JP2003192139A - Delivery support system, method, device and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve efficiency of delivery work. <P>SOLUTION: A center 100 receives order information from a user terminal 300. The center determines a route between a store and an orderer based on the received order information, and calculates a shipping possible time of an ordered article based on information recorded in an article information database. The center determines an optimal delivery vehicle for delivery processing based on positional information of delivery vehicles transmitted from a delivery person terminal 200, the determined route, and the shipping possible time. The center 100 transmits the order information to the delivery person terminal 200 of the determined delivery vehicle to command the delivery processing. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a delivery support system, method and device, and program, and more particularly, to a delivery support system, method and device, and program suitable for improving delivery efficiency.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a so-called delivery service in which a restaurant or the like cooks food according to an order and delivers the cooked food to a home or a workplace. In such a delivery service, the orderer places an order by telephone or the like and delivers it by a delivery vehicle (motorcycle or automobile) owned by the store.

In such a conventional delivery service, delivery is carried out by delivery vehicles that are individually owned by each store, and therefore, those delivery vehicles have been used only for delivery of merchandise at the store. Recently, demand for food delivery services in particular has been increasing, but it is difficult for conventional delivery services for individual stores to meet such demand increase.
Therefore, establishment of a method for efficient delivery is desired.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a delivery support system, method and apparatus, and program for improving the efficiency of delivery work.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, the delivery support system according to the first aspect of the present invention is
A center, interconnected via a communication network,
A delivery support system for determining delivery routes of a plurality of delivery vehicles, comprising: a deliveryman terminal, wherein the center provides information about an article provider and information about an article provided by the article provider. Item information accumulating means for acquiring and accumulating, order accepting means for accepting the order of the item, and article information of an item corresponding to a plurality of orders accepted by the order accepting means, is acquired from the item information accumulating means and analyzed. And an order allocation unit that allocates a predetermined number of the plurality of orders to a predetermined delivery vehicle based on the analysis result of the product information analysis unit, and the order allocation unit allocates the order. Information about the item corresponding to the order is obtained from the item information storage means, and based on the obtained information, Presents the delivery route determined by the delivery route determining means to the delivery route determining means for determining the delivery route of the delivery vehicle to which the data is assigned and the deliveryman terminal corresponding to the delivery vehicle to which the order is assigned by the order assigning means. By doing so, a delivery instructing means for instructing processing of the order is provided.

[0006] In the above delivery support system, the information regarding the article is the lead time information indicating the lead time from the ordering to the time when the article can be shipped, and the optimal delivery time indicating the optimal delivery time based on the characteristics of the article. It is desirable to include information. In this case, the order allocating means analyzes lead time information of the articles corresponding to the plurality of orders, and the delivery route determining means,
The delivery route can be determined based on the optimal delivery time information of the item to be delivered and the information indicating the delivery destination specified in the order.

According to the above-mentioned structure, for example, when delivering cooked food, the optimal delivery time based on the time required for cooking (lead time) and change characteristics (ease of cooling and deterioration degree of freshness) of the food, etc. Information is stored in advance. Then, a plurality of orders are received from different orderers, and based on the cooking time information of the food corresponding to each received order, for example, the cooking completion time (that is,
Orders of food products having similar shipping times can be assigned to one delivery vehicle, so that a plurality of orders can be efficiently processed and the cost of delivery can be reduced.

Furthermore, for a plurality of orders assigned to one delivery vehicle, the most efficient delivery route is determined based on the optimum delivery time and the delivery destination of the corresponding food products, which deteriorates the quality of the products. Can be efficiently delivered without. As a result, the delivery time can be reduced, the turnover rate of the delivery staff can be improved, and efficient delivery can be achieved with a small number of delivery vehicles and the number of delivery staff, and labor costs and operating costs can be reduced. You can

In the delivery support system, the center may further include delivery availability information receiving means for receiving, from the deliveryman terminal, information indicating whether or not the corresponding delivery vehicle is deliverable. The order assigning means may assign the order to the delivery vehicle corresponding to the deliveryman terminal which has transmitted the information indicating that the delivery is possible, by the delivery availability information receiving means.

With such a configuration, for example, a delivery instruction can be issued only to a delivery vehicle that is waiting or is being forwarded, so that delivery arrangements can be made efficiently.

In order to achieve the above object, a second aspect of the present invention is provided.
The delivery support system according to the aspect is a delivery support system for managing the delivery status of a plurality of delivery vehicles, which includes a center and a courier terminal interconnected via a communication network. The center stores information about a goods provider, goods information storage means for acquiring and storing information about goods provided by the goods provider, and information about a delivery vehicle from the deliveryman terminal via the communication network. Delivery vehicle information acquisition means to be acquired in order, order acceptance means for accepting the order of the article, information about the article stored in the article information storage means,
A delivery vehicle determination means for determining a delivery vehicle for processing the order based on the information about the plurality of delivery vehicles acquired by the delivery vehicle information acquisition means and the order content accepted by the order acceptance means; And a delivery vehicle instruction means for transmitting instruction information for instructing the processing of the order to the deliveryman terminal corresponding to the delivery vehicle determined by the delivery vehicle determination means.

