JP2010277521A - Commodity management system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technology that supports a store staff so that he/she can manage a plurality of commodities simply and appropriately in a sale system in which a customer freely selects and takes the plurality of commodities displayed in a store like a buffet style restaurant, etc. <P>SOLUTION: A store controller 2 acquires regularly or irregularly a weight value of a commodity 6 from a scale 11 that is disposed under the commodity 6 displayed in the store for measuring weight of the commodity 6, monitors a variation in the weight of the commodity 6, specifies a time when the commodity 6 is replenished (time of replenishment) based on the variation in the weight, and measures a time elapsed from the time of the replenishment of the commodity 6. In the meanwhile, the store controller 2 that displays a list of the commodities on display in its display rearranges a display order in order from the longest elapsed time from the time of replenishment according to a store staff's instruction. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a merchandise management system that manages a plurality of merchandise displayed in a store.

  In the service industry including the restaurant business and the retail business, service provision methods have been diversified to meet various needs of customers. On the other hand, merchandise management systems for supporting diversified service providing methods have been proposed one after another.

  For example, as a sales method adopted in retail stores, freshly prepared cooked foods etc. are displayed in the store, and customers can get as much cooked food etc. as they want (or store staff will take the amount they want) The sales method of taking the picked-up products to the cash register and paying them is becoming widespread (self-service method at retail stores).

  Patent Documents 1 to 5 propose various techniques for supporting such a sales method. For example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-228867, a crack is placed under the cooked food to be displayed, and the weight of the product removed by the customer is specified by this crack, and the price of the product picked up by the customer based on this is automatically determined. A system for calculating the above has been proposed.

  In addition, as a service providing method adopted by restaurants such as restaurants, a buffet method in which customers can freely prepare freshly prepared foods and ingredients may be adopted. In a buffet-type restaurant or the like, the food cooked at the kitchen is not carried directly to the customer, but is carried to the display table on the restaurant floor. Then, the customer takes the required number and the required amount of the various kinds of dishes arranged in the display table by self-service (self-service method at a restaurant).

JP 2000-321120 A JP 2002-259502 A Japanese Patent No. 3371821 JP 2005-309577 A JP 2008-45907 A

  For example, in a buffet type restaurant or the like, various types of dishes are arranged on a display table. If the display table has been left untouched for a long time, there are many unpopular menus, or there are menus that are not replenished with food (occurrence of missing items), the customer will be in the restaurant On the other hand, it has a bad image.

  Therefore, store staff visit the restaurant floor regularly to monitor the state of the dishes being displayed, and if there is a menu that needs to be replenished, give instructions to the kitchen staff to replenish, If there are no menus or dishes with a reduced freshness, give instructions to raise them. If a dish that has lost its freshness is left unattended, customers will have a bad impression of all dishes, so such product management needs to be done thoroughly. This is not limited to a buffet-type restaurant or the like, but can be said to all restaurants and retail stores that adopt the self-service method.

  However, as the types of merchandise displayed increase, managing all the merchandise appropriately becomes a heavy burden on store staff.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points. For example, like a buffet restaurant, a customer can freely select a plurality of products (displayed products) displayed in a store. It is an object of the present invention to provide a technique for assisting store staff in managing a display product simply and appropriately in a store adopting a service method.

  The invention of claim 1 is a merchandise management system, a merchandise management apparatus that manages a plurality of merchandise displayed in a store, and is arranged corresponding to each of the plurality of merchandise and measures the weight of the corresponding merchandise. A plurality of weighing devices, wherein the product management device periodically or irregularly obtains a weight value of a product associated with the weighing device from each of the plurality of weighing devices. Weight fluctuation monitoring means for monitoring the weight fluctuation of each of the products, replenishment time specifying means for specifying the replenishment time when the goods are replenished for each of the plurality of products based on the aspect of weight fluctuation of the goods, Time management means for measuring an elapsed time from the replenishment time of the product for each of the plurality of products.

  Invention of Claim 2 is the goods management system of Claim 1, Comprising: The said goods management apparatus, The display control means to which the display means displays the list of the goods name of these some goods on the said display means, And the display control means sorts the plurality of products in order of long elapsed time from the replenishment time and rearranges the display order of the list display in the sort order according to an instruction from an operator. Means.

  The invention of claim 3 is the product management system according to claim 2, wherein when the display control means generates a product whose elapsed time from the replenishment time is a predetermined value or more, Display mode changing means for changing a display mode in the list display;

  Invention of Claim 4 is the goods management system in any one of Claim 1 to 3, Comprising: The said goods management apparatus displays the list of the display means and the goods name of these some goods on the said display means For each of the plurality of products, a display control unit, a lifetime specifying unit for specifying a product lifetime, and for each of the plurality of products, subtract the elapsed time from the last replenishment time of the product from the product lifetime. A remaining lifetime calculating means for calculating a remaining lifetime of the product, and the display control means sorts the plurality of products in the order of the shortest remaining lifetime according to an instruction from an operator. Second sorting means for rearranging the display order of the list display in the sort order.

  A fifth aspect of the present invention is the commodity management system according to the fourth aspect, wherein the display control unit displays the list of the commodity when the commodity whose remaining lifetime is a predetermined value or less occurs. Display mode changing means for changing the display mode in

  A sixth aspect of the present invention is the commodity management system according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the commodity management apparatus causes the display unit to display a list of commodity names of the plurality of commodities. Display control means, and when the operator selects any of the listed products and inputs a predetermined instruction, the display control means replenishes the selected product according to the instruction Product information display processing means for displaying a history of time on the display means.

