JP2005202472A - Merchandise display system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a merchandise display system which can provide merchandise matched with the desire of a customer and can collect information for properly performing merchandise management when merchandises desired by customers are displayed by capturing interest inclination in the case of performing a sales while arranging the pieces of merchandise between the customer and a sales clerk. <P>SOLUTION: This merchandise display system utilizes a merchandise display board for collecting customer information by making a communicating in a non-contact state with a customer use medium equipped with an RF tag in which the customer information is stored, and collecting merchandise information by making a communicating in a non-contact state with merchandise attached with the RF tag in which the merchandise information is stored, thereby collecting the customer information and the merchandise information to be made correspond to each other. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a product display board that displays products such as jewelry, precious metals, glasses, and luxury watches, and more particularly, a product display board that reads customer information and information for business negotiations such as selected product information in a non-contact manner. About.

  Conventionally, information is transmitted and received between an antenna of this type of reader / writer and an RFID tag (Radio Frequency Identification Tag, hereinafter referred to as an RF tag) by, for example, a communication method disclosed in Patent Document 1.

  In such a communication method, a transmission signal generated by modulating a carrier wave of a predetermined frequency is normally transmitted from an antenna of a reader / writer to an RF tag. On the other hand, an RF tag reads and writes information and receives power supply based on a signal transmitted from an antenna of a reader / writer. A so-called load in which desired information is transmitted from the RF tag to the reader / writer antenna by changing the load impedance of the RF tag antenna in accordance with the read information with respect to the signal transmitted from the reader / writer antenna. Communication can be performed by a switching method.

  In this way, communication is performed in a non-contact manner between the reader / writer antenna and the RF tag, and the reader / writer acquires necessary information via the antenna. For example, when a large number of products such as jewelry are displayed in a showcase, when a customer inquires about a specific product, it immediately identifies where the specific product requested exists in the showcase. Thus, the position where the product is placed can be easily recognized and taken out.

  However, when such a contactless communication is used to find a product, the arrangement of antennas corresponding to the product is stretched vertically and horizontally and becomes complicated. Furthermore, it was only possible to take out a specific product from among a large number of products, and there was no more highly serviceable function, and sufficient sales support could not be taken.

JP 10-336071 A

  Accordingly, the present invention is a product suitable for business negotiation with high customer service, which can display related products according to the purchase tendency of products requested by customers when sales guides are placed between shop assistants and customers. The purpose is to provide an exhibition board.

  In the present invention, when the magnetic field generation region generated in the antenna of the reader / writer is made to correspond to the RF tag, the control circuit of the RF tag is driven by the electric power generated in the antenna of the corresponding RF tag, and the reader / writer A non-contact communication device that transmits information of an RF tag, when a customer use medium equipped with an RF tag that stores customer information approaches, communicates with the RF tag of the approached customer use medium in a non-contact manner, A reader / writer is provided which, when a product with an RF tag for storing product information is mounted, communicates with the RF tag of the mounted product in a non-contact manner and collects information by associating the customer information with the product information. It is a product display board.

  Here, the customer use medium is a use medium that proves the identity of the customer such as a membership card issued by the store in advance by identifying the customer, and this use medium is RF so that it can communicate in a non-contact manner with a reader / writer. It is provided with a tag.

  According to the present invention, in a business negotiation between a store clerk and a customer, if a customer use medium of a customer who has visited the store is placed over the product display board, the magnetic field generation region of the reader / writer generated on the product display board is displayed. A customer use medium is entered, and customer information is read from the customer use medium in a non-contact manner. Subsequently, when the store clerk puts the product selected by the customer on the product display board, the selected selected product enters the magnetic field generation area of the reader / writer and the information on the selected product is read.

  As a result, since the customer to be used can be specified by reading the customer information from the customer use medium, the customer information and the product information can be obtained by simply placing the customer's selected product on the product display board after reading the customer use medium. Can be stored in association with each other. For example, it stores specific information on popular products such as customer groups by age, sex, store usage frequency, region, etc., and the types of products requested by customers, by price, by number of exhibitions, etc. . By associating and storing these, it is possible to select related products desired by the customer. The next time you visit the store, based on the information stored in association, you can reproduce the display of the selected product selected last time, select related similar products and new products suitable for this selection, guide the display, Can be purchased. In this way, since the types of products targeted for purchase can be provided, it is possible to carry out business negotiations without waste for shop assistants and customers.

  Furthermore, if this product display board is used, even if a plurality of people conduct a business negotiation at the same time, the customer's medium used by the plurality of people can be read and dealt with, so a business negotiation with a plurality of people can be conducted in parallel.

  In another configuration of the present invention, when the reader / writer reads information on a specific product requested by a customer, the reader / writer selects a control unit that selects information on another product inferred in relation to the read specific product. It can be prepared.

  The control unit is preferably provided by being connected to a control unit such as a personal computer connected to the product display board. In addition, the control unit may be provided in the product display board.

  According to the present invention, since customer information and product information are stored in association with each other, for a customer who has selected a product, not only the selected product but also an analogy from the one product in relation to the other. Another product can be selected. For this reason, it is possible to select only a product having a tendency desired by the customer from among a large number of products, and inform the store clerk of the selected other product via a personal computer monitor or other output means for display guidance. This facilitates business negotiations and makes efficient transactions possible. For example, even if a customer visits a store for the first time, if one product is selected, the customer's preference is known, and several related products can be selected and displayed.

  In another configuration of the present invention, when a reader / writer performs a non-contact reading operation between a customer-use medium equipped with an RF tag and a product equipped with the RF tag, the reader / writer outputs and notifies the result of the reading operation. A reading confirmation means can be provided.

  Here, the reading confirmation means outputs the result of the reading operation by display or voice. For example, several light emitting diodes can be visually recognized and arranged on the store clerk side, and the result of the reading operation can be known from the lighting color. Alternatively, the display can be confirmed according to the purpose by lighting or flashing.

  According to the present invention, since the result of the reading operation of the reader / writer can be known by the reading confirmation means, when the customer use medium is read, it can be confirmed whether or not the reading operation has been normally performed. In addition, it can be confirmed whether or not an appropriate medium is used. In particular, the store clerk can proceed with the negotiation while confirming each operation, so that the operation of the negotiation suitable for handling expensive products can be achieved.

  In another configuration of the present invention, a wired or wireless communication connection is established between a storage unit that stores customer information and product information read by a reader / writer and an external information processing apparatus that manages the customer information and product information. It can comprise and comprise the communication connection means to do.

  According to the present invention, the information read by the reader / writer at the time of the negotiation can be stored in the information processing apparatus. Therefore, the degree of popularity of the product, the details of sales, etc. are detailed from the customer information and the product information collected in the information processing apparatus. Accurate information can be managed accurately. For example, if you find a popular product that is frequently displayed on the product display board among all the products, you can preferentially purchase that product, as well as new products that tend to be similar to the popular product. Development can be done. On the other hand, merchandise can be managed so that unpopular merchandise without customer requests for display is not in stock. Furthermore, when the age of a customer group invited at an event or the like is known in advance, a product according to the taste of the customer group can be selected in advance and displayed.

  In another configuration of the present invention, the wireless communication connection means collects the storage information stored in the storage unit of the reader / writer in a contactless manner over the communication area of the reader / writer, and stores the collected storage information. The store medium with an RF tag that is transmitted in a non-contact manner over the communication area of the reader / writer connected to the information processing apparatus can be provided.

  According to the present invention, if a store medium with an RF tag is used, customer information and product information can be easily collected from the reader / writer in a non-contact manner. Moreover, it is possible to transfer the collected information from the store medium with the RF tag by simply holding it over the information processing apparatus. As a result, the store clerk can save time and easily transmit information from the reader / writer to the information processing apparatus.

  According to the present invention, when a product display board is placed between a store clerk and a customer, a popular product frequently displayed on the product display board and an unpopular product not attracting attention are accurately identified for each product. To know. As a result, popular products will be focused on development as new products in the future, and unpopular products will be a guideline that will not be in stock, and will become operational information that enables appropriate product management on the store side.

  A non-contact communication means for storing product information in association with a customer on a product display board on which the selected product is placed and displayed for negotiations is constructed.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
The drawing shows a jewelry display board. In FIG. 1, this jewelry display board 11 is used when, for example, jewelry 12 selected by a customer in a jewelry store, such as jewelry 12 and a precious metal, are displayed nearby. . This jewelry display board 11 is placed on the upper surface of a transparent showcase 13 containing a large number of jewelry 12, and the jewelry 12 selected between the store clerk 14 and the customer 15 facing each other across the showcase 13. Is placed on the jewelry display board 11 and used for a business negotiation while examining one by one for each hand.

  The jewelry display board 11 has a rectangular plate shape. As shown in FIG. 2, the eyelashes suitable for displaying the jewelry 12 on the entire upper surface of the board body 16 having the rectangular plate shape. A gorgeous and brightly colored felt cloth 17 is laid. Further, several light-emitting lamps 18 and a read-only switch 19 are arranged on the laterally long side surface of the board main body 16 that can be seen from the store clerk side.

  When the later-described reader / writer reads the RF tag provided on each of the customer card, the store card, and the jewelry 12 in a non-contact manner, this light-emitting lamp 18 emits light so that the store clerk can visually confirm that the read is confirmed. . In this light emission, the light emitting element such as a light emitting diode may be lit or blinked, and the result of the reading operation can be notified by the lighting color or blinking.