[0012] In the above delivery support system, it is desirable to further include a user terminal that is a terminal used by the orderer and is connected to the communication network. In this case, the order reception means is the article information storage means. Information about the goods provider and the goods accumulated in the above is presented to the user terminal via the communication network, and order information based on the presented information is accepted from the user terminal via the communication network. You can

The delivery support system may further include a store terminal used by the article provider and connected to the communication network. In this case, the order receiving means uses the communication network. The order information can be notified to the shop terminal of the shop via the shop.

In the above delivery support system, it is desirable that the deliveryman terminal is provided with position information acquisition means for acquiring position information indicating the position of the corresponding delivery vehicle. In this case, the delivery vehicle information acquisition means is The position information acquired by the position information acquisition means may be acquired.

According to the above configuration, in a food delivery service or the like, the delivery processing of a plurality of stores is integrated, and, for example, the position of the store, the position of the orderer, the time when the product can be delivered, and the delivery. Based on the current position of the vehicle and the delivery vehicle that can deliver the most efficiently,
The efficiency of delivery processing can be improved.

In order to achieve the above object, a delivery support method according to a third aspect of the present invention provides an article information acquisition step of obtaining and accumulating information about an article provided according to an order, and delivering the article. Information indicating the status of a plurality of delivery vehicles for obtaining via a communication network, delivery vehicle information acquisition step, order receiving step for receiving the order of the article, delivery vehicle information acquisition step of the delivery vehicle A delivery vehicle determination step of determining a delivery vehicle for processing a plurality of orders received in the order receiving step, and information indicating a delivery destination corresponding to the plurality of orders and an article to be delivered, based on information indicating the situation Based on the information, the delivery route determining step for determining the delivery route and the delivery route determined in the delivery route determining step are performed. Zui it, characterized in that it comprises a delivery instruction step for instructing the delivery to the delivery vehicle as determined by the delivery vehicle determining step.

In the above delivery support method, the article is a food, and in this case, the information about the article shows at least cooking time information indicating a cooking time of the food and an optimal delivery time based on the characteristic of the food. The delivery vehicle determining step further includes a dispatchable time calculating step of calculating the dispatchable time of the food from the ordering time when the ordering step receives the order and the cooking time information, including optimal delivery time information. The delivery vehicle is determined based on the information indicating the situation and the information indicating the shipment available time calculated in the shipment available time calculating step, and the delivery route determining step includes the information indicating the delivery destination and the optimum delivery time. The delivery route may be determined based on the information.

In the above delivery support method, the article information acquisition step may further include a provider information acquisition step of obtaining provider location information indicating a location of the article provider, and the delivery vehicle information acquisition step. May further include a vehicle position information acquisition step of acquiring vehicle position information indicating the current position of the delivery vehicle. In this case, the delivery vehicle determination step may determine the delivery vehicle based on the provider location information, the vehicle location information, and information regarding the items to be delivered.

Further, in this case, the delivery route determining step may determine the delivery route based on the provider location information, the vehicle location information, and the information about the article to be delivered.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a delivery support apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is a product information for accumulating information about a connection unit connected to a communication network, a plurality of stores, and products provided by the stores. A storage unit, an order reception unit that receives an order for delivery of the item, and the connection unit, and acquires information indicating the status of a plurality of delivery vehicles for delivering the item via the communication network. Based on the delivery vehicle information acquisition unit, the order details received by the order reception unit, and the information indicating the status of the delivery vehicle acquired by the delivery vehicle information acquisition unit, a delivery vehicle vehicle that performs delivery based on the order. A delivery vehicle determining unit that determines the delivery order, a plurality of order details received by the order receiving unit, information indicating the delivery vehicle status acquired by the delivery vehicle information acquisition unit, and an item to be delivered. Based on the information to be provided, a delivery route determination unit that determines a delivery route, a plurality of order details accepted by the order acceptance unit, and a delivery route determined by the delivery route determination unit are presented. And a delivery information presenting unit.

In the above delivery support apparatus, the information regarding the article may include lead time information indicating a lead time from the ordering to the time when the article can be shipped. In this case, the order receiving unit may: An acceptance time recording unit that records acceptance time information indicating the time when the order is accepted, lead time information corresponding to the ordered item is acquired, and the acceptance time information recorded by the acceptance time recording unit and the acquired lead Based on the time information and
It is preferable that the delivery vehicle determination unit further includes a delivery available time calculation unit that calculates a delivery available time of the article, and the delivery vehicle determination unit includes information indicating a delivery destination corresponding to the order and information indicating a status of the delivery vehicle. It is preferable that the delivery vehicle is determined based on the information indicating the shipping available time calculated by the shipping available time calculating unit.

In the above delivery support device, the information about the store may include store location information indicating the location of the store, and the information indicating the status of the delivery vehicle is a vehicle indicating the current position of the delivery vehicle. The delivery vehicle determination unit may determine the delivery vehicle based on the information indicating the delivery destination, the dispatchable time information, the store location information, and the vehicle location information. However, the delivery route determination unit,
It is desirable to determine a delivery route based on the information indicating the delivery destination, the shipping available time information, the store location information, and the vehicle position information.

In the above delivery support apparatus, a product information presenting unit that controls the connecting unit and presents information about the store and the products stored in the product information storing unit to an external terminal via the communication network is further provided. In this case, the order receiving unit controls the connection unit, and the information indicating the order based on the information presented by the article information presentation unit is supplied to the terminal of the orderer connected to the communication network. Can be received from.