  According to the invention of claim 1, the merchandise management device specifies the replenishment time by monitoring the weight variation of each of the plurality of merchandise displayed in the store, and measures the elapsed time from the replenishment time. ing. According to this configuration, since the product management device always knows how long it has passed since each product was replenished, the store staff can use this information to display multiple products displayed in the store. It can be managed easily and appropriately.

  According to the invention of claim 2, since a plurality of products displayed in the store can be displayed in a list in order of long elapsed time from the replenishment time, the store staff can order the products with a long elapsed time from the replenishment time. It is possible to grasp at a glance (which can be said to be an unpopular ranking of products displayed in a store).

  According to the invention of claim 3, when a product is generated whose elapsed time from the replenishment time is a predetermined value or more, this is notified to the store staff by changing the display mode of the product in the list display. The store staff can quickly and surely know that a product whose elapsed time from the replenishment time has exceeded a predetermined value has occurred among the products displayed in the store.

  According to the invention of claim 4, since a plurality of products displayed in the store can be displayed in a list in order of short remaining lifetime, the store staff can display the order of the products with short remaining lifetime (displayed in the store). It can also be said at a glance that the order of product collection can be said.

  According to the invention of claim 5, when a product having a remaining lifetime of a predetermined value or less occurs, the store staff is notified by changing the display mode of the product in the list display. Can quickly and surely know that a product whose remaining lifetime is equal to or less than a predetermined value has occurred among the products displayed in the store.

  According to the invention of claim 6, since the history of the replenishment time of any product among a plurality of products displayed in the store can be displayed, the store staff operates the store using the history of the replenishment time. It can be performed.

It is a figure which shows the mode of the restaurant floor of a buffet type restaurant. It is a figure which shows the structural example of a merchandise management system. It is a figure which shows the structure of a store controller. It is a figure which shows the example of a goods file. It is a block diagram which shows the structure regarding a merchandise management function. It is a figure which shows the structural example of a 1st list screen. It is a figure which shows the structural example of a 2nd list screen. It is a figure which shows the structural example of a 3rd list screen. It is a figure which shows the structural example of a merchandise information display screen. It is a figure explaining the process which specifies cooking start time. It is a figure explaining the structure of the display with which the selective drive system crackle is provided.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following, a case where the product management system according to the present invention is applied to a buffet restaurant will be described. However, the product management system according to the present invention is a variety of restaurants and retail stores that employ a self-service method in which a customer can freely select a plurality of products (displayed products) displayed in the store. It is applicable to.

<1. Restaurant floor>
FIG. 1 is a view showing a state of a buffet restaurant floor (restaurant floor 200) in which the product management system according to the embodiment of the present invention is adopted. A plurality of products (here, a plurality of types of dishes) 6 are placed on the display table 300 in the restaurant floor 200. Hereinafter, the entirety of the plurality of products 6 placed on the display table 300 is referred to as “display product”.

  Below each product 6, a thin peel 11 associated with the product 6 is arranged, and the weight of the corresponding product 6 is weighed. In other words, each of the plurality of peels 11 arranged in the restaurant is associated with one of the displayed products, and the weight of the corresponding product 6 is measured.

<2. Product Management System Configuration>
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a product management system 100 applied to a restaurant. As shown in FIG. 2, the product management system 100 includes a weighing system 1 and a store controller 2. A server 121 included in the weighing system 1 is connected to the store controller 2 via a LAN. Thereby, data communication is enabled between the store controller 2 and the weighing system 1. The store controller 2 is connected to an external network such as the Internet, and may be capable of communicating with various external devices (such as a server device disposed at the headquarters center that manages the store) via the external network. .

<2-1. Weighing system>
The weighing system 1 includes the above-described plurality of cracks 11 and an information collection device 12 that acquires the weight value of the product 6 from the cracks 11.

<Hakari>
As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality (the same number as the displayed products 6) of a plurality of peels 11 are arranged on a display table 300 arranged in the restaurant floor 200. A product 6 associated with (linked to) the link 11 is placed on the top surface of each crackle 11, and each patch 11 receives the weight of the product 6 placed on the top surface as a load cell (not shown). Weigh by. However, the correspondence between the peel 11 and the product 6 is determined in advance by the store staff, and the correspondence is managed in the product file 30 described later.

  Note that the cracker 11 is provided with a small battery (not shown) that supplies power, and a control unit (not shown) that comprehensively controls the operation of the cracker 11. The control unit is composed of a CPU, a memory, and the like. This memory stores the hardware ID (device code) of the device itself.

  Further, the peeler 11 includes a communication unit 111 (see FIG. 1) that functions as a transmission unit that transmits data to the communication device 122. The communication unit 111 outputs a radio (radio wave) signal. The control unit generates a wireless signal (hereinafter referred to as “weight value data”) including the measurement value (that is, the current weight value of the corresponding product 6) and the device code of the own device, and causes the communication unit 111 to output the wireless signal. . This wireless signal is received by the communication device 122, and information included in the wireless signal is transmitted to the store controller 2 via the server 121. Note that communication between the peeler 11 and the communication device 122 may be performed by infrared communication instead of wireless communication.

