above-mentioned landfill treatment, adverse effects on the environment such as air pollution and soil pollution become a problem. If the used container is not reused in this way, it is not preferable in terms of environmental protection and also in terms of resource saving.

[0004] Therefore, in recent years, not only the above-mentioned paint container,
From the viewpoint of environmental protection and resource saving due to the reduction of industrial waste, there is an increasing demand for the reuse of containers. on the other hand,
In the reuse of various bottles for drinking water, the reuse of the bottle is promoted by guaranteeing the payment of the container return consideration (so-called payback) when the used bottle is returned.

[0005]

However, in the actual logistics process, efficient reuse of containers that can reduce industrial waste and save resources is realized and operated smoothly. Has the following problems.

First, it is difficult to accurately grasp the distribution situation. In other words, when a container is reused, a plurality of organizations and persons in the distribution process such as a container manufacturer, a manufacturer of contents such as paint, a store, a customer, etc. are involved, and these organizations, etc. are involved. It may be necessary to know where the containers are in the distribution process. For example, in order for a content manufacturer to manage containers inventory reliably and efficiently, it is necessary to know where individual containers are located in the logistics process. However, since a large number of containers are placed in the physical distribution process, and a large number of organizations are involved in the physical distribution process as described above, it is difficult to grasp where the individual containers are located in the physical distribution process. .

Second, it is difficult to accurately manage the number of reuses. That is, the number of times the container can be reused is limited due to the durability of the container and the like, and it is preferable to use the container up to the reusable limit from the viewpoint of resource saving. Also,
If a container exceeding the reusable limit is used, a problem such as breakage of the container during transportation may occur. Therefore, it is necessary to accurately control the number of reuses of each container. However, it is difficult to accurately grasp the number of reuses of a large number of containers placed in a physical distribution process.

Third, although the above-described return of the container is effective in promoting reuse of the container, the work related to the settlement is complicated. For example, if a container is returned without contamination or dirt or damage, the container will be handled in a disorderly manner if the container return price is higher than if the container is returned with contamination or damage. Can be prevented, and as a result, the service life of the container can be extended. However, if the calculation of the container return consideration and the exchange of the information necessary for the settlement are performed using documents such as slips in accordance with the state of the container, the work becomes very complicated.

In view of the above, the present invention has been made to make it possible to accurately grasp where a reusable container is located in a physical distribution process.
It is an object of the present invention to accurately manage the number of reuses of individual containers and to improve the efficiency of operations related to the settlement of return charges for containers.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention provides a content maker terminal that is at least partially under the control of a content maker that fills reusable containers with content. A processor terminal under the control of a processor that performs processing required for reuse in the container, and the contents filled in the container are purchased from the contents manufacturer and sold to the store, and the store is Or, an intermediate seller terminal under the control of an intermediate seller that returns the used containers collected from the customer to the above-mentioned disposal company, and purchases the contents filled in the above-mentioned containers from the above-mentioned intermediate seller to the customer. Selling, collecting used containers from customers and returning them to the intermediary distributors.Reseller terminals, the content manufacturer terminals, the processing terminal, and the intermediary distributors under the management of the distributor Terminal, and above Is connected via a kiosk terminal with the communication line, and a main server having a database,
The content manufacturing company terminal, the processing company terminal, the intermediary seller terminal, and the store terminal indicate at least the date and shipping location where the contents have been filled or the contents have been used and the empty container has been shipped. The logistics status information including the logistics status information is transmitted to the main server, the main server stores the logistics status information in a database, and at least the container obtained by analyzing the logistics status information stored in the database determines whether at least one of the containers is in the current logistics process. The present invention provides a reusable container management system for transmitting logistics history information including whether or not the user is at a location to a content manufacturer terminal, the processing company terminal, the intermediary seller terminal, and the dealer terminal.

[0011] In the reusable container management system according to the present invention, a contents manufacturer, a processor, an intermediate distributor,
And the store can know the logistics history information from the contents manufacturer terminal, the processor terminal, the intermediate dealer terminal, and the store terminal, respectively, so that the logistics status of the container can be accurately grasped. In particular, since the contents manufacturer can know which individual container is in the physical distribution process through the contents manufacturer terminal, the inventory management of the containers can be performed reliably and efficiently. Further, the processing company, the intermediate sales company, and the store can estimate the return time and the number of used containers to some extent from distribution history information obtained from the processing company terminal, the intermediate sales company terminal, and the store terminal, respectively. .

[0012] The shipping place means a shipping source and a return source of the container. For example, when a container that has been filled with contents is shipped from a contents manufacturer to an intermediate distributor, the contents distributor that is the shipping source is the shipping location, and a used empty container is sent from the store to the intermediate distributor. When returned to a distributor, the distributor from which the product is returned is the shipping location.