In the above delivery support apparatus, the delivery information presenting section controls the connecting section to display information indicating the order details accepted by the order accepting section and the delivery route determined by the delivery route determining section. Alternatively, the information may be transmitted to a terminal used by a deliveryman and a deliveryman terminal connected to the communication network.

In order to achieve the above object, a program according to a fifth aspect of the present invention causes a computer to function as the delivery support device.

[0026]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, a case will be described in which food delivery operations provided by a plurality of vendors and stores are collectively performed. In other words, the center owns a plurality of delivery vehicles (motorcycles, automobiles, etc.) and uses these delivery vehicles for delivery operations at a plurality of restaurants and the like.

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 shows the first embodiment of the present invention.
1 shows a configuration of a delivery support system according to the first embodiment
It is a figure. As shown, delivery according to the present embodiment
The support system 1 includes a delivery management center server 100,
Internet 10 and a plurality of deliveryman terminals 200₁~ 2
00_nAnd a plurality of user terminals 300₁~ 100_nAnd compound
Number of store terminals 400 ₁~ 400_nAnd consists of
It

The Internet 10 is, for example, TCP /
IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Proto)
col) is a communication network based on a predetermined communication protocol. Internet 10 is server 10
0, the courier terminal 200, the user terminal 300, and the store terminal 400 are interconnected to mediate information transmission among them.

The server 100, the user terminal 300, and the shop terminal 400 are assumed to be connected to the Internet 10 using a predetermined access line. Here, the access line is, for example, a leased line, a public line network, an ISDN line network, a mobile communication line network, or a cable television (CATV).
A network, a cable broadcasting network, a wireless communication network, or a combination thereof.

The server 100 is, for example, a computer device such as a mainframe or a workstation, and is a server that performs each processing described later in the delivery management center. The configuration of the server 100 will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the server 100. As illustrated, the server 100 includes a control unit 110, a communication unit 120, a delivery vehicle information database 130, a product information database 140, a customer information database 150, and a map information database 160.
Web server section 170, input section 180, and output section 19
It is composed of 0 and.

The control unit 110 is, for example, a CPU (Centra).
l Processing Unit: Central processing unit) and controls each unit of the server 100. In addition, by executing a program loaded in a memory (not shown) or the like, each processing described later is performed.

The communication unit 120 is composed of a communication device such as a router, and connects the server 100 to the Internet 10.
The information is transmitted and received to and from the deliveryman terminal 200, the user terminal 300, and the store terminal 400.

The delivery vehicle information database 130 is composed of, for example, a rewritable storage device such as a hard disk device, and records information about delivery vehicles as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, in the delivery vehicle information database 130, the vehicle number identifying the vehicle is displayed. A record is created for each, and information indicating the current position of the vehicle (for example, latitude / longitude information) and information indicating the current delivery status of the vehicle is recorded in each record.

The product information database 140 is, for example,
The storage device is composed of a rewritable storage device such as a hard disk device, and records information about the products to be delivered as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the product information database 14
In 0, a record is created for each store that provides products (in this case, a restaurant that provides a delivery service, etc.),
In each record, information specifying the offered product, information indicating the unit price of the product, the time required to cook the product (food) (that is, the time from receipt of an order to delivery (so-called lead time)) ), Information indicating the optimum delivery time based on the maximum allowable delivery time that is predetermined by the temperature change characteristics of the food, and information indicating the location of the store (for example, latitude / longitude information), etc. are recorded. It

In the present embodiment, the store that provides the product makes a contract with the provider of the delivery support service according to the present embodiment in advance so that the information about the store and the product is stored in the product information database. It shall be recorded at 140 and presented on the website.

The customer information database 150 is, for example,
It is composed of a rewritable storage device such as a hard disk device, and records information about a customer (orderer) as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the customer information database 1
In 50, a record is created for each customer, and in each record, information indicating the attribute of the customer (for example, location, name, telephone number, e-mail address, etc.) and information designating the ordered product (here, , A code that is a combination of a code that specifies a store and a code that specifies a product), an order flag indicating completion of an order, a delivery flag indicating the start of delivery, and the like are recorded.

The map information database 160 is, for example,
It is composed of a rewritable storage device such as a hard disk device, and stores at least information indicating a map of a delivery area.

The web server unit 170 is composed of at least an information processing device having a predetermined control unit and storage unit. In the storage unit of the web server unit 170, for example,
A program (hereinafter, referred to as “CGI program”) that configures an operating mechanism such as a CGI (Common Gateway Interface) is stored, and the control unit executes the CGI program so that each database 130 to The web page data is dynamically generated by appropriately acquiring information from 160. In this embodiment, the server 1
00 provides a website for accepting food delivery orders through the Internet 10, and the server 1
Web server unit 1 based on an instruction from the control unit 110 of 00.
It is assumed that 70 creates and provides a web page that constitutes the website.

The input section 180 is composed of, for example, an input device such as a keyboard or a pointing device, and inputs / stores information stored in the databases 130 to 160.
Used for updating.

The output unit 190 is composed of an output device such as a display device and a printer, and the control unit 11
The processing result of 0 and the like are output as necessary.