  However, the peeler 11 periodically transmits weight value data (for example, every 1 to 3 minutes). That is, the peeler 11 includes a timer (not shown), and the control unit starts counting by the timer from the time when a radio signal is transmitted from the communication unit 111, and a predetermined time (for example, 1 to 3 minutes) has elapsed. At that time, the weight value data is transmitted again.

<Information collection device>
The information collection device 12 includes a server 121 that centrally manages the weighing system 1, a plurality of communication devices 122, and a base station 123 that functions as a signal relay between the server 121 and the plurality of communication devices 122. ing. The server 121 and the plurality of communication devices 122 can perform data communication with each other through the base station 123. Each communication device 122 performs wireless communication with Hakari 11. The plurality of communication devices 122 are arranged at substantially constant distances on the ceiling of the restaurant floor 200 and the like so as to be able to communicate with all the peelers 11 arranged in the restaurant floor 200.

  As described above, a radio signal (weight value data) including a measured value and a device code is periodically transmitted from each of the plurality of peelers 11 arranged on the display table 300. The communication device 122 receives this radio signal and transmits information included in the radio signal to the server 121 via the base station 123. The server 121 transmits the received information to the store controller 2 described later.

<2-2. Store Controller>
The store controller 2 manages the product management system 100 in an integrated manner. The configuration of the store controller 2 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the store controller 2.

  The configuration of the store controller 2 as hardware is the same as that of a general computer. That is, the store controller 2 includes a CPU 21 that performs various arithmetic processes, a ROM 22 that stores a boot program, a RAM 23 that serves as a work area for the arithmetic processes, a hard disk 24 that stores programs and various data files, and a display 25 that performs various displays. , An input unit 26 composed of a keyboard and a mouse, a data communication unit 27 having a data communication function via a LAN, and an interface 28 for performing data transmission with peripheral devices and the like. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the display 25 is configured by a touch panel and commands can be input from the display 25 to the CPU 21.

  The hard disk 24 stores an operation program (not shown) in advance, and various functions as the store controller 2 are realized by the CPU 21 performing arithmetic processing according to the operation program. In addition, the hard disk 24 stores a product file 30 that is a data file indicating various information related to the displayed product.

  The store controller 2 centrally manages the information related to the displayed product using the product file 30. For example, the store controller 2 is transmitted from the weight value data received from the peeler 11 (that is, transmitted from any one of the plurality of peelers 11 arranged in the store, and sent to the store controller 2 via the information collecting device 12. The weight value included in the displayed weight value data) specifies which of the displayed products 6 indicates the weight of the displayed product, and the weight value of the product 6 at the time when the weight value data is received. The weight value is stored in the product file 30. As a result, the product file 30 stores information (“weight fluctuation” (see FIG. 4)) indicating how the weight of each displayed product changes with time. The store controller 2 manages display merchandise using “weight fluctuation” and other various information stored in the merchandise file 30. A specific configuration of the product file 30 and a specific management mode of the displayed product will be described below.

<3. Product management function in store controller>
<3-1. Product file>
As described above, the store controller 2 creates the product file 30 and manages the displayed products based on the product file 30. The configuration of the product file 30 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The product file 30 has a table format, and each of the records 301 indicates various types of information related to one product 6. In each record 301, “product name” of product 6, “empty weight” of product 6, “initial weight” of product 6, “warning weight” of product 6, “cooking time” of product 6, “cooking time” of product 6 The “lifetime”, the “device code” of the peel 11 associated with the product 6, the “weight variation” of the product 6, and the “replenishment time” of the product 6 are stored.

  The “empty weight” of the product 6 indicates the weight of the product 6 in a state where the product 6 can be regarded as sold out in the display table 300. For example, when the product 6 is put on a plate and placed on the display table 300, the weight of the plate becomes the empty weight of the product 6. On the other hand, when the product 6 is directly placed on the display table 300, the empty weight is zero. The empty weight value is registered by the store staff. For example, the store staff may pre-weigh the weight of the dish on which the product 6 is planned and register it as the empty weight of the product 6.

  The “initial weight” of the product 6 indicates the weight of the product 6 in a state immediately after the product 6 is replenished. The value of the initial weight may be registered / updated automatically, or may be registered by store staff. In the former case, the CPU 21 may automatically store the weight value of the product 6 acquired by the weight fluctuation monitoring unit 201 described later at the time when the product 6 is replenished (replenishment time) as the initial weight. However, the replenishment time of the product 6 is specified by the replenishment time specifying unit 202 described later. In this case, the value of the initial weight is updated every time the product 6 is replenished. In the latter case, for example, the store staff may estimate the average initial weight of the product 6 based on the average weight with which the product 6 is replenished at a time, and register this as the initial weight. .

  The “warning weight” of the product 6 indicates the weight of the product 6 in a state where the product 6 needs to be replenished. The warning weight value is registered by the store staff. For example, in the case of product 6 “Rice croquette”, if the customer wants to replenish the product 6 when there are two remaining rice croquettes on the plate, the store staff placed two rice croquettes. The weight of the dish may be registered as the warning weight of the product 6. In addition, for example, when the product 6 is to be replenished when the remaining number of rice croquettes becomes 0, the store staff will weight the weight of the plate on which 0 rice croquettes are placed (that is, the empty space related to the product 6). (Weight) may be registered as the warning weight of the product 6.

  The “cooking time” of the product 6 is the time required to cook the product 6. If the product 6 does not require cooking, the cooking time is zero. The cooking time value is registered by the store staff.