[0013] The container manufacturing company further includes a container manufacturing company terminal which is under the control of a container manufacturing company that manufactures the reusable container, and is connected to the main server via the communication line. The terminal transmits production initial information including at least the production date of the container to the main server, and the processing agent terminal transmits reproduction processing information including at least whether or not processing required for reuse has been performed to the main server. The main server stores the manufacturing initial information and the reproduction processing information in a database, and counts the number of reuses of the container based on the manufacturing initial information and the reproduction processing information stored in the database. The counted number of reuses may be transmitted to at least the content manufacturer terminal.

[0014] In this case, the number of reuses of each container can be accurately grasped. In addition, since the content manufacturer can know the number of reuses of each container from the content manufacturer terminal, it is possible to accurately examine whether or not it is necessary to purchase a new container.

Further, the main server compares the counted number of reuses with a preset limit number of reuses, and when the number of reuses reaches the limit number of reuses,
The reuse prohibition information may be transmitted to the above-mentioned processor terminal.

In this case, by accurately grasping the number of reuses, it is possible to use the container without any excess or shortage up to the maximum number of reuses. Further, the processing company can accurately know whether or not the container returned to itself by the processing company terminal can be reused.

The store terminal transmits container state information including the damaged state and the contaminated state of the container returned from the customer to the main server, and the intermediate dealer terminal transmits the container returned from the customer or the store. The processor sends the container state information including the damaged state and the contaminated state of the container to the main server, and the processor sends the container state information including the damaged state and the contaminated state of the container returned from the intermediate seller to the main server. The main server stores the container state information in the database, and based on at least the container state information stored in the database, a container return consideration to be paid to a customer, a store, and an intermediate dealer who returned the container. May be calculated.

In this case, the calculation of the container return consideration to be paid to the customer, the store, and the intermediate dealer can be automatically and collectively performed by the main server, so that the efficiency of the business required for the settlement of the container return consideration can be improved. Can be achieved.

For example, the container return consideration to be paid to the customer, the store and the intermediate sales company is an amount obtained by multiplying a fixed amount by a coefficient corresponding to the container state information.

The structure, dimensions, capacity, material and the like of the container to be used in the present invention are not particularly limited as long as at least a part of the container can be reused. For example, the container includes an outer container having a bottom plate and a side plate, a lid detachably attached to the outer container, and an inner container that is detachably housed in the outer container and is filled with contents therein. The outer container and the lid are reusable.

The contents to be filled in the reusable container are:
It may be any of a solid, liquid and gas. The contents may be any of foods, raw materials and the like. For example, the management system of the present invention is suitable when the contents are paint.

[0022]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, embodiments of the present invention shown in the drawings will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 1, a reusable paint container management system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a container manufacturer terminal 1, a paint manufacturer terminal 2, a processing company terminal 3, a paint seller terminal 4, and a paint terminal. It includes a store terminal 5 and a main server 9 connected to these terminals 1 to 5 via a communication line 8 (a dedicated line in the present embodiment). Note that there are a plurality of terminal 1 for the container manufacturer, terminal 2 for the paint manufacturer, terminal 3 for the processing company, terminal 4 for the paint distributor, and terminal 5 for the paint distributor.

The container manufacturing company terminal 1 is under the control of a container manufacturing company that manufactures a partially reusable paint container 35 (see FIG. 4), which will be described later.
(See FIG. 2).

The paint manufacturer terminal 2 manages a paint manufacturer (content manufacturer) that manufactures paint and fills the paint into the paint container 35 as content. (See FIG. 2).
The paint manufacturer terminal 2 is connected to an inventory database 2a in which the inventory location, container type, arrival date, shipping date, and the like are stored for each paint container.

The processing company terminal 3 is under the control of a processing company that performs processing (regeneration processing) necessary for reuse on the used paint container 35, and the individual recycling processing stations 13 (see FIG. 2).
It is installed in.

The paint sales company terminal 4 is responsible for purchasing the paint filled in the paint container 35 from the paint manufacturing company, performing a toning process as necessary, and then selling the paint to a paint sales store. Paint sales company (intermediate sales company). Therefore, the paint sales company terminal 4 is installed in each paint sales company office 14 (see FIG. 2). In the paint sales company terminal 4, a toned blending database 4 in which the base paint, the used primary colors, the blending amounts, etc. of the toned paints are stored.
a is connected.

The above-mentioned paint store terminal 5 manages a paint store (store) which purchases paint filled in a paint container 35 from a paint sales company and sells it to a painter who is a customer. It is in. Therefore, the paint store terminal 5
It is installed in each paint sales store 15 (see FIG. 2).