  The read-only switch 19 is used when a later-described reader / writer 20 of the jewelry display board 11 reads the information of the RF tag and takes out all the information stored in the memory.

  FIG. 3 shows a reader / writer 20 configured inside the jewelry display board 11. The reader / writer 20 includes an antenna 21, a controller (controller) 22, and a battery 23 inside the board body 16. ing.

  The antenna 21 is integrally formed on the inner side of the upper surface of the board body 16 by extending the antenna coil 21a in a rectangular loop shape so as to extend widely in a plane, and a magnetic field generation region is generated above the stretched board body 16. Let Here, the antenna coil 21a is shown attached to a part of the inside of the upper surface of the board body 16, but may be provided on the entire upper surface. The antenna 21 is connected to a control unit 22, and stores and manages communication control and collected information by the control unit 22. In addition, a battery 23 is connected to the control unit 22 and is started and stopped by a power switch (not shown).

  If any of a customer card, a store card, and a jewelery 12, which will be described later, equipped with an RF tag to be communicated is approached from above the antenna 21, the RF tag is contacted in a non-contact manner corresponding to the magnetic field generation region of the antenna 21. Perform a read. At this time, the read information is stored in the memory of the control unit 22. When the reading operation is performed, the light-emitting lamp 18 is turned on in conjunction with this to confirm the reading. This reading confirmation operation is not limited to this, and a speaker may be provided, or a speaker is provided alone, and the contents confirmed by reading confirmation sound or voice can be notified to the store clerk and nearby customers. .

Next, a specific configuration of the jewelry display board 11 will be described with reference to the control circuit block diagram of FIG.
The antenna 21 includes an antenna coil 21a and a matching circuit 41. The antenna coil 21a is formed of a conductive wire, and both end portions of the antenna coil 21a are extended outward in parallel with each other, connected to an amplifier 42 through a matching circuit 41 and a coaxial cable. Note that the matching circuit 41 may include the matching circuit 41 on the amplifier 42 side when the cable length with the antenna coil 21a is short. In this case, the antenna 21 is formed only by the antenna coil 21a portion. The matching circuit 41 is a circuit for matching the impedance of the feeder connected to the amplifier 42 and the impedance of the antenna coil 21a. Two variable capacitance capacitors are connected in series between both signal lines extended from the antenna coil 21a. The junction of both capacitors is grounded.

  The amplifier 42 mainly includes a modulation circuit 43, a transmission unit 44, a reception unit 45, a demodulation circuit 46, and an input / output IF (interface) 47. The modulation circuit 43 modulates the high frequency generated in the oscillation circuit (not shown) according to the information or command to be transmitted output from the CPU 48 of the control unit 22. In the transmission unit 44, the signal modulated by the modulation circuit 43 is amplified by an amplification circuit (not shown), and the antenna coil 21a of the antenna 21 is driven. On the other hand, the received signal is demodulated in the demodulation circuit 46 via the receiving unit 45. The input / output IF 47 performs signal transmission control with the control unit 22.

  The control unit 22 mainly includes a CPU 48, a memory 49, and input / output IFs 50 and 51. The CPU 48 controls writing or reading of information on an RF tag described later. The memory 49 stores a program for controlling communication with the RF tag, information used for processing, and the like. The input / output IF 50 performs signal transmission control with the amplifier 42, and the input / output IF 51 performs signal transmission control with the light-emitting lamp 18 and the read-only switch 19.

  FIG. 5A shows an example in which a price tag 53 incorporating an RF tag 52 composed of an antenna coil and an IC is attached to the jewelry 12. When the jewelery 12 with the price tag 53 attached is selected and the store clerk places the jewelery 12 on the upper surface of the product display board 11, the price tag attached to the jewelery 12 enters the magnetic field generation region generated by the antenna 21. The information of the RF tag 52 built in 53 is read by the reader / writer 20 of the product display board 11 in a non-contact manner.

  FIG. 5B shows a customer card C1 incorporating an RF tag 54 composed of an antenna coil and an IC. This customer card C1 is a card issued by the jewelry store in advance by identifying the customer. If the customer card C1 is placed over the product display board 11, the customer card C1 is in a magnetic field generating region formed in the space above the reader / writer 20. Communicating without contact.

  In addition to this, not only the customer card C1, but also a store card C2 produced on the jewelry store side is provided. The store card C2 has the same configuration as the customer card C1. Similarly, when the store card C2 is held over the product display board 11, the store card C2 enters the magnetic field generation region of the reader / writer 20 and communicates in a non-contact manner. Then, after switching by operating the read-only switch 19, if the store card C2 is held over the product display board 11, all the information stored in the memory 49 can be collected at once. Then, for the purpose of managing all the collected information from the store card C2, the information is managed by moving to an information processing apparatus (personal computer) to be described later.

  FIG. 6 shows a control circuit block diagram of the RF tag 52 of the jewelry 12 and the RF tag 54 of the customer card C1 or the store card C2, and these RF tags 52 and 54 have the same circuit configuration, mainly the antenna coil 61, The transmission / reception unit 62, a power supply circuit 63, a demodulation circuit 64, a modulation circuit 65, a memory control unit 66, and a memory 67 are configured.

  A signal received through the antenna coil 61 when the RF tags 52 and 54 enter the magnetic field generation region of the jewelry display board 11 is output to the power supply circuit 63 through the transmission / reception unit 62 to drive each part of the apparatus. The power to do is taken out. The signal received from the jewelry display board 11 via the antenna coil 61 is output to the demodulation circuit 64 via the transmission / reception unit 62, and the demodulated signal is sent to the memory control unit 66. The memory control unit 66 is connected to the memory 67 via a bus, and writes or reads information in the memory 67 in accordance with commands or information given from the control unit 22. Information read from the memory 67 is sent to the transmission / reception unit 62 via the modulation circuit 65 to drive the antenna coil 61.

  When communicating with the jewelry display board 11 by the load switching method, a modulation circuit in which a resistor and a switching element such as an FET are connected in series is configured, and this is connected in parallel to the antenna coil 61 to perform switching. Information is transmitted to the jewelry display board 11 side by changing the load of the antenna coil depending on the element.

  FIG. 7 shows an example in which customer information and product information collected by the jewelry display board 11 are taken out using the store card C2 and the taken-out information is collected in a non-contact manner by the personal computer PC.

  The reader / writer 71 for non-contact communication and its control unit 72 are connected to the personal computer PC. When the store card C2 is placed over the reader / writer 71, the customer card stored in the store card C2 is stored. Customer information such as age, gender, store usage frequency, region, etc. and specific information of the jewelry 12 requested by the customer, such as by type, amount, and number of exhibitions A control unit (not shown) can be stored and managed.

  Thus, if the store card C2 is used, the customer information and the product information accumulated so far can be collectively collected in a non-contact manner from the reader / writer 20 of the jewelry display board 11. Similarly, the collected information can be transferred all at once from the store card C2 by simply holding it over the reader / writer 71 of the personal computer PC. For this reason, the store clerk can save time and can easily transmit and manage the stored information from the jewelry display board 11 side to the personal computer PC side.

  In the control section of the personal computer PC, if the popular jewelry 12 that is frequently displayed on the jewelry display board 11 is known from all the jewelry 12, the jewelry 12 can be preferentially purchased, It is possible to develop a new jewelery 12 having a tendency similar to a popular jewelery 12 such as a popular item. On the other hand, the jewelery 12 can be managed by restricting the purchase so as not to stock the jewelery 12 that is not popular without a display request from the customer. Furthermore, when the age of the customer group invited at the event or the like is known in advance, the jewelry 12 according to the taste of the customer group can be selected and displayed.

Next, a case where customer service is handled using the jewelry display board 11 configured as described above will be described.
Now, when the customer 15 visits a jewelry store and makes a business talk while actually looking at the jewelry 12 (see FIG. 1), if the customer is already a member, the store clerk receives the customer card C1 issued in advance. Hold it over the jewelry display board 11. Thereby, the customer information recorded on the customer card C1 is read in a non-contact manner, and the read information is stored in the memory 49 of the jewelry display board 11. Further, in the case of a customer who has visited the store for the first time, a customer card C1 as a new member is issued to the customer, and similarly, the customer card C1 is held over the jewelry display board 11, and the customer information is stored in the memory 49 of the jewelry display board 11. Remember me.

  Thereafter, when the customer 15 is interested in the specific jewelry 12 displayed in the showcase 13 and makes an inquiry to the store clerk, the store clerk takes out the jewelry 12 from the showcase 13 and displays the top surface of the showcase 13. The jewelery 12 selected by the customer on the upper surface of the jewelery display board 11 placed on the table is shown close by. At this time, since the price tag 53 containing the RF tag 52 (see FIG. 5A) attached to the jewelry 12 enters the magnetic field generation region on the jewelry display board 11, the information on the jewelry 12 is read by the reader / writer 20. Is read in a non-contact manner.

  As a result, if customer information is read from the customer card C1, the customer to be used can be specified. For this reason, after reading the customer card C1, the customer information and the jewelry information can be stored in association with each other simply by placing the jewelry 12 selected by the customer 15 on the jewelry display board 11.