  The “lifetime” of the product 6 is the maximum allowable time that the product 6 can be put on the display table 300. That is, when the elapsed time after the product 6 is put on the display table 300 exceeds the lifetime set for the product 6, the product 6 is recovered from the display table 300 and discarded as being fresh. Judgment should be made. The lifetime value is registered by the store staff. For example, in the case of the product 6 such as “chocolate” whose freshness is hardly lowered, the lifetime is a relatively large value. On the other hand, in the case of the product 6 whose freshness is likely to be reduced, such as raw food, the lifetime becomes a relatively small value.

  The “device code” is the hardware ID of the peel 11 associated with the product 6. However, the hardware ID is a unique identification number assigned to each hackari 11. The device code is registered by the store staff. By registering the device code, in the product file 30, the product 6 and the peel 11 are associated with each other in a one-to-one relationship (linked).

  The “weight variation” of the product 6 is information indicating how the weight of the product 6 varies with time. The weight fluctuation is recorded by a “weight fluctuation monitoring unit 201” described later.

  The “replenishment time” of the product 6 indicates a history of the time when the product 6 is replenished (replenishment time). The replenishment time is recorded by a “replenishment time specifying unit 202” described later.

<3-2. Functional configuration>
As described above, the store controller 2 manages display merchandise based on the merchandise file 30. A configuration related to the display product management function of the store controller 2 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration related to a display merchandise management function. Each functional unit shown in FIG. 5 may be realized by the CPU 21 performing arithmetic processing according to an operation program stored in advance in the hard disk 24 of the store controller 2 or may be realized by dedicated hardware. .

  The store controller 2 includes a weight fluctuation monitoring unit 201, a replenishment time specifying unit 202, a time management unit 203, and a display control unit 204 as a configuration related to the display product management function.

  The weight fluctuation monitoring unit 201 monitors the weight fluctuation of each displayed product. That is, when the weight value data transmitted from any of the plurality of peelers 11 arranged in the store is received, the weight fluctuation monitoring unit 201 first receives the weight data by referring to the product file 30. The device code included in the weight value data specifies which product 6 of the displayed products is associated with the peel 11. As a result, it is specified which product 6 is the information indicating the weight of the measured value included in the received weight value data. When the product 6 is specified, the weight fluctuation monitoring unit 201 records the measurement value and the time when the measurement value is received in the record 301 of the specified product 6. As a result, the history of weight fluctuation of the record of the product 6 is recorded in the product file 30.

  The replenishment time specifying unit 202 specifies the time (replenishment time) at which the product 6 is replenished for each display product based on the weight fluctuation of the product 6. For example, when the measured value of the product 6 becomes the empty weight of the product 6 once and then increases to a predetermined value or more and further stabilizes for a predetermined time with the increased weight, it is determined that the product 6 is replenished, The time when the weight is increased is determined as the replenishment time of the product 6. When the replenishment time is specified, the replenishment time specifying unit 202 records the obtained replenishment time in the record 301 of the product 6. As a result, the history of the replenishment time of the product 6 is recorded in the product file 30.

  The time management unit 203 manages the time since the product 6 is replenished for each displayed product. The time management unit 203 includes a timer 231 and counts the elapsed time from the last replenishment time of the product 6 (elapsed time after replenishment) for each display product. Further, the remaining time (remaining lifetime) until the lifetime of the product 6 is counted for each of the displayed products. However, the remaining lifetime is a value obtained by subtracting the elapsed time after replenishment from the lifetime.

  The display control unit 204 displays various screens on the display 25 of the store controller 2. Specifically, the display 25 displays a screen displaying a list of displayed products (hereinafter referred to as “list screen G” (see FIG. 6 and the like)). Further, the display 25 displays a screen (hereinafter referred to as “product information display screen H” (see FIG. 9)) on which detailed information about each displayed product is displayed.

  The display control unit 204 includes first to third sorting units 241a, 241b, and 241c and first to third warning processing units 242a, 242b, and 242c as functional units related to display control of the list screen G. In addition, a product information display processing unit 243 is provided as a functional unit related to display control of the product information display screen H.

  The first sorting means 241a sorts the displayed products in order of decreasing “remaining weight percentage” (hereinafter also referred to as “out of stock order”) in accordance with a predetermined instruction (first rearrangement instruction) from the store staff. Then, the display order of the displayed products on the list screen G is rearranged in the out-of-stock order (first list screen Ga (see FIG. 6)). However, the “residual weight percentage” is a value indicating the ratio of the weight of the product 6 at the present time to the initial weight. That is, when the weight value of the current product 6 is “m” and the initial weight is “mo”, the remaining weight percentage is given by “(m / mo) * 100 (%)”. The store staff can input the first rearrangement instruction by, for example, selecting and operating a predetermined icon (for example, an icon indicated as “out of stock order” (see FIG. 6)) that appears on the display screen. it can.

  The first warning processing unit 242a monitors whether or not a product 6 whose remaining weight is equal to or less than the warning weight set for the product 6 is generated among the displayed products. When it is determined that such a product 6 is generated in the displayed product, the store staff is notified of that. Specifically, the display mode of the product 6 on the first list screen Ga is changed (for example, the display column for the product name of the product 6 is changed to red).