The terminal 1 of the container manufacturer, the terminal 2 of the paint manufacturer, the terminal 3 of the processing company, the terminal 4 of the paint distributor, and the terminal 5 of the paint distributor have the same configuration as shown in FIG.
That is, these terminals 1 to 5 are a main body 17 including a CPU 17a, a memory 17b, and a hard disk 17c,
Input device 1 such as display 18, keyboard, mouse, etc.
9, a reading device 20 (a bar code reader in the present embodiment), and a printer 21. A program for performing communication with the main server 9 via the communication line 8 (transmission and reception of data or information) and a container number stored in a bar code 45 described later are read by the reading device 20 on the hard disk 17 c of the main body 17. A program for reading and a program such as a driver program for the display 18 and the printer 21 are stored. CPU17
a is a memory 17b based on a command from the input device 19.
Cooperate with to execute these programs.

The main server 9 is under the control of an organization (in this embodiment, a paint manufacturer) that manages the reuse of the paint container 35. The installation location of the main server 9 is not particularly limited, and may be installed in a building having a head office function of a paint manufacturing company, or may be installed in any of the paint manufacturing plants 12.

As shown in FIG. 1, the main server 9
A main body 25 including a PU 25a, a memory 25b and a hard disk 25c, a display 26, an input device 27 such as a keyboard and a mouse, and a printer 28 are provided.
Further, the main server 9 includes a physical distribution status database 31 and a container status database 32 that the main body 25 can access through a database management system (DBMS) 30.

The distribution status database 31 stores distribution status data, which will be described in detail later, using at least a container number as a search key item. In the container status database 32, container status data, production initial data, and reproduction processing data, which will be described in detail later, are stored with at least the container number as a search key item.

The hard disk 25c of the main body 25 has a program for communicating with the terminals 1 to 5 (transmission and reception of data or information) via the communication line 8, and a DBM.
Programs for inputting, processing, and outputting data (information) to the physical distribution status database 31 and the container status database 32 via S30, and programs such as driver programs for the display 26 and the printer 28 are stored. The CPU 25a executes these programs in cooperation with the memory 25b based on a command from the input device 27.

Next, the paint container 35 managed by this system will be described with reference to FIGS. The paint container 35 includes an outer container 36 having four side plates 36b, 36c, 36d, and 36e whose base ends are connected to a bottom plate 36a, a lid 37 detachably attached to the outer container 36 and having a handle 37a. And an interior container 38 which is detachably accommodated in the exterior container 36 and is filled with paint. This paint container 35 is the outer container 3
6. It can be easily disassembled into the interior container 38 and the lid 37. After disassembly, the plurality of lids 37 can be stored and transported in a stacked state. Further, as shown in FIG. 4 (C), the outer container 36 after disassembly can be developed to some extent by increasing the distance between the front ends of the side plates 36b to 36d. In this unfolded state, a plurality of outer containers 36 can be stored and transported in a stacked state. Furthermore, the four side plates 36b to 36d are replaceable.

Next, a procedure for reusing the paint container 35 managed by the management system of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

First, the paint container 3 filled with the paint by the painter in steps A1 to A6 (indicated by a thin solid line arrow).
I will explain the physical distribution until 5 arrives. First, container manufacturing plant 1
In step 1, the paint container 35 is manufactured. At this time, the outer container 36
A bar code 45 recording an identification number (container number) for specifying the container is attached to each of the lid 37 and the lid 37 (see FIG. 4A). As shown in step A1, a new outer container 36 not containing the inner container 38 and the lid 3
7 is supplied to the regeneration processing station 13. Step A2
As shown in (2), a new interior container 38 is supplied to the reprocessing plant 13.

In the reprocessing plant 13, the container manufacturing plant 1
The paint container 35 is assembled from the new exterior container 36, the lid 37, and the interior container 38 supplied from 1. At this time, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the heat-shrinkable film 46 surrounding the side plates 36b to 36e of the outer container 36 is used.
Is attached. In the reprocessing plant 13, the outer container 36 and the lid 37 returned from the later-described paint sales company are washed, and the outer container 36 and the new interior container 38 supplied from the container manufacturing plant 11 are used for the reuse of the paint container 35. Is assembled. Also in this case, the side plate 36 is formed by the film 46.
The periphery of b to 36e is enclosed. As shown in step A3, the assembled paint container 35 is supplied to the paint manufacturing factory 12.

In the paint manufacturing plant 12, a paint container 35 is filled with paint. The kind of paint or the like filled in the film 46 is printed or affixed by a label. afterwards,
The paint filled in the paint container 35 is sold from the paint manufacturer to the paint sales company, and the paint container 3 is transferred from the paint manufacturing plant 12 to the paint sales company office 14 as shown in step A4.
5 are supplied.