  By associating and storing the customer information and the jewelry information, it is possible to select the jewelry 12 related to the tendency desired by the customer. For example, for a customer who has selected a certain jewelery 12, not only the selected one jewelery 12 but also another jewelery 12 inferred in relation to the other from the one jewelery 12 is selected. be able to. For this reason, only the jewelry 12 of the tendency for which a customer desires can be selected from many jewelry 12. For example, if the selected jewelry 12 is displayed on the display device of the personal computer PC, the relevant jewelery can be notified to the store clerk. Based on this information, the store clerk can specify and display related jewelry 12. As a result, business negotiations are smooth and efficient transactions can be performed.

  In addition, the next time you visit the store, you can output the information of the selected jewelry 12 selected last time to the PC based on the information stored in association with it, and reproduce the same display as the previous one, as well as relevant similarities suitable for this selection. Jewelery and new jewelry can be selected. As described above, since the jewelery 12 that is targeted for purchase by customer has the target of the customer, it is possible to carry out a business negotiation without waste for both the clerk and the customer.

  In addition, even if a plurality of people conduct business negotiations simultaneously through the jewelry display board 11, the customer card C1 of each of the plurality of people can be read and handled, so that business negotiations with a plurality of people can be conducted in parallel. At this time, if the stored information in the memory 49 increases rapidly and reaches the limit, the light can be turned on to notify the store clerk. At this time, the store clerk uses the store card C2 to take out the stored information in the memory 49, empty the stored information in the memory 49, and maintain the operation of the jewelry display board 11. On the other hand, when the jewelry 12 is purchased, it is stored in the memory 49 as purchase information.

  By the way, when the information of the customer card C1 and the jewelry 12 is read in a non-contact manner, the result of the reading operation can be displayed to the store clerk according to the purpose by the light emitting operation of the several lamps 18. For example, when the customer card C1 is read, it can be confirmed whether or not the reading operation is normally performed. In addition, it is possible to confirm whether or not an appropriate customer card C1 has been used. In particular, the clerk can proceed with the business negotiation while confirming the suitability of the customer card C1 and the display operation of the jewelery 12 every time. Therefore, the clerk is highly reliable and suitable for handling the expensive jewelery 12. Operation can be planned.

  When the stored information stored in the memory 49 of the jewelry display board 11 is taken out, after the store clerk switches the read-only switch 19, the store clerk holds the store card C2 over the jewelry display board 11 until then. All the information stored in the memory 49 can be collected so as to be sucked into the store card C2. After that, if the store card C2 is passed over the communication area of the reader / writer 71 connected to the personal computer PC and transmitted without contact, the store card C2 is stored and managed in the control unit of the personal computer PC.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the personal computer PC control unit has an ID code for each customer who uses the jewelry store, and each jewelery of the display jewelry 12 that the customer actually examined on the day the customer visited the store. When the product name, the ID data of the jewelry name, and the jewelry are purchased, this means that the ID data of the jewelry is stored and managed in association with the customer.

  As a result, the interest tendency of the jewelry 12 that is different for each customer is known. Accordingly, when a customer selects a piece of jewelry 12, another piece of jewelry 12 estimated in relation to the selected one or several pieces of jewelry 12 can be selected and displayed. In addition to personal interest trends, purchase trends by age, such as gender, teens, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, etc., are known.

  FIG. 9 shows management data representing the ID code for each jewelry item during the marketing period of the jewelry item 12 and the number of times the jewelry item has been selected by the customer. As a result, on the jewelry store side, when making a business talk using the jewelry display board 11, the popular jewelry 12 frequently displayed on the jewelry display board 11 and the unpopular jewelry not attracting attention. 12 can be accurately known by jewelry 12. As a result, the popular jewelery 12 is focused on development as a new product in the future, and the unpopular jewelery 12 becomes a guideline for not being stocked, and becomes operational information that enables appropriate product management desired by the store side.

  FIG. 10 shows another example of information collection of the present invention. When information is transmitted from the jewelry display board 11 to the personal computer PC, the information on the store card C2 is connected to a PDA (Personal, Digital, Assistance) 101. It communicates information to a personal computer PC without contact.

  Thus, even if it comprises so that it may communicate using PDA101, it can collect and manage information from the jewelry display board 11 to personal computer PC similarly.

  As mentioned above, customer information and jewelery information are obtained each time a business negotiation is carried out using this jewelery display board, and detailed information such as popularity of jewelry and best-selling items is accurately managed from these information, and then The purchase data can be determined.

In correspondence between the configuration of the present invention and the configuration of the above-described embodiment,
The customer use medium of the present invention corresponds to the customer card C1 of the embodiment,
Similarly,
The product display board corresponds to the jewelry display board 11,
The product corresponds to jewelry 12,
The reading confirmation means corresponds to the light-emitting lamp 18,
The storage unit corresponds to the memory 49,
The information processing device corresponds to a personal computer PC,
The communication connection means corresponds to the store card C2 and the reader / writer 71 of the personal computer.
Although the store medium corresponds to the store card C2, the present invention can be applied based on the technical idea shown in the claims, and is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment.

The external appearance perspective view which shows the use condition of a jewelry display board. The external appearance perspective view which shows a jewelry display board. Schematic which shows the internal structure of a jewelry display board. The control circuit block diagram of the main structure of a jewelry display board. Explanatory drawing which shows each RF tag of jewelry and a customer card. The control circuit block diagram of RF tag attached to jewelry. The schematic block diagram which shows the communication state from a jewelry display board to a personal computer. The figure which shows an example of the customer information memorize | stored with the jewelry display board. The chart which shows the popularity information according to jewelry memorized for a certain period with a personal computer. The schematic block diagram which shows the other example of the communication state from a jewelry display board to a personal computer.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Jewelery display board 12 ... Jewelery 18 ... Luminescent lamp 20, 71 ... Reader / writer 22 ... Control part 49 ... Memory 52, 54 ... RF tag C1 ... Customer card C2 ... Store card PC ... Personal computer

  The present invention relates to a product display board that displays products such as jewelry, precious metals, glasses, and luxury watches, and more particularly, a product display board that reads customer information and information for business negotiations such as selected product information in a non-contact manner. About.

  Conventionally, information is transmitted and received between an antenna of this type of reader / writer and an RFID tag (Radio Frequency Identification Tag, hereinafter referred to as an RF tag) by, for example, a communication method disclosed in Patent Document 1.

  In such a communication method, a transmission signal generated by modulating a carrier wave of a predetermined frequency is normally transmitted from an antenna of a reader / writer to an RF tag. On the other hand, an RF tag reads and writes information and receives power supply based on a signal transmitted from an antenna of a reader / writer. A so-called load in which desired information is transmitted from the RF tag to the reader / writer antenna by changing the load impedance of the RF tag antenna in accordance with the read information with respect to the signal transmitted from the reader / writer antenna. Communication can be performed by a switching method.

  In this way, communication is performed in a non-contact manner between the reader / writer antenna and the RF tag, and the reader / writer acquires necessary information via the antenna. For example, when a large number of products such as jewelry are displayed in a showcase, when a customer inquires about a specific product, it immediately identifies where the specific product requested exists in the showcase. Thus, the position where the product is placed can be easily recognized and taken out.

  However, when such a contactless communication is used to find a product, the arrangement of antennas corresponding to the product is stretched vertically and horizontally and becomes complicated. Furthermore, it was only possible to take out a specific product from among a large number of products, and there was no more highly serviceable function, and sufficient sales support could not be taken.

JP 10-336071 A

  Accordingly, the present invention is a product suitable for business negotiation with high customer service, which can display related products according to the purchase tendency of products requested by customers when sales guides are placed between shop assistants and customers. The purpose is to provide an exhibition board.

In the present invention, when the magnetic field generation region generated in the antenna of the reader / writer is made to correspond to the RF tag, the control circuit of the RF tag is driven by the electric power generated in the antenna of the corresponding RF tag, and the reader / writer A product display board having a non-contact communication function for transmitting RF tag information, and when a customer use medium equipped with an RF tag for storing customer information approaches, the RF tag of the approached customer use medium is not When a product with an RF tag for storing product information is mounted, the product communicates non-contact with the RF tag of the placed product and associates the customer information with the product information to collect information. The product display board is equipped with a reader / writer.

  Here, the customer use medium is a use medium that proves the identity of the customer such as a membership card issued by the store in advance by identifying the customer, and this use medium is RF so that it can communicate in a non-contact manner with a reader / writer. It is provided with a tag.

  According to the present invention, in a business negotiation between a store clerk and a customer, if a customer use medium of a customer who has visited the store is placed over the product display board, the magnetic field generation region of the reader / writer generated on the product display board is displayed. A customer use medium is entered, and customer information is read from the customer use medium in a non-contact manner. Subsequently, when the store clerk puts the product selected by the customer on the product display board, the selected selected product enters the magnetic field generation area of the reader / writer and the information on the selected product is read.

  As a result, since the customer to be used can be specified by reading the customer information from the customer use medium, the customer information and the product information can be obtained by simply placing the customer's selected product on the product display board after reading the customer use medium. Can be stored in association with each other. For example, it stores specific information on popular products such as customer groups by age, sex, store usage frequency, region, etc., and the types of products requested by customers, by price, by number of exhibitions, etc. . By associating and storing these, it is possible to select related products desired by the customer. The next time you visit the store, based on the information stored in association, you can reproduce the display of the selected product selected last time, select related similar products and new products suitable for this selection, guide the display, Can be purchased. In this way, since the types of products targeted for purchase can be provided, it is possible to carry out business negotiations without waste for shop assistants and customers.