  As described above, the warning weight of the product 6 is the weight of the product 6 in a state where the product 6 needs to be replenished. Therefore, when the remaining weight of the product 6 is equal to or less than the warning weight, it means that the product 6 is in a state where replenishment is necessary (hereinafter, such product is referred to as “first warning target product”). "). That is, the first warning processing unit 242a monitors whether or not the first warning target product is generated in the displayed product, and if the first warning target product is generated, notifies the store staff of that fact. It is.

  The second sorting means 241b sorts the displayed products in order of long elapsed time from the replenishment time (hereinafter also referred to as “replenishment order”) according to a predetermined instruction (second rearrangement instruction) from the store staff. Then, the display order of the displayed products on the list screen G is rearranged in the order of replenishment (second list screen Gb (see FIG. 7)). For example, the store staff can input a second rearrangement instruction by selecting and operating a predetermined icon (for example, an icon indicated as “replenishment order” (see FIG. 7)) that appears on the display screen. .

  The second warning processing unit 242b monitors whether or not a displayed product 6 has a product 6 whose elapsed time from the replenishment time exceeds a preset “expected time”. When it is determined that such a product 6 is generated in the displayed product, the store staff is notified of that. Specifically, the display mode of the product 6 on the second list screen Gb is changed (for example, the display column for the product name of the product 6 is changed to yellow).

  However, the “expected time” is an ideal time from when the product 6 is replenished until it is sold out, and is an arbitrary value set in advance by the store staff. Therefore, when the elapsed time from the replenishment time is equal to or longer than the expected time, it means that the product 6 is an unsold product, that is, an unpopular product (hereinafter referred to as such product). "Second warning target product"). That is, the second warning processing unit 242b monitors whether or not a second warning target product has occurred in the displayed product, and if a second warning target product has occurred, notifies the store staff of that fact. It is. Note that the expected time may be the same value for all the displayed products, or may be set individually for each product 6. In the latter case, the expected time value set for each product 6 may be registered in the product file 30 and managed.

  The third sorting means 241c sorts the displayed products in the order of short remaining lifetime (hereinafter also referred to as “freshness order”) according to a predetermined instruction (third rearrangement instruction) from the store staff. Then, the display order of the displayed products on the list screen G is rearranged in order of freshness (third list screen Gc (see FIG. 8)). The store staff can input the third rearrangement instruction by, for example, selecting and operating a predetermined icon (for example, an icon shown as “freshness order” (see FIG. 8)) that appears on the display screen. .

  The third warning processing unit 242c monitors whether or not a product 6 having a remaining lifetime equal to or less than a predetermined value has occurred among the displayed products. When it is determined that such a product 6 is generated in the displayed product, the store staff is notified of that. Specifically, the display mode of the product 6 on the third list screen Gc is changed (for example, the display column of the product name of the product 6 is changed to blinking display).

  As described above, the remaining lifetime of the product 6 is the remaining time until the lifetime of the product 6, that is, the remaining time until the maximum allowable time that the product 6 can be put on the display table 300. Therefore, when the remaining lifetime is equal to or less than the predetermined value, it means that the product 6 is a product to be lifted from the display table 300 (hereinafter, such product is referred to as “third warning target product”. Called). That is, the third warning processing unit 242c monitors whether or not a third warning target product has occurred in the displayed product, and if a third warning target product has occurred, notifies the store staff of that fact. It is. In addition, the said predetermined value used as the threshold value which judges whether the goods 6 are 3rd warning object goods is an arbitrary value preset by the shop staff.

  When the store staff specifies one of the displayed products and inputs a predetermined instruction (product information display instruction), the product information display processing unit 243 determines the product information related to the specified product 6 according to the instruction. A display screen H (see FIG. 9) is displayed on the display 25. On the product information display screen H, detailed information regarding the product 6 is displayed. A specific configuration of the product information display screen H will be described later. In this embodiment, the “product name” of the displayed product displayed as a list on the list screen G is an icon, and the store staff selects and operates an arbitrary product name. A product information display instruction can be input.

<3-3. Configuration example of list screen G>
A configuration example of the list screen G and a processing mode of the display control unit 204 will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8 are diagrams illustrating configuration examples of the list screen G. In particular, FIG. 6 illustrates a configuration example of the first list screen Ga, FIG. 7 illustrates a configuration example of the second list screen Gb, and FIG. A configuration example of the third list screen Gc is shown.

  For example, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the list screen G displays a list of product names of the displayed products. However, in addition to the product name, various types of information about the product 6 may be displayed together. In the example of FIG. 6, a bar graph indicating the remaining weight percentage of the product 6 is also displayed. In addition, the current weight of the product 6 is displayed. In addition, information such as the remaining lifetime and the elapsed time from the last replenishment time may be displayed together. If there are many types of displayed products and the list screen G does not fit within the display screen of the display 25, the display area is moved using a scroll bar or the like.

  In addition, a plurality of icons (“out of stock order”, “replenishment order”, “freshness order”, etc.) are arranged at the top of the column in which the product names are displayed in a list. The store staff can input the first to third rearrangement instructions described above by selecting and operating these icons. That is, when any icon is selected, the display control unit 204 rearranges the display order of the displayed products on the list screen G according to the instruction.

<First list screen Ga>
When the store staff selects the icon displayed as “out of stock order” and inputs the first sort instruction, the first sorting means 241a selects the displayed products in the order of decreasing remaining weight percentage in accordance with the instruction ( The display order of the displayed products on the list screen G is rearranged in this order. Thus, the display 25 displays the first list screen Ga (FIG. 6) in which the displayed products are listed in ascending order of the remaining weight percentage.