At the paint sales company office 14, the paint in the paint container 35 is subjected to a toning process, a stirring process and the like as necessary. The paint name (toned product name) or the like after toning is applied to the film 46 by printing or labeling. Thereafter, the paint filled in the paint container 35 is sold from the paint sales company to the paint store, and the paint container 35 is supplied from the paint sales company office 14 to the paint store 15 as shown in step A5. Finally, the paint filled in the paint container 35 is sold from a paint dealer to a painter (painting site 39).

Next, a description will be given of the physical distribution relating to the reuse of the paint container 35 in steps B1 to B7 (indicated by thick solid line arrows). As shown in Step B1, the empty paint container 35 used for paint is an outer container 36, a lid 37, and an inner container 38.
Is returned from the coating site 39 to the paint sales store 15 in a state of being disassembled. At that time, the outer container 36, the lid 37, and the inner container 38 may be returned separately. As shown in step B2, the outer container 36 collected at the paint sales store 15,
The lid 37 and the interior container 38 are returned to the paint sales company office 14. Further, as shown in Step B3, the outer container 36 and the lid 3 are transferred from the painting site 39 to the paint sales company office 14.
7 and the inner container 38 may be returned.

The used outer container 36, lid 37, and inner container 38 collected at the paint sales company office 14 are returned to the reprocessing plant 13 as shown in step B4.
Of the used paint containers 35 collected in the reprocessing plant 13, the inner container 38 cannot be reused, and is therefore treated as industrial waste as shown in step B5. on the other hand,
The outer container 36 and the lid 37 of the used paint container 35 have a limited number of reuses (in this embodiment, 20 times).
If the number of times has not been reached, the cleaning process is performed, and then the container is reused together with a new interior container 38 supplied from the container manufacturing plant 11. On the other hand, the outer container 36 and the lid 37 whose number of reuses has reached the limit number of reuses are supplied to the recycling factory 40 as shown in step B6, where crushing treatment, heat treatment,
Through processing and the like, it is used as the regenerated raw fuel 41 and the like as shown in step B7.

As shown in steps B1 and B3 in FIG. 2, the paint container 35 used by the paint dealer (the paint dealer 15) or the paint dealer (the paint dealer office 14).
, A paint store that returned used paint containers 35 to a paint sales company (paint sales company office 14) as shown in step B2, and a processing company (recycle plant) as shown in step B4 The paint sales company that returned the used paint container 35 in 13) is paid a container return price (so-called payback) according to the degree of contamination (dirt by paint) and damage of the paint container 35. This payment of the return of the container has a remarkable economical advantage for a painter or the like, as compared with a case where the waste is requested to be treated by an industrial waste processor. In the present embodiment, the container return price is borne by the paint manufacturing company that owns the paint manufacturing factory 12 and the main server 9.

Next, the operation of the management system of this embodiment will be described. Container manufacturer terminal 1, paint manufacturer terminal 2,
In the processing company terminal 3, the paint sales company terminal 4, and the paint sales terminal 5, the empty paint container 35 filled with paint or used paint shown in steps A1 to A6 and steps B1 to B6 in FIG. Each time data is supplied or returned, data is input, and the input data is transmitted to the main server 9 via the communication line 8. In each of the terminals 1 to 5, the reading device 20 reads the barcode 45 to specify the container number of each paint container 35, and transmits data to the main server 9 in association with the container number.

The data transmitted from each of the terminals 1 to 5 to the main server 9 includes distribution status data, container status data, manufacturing initial data, and reproduction processing data. Among these, the physical distribution status data mainly includes data related to the physical distribution of the paint container 35, such as the shipping date, shipping location, and scheduled shipping date of the paint container 35, and the usage history of the paint container 35. The shipping location in these data means the shipping source and the return source of the paint container 35. For example, when a paint container is shipped from a paint manufacturer to a paint distributor, the paint container 35 filled with the contents is shipped from the paint distributor (paint factory 12), and the used empty empty container is used. When the paint container is returned from the store to the paint sales company, the store (paint store 15) from which the paint container is returned is the shipping location. Further, the container state data includes contamination, breakage, and the like of the paint container 35. Further, the manufacturing initial data includes data on the paint container 35 at the time of manufacturing. Furthermore, the reproduction processing data includes data relating to the reproduction processing of the paint container 35.