  Furthermore, if this product display board is used, even if a plurality of people conduct a business negotiation at the same time, the customer's medium used by the plurality of people can be read and dealt with, so a business negotiation with a plurality of people can be conducted in parallel.

  In another configuration of the present invention, when the reader / writer reads information on a specific product requested by a customer, the reader / writer selects a control unit that selects information on another product inferred in relation to the read specific product. It can be prepared.

  The control unit is preferably provided by being connected to a control unit such as a personal computer connected to the product display board. In addition, the control unit may be provided in the product display board.

  According to the present invention, since customer information and product information are stored in association with each other, for a customer who has selected a product, not only the selected product but also an analogy from the one product in relation to the other. Another product can be selected. For this reason, it is possible to select only a product having a tendency desired by the customer from among a large number of products, and inform the store clerk of the selected other product via a personal computer monitor or other output means for display guidance. This facilitates business negotiations and makes efficient transactions possible. For example, even if a customer visits a store for the first time, if one product is selected, the customer's preference is known, and several related products can be selected and displayed.

  In another configuration of the present invention, when a reader / writer performs a non-contact reading operation between a customer-use medium equipped with an RF tag and a product equipped with the RF tag, the reader / writer outputs and notifies the result of the reading operation. A reading confirmation means can be provided.

  Here, the reading confirmation means outputs the result of the reading operation by display or voice. For example, several light emitting diodes can be visually recognized and arranged on the store clerk side, and the result of the reading operation can be known from the lighting color. Alternatively, the display can be confirmed according to the purpose by lighting or flashing.

  According to the present invention, since the result of the reading operation of the reader / writer can be known by the reading confirmation means, when the customer use medium is read, it can be confirmed whether or not the reading operation has been normally performed. In addition, it can be confirmed whether or not an appropriate medium is used. In particular, the store clerk can proceed with the negotiation while confirming each operation, so that the operation of the negotiation suitable for handling expensive products can be achieved.

  In another configuration of the present invention, a wired or wireless communication connection is established between a storage unit that stores customer information and product information read by a reader / writer and an external information processing apparatus that manages the customer information and product information. It can comprise and comprise the communication connection means to do.

  According to the present invention, the information read by the reader / writer at the time of the negotiation can be stored in the information processing apparatus. Therefore, the degree of popularity of the product, the details of sales, etc. are detailed from the customer information and the product information collected in the information processing apparatus. Accurate information can be managed accurately. For example, if you find a popular product that is frequently displayed on the product display board among all the products, you can preferentially purchase that product, as well as new products that tend to be similar to the popular product. Development can be done. On the other hand, merchandise can be managed so that unpopular merchandise without customer requests for display is not in stock. Furthermore, when the age of a customer group invited at an event or the like is known in advance, a product according to the taste of the customer group can be selected in advance and displayed.

  In another configuration of the present invention, the wireless communication connection means collects the storage information stored in the storage unit of the reader / writer in a contactless manner over the communication area of the reader / writer, and stores the collected storage information. The store medium with an RF tag that is transmitted in a non-contact manner over the communication area of the reader / writer connected to the information processing apparatus can be provided.

  According to the present invention, if a store medium with an RF tag is used, customer information and product information can be easily collected from the reader / writer in a non-contact manner. Moreover, it is possible to transfer the collected information from the store medium with the RF tag by simply holding it over the information processing apparatus. As a result, the store clerk can save time and easily transmit information from the reader / writer to the information processing apparatus.

In another configuration of the present invention, a reader / writer having an antenna for generating a magnetic generation region is provided, and when the RF tag is associated with the magnetic generation region, the RF tag is generated with electric power generated in the antenna of the RF tag. A product display board having a non-contact communication function for causing the reader / writer to communicate RF tag information, a customer use medium having an RF tag for storing customer information, and storing product information A product display system including an RF tag, wherein the reader / writer communicates with the RF tag of the customer use medium in a non-contact manner when the customer use medium approaches the product display board. When a product attached with an RF tag for storing the product information is placed for display, the product communicates in a non-contact manner with the RF tag attached to the placed product, It can be a product display system for information collection in association with customer information and the product information.

  According to the present invention, when a product display board is placed between a store clerk and a customer, a popular product frequently displayed on the product display board and an unpopular product not attracting attention are accurately identified for each product. Can know. As a result, popular products will be focused on development as new products in the future, and unpopular products will be a guideline that will not be in stock, and will become operational information that enables appropriate product management on the store side.

  A non-contact communication means for storing product information in association with a customer on a product display board on which the selected product is placed and displayed for negotiations is constructed.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
The drawing shows a jewelry display board. In FIG. 1, this jewelry display board 11 is used when, for example, jewelry 12 selected by a customer in a jewelry store, such as jewelry 12 and a precious metal, are displayed nearby. . This jewelry display board 11 is placed on the upper surface of a transparent showcase 13 containing a large number of jewelry 12, and the jewelry 12 selected between the store clerk 14 and the customer 15 facing each other across the showcase 13. Is placed on the jewelry display board 11 and used for a business negotiation while examining one by one for each hand.

  The jewelry display board 11 has a rectangular plate shape. As shown in FIG. 2, the eyelashes suitable for displaying the jewelry 12 on the entire upper surface of the board body 16 having the rectangular plate shape. A gorgeous and brightly colored felt cloth 17 is laid. Further, several light-emitting lamps 18 and a read-only switch 19 are arranged on the laterally long side surface of the board main body 16 that can be seen from the store clerk side.

  When the later-described reader / writer reads the RF tag provided on each of the customer card, the store card, and the jewelry 12 in a non-contact manner, this light-emitting lamp 18 emits light so that the store clerk can visually confirm that the read is confirmed. . In this light emission, the light emitting element such as a light emitting diode may be lit or blinked, and the result of the reading operation can be notified by the lighting color or blinking.

  The read-only switch 19 is used when a later-described reader / writer 20 of the jewelry display board 11 reads the information of the RF tag and takes out all the information stored in the memory.

  FIG. 3 shows a reader / writer 20 configured inside the jewelry display board 11. The reader / writer 20 includes an antenna 21, a controller (controller) 22, and a battery 23 inside the board body 16. ing.

  The antenna 21 is integrally formed on the inner side of the upper surface of the board body 16 by extending the antenna coil 21a in a rectangular loop shape so as to extend widely in a plane, and a magnetic field generation region is generated above the stretched board body 16. Let Here, the antenna coil 21a is shown attached to a part of the inside of the upper surface of the board body 16, but may be provided on the entire upper surface. The antenna 21 is connected to a control unit 22, and stores and manages communication control and collected information by the control unit 22. In addition, a battery 23 is connected to the control unit 22 and is started and stopped by a power switch (not shown).

  If any of a customer card, a store card, and a jewelery 12, which will be described later, equipped with an RF tag to be communicated is approached from above the antenna 21, the RF tag is contacted in a non-contact manner corresponding to the magnetic field generation region of the antenna 21. Perform a read. At this time, the read information is stored in the memory of the control unit 22. When the reading operation is performed, the light-emitting lamp 18 is turned on in conjunction with this to confirm the reading. This reading confirmation operation is not limited to this, and a speaker may be provided, or a speaker is provided alone, and the contents confirmed by reading confirmation sound or voice can be notified to the store clerk and nearby customers. .

Next, a specific configuration of the jewelry display board 11 will be described with reference to the control circuit block diagram of FIG.
The antenna 21 includes an antenna coil 21a and a matching circuit 41. The antenna coil 21a is formed of a conductive wire, and both end portions of the antenna coil 21a are extended outward in parallel with each other, connected to an amplifier 42 through a matching circuit 41 and a coaxial cable. Note that the matching circuit 41 may include the matching circuit 41 on the amplifier 42 side when the cable length with the antenna coil 21a is short. In this case, the antenna 21 is formed only by the antenna coil 21a portion. The matching circuit 41 is a circuit for matching the impedance of the feeder connected to the amplifier 42 and the impedance of the antenna coil 21a. Two variable capacitance capacitors are connected in series between both signal lines extended from the antenna coil 21a. The junction of both capacitors is grounded.

  The amplifier 42 mainly includes a modulation circuit 43, a transmission unit 44, a reception unit 45, a demodulation circuit 46, and an input / output IF (interface) 47. The modulation circuit 43 modulates the high frequency generated in the oscillation circuit (not shown) according to the information or command to be transmitted output from the CPU 48 of the control unit 22. In the transmission unit 44, the signal modulated by the modulation circuit 43 is amplified by an amplification circuit (not shown), and the antenna coil 21a of the antenna 21 is driven. On the other hand, the received signal is demodulated in the demodulation circuit 46 via the receiving unit 45. The input / output IF 47 performs signal transmission control with the control unit 22.

  The control unit 22 mainly includes a CPU 48, a memory 49, and input / output IFs 50 and 51. The CPU 48 controls writing or reading of information on an RF tag described later. The memory 49 stores a program for controlling communication with the RF tag, information used for processing, and the like. The input / output IF 50 performs signal transmission control with the amplifier 42, and the input / output IF 51 performs signal transmission control with the light-emitting lamp 18 and the read-only switch 19.