  In addition, when the goods 6 which are the 1st warning object goods have generate | occur | produced among display goods, the 1st warning process part 242a changes the display mode of the said goods 6 in the 1st list screen Ga. (For example, the display column of the product name of the product 6 is changed to red).

<Second list screen Gb>
When the store staff selects and operates the icon displayed as “replenishment order” and inputs the second sort instruction, the second sorting means 241b takes a long time since the replenishment time for the displayed product according to the instruction. Sorting in order (replenishment order), the display order of the displayed products on the list screen G is rearranged in this order. Thereby, the display 25 displays the second list screen Gb (FIG. 7) in which the displayed products are displayed as a list in order from the longest elapsed time from the replenishment time.

  In addition, when the product 6 that is the second warning target product is generated among the displayed products, the second warning processing unit 242b changes the display mode of the product 6 on the second list screen Gb. (For example, the display column of the product name of the product 6 is changed to yellow).

<Third list screen Gc>
When the store staff selects the icon displayed as “freshness order” and inputs the third sort instruction, the third sorting unit 241c selects the displayed products in the order of short remaining lifetime (freshness) according to the instruction. The display order of the displayed products on the list screen G is rearranged in this order. As a result, the third list screen Gc (FIG. 8) in which the displayed products are displayed in the order of short remaining lifetime is displayed on the display 25.

  In addition, among the displayed products, when the product 6 that is the third warning target product is generated, the third warning processing unit 242c changes the display mode of the product 6 on the third list screen Gc. (For example, the product name of the product 6 is changed to blinking display).

<3-4. Configuration example of product information display screen H>
A configuration example of the product information display screen H and a processing mode of the display control unit 204 will be specifically described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the product information display screen H.

  Various information about the product 6 stored in the product file 30 is displayed on the product information display screen H of the product 6. Specifically, the product name of the product 6, the current weight of the product 6, and various values (empty weight, initial weight, warning weight, cooking time, lifetime) set for the product 6 are displayed. Further, the weight variation of the product 6 is displayed in a graph. Further, a list of replenishment time histories of the product 6 is displayed. Furthermore, the elapsed time from the last replenishment time is displayed.

  The product information display screen H also functions as a screen for accepting registration / change of various values (warning weight, cooking time, lifetime, etc.) to be set for the product 6. For example, the store staff can increase the value of the set warning weight by selecting and operating the icon displayed as “raise” related to the warning weight. In addition, by selecting and operating the icon displayed as “lower”, the set warning weight value can be reduced. The same applies to cooking time, lifetime and the like.

<4. effect>
In the merchandise management system 100 according to the above-described embodiment, the store controller 2 identifies the replenishment time by monitoring the weight fluctuation of each displayed merchandise, and measures the elapsed time from the replenishment time. According to this configuration, since the store controller 2 always knows how long each product 6 has been replenished, the store staff uses this information to manage the displayed product simply and appropriately. be able to.

  In particular, in the first list screen Ga according to the above-described embodiment, the displayed products are displayed in the order from the smallest remaining weight percentage, so that the store staff can order the products with the few remaining items (that is, the replenishment order of the displayed products). It can be said at a glance.

  Moreover, since the display mode of the said goods 6 in the 1st list screen Ga will be changed when the goods 6 used as the 1st warning object goods occur among display goods, a store staff will display goods. It is possible to quickly and surely know that the first warning target product has occurred. As a result, appropriate measures (supplementation of relevant products, start of cooking, etc.) can be taken promptly. Accordingly, it is possible to avoid a situation (occurrence of a missing product) that there is a product that is left unfilled in the display table 300.

  In addition, since the weighing system 1 acquires the weight of the display product in real time by the peel 11, the store controller 2 can immediately detect the occurrence of the first warning target product in the display product. Can do. Therefore, by appropriately replenishing according to the warning screen, it is possible to reliably avoid the occurrence of missing items.

  In particular, in the second list screen Gb according to the above-described embodiment, since the displayed products are displayed in order from the longest elapsed time from the replenishment time, the store staff can order the products having a long elapsed time from the replenishment time. It is possible to grasp at a glance (which can be said to be an unpopular ranking of displayed products).

  Moreover, since the display mode of the said goods 6 in the 2nd list screen Gb will be changed when the goods 6 used as the 2nd warning object goods occur among display goods, a store staff will display goods. It is possible to quickly and surely know that the second warning target product has occurred. As a result, it is possible to quickly take appropriate measures (measures such as lifting the corresponding product from the display table 300 and replacing it with a popular product). As a result, it is possible to prevent customers from having bad images by leaving unpopular products for a long time. In addition, it is possible to place popular products preferentially and use the space of the display table 300 effectively.

  In particular, in the third list screen Gc according to the above-described embodiment, the displayed products are displayed in the order of the short remaining lifetime, so that the store staff can order the products with the short remaining lifetime (the display order of the displayed products). It can be said at a glance.

  Moreover, since the display mode of the said goods 6 in the 3rd list screen Gc will be changed when the goods 6 used as the 3rd warning object goods occur among display goods, a store staff will display goods. It is possible to quickly and surely know that the third warning target product has occurred. As a result, appropriate measures (measures such as lifting the corresponding product from the display table 300) can be taken quickly. As a result, it is possible to avoid the occurrence of a situation in which a product with reduced freshness is left in the display table 300, which is preferable from the viewpoint of hygiene, and it is also possible to avoid the customer having a bad image. In addition, if a new product is replenished instead of a product with a reduced freshness, a fresh product can always be provided to customers.