The deliveryman terminal 200 is a terminal provided in each delivery vehicle owned by the delivery management center, and at least,
It has a configuration capable of wireless connection to the Internet 10. That is, as the deliveryman terminal 200, for example, a mobile communication terminal such as a mobile phone or a PHS (Personal Handyphone System), a PDA having a communication function, or the like can be adopted. These terminals may be installed in a delivery vehicle, for example, or may be carried by a delivery person. Further, in the present embodiment, the deliveryman terminal 200 may be, for example, a GPS (Global Pos).
itioning System: Global Positioning System) and other devices, and can acquire location information indicating the location of the delivery vehicle. In the present embodiment,
It is assumed that the deliveryman terminal 200 transmits the position information of the delivery vehicle to the server 100 at any time, and the transmitted position information is recorded / updated in the delivery vehicle information database 130 at any time.

The user terminal 300 is a terminal used by those who order a delivery service by the delivery support service according to the present embodiment, and at least the Internet 1
It is a terminal having a configuration capable of accessing the server 100 via 0. That is, as the user terminal 300, for example, a personal computer, a mobile communication terminal, a PD
A, etc. can be adopted. These terminals have a predetermined access line and ISP (Internet Service Provide).
r: Internet service provider) or the like.

The store terminal 400 is a terminal installed in a store that provides products by the delivery service provided by the delivery support service according to this embodiment, and has a configuration capable of accessing the server 100 via at least the Internet 10. As the store terminal 400, for example, a personal computer or the like can be adopted.

Next, the delivery service support processing according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, from the user terminal 300 to the server 100
Ordering process is performed by accessing (step S
101). By accessing the server 100, a menu page for designating a store as shown in FIG. 7 is displayed on the user terminal 300. When a desired store is designated, a menu page for designating a product as shown in FIG. 8 is displayed. Is displayed. The orderer specifies not only the desired product and its quantity, but also at least the address of the orderer (desired place of delivery) (hereinafter referred to as "ordering information").
Is input and transmitted to the server 100.

When the server 100 receives the order information from the user terminal 300, the server 100 performs the order processing (step S10).
2). Here, a new record is created in the customer information database 150 based on the received order information. Further, the order information is transmitted to the store terminal 400 of the designated store. At the store, when confirming the received ordering information,
To that effect (hereinafter referred to as "order confirmation information"), the server 10
Reply to 0. Upon receiving the order confirmation information, the server 100 turns the order flag of the record created in the customer information database 150 to ON (“1”).

The server 100 then searches for the optimal delivery vehicle for processing the order (step S10).
3). Here, first, the server 100 determines the location information of the orderer indicated in the order information and the product information database 14
Based on the location information of the store recorded in 0, the map information of the area is acquired from the map information database 160, and the route from the store to the orderer is determined.
Next, the server 100 receives the time when the order confirmation information is received,
Based on the cooking time information of the ordered product recorded in the product information database 140, the cooking completion time of the product (that is, the shipping available time of the product) is calculated.

The server 100 acquires the position information and the delivery status information of each delivery vehicle from the delivery vehicle information database 130, arrives at the store at the calculated cooking completion time, and calculates it based on the obtained information. The route is used to calculate and specify which delivery vehicle is optimal for delivery at the optimal delivery time recorded in the product information database 140.

The server 100 gives a delivery instruction by transmitting the order information to the deliveryman terminal 200 of the identified delivery vehicle (step S104). That is, in the deliveryman terminal 200, information indicating the store, information indicating the orderer,
And the delivery time based on the optimal delivery time information is displayed. The delivery staff performs delivery work based on the displayed information. Here, when the delivery person receives the product at the store, the delivery person terminal 200 is used to notify the server 100 to that effect. The server 100 turns on the delivery flag of the record in the customer information database 150 based on the notification.
("1"). Then, when the delivery to the orderer is completed, the delivery person notifies the server 100 to that effect. Server 100
Deletes the record in the customer information database 150 according to the notification and ends the process.

In the first embodiment, the case where the order is placed through the website has been described as an example, but the order may be placed by telephone or facsimile. In this case, the operator of the delivery management center may operate the server 100 based on the content of the call and the received facsimile.

(Second Embodiment) In the above-described first embodiment, the case where the delivery vehicles of the delivery management center collectively carry out the delivery for a plurality of scattered shops has been described. Multiple stores may exist in the same place. A delivery support system in this case will be described below as a second embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the configuration of the delivery support system 2 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the present invention is applied to a service of cooking and delivering food according to the order of the orderer. The same components as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In the present embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, the orderer places an order at the distribution center by telephone. The delivery center is provided with cooking facilities of a plurality of stores (store A, store B, store C in the figure), and foods cooked in the cooking facilities of these stores are installed in the delivery center. It is handed to the delivery person from one counter and delivered. It is assumed that the orderer has acquired the menus of the stores in advance, and the telephone numbers of the stores are described in these menus. The reception of the telephone number of each of these stores is assumed to be connected to the telephone of the delivery center. That is, orders are accepted at a plurality of stores at one location in the delivery center. For this reason, it is assumed that the delivery service provider according to the present embodiment and each store have a contract with the store in advance. However, the order is not limited to this, and it is possible to receive an order at a store outside the delivery center. In this case, the order details are transmitted from each store to the delivery center.

The delivery center has a plurality of delivery vehicles and stands by at the delivery center. Each deliveryman carries a deliveryman terminal 200 including, for example, a mobile phone.

A server 100 is installed at the delivery center,
It is operated by a predetermined operator. The operator responds to the telephone order from the orderer, and the server 100
Enter the order information in. Note that the telephone device used by the operator is configured to notify the operator, for example, to which store the incoming call is directed, and the operator responds to the incoming call as prescribed by each store. To do.