  FIG. 5A shows an example in which a price tag 53 incorporating an RF tag 52 composed of an antenna coil and an IC is attached to the jewelry 12. When the jewelery 12 with the price tag 53 attached is selected and the store clerk places the jewelery 12 on the upper surface of the product display board 11, the price tag attached to the jewelery 12 enters the magnetic field generation region generated by the antenna 21. The information of the RF tag 52 built in 53 is read by the reader / writer 20 of the product display board 11 in a non-contact manner.

  FIG. 5B shows a customer card C1 incorporating an RF tag 54 composed of an antenna coil and an IC. This customer card C1 is a card issued by the jewelry store in advance by identifying the customer. If the customer card C1 is placed over the product display board 11, the customer card C1 is in a magnetic field generating region formed in the space above the reader / writer 20. Communicating without contact.

  In addition to this, not only the customer card C1, but also a store card C2 produced on the jewelry store side is provided. The store card C2 has the same configuration as the customer card C1. Similarly, when the store card C2 is held over the product display board 11, the store card C2 enters the magnetic field generation region of the reader / writer 20 and communicates in a non-contact manner. Then, after switching by operating the read-only switch 19, if the store card C2 is held over the product display board 11, all the information stored in the memory 49 can be collected at once. Then, for the purpose of managing all the collected information from the store card C2, the information is managed by moving to an information processing apparatus (personal computer) to be described later.

  FIG. 6 shows a control circuit block diagram of the RF tag 52 of the jewelry 12 and the RF tag 54 of the customer card C1 or the store card C2, and these RF tags 52 and 54 have the same circuit configuration, mainly the antenna coil 61, The transmission / reception unit 62, a power supply circuit 63, a demodulation circuit 64, a modulation circuit 65, a memory control unit 66, and a memory 67 are configured.

  A signal received through the antenna coil 61 when the RF tags 52 and 54 enter the magnetic field generation region of the jewelry display board 11 is output to the power supply circuit 63 through the transmission / reception unit 62 to drive each part of the apparatus. The power to do is taken out. The signal received from the jewelry display board 11 via the antenna coil 61 is output to the demodulation circuit 64 via the transmission / reception unit 62, and the demodulated signal is sent to the memory control unit 66. The memory control unit 66 is connected to the memory 67 via a bus, and writes or reads information in the memory 67 in accordance with commands or information given from the control unit 22. Information read from the memory 67 is sent to the transmission / reception unit 62 via the modulation circuit 65 to drive the antenna coil 61.

  When communicating with the jewelry display board 11 by the load switching method, a modulation circuit in which a resistor and a switching element such as an FET are connected in series is configured, and this is connected in parallel to the antenna coil 61 to perform switching. Information is transmitted to the jewelry display board 11 side by changing the load of the antenna coil depending on the element.

  FIG. 7 shows an example in which customer information and product information collected by the jewelry display board 11 are taken out using the store card C2 and the taken-out information is collected in a non-contact manner by the personal computer PC.

  The reader / writer 71 for non-contact communication and its control unit 72 are connected to the personal computer PC. When the store card C2 is placed over the reader / writer 71, the customer card stored in the store card C2 is stored. Customer information such as age, gender, store usage frequency, region, etc. and specific information of the jewelry 12 requested by the customer, such as by type, amount, and number of exhibitions A control unit (not shown) can be stored and managed.

  Thus, if the store card C2 is used, the customer information and the product information accumulated so far can be collectively collected in a non-contact manner from the reader / writer 20 of the jewelry display board 11. Similarly, the collected information can be transferred all at once from the store card C2 by simply holding it over the reader / writer 71 of the personal computer PC. For this reason, the store clerk can save time and can easily transmit and manage the stored information from the jewelry display board 11 side to the personal computer PC side.

  In the control section of the personal computer PC, if the popular jewelry 12 that is frequently displayed on the jewelry display board 11 is known from all the jewelry 12, the jewelry 12 can be preferentially purchased, It is possible to develop a new jewelery 12 having a tendency similar to a popular jewelery 12 such as a popular item. On the other hand, the jewelery 12 can be managed by restricting the purchase so as not to stock the jewelery 12 that is not popular without a display request from the customer. Furthermore, when the age of the customer group invited at the event or the like is known in advance, the jewelry 12 according to the taste of the customer group can be selected and displayed.

Next, a case where customer service is handled using the jewelry display board 11 configured as described above will be described.
Now, when the customer 15 visits a jewelry store and makes a business talk while actually looking at the jewelry 12 (see FIG. 1), if the customer is already a member, the store clerk receives the customer card C1 issued in advance. Hold it over the jewelry display board 11. Thereby, the customer information recorded on the customer card C1 is read in a non-contact manner, and the read information is stored in the memory 49 of the jewelry display board 11. Further, in the case of a customer who has visited the store for the first time, a customer card C1 as a new member is issued to the customer, and similarly, the customer card C1 is held over the jewelry display board 11, and the customer information is stored in the memory 49 of the jewelry display board 11. Remember me.

  Thereafter, when the customer 15 is interested in the specific jewelry 12 displayed in the showcase 13 and makes an inquiry to the store clerk, the store clerk takes out the jewelry 12 from the showcase 13 and the top surface of the showcase 13 is displayed. The jewelery 12 selected by the customer on the upper surface of the jewelery display board 11 placed on the table is shown close by. At this time, since the price tag 53 containing the RF tag 52 (see FIG. 5A) attached to the jewelry 12 enters the magnetic field generation region on the jewelry display board 11, the information on the jewelry 12 is read by the reader / writer 20. Is read in a non-contact manner.

  As a result, if customer information is read from the customer card C1, the customer to be used can be specified. For this reason, after reading the customer card C1, the customer information and the jewelry information can be stored in association with each other simply by placing the jewelry 12 selected by the customer 15 on the jewelry display board 11.

  By associating and storing the customer information and the jewelry information, it is possible to select the jewelry 12 related to the tendency desired by the customer. For example, for a customer who has selected a certain jewelery 12, not only the selected one jewelery 12 but also another jewelery 12 inferred in relation to the other from the one jewelery 12 is selected. be able to. For this reason, only the jewelry 12 of the tendency for which a customer desires can be selected from many jewelry 12. For example, if the selected jewelry 12 is displayed on the display device of the personal computer PC, the relevant jewelery can be notified to the store clerk. Based on this information, the store clerk can specify and display related jewelry 12. As a result, business negotiations are smooth and efficient transactions can be performed.

  In addition, the next time you visit the store, you can output the information of the selected jewelry 12 selected last time to the PC based on the information stored in association with it, and reproduce the same display as the previous one, as well as relevant similarities suitable for this selection. Jewelery and new jewelry can be selected. As described above, since the jewelery 12 that is targeted for purchase by customer has the target of the customer, it is possible to carry out a business negotiation without waste for both the store clerk and the customer.

  In addition, even if a plurality of people conduct business negotiations simultaneously through the jewelry display board 11, the customer card C1 of each of the plurality of people can be read and handled, so that business negotiations with a plurality of people can be conducted in parallel. At this time, if the stored information in the memory 49 increases rapidly and reaches the limit, the light can be turned on to notify the store clerk. At this time, the store clerk uses the store card C2 to take out the stored information in the memory 49, empty the stored information in the memory 49, and maintain the operation of the jewelry display board 11. On the other hand, when the jewelry 12 is purchased, it is stored in the memory 49 as purchase information.

  By the way, when the information of the customer card C1 and the jewelry 12 is read in a non-contact manner, the result of the reading operation can be displayed to the store clerk according to the purpose by the light emitting operation of the several lamps 18. For example, when the customer card C1 is read, it can be confirmed whether or not the reading operation is normally performed. In addition, it is possible to confirm whether or not an appropriate customer card C1 has been used. In particular, since the store clerk can proceed with the business negotiation while confirming the suitability of the customer card C1 and the display operation of the jewelry 12 each time, the highly reliable business negotiation suitable for handling the expensive jewelry 12 can be performed. Operation can be planned.

  When the stored information stored in the memory 49 of the jewelry display board 11 is taken out, after the store clerk switches the read-only switch 19, the store clerk holds the store card C2 over the jewelry display board 11 until then. All the information stored in the memory 49 can be collected so as to be sucked into the store card C2. After that, if the store card C2 is passed over the communication area of the reader / writer 71 connected to the personal computer PC and transmitted without contact, the store card C2 is stored and managed in the control unit of the personal computer PC.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the personal computer PC control unit has an ID code for each customer who uses the jewelry store, and each jewelery of the display jewelry 12 that the customer actually examined on the day the customer visited the store. When the product name, the ID data of the jewelry name, and the jewelry are purchased, this means that the ID data of the jewelry is stored and managed in association with the customer.

  As a result, the interest tendency of the jewelry 12 that is different for each customer is known. Accordingly, when a customer selects a piece of jewelry 12, another piece of jewelry 12 estimated in relation to the selected one or several pieces of jewelry 12 can be selected and displayed. In addition to personal interest trends, purchase trends by age, such as gender, teens, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, etc., are known.

