JP2010061467A - Point service system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a point service system capable of specifying a customer speedily without fail without using a distinguishing information medium such as a card or the like requiring the customer to carry it with him/her and providing the customer with proper point service without applying any burden on the customer. <P>SOLUTION: The point service system includes an imaging means 8 for imaging customer's face image, a database associating the customer's face image with a customer distinguishing code and point information, an analyzing means for analyzing the imaged face image, checking it up against the database and outputting the customer distinguishing code corresponding to the face image, and a point information outputting means for referring to the database based on the output customer distinguishing code and outputting customer's point information. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a point service system, and more particularly, to a point service system which can execute a corresponding point service by managing a customer using a customer's face image.

  A point service that issues a membership card to a customer, accumulates points according to the number of transactions, total payment amount, etc., discounts the purchase amount when a certain point is reached, and issues gift certificates Has been.

  The member card is provided with an information storage unit such as a magnetic stripe, a semiconductor memory, and an optical memory, and a different member number is stored for each card. The cashier person temporarily holds the member card possessed by the customer and confirms the member number stored in the card using a memory card reader / writer.

Since it is necessary to issue a new membership card to a new customer, a card issuing machine is also installed at the accounting counter. When using such a membership card as a means of identity verification, the customer must carry the membership card to receive the service, and the customer may lose the card or forget to carry it. In such a case, there arises a disadvantage that the service that should be originally received cannot be received. In addition, the store providing the service takes time and cost to issue a card.
JP-A-1-281594

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional point service system having the above-described problems, and uses an identification information medium required to be possessed by a customer such as a card. It is another object of the present invention to provide a point service system capable of quickly and surely identifying a customer and executing an appropriate point service without any burden on the customer.

  The invention according to claim 1 for solving the above-described problem is an imaging means for imaging a customer's face image, a database in which the customer's face image, customer identification code, and point information are associated, and the captured face image. Analyzing the data and referring to the database, outputting the customer identification code corresponding to the face image, referring to the database based on the output customer identification code, and outputting the customer point information A point service system comprising point information output means.

  The imaging means is preferably incorporated in the customer display of the POS register.

  The present invention is as described above. According to the present invention, a database in which a customer's face image, a customer identification code, and point information are associated with each other is prepared in advance. Thus, a customer identification code corresponding to the face image is obtained, and an efficient point service is performed in which the customer point information is processed by referring to the database based on the obtained customer identification code. It is possible to provide a point service system that can be used.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The point service system according to the present invention executes customer identification using a face recognition system.

  FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a POS register 1 used in the point service system according to the present invention. The point service system according to the present invention is configured integrally with the POS register 1.

  The POS register 1 is a personal computer in which various programs including a POS system and a face recognition system are mounted, a barcode scanner 2 for reading a barcode, a touch panel 3 for a cashier in charge of data input, and a central processing It is composed of a register main body 4 and the like incorporating a device, a main storage device and an auxiliary storage device.

  The POS register 1 is connected to a customer display 5 for displaying the total amount and the like to the customer. In addition to the liquid crystal display 6, the customer display 5 includes a sensor 7 and a camera 8 that are installed toward the customer passage.

  By incorporating the sensor 7 and the camera 8 in the customer display 5 in this way, it is possible to carry out photographing from the front without making the customer feel uncomfortable. Further, in the POS register 1, customer personal information, pre-captured face images, the number of points used, etc. are stored in the database as customer information and can be called with the customer identification number.

  The face image recognition means includes authentication data management means for searching and registering customer authentication data, means for extracting feature information from the imaged data from the camera, and comparing and comparing the feature information with the authentication data of each customer. And a comparison / collation means for outputting the degree of coincidence.

  In the database, customer identification code and face image data used by the face image recognition means or facial feature data such as the distance between eyes extracted from the face image data are stored for each customer as customer authentication data. .

  Normally, the database is updated with a value obtained by adding the number of points corresponding to the purchase amount to the point value recorded in the customer information. The processing result is output to a monitor and a printer. In addition, customers who have a point value that reaches a certain value can use the number of points. In that case, the number of points used is reduced to the point value recorded in the customer information. Updated with value.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the point service system. In the operation shown here, the sales counting process is executed in parallel with the face recognition process. First, the POS register 1 is activated (step S1), and then the POS process is executed by the cashier operator (step S2).

  Next, when face recognition processing is performed (step S3: Y), feature quantities such as the distance between eyes are extracted from the face image data and recorded in the customer authentication data in the database. The face image is compared and collated (step S4).

  Then, the face image recognition means authenticates the customer data evaluated as having the highest degree of coincidence as the customer, the customer information of the customer is called from the database (step S5), and the customer point value is updated (step S5). Step S6).

  In step S3, when several seconds have passed without face recognition (step S9: Y), only normal POS processing is executed. If no matching face is registered in step S5 (step S5: N), new customer identification data is created (step S11) and points are added (step S12). These results are output to the printer if necessary (steps S7 and S8).

  If a speech synthesizer or the like is added to the POS register 1 and it is determined that it is the second or later visit by face recognition, the customer's mood will be expressed by saying “Thank you for coming to the store each time”. Can be improved.

  As described above, the embodiment using the POS register 1 is described for the point service system according to the present invention. However, instead of the POS register 1, an automatic ticket vending machine is installed, and the customer himself performs the operation shown in the flowchart of FIG. It can also be performed by operating.

  Although the present invention has been described in some detail with respect to its most preferred embodiments, it will be apparent that a wide variety of different embodiments can be constructed without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, the invention being defined by the appended claims. It is not restricted to the specific embodiment other than limiting in.

1 is an overall configuration diagram of a point service system according to the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the point service system which concerns on this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 POS register 2 Barcode scanner 3 Touch panel 4 Register body 5 Customer display 6 Liquid crystal display 7 Sensor 8 Camera

Claims (2)

  Imaging means for capturing a customer's face image, a database that associates the customer's face image, customer identification code, and point information, and analyzing the captured face image and referring to the database to correspond to the face image A point service system comprising: analysis means for outputting a customer identification code; and point information output means for referring to the database based on the outputted customer identification code and outputting the customer point information.   The point service system according to claim 1, wherein the imaging unit is incorporated in a customer display of a POS register.

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