The configuration of the server 100 is the same as that of the server 100 in the first embodiment, but the information stored in the delivery vehicle information database 130 and the product information database 140 is different from that in the first embodiment. FIG. 10 shows an example of information recorded in the delivery vehicle information database 130 in the present embodiment.

As shown in the figure, a record is created for each delivery vehicle in the delivery vehicle information database 130, and the name of the person in charge of delivery and the status flag are recorded in each record. The status flag is a flag indicating the current status of the delivery vehicle, for example, "operation flag",
A "standby flag", a "delivery flag", etc. are prepared. Here, the “operation flag” indicates whether or not the delivery vehicle is operating (or whether or not the corresponding delivery person is currently capable of delivering), and when operating, “1” is recorded. If not operating (or if the corresponding delivery member is unable to deliver), "0" is recorded. The “standby flag” indicates whether or not the delivery vehicle is in a standby state at the delivery center, and “1” is recorded in the standby state. The "delivery flag" indicates whether or not the delivery vehicle is in delivery, and when delivery is in progress, "1" is recorded. Here, the standby flag and the delivery flag have a correspondence relationship. When the standby flag is “1”, the delivery flag is “0”, and when the delivery flag is “1”, the standby flag is “0”. If the operation flag is "0",
The other flags are also set to "0".

Recording / updating of information in the delivery vehicle information database 130 is performed from the deliveryman terminal 200. That is, the web server unit 1 of the server 100
A web page (hereinafter referred to as a “delivery person page”) dedicated to the delivery person is provided by 70, and the delivery person accesses the delivery person page at the delivery person terminal 200 to input predetermined information. , Delivery vehicle information database 1
Input / update for 30 is performed. More specifically,
For example, when the delivery person comes to the delivery center, he / she accesses the delivery person page and inputs the number of the delivery vehicle to be used and the name of the delivery person. The name of the delivery person is recorded in the record of, and the operation flag and the standby flag are set to "1". Further, when the delivery person page is accessed and a predetermined delivery start report is made when the delivery is started, the standby flag becomes "0" and the delivery flag becomes "1".

FIG. 11 shows an example of information stored in the product information database 140 in this embodiment. As shown in the figure, a product information table and a reception order table are created in the product information database 140. Figure 11
(A) is a figure which shows the example of the information recorded on a goods information table. The product information table is almost the same as the information recorded in the product information database 140 in the first embodiment, but the store location information is omitted because there are multiple stores at the same location.

FIG. 11B shows an example of information recorded in the received order table. A record is created for each store in the reception order table, and information regarding orders placed at each store is recorded. More specifically, the temporary order number assigned to each order. , Reception time, product number indicating the ordered product. Information such as a scheduled delivery time calculated based on the reception time and the cooking time of the product, and a delivery destination area code based on the location of the orderer is recorded. Here, the temporary order number. Shall be assigned with serial numbers across multiple stores. Further, since the orders are combined in the process described later, the temporary No. I am trying. The delivery destination area code is obtained by appropriately dividing the area in which the delivery center can deliver and assigning a predetermined code to each area.

Next, the operation of the server 100 in response to the operator's input of order information will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

The server 100 of the distribution center displays the order input screen as shown in FIG.
Is displayed (step S201). As shown in the figure, on the order input screen, for example, a text box for inputting information about the orderer and information about the order is arranged, and a “decision” button for instructing the determination of the order is arranged. To be done. A plurality of order input screens may be prepared corresponding to the menu of each store. That is, the menu contents for each store may be displayed in a list, and for example, drag and drop may be input according to the order. In this case, the server 100 and the telephone may be interlocked to determine which store is the destination of the call, so that the corresponding order input screen may be automatically displayed at the same time as the call is received.

When the operator of the server 100 receives an order from the orderer by telephone, the order input screen displays information about the orderer (hereinafter referred to as "orderer information") and information about the order (hereinafter referred to as "order information"). Is input) (step S202). Here, it is assumed that the information about the orderer who has used this distribution center before is already registered in the customer information database 150, and by inputting a part of the customer information (for example, telephone number), Information is read from the customer information database 150. When the orderer is a new customer, by selecting the "new registration" button on the order input screen, a predetermined new registration screen is displayed and predetermined customer information is input. The order information includes a store code indicating a store desired by the orderer and a product number indicating a product. And information indicating the quantity.

When the input of the orderer information and the order information is completed and it is confirmed that there is no difference in the order contents, the operator selects the "OK" button (step S20).
3) Tell the orderer that the order has been completed. In addition, the person in charge of cooking is instructed to start cooking, for example, by printing out the order details.

Selection of "OK" button (step S20)
3: Yes), the control unit 110 creates a record in the acceptance order table of the product information database 140 based on the input information (step S204).
That is, the record corresponding to the store indicated in the order information indicates the temporary order number. Create a new field and make a temporary order N
o. And the product N indicated in the order information
o. And record the reception time. The control unit 110 further controls the recorded product number. Based on, the product information table is searched and the cooking time information of the product is acquired. The control unit 110 calculates the scheduled shipping time based on the reception time and the cooking time, and records the information indicating the time. Further, the area code is specified and recorded based on the location information indicated in the orderer information.