  FIG. 9 shows management data representing the ID code for each jewelry item during the marketing period of the jewelry item 12 and the number of times the jewelry item has been selected by the customer. As a result, on the jewelry store side, when making a business talk using the jewelry display board 11, the popular jewelry 12 frequently displayed on the jewelry display board 11 and the unpopular jewelry not attracting attention. 12 can be accurately known by jewelry 12. As a result, the popular jewelery 12 is focused on development as a new product in the future, and the unpopular jewelery 12 becomes a guideline for not being stocked, and becomes operational information that enables appropriate product management desired by the store side.

  FIG. 10 shows another example of information collection of the present invention. When information is transmitted from the jewelry display board 11 to the personal computer PC, the information on the store card C2 is connected to a PDA (Personal, Digital, Assistance) 101. It communicates information to a personal computer PC without contact.

  Thus, even if it comprises so that it may communicate using PDA101, it can collect and manage information from the jewelry display board 11 to personal computer PC similarly.

  As mentioned above, customer information and jewelery information are obtained each time a business negotiation is carried out using this jewelery display board, and detailed information such as popularity of jewelry and best-selling items is accurately managed from these information, and then The purchase data can be determined.

In correspondence between the configuration of the present invention and the configuration of the above-described embodiment,
The customer use medium of the present invention corresponds to the customer card C1 of the embodiment,
Similarly,
The product display board corresponds to the jewelry display board 11,
The product corresponds to jewelry 12,
The reading confirmation means corresponds to the light-emitting lamp 18,
The storage unit corresponds to the memory 49,
The information processing device corresponds to a personal computer PC,
The communication connection means corresponds to the store card C2 and the reader / writer 71 of the personal computer.
Although the store medium corresponds to the store card C2, the present invention can be applied based on the technical idea shown in the claims, and is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment.

The external appearance perspective view which shows the use condition of a jewelry display board. The external appearance perspective view which shows a jewelry display board. Schematic which shows the internal structure of a jewelry display board. The control circuit block diagram of the main structure of a jewelry display board. Explanatory drawing which shows each RF tag of jewelry and a customer card. The control circuit block diagram of RF tag attached to jewelry. The schematic block diagram which shows the communication state from a jewelry display board to a personal computer. The figure which shows an example of the customer information memorize | stored with the jewelry display board. The chart which shows the popularity information according to jewelry memorized for a certain period with a personal computer. The schematic block diagram which shows the other example of the communication state from a jewelry display board to a personal computer.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Jewelery display board 12 ... Jewelery 18 ... Luminescent lamp 20, 71 ... Reader / writer 22 ... Control part 49 ... Memory 52, 54 ... RF tag C1 ... Customer card C2 ... Store card PC ... Personal computer

The present invention relates to a product display board for displaying products such as jewelry, precious metals, glasses, and luxury watches, and more particularly, a product display system that reads information for business negotiations such as customer information and selected product information in a non-contact manner. About.

  Conventionally, information is transmitted and received between an antenna of this type of reader / writer and an RFID tag (Radio Frequency Identification Tag, hereinafter referred to as an RF tag) by, for example, a communication method disclosed in Patent Document 1.

  In such a communication method, a transmission signal generated by modulating a carrier wave of a predetermined frequency is normally transmitted from an antenna of a reader / writer to an RF tag. On the other hand, an RF tag reads and writes information and receives power supply based on a signal transmitted from an antenna of a reader / writer. A so-called load in which desired information is transmitted from the RF tag to the reader / writer antenna by changing the load impedance of the RF tag antenna in accordance with the read information with respect to the signal transmitted from the reader / writer antenna. Communication can be performed by a switching method.

  In this way, communication is performed in a non-contact manner between the reader / writer antenna and the RF tag, and the reader / writer acquires necessary information via the antenna. For example, when a large number of products such as jewelry are displayed in a showcase, when a customer inquires about a specific product, it immediately identifies where the specific product requested exists in the showcase. Thus, the position where the product is placed can be easily recognized and taken out.

  However, when such a contactless communication is used to find a product, the arrangement of antennas corresponding to the product is stretched vertically and horizontally and becomes complicated. Furthermore, it was only possible to take out a specific product from among a large number of products, and there was no more highly serviceable function, and sufficient sales support could not be taken.

JP 10-336071 A

Accordingly, the present invention is a product suitable for business negotiation with high customer service, which can display related products according to the purchase tendency of products requested by customers when sales guides are placed between shop assistants and customers. The purpose is to provide an exhibition system .

The present invention, when the communication area of the reader-writer to correspond to the RF tag, a product display board with a non-contact communication function to transmit the information of the RF tag to the reader writer, the RF tag that stores product information A product display system having customer information about a customer, including a transparent showcase for storing the product with the RF tag, and placing the product display board on an upper surface of the showcase, The selected product is taken out from the showcase and placed on the product display board so that a communication area can be created upward of the board body . It is a product display system that communicates in a non-contact manner with an RF tag of a product and collects information by associating the customer information with the product information .

According to the present invention, customer information related to a customer is acquired at the time of a business negotiation between a store clerk and a customer . This customer information can be obtained by placing the customer use medium of the customer who has visited the store on the product display board, and the customer use medium enters the communication area of the reader / writer generated on the product display board. This information can be read in a non-contact manner. Subsequently, when the store clerk places the product selected by the customer on the product display board, the selected product placed in the communication area of the reader / writer reads the selected product information.

As a result, it is possible to identify the customers who use it to read the customer information, after the reading of customer information is only placing the selected goods of the customer to the product exhibition board, in association with customer information and product information storage can do. For example, it stores specific information on popular products such as customer groups by age, sex, store usage frequency, region, etc., and the types of products requested by customers, by price, by number of exhibitions, etc. . By associating and storing these, it is possible to select related products desired by the customer. The next time you visit the store, based on the information stored in association, you can reproduce the display of the selected product selected last time, select related similar products and new products suitable for this selection, guide the display, Can be purchased. In this way, since the types of products targeted for purchase can be provided, it is possible to carry out business negotiations without waste for shop assistants and customers.

Furthermore, if this product display board is used, even if a plurality of people conduct a business negotiation at the same time, the customer information of the plurality of people can be read and dealt with, so a business negotiation with a plurality of people can be performed in parallel.

In addition, the product display board can be placed on the upper surface of a transparent showcase, and the selected product can be used on the product display board.
In addition, not only when a product is purchased, but it is possible to store and manage information on a product that the customer has actually examined by hand.

In another configuration of the present invention, the reader / writer can include an antenna, a control unit, and a battery.
According to the present invention, a product display board can be placed between a store clerk and a customer for a business talk.

In another configuration of the present invention, the merchandise display board can be laid with felt cloth over the entire top surface of the board body.
According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a product display board suitable for mounting and displaying jewelry as a product.

In another configuration of the present invention, when the reader / writer performs a non-contact reading operation with a product equipped with an RF tag, the reader / writer is configured to include a reading confirmation means for outputting and notifying the result of the reading operation. Can do.

  Here, the reading confirmation means outputs the result of the reading operation by display or voice. For example, several light emitting diodes can be visually recognized and arranged on the store clerk side, and the result of the reading operation can be known from the lighting color. Alternatively, the display can be confirmed according to the purpose by lighting or flashing.

According to the present invention, since the result of the reading operation of the reader / writer can be known by the reading confirmation means, when the customer information is read, it can be confirmed whether or not the reading operation has been normally performed. In addition, it can be confirmed whether or not an appropriate medium is used. In particular, the store clerk can proceed with the negotiation while confirming each operation, so that the operation of the negotiation suitable for handling expensive products can be achieved.

In another configuration of the invention, the storage unit for storing customer information and product information, between the external information processing apparatus for managing customer information and product information, the communication connecting means for communicating connected by wire or wireless It can comprise.

  According to the present invention, the information read by the reader / writer at the time of the negotiation can be stored in the information processing apparatus. Therefore, the degree of popularity of the product, the details of sales, etc. are detailed from the customer information and the product information collected in the information processing apparatus. Accurate information can be managed accurately. For example, if you find a popular product that is frequently displayed on the product display board among all the products, you can preferentially purchase that product, as well as new products that tend to be similar to the popular product. Development can be done. On the other hand, merchandise can be managed so that unpopular merchandise without customer requests for display is not in stock. Furthermore, when the age of a customer group invited at an event or the like is known in advance, a product according to the taste of the customer group can be selected in advance and displayed.

  In another configuration of the present invention, the wireless communication connection means collects the storage information stored in the storage unit of the reader / writer in a contactless manner over the communication area of the reader / writer, and stores the collected storage information. The store medium with an RF tag that is transmitted in a non-contact manner over the communication area of the reader / writer connected to the information processing apparatus can be provided.

  According to the present invention, if a store medium with an RF tag is used, customer information and product information can be easily collected from the reader / writer in a non-contact manner. Moreover, it is possible to transfer the collected information from the store medium with the RF tag by simply holding it over the information processing apparatus. As a result, the store clerk can save time and easily transmit information from the reader / writer to the information processing apparatus.

In another configuration of the present invention, when the reader / writer reads information on a specific product requested by a customer, the reader / writer selects a control unit that selects information on another product inferred in relation to the read specific product. It can be prepared.

The control unit is preferably provided by being connected to a control unit such as a personal computer connected to the product display board. In addition, the control unit may be provided in the product display board.