Hereinafter, the main server 9 for each of the terminals 1 to 5 will be described.
The data transmitted to is described. First, from the container manufacturing company terminal 1 to the main server 9, the manufacturing date and version of the paint container 35 (outer container 36 and lid 37), which is the manufacturing initial data, the container manufacturing plant 11 and the line where the manufacturing was performed, and these The production lot associated with is transmitted. Further, from the container manufacturing company terminal 1 to the main server 9, in connection with the supply of the paint container 35 to the recycling processing station 13 (see steps A1 and A2 in FIG. 2), the shipping date and the shipping location which are the distribution status data Is sent.

The paint server 35 supplies the paint server 35 to the paint sales office 14 (see step A4 in FIG. 2). The location and the use history (the line where the paint was filled, the type and lot of the filled paint, the storage condition and the period of the paint container 35) are transmitted.

From the processing company terminal 3 to the main server 9,
In connection with the supply of a new or reused paint container 35 to the paint manufacturing factory 12 (see step A3 in FIG. 2), a shipping date and a shipping location, which are distribution status data, are transmitted. Also, the paint container 35 returned from the paint sales company 14 (step B in FIG.
In connection with the regeneration process of 4), the container state data and the regeneration process data are transmitted.

The container state data includes a comprehensive evaluation determined from the degree of contamination and damage of the returned paint container 35 and the degree of contamination. These are determined by the processing company. In the present embodiment, the above-mentioned comprehensive evaluation includes "A" indicating that there is neither contamination nor damage, "B" indicating that there is only contamination, "C" indicating that there is only damage, and both of "contamination and damage". There are four stages of "D", which indicate that there is. In addition, the above-mentioned degree of contamination has three levels, "1" indicating that the degree of contamination is small, "2" indicating that the degree of contamination is normal, and "3" indicating that the degree of contamination is significant.

On the other hand, the reproduction processing data includes the presence / absence of the reproduction processing, the date of the reproduction processing, the bottom plate 36a, the side plate 3
6b to 36e and whether or not the lid 37 has been replaced, and the date of execution of the replacement. In addition, a paint container 3 that cannot be reused
When discarding No. 5, the fact is included in the reproduction processing data.

From the paint sales company terminal 4 to the main server 9, the delivery date, shipping location, and distribution status data are stored in relation to the supply of the paint container 35 to the paint sales store 15 (see step A 5 in FIG. 2). And the usage history (date and time of toning, toning line, toning composition, toning product name, lot of toning product, and storage conditions and period of paint container 35) are transmitted. Also, the paint container terminal 35 (see steps B2 and B3 in FIG. 2) returns the paint container 35 (see steps B2 and B3 in FIG. 2) from the paint sales company terminal 4 to the main server 9 (see FIG. 2). (See step B4), the physical distribution status data and the container status data are transmitted.
The distribution status data includes a shipping date, a shipping location, and a use history (storage conditions and period of the paint container 35). On the other hand, the container state data includes the comprehensive evaluation determined by the paint sales company.

The supply server 5 supplies the main server 9 with the delivery date, the delivery location, and the distribution status data in connection with the supply of the paint container 35 to the painting site 39 (see step A6 in FIG. 2). The use history (storage condition and period of the paint container 35) is transmitted. Further, the distribution server 5 stores the distribution status data in the main server 9 in association with the return of the paint container 35 collected from the painting site 39 to the paint sales company office 14 (see step B2 in FIG. 2). And the container state data are transmitted. The distribution status data includes a shipping date, a shipping location, and a use history (storage conditions and period of the paint container 35). On the other hand, the container state data includes the comprehensive evaluation determined by the paint dealer.

The main server 9 includes the terminals 1 to 5
Distribution status data received from the distribution status database 3
1 and the container status data, the initial production data, and the reproduction processing data received from the terminals 1 to 5 are stored in the container status database 32.

The main server 9 analyzes and organizes the distribution status data stored in the distribution status database 31, and obtains distribution history information of the paint container 35. The logistics history information is transmitted via a communication line 8 to a container manufacturer terminal 1, a paint manufacturer terminal 2, a processing company terminal 3, a paint seller terminal 4,
Then, it is transmitted to the paint store terminal 5 and displayed on the display 18 and printed out by the printer 21 as the document 100. Also in the main server 9,
The distribution history information can be displayed on the display 26 and printed out as a document 100 by the printer 28.

FIG. 5 shows an example of the distribution history information. In FIG. 5, FIG. 6, FIG. 7, and FIG. 9, A1, A2,.
Is a symbol for specifying which container manufacturing plant 11 is selected. Similarly, B1, B2,...
Are paint manufacturing plants 12, D1, D2 are paint sales offices 14, E1, E2 are paint sales stores 15,
F1, F2... Specify the painting site 39 (painting company).