  Furthermore, in the product management system 100 according to the above embodiment, the product information display screen H can be displayed on the display 25. Since various information regarding the product 6 is displayed on the product information display screen H, the store staff can use these variously for store management. For example, if the history of the replenishment time is viewed, the next replenishment time can be predicted to some extent, and preparation for cooking can be started accordingly. In addition, since the replenishment time history can be seen from which time zone of the day the replenishment frequency is high, a cooking plan for the next day or later can be made based on this.

  Further, in the product management system 100 according to the above-described embodiment, the number of replenishment of the product 6 and the replenishment amount at each replenishment can be specified based on the information stored in the product file 30. Therefore, it is possible to specify the total weight consumed in a certain time unit (one day, one month, etc.). The store staff can use this information to adjust the amount of materials ordered. For example, if the store controller 2 is connected to the ordering system and the information is transmitted to the material ordering system, the ordering of the material can be performed appropriately and efficiently.

  The product management system 100 according to the above embodiment is particularly effective when the displayed product is a product that requires freshness management such as cooked food, but the displayed product does not require freshness management. Even it is effective. This is because the use of the product management system 100 makes it possible to prevent a shortage of displayed products and to grasp unpopular products.

<5. Modification>
<5-1. First Modification>
The first warning processing unit 242a included in the product management system 100 according to the above embodiment is in a state where the product 6 needs to be replenished when the remaining weight of the product 6 is equal to or lower than the warning weight (that is, It is configured to notify the store staff to that effect, but before the remaining weight of the product 6 reaches the warning weight, the store staff is instructed to cook the product 6. It is good also as a structure to take out.

  In the case of this configuration, the first warning processing unit 242a performs the following processing. That is, the first warning processing unit 242a first specifies the time (cooking start time Ts) at which cooking of the product 6 should be started based on the weight variation of each product 6 for each display product. The process for specifying the cooking start time Ts will be described with reference to FIG. First, the first warning processing unit 242a predicts the time (limit time) Te at which the weight of the product 6 is equal to or less than the warning weight based on the weight variation of each product 6 up to the current time for each displayed product. For example, a curve (approximate curve K) obtained by approximating the change in the weight of the product 6 up to the current time by the least square method or the like is calculated, and the time when the weight of the product 6 falls below the warning weight in the approximate curve K Is acquired as the limit time Te. When the limit time Te is acquired, a time obtained by subtracting the cooking time set for the product 6 from the obtained limit time Te is calculated, and the time is acquired as the cooking start time Ts. That is, the first warning processing unit 242a predicts the time when the product 6 is reduced below the warning weight when the product 6 continues to decrease at the current pace (limit time Te), and cooks the product 6 by that time. The timing at which cooking of the product 6 must be started in order to be completed is specified by calculating backward from the cooking time of the product 6 and acquired as the cooking start time Ts.

  When the cooking start time Ts is specified, the first warning processing unit 242a subsequently determines whether the cooking start time Ts has arrived, and if it is determined that the cooking start time Ts has arrived, A message instructing the start of cooking of the product 6 (for example, a message “Rice croquette is low. Please start cooking.”) Is displayed on the display 25.

  According to this modification, before the remaining weight of the product 6 reaches the warning weight, the store staff is instructed to cook the product 6 and the timing at which the instruction is issued is that cooking starts from that time. The timing is such that cooking can be completed when the product 6 becomes the warning weight or less. Therefore, if the store staff starts cooking the product 6 in response to the instruction, the store staff can replenish the product 6 when the product 6 becomes the warning weight or less. That is, according to this modification, it is possible to prevent out-of-stock products and provide freshly-made products to customers.

<5-2. Second Modification>
It is good also as a structure which provides a display in the crack 11 which concerns on said embodiment, and displays various messages (for example, brand name etc.) on the said display part on the control part of the crack 11.

  By the way, the peeler 11 according to the above-described embodiment is a battery drive system that receives power supply from a battery. In the case where a display is provided in the battery-powered peel 11, it is desirable that the display is constituted by a liquid crystal display without a backlight in order to reduce power consumption.

  However, the peeler 11 is not necessarily configured by battery driving, and may be configured by AC power source driving. Alternatively, a selective driving method that can be driven by both a battery and an AC power source may be used.

  When a display is provided in the former (AC power source drive) 11 for improving visibility and enabling use even in a dark place, the display may be a backlit display or a fluorescent display tube or the like. It is desirable to use a light emitting element.

  When a display is provided in the latter 11 (selective drive method), the display can be switched according to the drive method. This configuration will be specifically described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the display of the peel 11 according to this modification.

  The display of the peel 11 according to this modification is configured by overlapping a liquid crystal display D1 and a self-luminous element display D2 having the same display image. The self-luminous element display D2 is configured by, for example, a fluorescent display tube.

  The control unit of the peeler 11 determines whether the breaker 11 is driven by an AC power source or a battery by a power supply circuit. When it is determined that the battery 11 is driven by the battery, the control unit displays the liquid crystal display D1 (FIG. 11A). On the other hand, when it is determined that the power source 11 is driven by the AC power source, the control unit displays the self-luminous element display D2 without displaying the liquid crystal display D1 (FIG. 11B). In this case, the display content of the fluorescent display tube appears through the liquid crystal display D1.