Next, the control unit 110 accesses the delivery vehicle information database 130, acquires the record with the standby flag "1", and temporarily holds it in a predetermined work area or the like (step S205).

The control section 110 accesses the merchandise information database 140 again, retrieves all the records in the received order table (step S206), and records the order in which the scheduled shipping time is similar (for example, ± 3 minutes). Is acquired (step S207).

The control unit 110 further extracts, from the records acquired in step S207, those having similar delivery destinations (step S208). Here, it is assumed that the same area code is extracted.

The control section 110 combines the records extracted in step S208 into one order (step S209), creates an order list screen as shown in FIG. 14 and displays it on the output section 190 (step S210). ). As shown in the figure, on the order list screen, the order number assigned at the time of combination in step S209 is displayed. A record is displayed for each record, and each record shows the customer N who indicates the customer at the delivery destination.
o. , A product number indicating a product to be delivered to each customer. , The name of the person in charge of delivery, and the delivery status (delivery status),
Information that indicates, for example, is displayed. For an order that is currently being delivered, "Delivery status" is displayed in the "Delivery status" column, and the name of the delivery person who is actually delivering the item is displayed in the "Delivery person" column. . on the other hand,
For the newly combined order in step S209,
The name of the waiting delivery person acquired in step S205 is displayed in the "Delivery person" column, and a "Delivery instruction" button is created in the "Delivery status" column.
Note that the same information as the information shown on the order list screen created in step S210 is the product information database 14
0 is stored as a “fixed order table”.

After confirming the contents of the new order on the order list screen, the operator selects the "delivery instruction" button in the "delivery status" column (step S211).

Upon the selection of the "delivery instruction" button in step S211, the control section 110 acquires the optimal delivery time information of the ordered item from the item information table of the item information database 140. The control unit 110 calculates the optimum route based on the acquired optimum delivery time and the location information of the delivery destination (that is, the orderer location information) (step S).
212). In other words, when a plurality of different foods are delivered by a single delivery vehicle, which food is delivered first is determined by the change characteristics of each food (e.g., easiness of cooling, degree of freshness deterioration, etc.). The optimum route is determined by taking into consideration the position of.

The control unit 110 further accesses the map information database 160 and acquires the map image information corresponding to the area code referred to in step S208 (step S213).

The control section 110 creates a route map image in which the map image acquired in step S213 and the image showing the optimum route calculated in step S212 are combined. The control unit 110 displays the order number. Is combined with the created route map image, a delivery confirmation screen as shown in FIG. 15 is created, and is displayed on the output unit 190 (step S2).
14), the process ends.

The operator hands it over to the person in charge of delivery by printing out a delivery confirmation screen and gives an instruction for delivery. The delivery person receives the product described in the instruction from the counter of the delivery center and delivers it based on the route diagram.
At this time, the delivery person accesses the delivery person page from the delivery person terminal 200 to display the vehicle number. , Order no. , And start of delivery are transmitted to the web server 170. As a result, the control unit 110 causes the delivery vehicle information database 13
The delivery flag of the record corresponding to the delivery person of 0 is set to "1" and the standby flag is set to "0". Further, the entered order number. Based on the above, the firm order table of the product information database 140 is accessed, and the "delivery status" of the order is updated to "delivering". In addition, as shown in FIG.
o. Tentative order N, which indicates the combined individual orders corresponding to
o. Is recorded. The control unit 110 uses this temporary order N
o. Based on the received order table of the product information database 140, the provisional order number. Delete the record corresponding to. That is, only the order information before shipping is recorded in the reception order table.

Further, the delivery person who has returned to the delivery center after the delivery is completed accesses the delivery person page using the delivery person terminal 200, and the vehicle number. , Order no. , And enter the delivery completion. As a result, the control unit 110
The delivery flag of the record corresponding to the person in charge in the delivery vehicle information database 130 is set to "0", and the standby flag is set to "1". In addition, for example, when the delivery person is in the break time, the operation flag of the delivery person is set to “0” by inputting that fact from the delivery person page. As a result, the delivery instruction will not be issued to the delivery person.

As described above, according to the delivery support system according to the second embodiment of the present invention, among a plurality of orders, orders with similar scheduled delivery times and the same delivery area are automatically generated. The delivery is instructed and instructed to deliver to one delivery vehicle, so that the efficiency of delivery can be improved and the labor cost and delivery cost can be reduced. Further, since the delivery instruction is given to the delivery vehicle waiting in the delivery center, the effect of the present invention can be obtained with a simpler configuration as compared with the delivery support system in the first embodiment.

In the above-described second embodiment, the printed delivery confirmation screen is handed over to the delivery staff member to issue the delivery instruction. For example, the delivery confirmation screen is displayed on the delivery staff terminal 200 of the delivery person. You may do it.

In the above embodiment, the server 100
Has described an example in which the optimal delivery route is calculated and the delivery vehicle delivers the route based on the optimal delivery route. However, the server 100 may perform the route calculation in consideration of collection of used tableware, for example. . In this case, for example, the orderer makes a collection request to the delivery management center using the user terminal 300 or the telephone, and the server 100 records information based on the request in the customer information database 150. Then, the server 100 may refer to the collection request information recorded in the customer information database 150 to calculate a route that enables collection even after or during the delivery. With such a configuration, the idle time of the delivery staff can be shortened, so that the efficiency of delivery work and cost reduction can be achieved.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to the case of delivering a merchandise such as a cooked product has been described as an example. It may be used for posting such as.