As shown in FIG. 5, the distribution history information includes a shipping location, a shipping date, and the presence / absence of contents (“0”) for each container number.
Indicates that only the outer container 36 and the lid 37 are provided without the inner container 38, and “1” indicates that the inner container 38 is present. ), The lot number of the contents. The container manufacturer, the paint manufacturer, the processor, the paint distributor, and the dealer are respectively a container manufacturer terminal 1, a paint manufacturer terminal 2, a processor 3, a paint distributor terminal 4, and a paint distributor terminal 5.
As a result, the distribution history information can be known, and the distribution status of the paint container 35 can be accurately grasped. In particular, paint manufacturers
Since the individual paint containers 35 can be known in the physical distribution process from the paint manufacturer terminal 2, inventory management of the paint containers 35 using the inventory database 3a can be performed reliably and efficiently. Further, the processing company, the paint sales company, and the paint sales store respectively return the used paint container 35 based on the distribution history information obtained from the processing company terminal 3, the paint sales company terminal 4, and the sales store terminal 5, and return the used paint container 35. The number and the like can be expected to some extent.

Further, the main server analyzes and arranges the initial production data and the reproduction processing data stored in the container status database 32, and obtains the container status information shown in FIG. 6 and the reuse frequency information shown in FIG. The container status information and the number of reuses are transmitted to the container manufacturer terminal 1, the paint manufacturer terminal 2, the processing company terminal 3, the paint dealer terminal 4, and the paint dealer terminal 5 via the communication line 8. , Display on display 18 and document 1 by printer 21
The printout as 00 can be performed. The main server 9 can also display the information on the display 26 and print out the document 100 by the printer 28.

The container status information shown in FIG. 6 includes a manufacturing lot, a manufacturing location, a date and a location of each regenerating process for each container number, and a state of the coating container 35 (container state). The state of the container includes the above-mentioned comprehensive evaluation, contamination degree, and bottom plate 3
6a, the presence or absence of replacement of the side plates 36b to 36e and the lid 37 are included. The container manufacturer, the paint manufacturer, the processor, the paint distributor, and the dealer are respectively a container manufacturer terminal 1, a paint manufacturer terminal 2, a processor 3, a paint distributor terminal 4, and a paint distributor terminal 5. As a result, the container status information can be known, and the production time, the reprocessing time, and the like can be accurately grasped for each paint container 35 of the paint container 35.

The reuse count information shown in FIG. 7 includes the number of reuses for each container number. The container manufacturer, the paint manufacturer, the processor, the paint distributor, and the dealer are respectively a container manufacturer terminal 1, a paint manufacturer terminal 2, a processor 3, a paint distributor terminal 4, and a paint distributor terminal 5.
Thereby, the number of times of reuse for each paint container 35 can be accurately grasped. In particular, since the paint manufacturer can know the number of re-uses of each paint container 35 from the paint manufacturer terminal 2, it can determine whether to order a new paint container 35 from the container manufacturer, It is possible to reliably and efficiently perform inventory management of 35 items.

FIG. 8 shows a process of counting the number of reuses for each container number, which is executed by the main body 25b of the main server 9. First, as shown in step S1, the main server 9
Receives the manufacturing process information from the container manufacturing company terminal 1,
The re-use number counter N is set to an initial value “0”. Next, when the reproduction processing data is received from the processor terminal 3 in step S2, "1" is added to the reuse counter N in step S3. Then, step S
4, the reuse number counter N and the limit reuse number Nma
x (Nmax = 20 in the present embodiment), and if the reuse number counter N is not equal to or greater than the limit reuse number Nmax,
Steps S2 and S3 are repeated. On the other hand, if the reuse number counter N is equal to or greater than the limit number of reuse times Nmax, the paint container 35 (the outer container 36 and the lid 3) corresponding to that container number
In step 7), since it cannot be reused any more, the re-use prohibition process of step S5 is performed. Specifically, the fact that the reuse of the paint container 35 of the container number is prohibited is transmitted to the processor terminal 3 as reuse prohibition information. This reuse prohibition information may be a list of the container numbers of the paint containers 35 that are prohibited from being reused in the form of a table. Further, as a part of the container status information shown in FIG. 6, it may be displayed that reuse is prohibited in correspondence with the container number.

As described above, in the management system according to the present embodiment, the paint container 35 can be reliably used without any excess or shortage until the reuse limit is reached by accurately grasping the number of reuses. Further, the processing company can accurately know whether or not the paint container 35 returned to itself by the processing company terminal 3 can be reused.

Further, the main server 9 returns the used paint container 35 based on the distribution data stored in the distribution status database 31 and the comprehensive evaluation among the container status data stored in the container status database 32. Calculate the return price of the container to be paid to the painter, the dealer, and the paint distributor.