  According to this configuration, advantages obtained by driving the power source 11 with an AC power supply (that is, display is performed by the fluorescent display tube D2 so that it has high visibility and can be used even in a dark place) and are driven by a battery. It is possible to obtain both of the advantages (that is, high mobility (can be used even in a place without a power source)). Therefore, it is possible to operate with the advantage of using one unit 11 in response to various usage environments.

<5-3. Third Modification>
In the above embodiment, the warning processing units (the first warning processing unit 242a, the second warning processing unit 242b, and the third warning processing unit 242c) are products to be warned in the displayed product (first warning target). When the product, the second warning target product, and the third warning target product) are generated, the display staff 25 changes the display mode of the warning target product on the list screen G displayed on the display 25, thereby causing the store staff to generate the warning target product. However, the method of notifying the store staff of the occurrence of the warning target product is not limited to this. For example, this may be notified by generating an alarm buzzer.

  Moreover, in said embodiment, when the 1st warning object goods generate | occur | produce, the generation | occurrence | production of the 1st warning object goods is made to a store staff by changing the display mode of the said warning object goods in the 1st list screen Ga. Although notified, it is good also as a structure which changes the display mode of a 1st warning object product also in another screen (2nd list screen Gb and 3rd list screen Gc). The same applies to the second warning target product and the third warning target product. However, in this case, the method of changing the display mode may be different so that the store staff can easily know what warning the product 6 whose display mode has been changed means. preferable. For example, for the first warning target product, the product name display field is changed to red, for the second warning target product, the product name display field is changed to yellow, and for the third warning target product, the product name is flashed. If so, the store staff can easily know what warning the product 6 whose display mode has been changed means.

<5-4. Fourth Modification>
In the above embodiment, when the remaining weight of the product 6 is equal to or less than the warning weight set for the product, the product is set as the first warning target product. Here, you may further provide the structure which increases the warning weight value set about each of the display goods simultaneously (or decreases all at once) according to the instruction | indication from a store staff.

  When the value of the warning weight is increased all at once, the timing at which the product 6 becomes the first warning target product is advanced. Therefore, the store staff, for example, on a day when there are many customers or a day when the number of cooks is small, by inputting an instruction to increase the value of the warning weight all at once to the store controller 2, As soon as possible, measures such as replenishment of goods and start of cooking can be started. As a result, it is possible to reliably avoid the occurrence of a missing product.

<5-5. Fifth Modification>
In the above-described embodiment, the hakari 11 periodically transmits the weight value data. However, the weight value data need not always be transmitted periodically, and may be performed irregularly. Good. For example, the weight value data may be transmitted from the peeler 11 when there is a weight change. According to this configuration, since unnecessary communication is not performed, power saving can be achieved.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Weighing system 11 Hakari 2 Store controller 201 Weight fluctuation | variation monitoring part 202 Replenishment time specific | specification part 203 Time management part 204 Display control part 241a 1st sort means 241b 2nd sort means 241c 3rd sort means 242a 1st warning process part 242b 2nd Warning processing unit 242c Third warning processing unit 243 Product information display processing unit

Claims (6)

A product management system,
A product management device for managing a plurality of products displayed in the store;
A plurality of weighing devices arranged corresponding to the plurality of products, respectively, for weighing the corresponding products;
With
The merchandise management device is
Weight fluctuation monitoring means for periodically or irregularly acquiring the weight value of the product associated with the weighing device from each of the plurality of weighing devices, and monitoring the weight fluctuation of each of the plurality of products;
For each of the plurality of products, replenishment time specifying means for specifying a replenishment time at which the product is replenished based on a mode of weight fluctuation of the product;
For each of the plurality of products, time management means for measuring the elapsed time from the replenishment time of the product,
Product management system with The product management system according to claim 1,
The merchandise management device is
Display means;
Display control means for displaying a list of product names of the plurality of products on the display means;
With
The display control means is
A first sorting means for sorting the plurality of products in order of long elapsed time from the replenishment time and rearranging the display order of the list display in the sort order according to an instruction from an operator;
Product management system with The product management system according to claim 2,
The display control means is
A display mode changing means for changing a display mode in the list display of the product when an item having an elapsed time from the replenishment time exceeds a predetermined value occurs;
Product management system with The product management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The merchandise management device is
Display means;
Display control means for displaying a list of product names of the plurality of products on the display means;
For each of the plurality of products, a lifetime specifying means for specifying the lifetime of the product;
For each of the plurality of products, a remaining lifetime calculating unit that calculates the remaining lifetime of the product by subtracting the elapsed time from the last replenishment time of the product from the lifetime of the product;
With
The display control means is
A second sorting means for sorting the plurality of products in ascending order of the remaining lifetime and rearranging the display order of the list display in the sort order according to an instruction from an operator;
Product management system with The product management system according to claim 4,
The display control means is
A display mode changing means for changing a display mode in the list display of the product when the product has the remaining lifetime equal to or less than a predetermined value;
Product management system with The product management system according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The merchandise management device is
Display means;
Display control means for displaying a list of product names of the plurality of products on the display means;
With
The display control means is
When an operator selects any of the listed products and inputs a predetermined instruction, a product information display process for causing the display unit to display a history of the replenishment time of the selected product according to the instruction. means,
Product management system with