According to the present invention, since customer information and product information are stored in association with each other, for a customer who has selected a product, not only the selected product but also an analogy from the one product in relation to the other. Another product can be selected. For this reason, it is possible to select only a product having a tendency desired by the customer from among a large number of products, and inform the store clerk of the selected other product via a personal computer monitor or other output means for display guidance. This facilitates business negotiations and makes efficient transactions possible. For example, even if a customer visits a store for the first time, if one product is selected, the customer's preference is known, and several related products can be selected and displayed.

  According to the present invention, when a product display board is placed between a store clerk and a customer, a popular product frequently displayed on the product display board and an unpopular product not attracting attention are accurately identified for each product. Can know. As a result, popular products will be focused on development as new products in the future, and unpopular products will be a guideline that will not be in stock, and will become operational information that enables appropriate product management on the store side.

  A non-contact communication means for storing product information in association with a customer on a product display board on which the selected product is placed and displayed for negotiations is constructed.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
The drawing shows a jewelry display board. In FIG. 1, this jewelry display board 11 is used when, for example, jewelry 12 selected by a customer in a jewelry store, such as jewelry 12 and a precious metal, are displayed nearby. . This jewelry display board 11 is placed on the upper surface of a transparent showcase 13 containing a large number of jewelry 12, and the jewelry 12 selected between the store clerk 14 and the customer 15 facing each other across the showcase 13. Is placed on the jewelry display board 11 and used for a business negotiation while examining one by one for each hand.

  The jewelry display board 11 has a rectangular plate shape. As shown in FIG. 2, the eyelashes suitable for displaying the jewelry 12 on the entire upper surface of the board body 16 having the rectangular plate shape. A gorgeous and brightly colored felt cloth 17 is laid. Further, several light-emitting lamps 18 and a read-only switch 19 are arranged on the laterally long side surface of the board main body 16 that can be seen from the store clerk side.

  When the later-described reader / writer reads the RF tag provided on each of the customer card, the store card, and the jewelry 12 in a non-contact manner, this light-emitting lamp 18 emits light so that the store clerk can visually confirm that the read is confirmed. . In this light emission, the light emitting element such as a light emitting diode may be lit or blinked, and the result of the reading operation can be notified by the lighting color or blinking.

  The read-only switch 19 is used when a later-described reader / writer 20 of the jewelry display board 11 reads the information of the RF tag and takes out all the information stored in the memory.

  FIG. 3 shows a reader / writer 20 configured inside the jewelry display board 11. The reader / writer 20 includes an antenna 21, a controller (controller) 22, and a battery 23 inside the board body 16. ing.

  The antenna 21 is integrally formed on the inner side of the upper surface of the board body 16 by extending the antenna coil 21a in a rectangular loop shape so as to extend widely in a plane, and a magnetic field generation region is generated above the stretched board body 16. Let Here, the antenna coil 21a is shown attached to a part of the inside of the upper surface of the board body 16, but may be provided on the entire upper surface. The antenna 21 is connected to a control unit 22, and stores and manages communication control and collected information by the control unit 22. In addition, a battery 23 is connected to the control unit 22 and is started and stopped by a power switch (not shown).

  If any of a customer card, a store card, and a jewelery 12, which will be described later, equipped with an RF tag to be communicated is approached from above the antenna 21, the RF tag is contacted in a non-contact manner corresponding to the magnetic field generation region of the antenna 21. Perform a read. At this time, the read information is stored in the memory of the control unit 22. When the reading operation is performed, the light-emitting lamp 18 is turned on in conjunction with this to confirm the reading. This reading confirmation operation is not limited to this, and a speaker may be provided, or a speaker is provided alone, and the contents confirmed by reading confirmation sound or voice can be notified to the store clerk and nearby customers. .

Next, a specific configuration of the jewelry display board 11 will be described with reference to the control circuit block diagram of FIG.
The antenna 21 includes an antenna coil 21a and a matching circuit 41. The antenna coil 21a is formed of a conductive wire, and both end portions of the antenna coil 21a are extended outward in parallel with each other, connected to an amplifier 42 through a matching circuit 41 and a coaxial cable. Note that the matching circuit 41 may include the matching circuit 41 on the amplifier 42 side when the cable length with the antenna coil 21a is short. In this case, the antenna 21 is formed only by the antenna coil 21a portion. The matching circuit 41 is a circuit for matching the impedance of the feeder connected to the amplifier 42 and the impedance of the antenna coil 21a. Two variable capacitance capacitors are connected in series between both signal lines extended from the antenna coil 21a. The junction of both capacitors is grounded.

  The amplifier 42 mainly includes a modulation circuit 43, a transmission unit 44, a reception unit 45, a demodulation circuit 46, and an input / output IF (interface) 47. The modulation circuit 43 modulates the high frequency generated in the oscillation circuit (not shown) according to the information or command to be transmitted output from the CPU 48 of the control unit 22. In the transmission unit 44, the signal modulated by the modulation circuit 43 is amplified by an amplification circuit (not shown), and the antenna coil 21a of the antenna 21 is driven. On the other hand, the received signal is demodulated in the demodulation circuit 46 via the receiving unit 45. The input / output IF 47 performs signal transmission control with the control unit 22.

  The control unit 22 mainly includes a CPU 48, a memory 49, and input / output IFs 50 and 51. The CPU 48 controls writing or reading of information on an RF tag described later. The memory 49 stores a program for controlling communication with the RF tag, information used for processing, and the like. The input / output IF 50 performs signal transmission control with the amplifier 42, and the input / output IF 51 performs signal transmission control with the light-emitting lamp 18 and the read-only switch 19.

  FIG. 5A shows an example in which a price tag 53 incorporating an RF tag 52 composed of an antenna coil and an IC is attached to the jewelry 12. When the jewelery 12 with the price tag 53 attached is selected and the store clerk places the jewelery 12 on the upper surface of the product display board 11, the price tag attached to the jewelery 12 enters the magnetic field generation region generated by the antenna 21. The information of the RF tag 52 built in 53 is read by the reader / writer 20 of the product display board 11 in a non-contact manner.

FIG. 5B shows a customer card C1 incorporating an RF tag 54 composed of an antenna coil and an IC. The customer card C1 is a card (customer use medium) that certifies the customer issued by the jewelry store in advance, and if the customer card C1 is held over the product display board 11, the customer card C1 is located above the reader / writer 20. An RF tag is provided so that communication can be performed in a non-contact manner within a magnetic field generation region formed in the space .

  In addition to this, not only the customer card C1, but also a store card C2 produced on the jewelry store side is provided. The store card C2 has the same configuration as the customer card C1. Similarly, when the store card C2 is held over the product display board 11, the store card C2 enters the magnetic field generation region of the reader / writer 20 and communicates in a non-contact manner. Then, after switching by operating the read-only switch 19, if the store card C2 is held over the product display board 11, all the information stored in the memory 49 can be collected at once. Then, for the purpose of managing all the collected information from the store card C2, the information is managed by moving to an information processing apparatus (personal computer) to be described later.

  FIG. 6 shows a control circuit block diagram of the RF tag 52 of the jewelry 12 and the RF tag 54 of the customer card C1 or the store card C2, and these RF tags 52 and 54 have the same circuit configuration, mainly the antenna coil 61, The transmission / reception unit 62, a power supply circuit 63, a demodulation circuit 64, a modulation circuit 65, a memory control unit 66, and a memory 67 are configured.

  A signal received through the antenna coil 61 when the RF tags 52 and 54 enter the magnetic field generation region of the jewelry display board 11 is output to the power supply circuit 63 through the transmission / reception unit 62 to drive each part of the apparatus. The power to do is taken out. The signal received from the jewelry display board 11 via the antenna coil 61 is output to the demodulation circuit 64 via the transmission / reception unit 62, and the demodulated signal is sent to the memory control unit 66. The memory control unit 66 is connected to the memory 67 via a bus, and writes or reads information in the memory 67 in accordance with commands or information given from the control unit 22. Information read from the memory 67 is sent to the transmission / reception unit 62 via the modulation circuit 65 to drive the antenna coil 61.

  When communicating with the jewelry display board 11 by the load switching method, a modulation circuit in which a resistor and a switching element such as an FET are connected in series is configured, and this is connected in parallel to the antenna coil 61 to perform switching. Information is transmitted to the jewelry display board 11 side by changing the load of the antenna coil depending on the element.

  FIG. 7 shows an example in which customer information and product information collected by the jewelry display board 11 are taken out using the store card C2 and the taken-out information is collected in a non-contact manner by the personal computer PC.

  The reader / writer 71 for non-contact communication and its control unit 72 are connected to the personal computer PC. When the store card C2 is placed over the reader / writer 71, the customer card stored in the store card C2 is stored. Customer information such as age, gender, store usage frequency, region, etc. and specific information of the jewelry 12 requested by the customer, such as by type, amount, and number of exhibitions A control unit (not shown) can be stored and managed.

  Thus, if the store card C2 is used, the customer information and the product information accumulated so far can be collectively collected in a non-contact manner from the reader / writer 20 of the jewelry display board 11. Similarly, the collected information can be transferred all at once from the store card C2 by simply holding it over the reader / writer 71 of the personal computer PC. For this reason, the store clerk can save time and can easily transmit and manage the stored information from the jewelry display board 11 side to the personal computer PC side.