In the present embodiment, the consideration for returning the container to the painter is obtained by multiplying a fixed amount by a coefficient corresponding to the overall evaluation (A to D) evaluated by the store or the paint sales company. For example, the fixed amount is 1000 yen, and a coefficient of 1.0 is assigned to the comprehensive evaluation A, a coefficient of 0.8 is assigned to the overall evaluation B, a coefficient of 0.3 is assigned to the overall evaluation C, and a coefficient of 0.0 is assigned to the overall evaluation D. Therefore, if the comprehensive evaluation of the coating container of a certain container number is A, 1000 yen for B, 800 yen for B, 300 yen for C, and 0 yen for D will be the container return consideration. By determining the price of returning the container according to the degree of contamination and damage in this manner, the paint container 35 is handled with care and consequently promotes reuse. Similarly,
The container return consideration to be paid to the store is obtained by multiplying a fixed amount by a coefficient corresponding to the overall evaluation (A to D) evaluated by the paint sales company. Further, the container return consideration to be paid to the paint sales company is obtained by multiplying a fixed amount by a coefficient corresponding to the overall evaluation (A to D) evaluated by the processing company. In addition, the above-mentioned fixed amount and coefficient may be made different depending on which of the painter, the dealer and the paint company.

[0062] The main server 9 includes each painter, dealer,
Further, the paint container 35 returned is extracted based on the distribution status data 31 for each paint sales company, and the comprehensive evaluation of the returned paint container 35 is extracted from the container number. Then, a certain amount of money is multiplied by a coefficient corresponding to the comprehensive evaluation, and the total is calculated. These pieces of information are displayed on the display 9 of the main server 9 as container return consideration settlement information or printed out as a document 100 by the printer 28, as shown in FIG. The container return price information is transmitted to each of the terminals 1 to 5.

As described above, in the management system of the present embodiment, since the main server 9 can automatically and collectively calculate the container return price to be paid to the painter, the dealer, and the paint distributor, It is possible to improve the efficiency of the business required for settlement of the container return consideration. In addition, since the paint sales company and the store can know the container return price information from the paint sales company terminal 4 and the paint store terminal 5, respectively, they need to know exactly the container return price to be paid to themselves or the paint trader. Can be.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, but can be variously modified. First, instead of a one-dimensional code such as a bar code or a two-dimensional code such as a data matrix, an IC chip or a magnetic card storing a container number may be attached to the paint container. In this case, some or all of the distribution status data of the IC chip or the like, the container status data, the initial production data, and the reproduction processing data may be stored.

The paint manufacturer (contents manufacturer) and the paint distributor (intermediate seller) may be the same.
Further, when the outer container and the lid are returned separately, the data processing in each step may be separately performed each time.

Further, the comprehensive evaluation of the contamination and damage of the paint container may be performed only by the processing company, and the comprehensive evaluation may be transmitted to the main server from only the processing company terminal. In this case, the painter,
The calculation of the return price of the container to the paint dealer and the paint dealer is executed based on the comprehensive evaluation transmitted from the processor terminal. Note that the interior container may be directly processed as industrial waste by the customer without being returned to the reprocessing plant.

Further, the container, which is the object of the present invention, has a structure, dimensions, capacity,
The material and the like are not particularly limited. Furthermore, the contents filled in the container may be any of solid, liquid and gas.

The communication line may be entirely or partially formed by a public line such as the Internet or a telephone line, or may be entirely or partially formed by a wireless line. The configurations of each terminal and the main server are not limited to those of the above embodiment as long as the same functions can be realized.

[0069]

As is clear from the above description, in the reusable container management system according to the present invention, the contents manufacturer, the processing company, the intermediate sales company, and the sales office are respectively a processing company terminal, Since the logistics history information analyzed by the main server can be known from the intermediate distributor terminal and the dealer terminal, the distribution status of the containers can be accurately grasped. When the main server counts the number of reuses of the container based on the manufacturing initial information and the reuse processing information, it is possible to accurately grasp the number of reuses of each container.
Further, based on the container state information, the main server
When the container return consideration to be paid to the customer, the store, and the intermediary dealer who returned the container is automatically and collectively calculated, it is possible to improve the efficiency of the work required to settle the container return consideration. The management system of the present invention having the above effects promotes the reuse of containers and contributes to environmental protection and resource saving by reducing industrial waste.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a management system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating operations and physical distribution related to reuse of a paint container managed by the management system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a terminal.