Further, the server 10 in the above embodiment
0 may be configured by using an ordinary computer system such as a personal computer instead of a dedicated system. In this case, by installing and executing a program that implements the above processing on your computer,
Operations similar to those of the server 100 described above can be realized.

Further, the delivery support system according to the present invention may be configured to interlock with a predetermined personnel management system or the like. In this case, it can be applied to, for example, personnel management of delivery staff. For example, a personnel management system that counts the number of deliveries on time based on the delivery start notification and delivery completion notification in the delivery support system and evaluates the delivery staff based on this is configured. Good.

Here, the method of supplying the program to the computer is arbitrary. For example, a medium recording the above program (for example, a flexible disk, a CD-RO
M (Compact Disc Read-Only Memory), DVD (Digita
l Versatile Disk, etc.)
Alternatively, it may be supplied via, for example, a communication line, a communication network, a communication system, or the like. In this case, for example,
Bulletin board for communication networks (BBS: Bulletin Board S)
ystem), the program is posted on a carrier wave over a network and distributed to a computer.
Then, the above process can be executed by activating this program and executing it under the control of the OS in the same manner as other application programs.

[0084]

As described above, according to the delivery support system, method and apparatus, and program of the present invention, the efficiency of delivery processing can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a delivery support system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a server shown in FIG.

3 is a diagram showing an example of information accumulated in a delivery vehicle information database shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of information accumulated in a product information database shown in FIG.

5 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in a customer information database shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining a delivery service support process according to the embodiment of the present invention.

7 is a diagram showing a display example of a menu page transmitted by the processing shown in FIG.

8 is a diagram showing a display example of another menu page transmitted by the processing shown in FIG.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a configuration of a delivery support system according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of information accumulated in the delivery vehicle information database shown in FIG. 2 in the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of information accumulated in the product information database shown in FIG. 2 in the second embodiment of the present invention, (a) showing an example of a product information table,
(B) shows an example of a reception order table.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a delivery preparation process according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

13 is a diagram showing a display example of an order input screen displayed by the processing shown in FIG.

14 is a diagram showing a display example of an order list screen displayed in the processing shown in FIG.

15 is a diagram showing a display example of a delivery confirmation screen displayed by the processing shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Delivery Support System 10 Internet 100 Server 200 ₁ to 200 _n Delivery Person Terminal 300 _{1 to} 300 _n User Terminal 400 _{1 to} 400 _n Store Terminal

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) G06F 17/60 114 G06F 17/60 114 19/00 120 19/00 120

Claims (17)