  In the control section of the personal computer PC, if the popular jewelry 12 that is frequently displayed on the jewelry display board 11 is known from all the jewelry 12, the jewelry 12 can be preferentially purchased, It is possible to develop a new jewelery 12 having a tendency similar to a popular jewelery 12 such as a popular item. On the other hand, the jewelery 12 can be managed by restricting the purchase so as not to stock the jewelery 12 that is not popular without a display request from the customer. Furthermore, when the age of the customer group invited at the event or the like is known in advance, the jewelry 12 according to the taste of the customer group can be selected and displayed.

Next, a case where customer service is handled using the jewelry display board 11 configured as described above will be described.
Now, when the customer 15 visits a jewelry store and makes a business talk while actually looking at the jewelry 12 (see FIG. 1), if the customer is already a member, the store clerk receives the customer card C1 issued in advance. Hold it over the jewelry display board 11. Thereby, the customer information recorded on the customer card C1 is read in a non-contact manner, and the read information is stored in the memory 49 of the jewelry display board 11. Further, in the case of a customer who has visited the store for the first time, a customer card C1 as a new member is issued to the customer, and similarly, the customer card C1 is held over the jewelry display board 11, and the customer information is stored in the memory 49 of the jewelry display board 11. Remember me.

  Thereafter, when the customer 15 is interested in the specific jewelry 12 displayed in the showcase 13 and makes an inquiry to the store clerk, the store clerk takes out the jewelry 12 from the showcase 13 and displays the top surface of the showcase 13. The jewelery 12 selected by the customer on the upper surface of the jewelery display board 11 placed on the table is shown close by. At this time, since the price tag 53 containing the RF tag 52 (see FIG. 5A) attached to the jewelry 12 enters the magnetic field generation region on the jewelry display board 11, the information on the jewelry 12 is read by the reader / writer 20. Is read in a non-contact manner.

  As a result, if customer information is read from the customer card C1, the customer to be used can be specified. For this reason, after reading the customer card C1, the customer information and the jewelry information can be stored in association with each other simply by placing the jewelry 12 selected by the customer 15 on the jewelry display board 11.

  By associating and storing the customer information and the jewelry information, it is possible to select the jewelry 12 related to the tendency desired by the customer. For example, for a customer who has selected a certain jewelery 12, not only the selected one jewelery 12 but also another jewelery 12 inferred in relation to the other from the one jewelery 12 is selected. be able to. For this reason, only the jewelry 12 of the tendency for which a customer desires can be selected from many jewelry 12. For example, if the selected jewelry 12 is displayed on the display device of the personal computer PC, the relevant jewelery can be notified to the store clerk. Based on this information, the store clerk can specify and display related jewelry 12. As a result, business negotiations are smooth and efficient transactions can be performed.

  In addition, the next time you visit the store, you can output the information of the selected jewelry 12 selected last time to the PC based on the information stored in association with it, and reproduce the same display as the previous one, as well as relevant similarities suitable for this selection. Jewelery and new jewelry can be selected. As described above, since the jewelery 12 that is targeted for purchase by customer has the target of the customer, it is possible to carry out a business negotiation without waste for both the clerk and the customer.

  In addition, even if a plurality of people conduct business negotiations simultaneously through the jewelry display board 11, the customer card C1 of each of the plurality of people can be read and handled, so that business negotiations with a plurality of people can be conducted in parallel. At this time, if the stored information in the memory 49 increases rapidly and reaches the limit, the light can be turned on to notify the store clerk. At this time, the store clerk uses the store card C2 to take out the stored information in the memory 49, empty the stored information in the memory 49, and maintain the operation of the jewelry display board 11. On the other hand, when the jewelry 12 is purchased, it is stored in the memory 49 as purchase information.

  By the way, when the information of the customer card C1 and the jewelry 12 is read in a non-contact manner, the result of the reading operation can be displayed to the store clerk according to the purpose by the light emitting operation of the several lamps 18. For example, when the customer card C1 is read, it can be confirmed whether or not the reading operation is normally performed. In addition, it is possible to confirm whether or not an appropriate customer card C1 has been used. In particular, the clerk can proceed with the business negotiation while confirming the suitability of the customer card C1 and the display operation of the jewelery 12 every time. Therefore, the clerk is highly reliable and suitable for handling the expensive jewelery 12. Operation can be planned.

  When the stored information stored in the memory 49 of the jewelry display board 11 is taken out, after the store clerk switches the read-only switch 19, the store clerk holds the store card C2 over the jewelry display board 11 until then. All the information stored in the memory 49 can be collected so as to be sucked into the store card C2. After that, if the store card C2 is passed over the communication area of the reader / writer 71 connected to the personal computer PC and transmitted without contact, the store card C2 is stored and managed in the control unit of the personal computer PC.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the personal computer PC control unit has an ID code for each customer who uses the jewelry store, and each jewelery of the display jewelry 12 that the customer actually examined on the day the customer visited the store. When the product name, the ID data of the jewelry name, and the jewelry are purchased, this means that the ID data of the jewelry is stored and managed in association with the customer.

  As a result, the interest tendency of the jewelry 12 that is different for each customer is known. Accordingly, when a customer selects a piece of jewelry 12, another piece of jewelry 12 estimated in relation to the selected one or several pieces of jewelry 12 can be selected and displayed. In addition to personal interest trends, purchase trends by age, such as gender, teens, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, etc., are known.

  FIG. 9 shows management data representing the ID code for each jewelry item during the marketing period of the jewelry item 12 and the number of times the jewelry item has been selected by the customer. As a result, on the jewelry store side, when making a business talk using the jewelry display board 11, the popular jewelry 12 frequently displayed on the jewelry display board 11 and the unpopular jewelry not attracting attention. 12 can be accurately known by jewelry 12. As a result, the popular jewelery 12 is focused on development as a new product in the future, and the unpopular jewelery 12 becomes a guideline for not being stocked, and becomes operational information that enables appropriate product management desired by the store side.

  FIG. 10 shows another example of information collection of the present invention. When information is transmitted from the jewelry display board 11 to the personal computer PC, the information on the store card C2 is connected to a PDA (Personal, Digital, Assistance) 101. It communicates information to a personal computer PC without contact.

  Thus, even if it comprises so that it may communicate using PDA101, it can collect and manage information from the jewelry display board 11 to personal computer PC similarly.

  As mentioned above, customer information and jewelery information are obtained each time a business negotiation is carried out using this jewelery display board, and detailed information such as popularity of jewelry and best-selling items is accurately managed from these information, and then The purchase data can be determined.

In correspondence between the configuration of the present invention and the configuration of the above-described embodiment,
The customer use medium of the present invention corresponds to the customer card C1 of the embodiment,
Similarly,
The product display board corresponds to the jewelry display board 11,
The product corresponds to jewelry 12,
The reading confirmation means corresponds to the light-emitting lamp 18,
The storage unit corresponds to the memory 49,
The information processing device corresponds to a personal computer PC,
The communication connection means corresponds to the store card C2 and the reader / writer 71 of the personal computer.
Although the store medium corresponds to the store card C2, the present invention can be applied based on the technical idea shown in the claims, and is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment.

The external appearance perspective view which shows the use condition of a jewelry display board. The external appearance perspective view which shows a jewelry display board. Schematic which shows the internal structure of a jewelry display board. The control circuit block diagram of the main structure of a jewelry display board. Explanatory drawing which shows each RF tag of jewelry and a customer card. The control circuit block diagram of RF tag attached to jewelry. The schematic block diagram which shows the communication state from a jewelry display board to a personal computer. The figure which shows an example of the customer information memorize | stored with the jewelry display board. The chart which shows the popularity information according to jewelry memorized for a certain period with a personal computer. The schematic block diagram which shows the other example of the communication state from a jewelry display board to a personal computer.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Jewelery display board 12 ... Jewelery 18 ... Luminescent lamp 20, 71 ... Reader / writer 22 ... Control part 49 ... Memory 52, 54 ... RF tag C1 ... Customer card C2 ... Store card PC ... Personal computer

Claims (5)

When the magnetic field generation region generated in the antenna of the reader / writer is made to correspond to the RF tag, the RF tag control circuit is driven by the power generated in the antenna of the corresponding RF tag to inform the reader / writer of the RF tag information. A non-contact communication device for transmitting
When a customer use medium equipped with an RF tag for storing customer information approaches, when a product with an RF tag for storing product information attached is communicated with the RF tag of the customer use medium approached A product display board comprising a reader / writer that communicates with the RF tag of the product placed in a non-contact manner and collects information by associating the customer information with the product information.   The reader / writer includes a control unit that, when reading information on a specific product requested by a customer, selects information on another product that is inferred in relation to the read specific product. Product display board.   The reader / writer is provided with a reading confirmation means for outputting and notifying the result of the reading operation when the reading operation is executed in a non-contact manner between the customer use medium having the RF tag and the product having the RF tag. Item 1 or 2 product display board.   Communication connecting means for connecting the storage unit that stores customer information and product information read by the reader / writer and an external information processing apparatus that manages the customer information and product information by wired or wireless communication is provided. The product display board according to claim 1, 2 or 3. The wireless communication connection means collects the storage information stored in the storage unit of the reader / writer in a contactless manner over the communication area of the reader / writer, and connects the collected storage information to the information processing apparatus. The product display board according to claim 4, further comprising a store medium with an RF tag that is transmitted in a non-contact manner over a reader / writer communication area.

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