4A is a perspective view showing a paint container, FIG. 4B is an exploded perspective view of the paint container, and FIG. 4C is a perspective view showing an outer container.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of distribution history information.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of container status information.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of container reuse frequency information.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating the counting of the number of reuses.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of container return consideration information.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS 1 Container manufacturer terminal 2 Paint manufacturer terminal 3 Disposer terminal 4 Paint dealer terminal 5 Paint dealer terminal 8 Communication line 9 Main server 11 Container manufacturer 12 Paint manufacturer 13 Reprocessing plant 14 Paint company office 15 Paint Sales store 30 DBMS 31 Distribution status database 32 Container status database 35 Paint container 36 Exterior container 36a Bottom plate 36b, 36c, 36d, 36e Side plate 37 Cover 37a Handle 38 Interior container 39 Painting site 40 Recycling plant 45 Bar code

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Koji Kadowaki, Inventor Nippon Paint Co., Ltd. 2-1-2 Oyodokita, Kita-ku, Osaka City, Osaka (72) Inventor Masanori Oiwa 19-17, Ikedanakacho, Neyagawa-shi, Osaka Inside Nippon Paint Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Tatsuhiro Matsumoto 2-9-1 Dojimahama, Kita-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka Sekisui Molding Industry Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Mitsuru Nagayama 2-1-1 Dojimahama, Kita-ku, Osaka, Osaka No. 9 Inside Sekisui Molding Industry Co., Ltd. (72) Kichi Shimada 2-9-1 Dojimahama, Kita-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture Inside Sekisui Molding Industry Co., Ltd. No. 2-9-1 No. 9 Sekisui Molding Industry Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 3E061 AA01 AD04 CA09 3E067 AA03 AB96 BA01C BA11B BB14B BB14C BC06C EA18 EB27 EE01 EE11 FA04 FB15 FC01

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A terminal for a content manufacturer, which is under the control of a content manufacturer that fills at least a part of the content into a reusable container, and performs processing necessary for reuse on a used container. Under the management of the processing company, the processing company terminal, and purchase the contents filled in the container from the contents manufacturer and sell to the store, and used containers collected from the store or customer An intermediate seller terminal under the control of the intermediate seller to be returned to the processing company, and the contents filled in the container are purchased from the intermediate seller and sold to the customer, and the used container is used by the customer. Under the management of the store that collects and returns it to the intermediate dealer, a store terminal, the contents manufacturer terminal, the processing terminal, the intermediate dealer terminal, and the store terminal and communication line Contact through And a main server having a database, wherein the contents manufacturer terminal, the processing company terminal, the intermediate dealer terminal, and the dealer terminal are at least filled with contents or used and empty. The logistics status information including the shipping date and shipping location of the container is transmitted to the main server, and the main server stores the logistics status information in a database, and analyzes the logistics status information stored in the database. Logistics history information including at least which position of the container is currently obtained in the physical distribution process, the contents manufacturer terminal, the processing terminal, the intermediate distributor terminal,
And a reusable container management system for transmitting to the store terminal. 2. The container according to claim 1, further comprising a container manufacturer terminal that is at least partially under the control of a container manufacturer that manufactures reusable containers, and that is connected to the main server via the communication line. The manufacturing company terminal transmits at least the manufacturing initial information including the manufacturing date of the container to the main server, and the processing company terminal transmits the reproduction processing information including at least whether or not a process necessary for reuse has been performed. Transmitting to the main server, the main server stores the production initial information and the reproduction processing information in a database, and based on the production initial information and the reproduction processing information stored in the database, The management system according to claim 1, wherein the number of times of reuse is counted and transmitted to at least the content manufacturer terminal. 3. The main server compares the counted number of reuse times with a preset limit number of reuse times,
The management system according to claim 2, wherein when the number of reuses reaches the limit number of reuses, the management system transmits reuse prohibition information to the processor terminal. 4. The store terminal sends container status information including a damaged state and a contaminated state of the container returned from the customer to the main server, and the intermediate dealer terminal is returned from the customer or the store. The processor sends the container state information including the damaged state and the contaminated state of the container to the main server, and the processing company sends the container state information including the damaged state and the contaminated state of the container returned from the intermediate seller to the main server. Transmitting, the main server stores the container state information in the database, and based on at least the container state information stored in the database, the container to be returned to the customer, the retailer, and the intermediate dealer who returned the container. The management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which calculates a return consideration. 5. The management system according to claim 4, wherein the container return consideration to be paid to the customer, the dealer, and the intermediate sales company is an amount obtained by multiplying a fixed amount by a coefficient corresponding to the container state information. . 6. The container has an outer container having a bottom plate and a side plate, a lid detachably attached to the outer container, and an inner member detachably housed in the outer container and filled with contents therein. The management system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a container, wherein the outer container and the lid are reusable. 7. The management system according to claim 1, wherein the content is a paint.