[Claims] 1. A delivery support system for determining delivery routes of a plurality of delivery vehicles, comprising a center and a deliveryman terminal, which are interconnected via a communication network, the center comprising: Information about an item provider, an item information storage unit that acquires and stores information about an item provided by the item provider, an order receiving unit that receives an order for the item, and a plurality of orders received by the order receiving unit Based on the analysis result of the article information analysis means for obtaining and analyzing the article information of the article corresponding to the article information storage means, and a predetermined number of orders among the plurality of orders Order assigning means to be assigned to the delivery vehicle, and information about the article corresponding to the order to which the order assigning means assigns the order. Corresponding to the delivery vehicle determining the delivery route of the delivery vehicle to which the order is assigned based on the obtained information, and the delivery vehicle to which the order assignment unit assigns the order. The delivery support system, comprising: delivery instruction means for instructing processing of the order by presenting the delivery route determined by the delivery route determination means to the deliveryman terminal. 2. The information about the article includes lead time information indicating a lead time from ordering to ready for shipment, and optimum delivery time information indicating an optimal delivery time based on the characteristics of the article, for the article, The order allocating means analyzes lead time information of articles corresponding to the plurality of orders, and the delivery route determining means determines optimum delivery time information of the articles to be delivered and information indicating a delivery destination specified in the order. The delivery support system according to claim 1, wherein the delivery route is determined based on: 3. The center further comprises delivery availability information receiving means for receiving, from the deliveryman terminal, information indicating whether or not a corresponding delivery vehicle can deliver, and the order allocation means includes the delivery availability information. The delivery support system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the receiving means assigns an order to a delivery vehicle corresponding to the deliveryman terminal that has transmitted the information indicating that the delivery is possible. 4. A delivery support system for managing the delivery status of a plurality of delivery vehicles, comprising a center and a courier terminal, which are interconnected via a communication network. Item information storage means for acquiring and accumulating information about an item provider, information about an item provided by the item provider, and delivery for obtaining information about a delivery vehicle from the deliveryman terminal via the communication network Vehicle information acquisition means, order reception means for receiving an order for the article, information about the article stored in the article information storage means, information about the plurality of delivery vehicles acquired by the delivery vehicle information acquisition means, Delivery vehicle determining means for determining a delivery vehicle for processing the order based on the order content received by the order receiving means Delivery support system in delivery person terminal, characterized by comprising a delivery van instruction means for transmitting the instruction information for instructing the processing of the order, the corresponding delivery vehicles the delivery vehicle determining means has determined. 5. A terminal used by an orderer, further comprising a user terminal connected to the communication network, wherein the order receiving means relates to an article provider and articles stored in the article information storage means. The delivery support according to claim 4, wherein information is presented to the user terminal via the communication network, and order information based on the presented information is accepted from the user terminal via the communication network. system. 6. A terminal used by an article provider, further comprising a store terminal connected to the communication network, wherein the order receiving means places an order to the store terminal of the store via the communication network. Information is notified, The delivery support system of Claim 4 or 5 characterized by the above-mentioned. 7. The deliveryman terminal comprises position information acquisition means for acquiring position information indicating the position of the corresponding delivery vehicle, and the delivery vehicle information acquisition means uses the position information acquired by the position information acquisition means. It acquires, The delivery support system of any one of Claim 4 thru | or 6 characterized by the above-mentioned. 8. An article information acquisition step of obtaining and accumulating information about articles provided according to an order, and information indicating the status of a plurality of delivery vehicles for delivering the articles via a communication network. A delivery vehicle information acquisition step to be acquired, an order receiving step to receive an order for the article, and a plurality of orders received in the order receiving step are processed based on the information indicating the status of the delivery vehicle acquired in the delivery vehicle information acquisition step. A delivery vehicle determining step for determining a delivery vehicle for carrying out the delivery, a delivery route determining step for determining a delivery route based on information indicating a delivery destination corresponding to the plurality of orders and information about an article to be delivered, and the delivery route Based on the delivery route determined in the determination step, deliver to the delivery vehicle determined in the delivery vehicle determination step. Delivery support method characterized by comprising the Shimesuru delivery instruction step. 9. The article is a food, and the information about the article includes at least cooking time information indicating a cooking time of the food, and optimal delivery time information indicating an optimal delivery time based on characteristics of the food, The ordering step further comprises a dispatchable time calculating step of calculating a dispatchable time of the food from the ordering time when the order is received and the cooking time information, wherein the delivery vehicle determining step includes information indicating a status of the delivery vehicle, and The delivery vehicle is determined based on the information indicating the available delivery time calculated in the available delivery time calculating step, and the delivery route determining step determines the delivery route based on the information indicating the delivery destination and the optimum delivery time information. It determines, The delivery support method of Claim 8 characterized by the above-mentioned. 10. The article information acquisition step further comprises a provider information acquisition step of obtaining provider location information indicating the location of the article provider, and the delivery vehicle information acquisition step indicates a current location of the delivery vehicle. Further comprising a vehicle position information acquisition step of acquiring vehicle position information shown, wherein the delivery vehicle determination step is the provider location information,
The delivery support method according to claim 8 or 9, wherein a delivery vehicle is determined based on the vehicle position information and information about an article to be delivered. 11. The delivery route determining step determines a delivery route based on the provider location information, the vehicle location information, and information about the article to be delivered. Delivery support method. 12. A connection unit connected to a communication network, a plurality of stores, an item information storage unit that stores information about items provided by the stores, an order reception unit that receives an order for delivering the items, and A delivery vehicle information acquisition unit that controls the connection unit and obtains information indicating the status of a plurality of delivery vehicles for delivering the article via the communication network; and a plurality of order contents received by the order receiving unit. A delivery vehicle determination unit that determines a delivery vehicle that performs delivery based on the order based on information indicating the status of the delivery vehicle acquired by the delivery vehicle information acquisition unit; A delivery route that determines a delivery route based on the order content, information indicating the status of the delivery vehicle acquired by the delivery vehicle information acquisition unit, and information regarding the goods to be delivered. And tough, the order and order reception unit accepts the contents, the delivery route determining unit delivery support device characterized by and a delivery information presentation unit that presents information indicating a delivery routes determined. 13. The information about the article includes lead time information indicating a lead time from ordering until shipment becomes possible for the article, wherein the order accepting unit includes acceptance time information indicating a time when an order is accepted. The reception time recording unit to record and the lead time information corresponding to the ordered product are acquired, and based on the reception time information recorded by the reception time recording unit and the acquired lead time information, The delivery vehicle time calculating unit for calculating the delivery available time is further provided, and the delivery vehicle determination unit includes information indicating a delivery destination corresponding to the order, information indicating a status of the delivery vehicle, and the delivery available time. Information indicating the shipping available time calculated by the calculation unit,
The delivery support apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the delivery vehicle is determined based on the above. 14. The information about the store includes store location information indicating the location of the store, the information indicating the status of the delivery vehicle includes vehicle position information indicating the current position of the delivery vehicle, and the delivery vehicle. The determining unit determines a delivery vehicle based on the information indicating the delivery destination, the dispatchable time information, the store location information, and the vehicle position information, and the delivery route determining unit determines the delivery destination information, The delivery support device according to claim 12, wherein a delivery route is determined based on the shipping available time information, the store location information, and the vehicle position information. 15. The product information presenting unit for controlling the connecting unit, and presenting information on a store and an item accumulated in the item information accumulating unit to an external terminal via the communication network, The reception unit controls the connection unit and receives information indicating an order based on the information presented by the article information presentation unit from a terminal of an orderer connected to the communication network. The delivery support device according to any one of 12 to 14. 16. The delivery information presenting unit controls the connecting unit so that a delivery member can provide information indicating the order content accepted by the order accepting unit and the delivery route determined by the delivery route determining unit. The delivery support device according to any one of claims 12 to 15, wherein the delivery support device is a terminal to be used and is transmitted to a deliveryman terminal connected to the communication network. 17. A program for causing a computer to function as the delivery support device according to claim 12.