JP2013250697A - Purchase support device, purchase support method and purchase supporting system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To support purchasing goods.SOLUTION: A purchase support device includes: a household stock information storage for storing household stock information showing a stock amount of each food item of a plurality of households; a menu information storage for storing menu information associating food items with menus based upon the food items; a menu determination part for determining a menu corresponding to items on the basis of the stock amount of each food item showed by the household stock information; and a purchase support part for determining food items expected to have a demand as purchase items on the basis of the determined menu.

Description

  The present invention relates to a purchase support apparatus, a purchase support method, and a purchase support system.

  In a store that sells goods, if the store inventory of goods is insufficient with respect to customer demand, sales opportunities are lost, and customer satisfaction with the store is also reduced. On the other hand, if the store inventory of goods exceeds the customer's demand, it will be a loss due to excess inventory. Patent Document 1 proposes to measure the remaining amount of articles of a specific item such as rice in the home, predict demand according to the time reduction rate, and deliver the articles from the store to each household. Yes.

JP 2001-250047 A

  However, according to Patent Document 1, even if the demand for a specific item is predicted and the stock corresponding to the predicted demand can be purchased at the store side, the demand for the specific item whose remaining amount is measured can be predicted. However, it is not possible to predict demand for other items. Therefore, it is desirable to support the purchase of goods for making a demand prediction more efficiently and making the store inventory an optimum amount according to the demand.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a purchase support apparatus, a purchase support method, and a purchase support system that support the purchase of articles.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a home inventory information storage unit that stores home inventory information indicating stock quantities for each item of food in a plurality of households, a food item, and a menu that uses the item as an ingredient. A menu information storage unit that stores menu information associated with the menu item, a menu determination unit that determines a menu corresponding to the item based on an inventory amount of each item of food indicated by the household stock information, and the determined menu item And a purchase support unit for determining a food item for which demand is expected as a purchased product.

  Further, the present invention provides a menu in which a home inventory information storage unit that stores home stock information indicating stock quantities of food items in a plurality of households, food items, and menus using the items as foods are associated with each other. A purchase support method for a purchase support apparatus, comprising: a menu information storage unit for storing information; and determining a menu corresponding to an item based on an inventory amount for each item of food indicated by home inventory information And a step of determining, as a purchased item, a food item for which demand is expected based on the determined menu.

  In addition, the present invention is a purchase support system comprising a store terminal and a purchase support device connected to the store terminal via a network, the purchase support device for each item of food in a plurality of households A home stock information storage unit for storing home stock information indicating the amount of stock, a menu information storage unit for storing menu information in which food items and menus using the items as foods are associated, and home stock information A menu determination unit that determines the menu corresponding to the item based on the inventory amount for each item of the food to be indicated, and a purchase support that determines the item of the food that is expected to be demanded as the purchased item based on the determined menu And a transmission unit that transmits the purchase instruction of the purchased item determined by the purchase support unit to the store terminal, and the store terminal outputs the purchase instruction transmitted from the purchase support device It comprises a part.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to support the purchase of articles.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the system which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the inventory information management apparatus in the system which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the information provision server in the system which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of a memory | storage part. It is explanatory drawing of menu information. It is explanatory drawing of food information. It is explanatory drawing of household stock information. It is explanatory drawing of permanent goods information. It is explanatory drawing of store inventory information. It is explanatory drawing of household total inventory information. It is explanatory drawing of an example of the relationship between a shop and the surrounding household. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the shop terminal in the system which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart used for description of a purchase support process. It is explanatory drawing of the list | wrist used by a purchase assistance process. It is explanatory drawing of the determination process of a purchase time and a purchase amount. It is a flowchart used for description of the purchase time and purchase amount determination processing. It is explanatory drawing of the other example of the relationship between a shop and the surrounding household. It is a flowchart used for description of the determination process of a regular article. It is a graph used for description of the determination process of a regular article. It is a flowchart used for description of a regular goods purchase support process. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the information provision server in the system which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
In FIG. 1, articles such as food and daily necessities are stored in a refrigerator 11 and a storage shelf 12 in the home 10 of each household. The home stock information management device 13 is a computer device that detects and manages the home stock stored in the refrigerator 11 and the storage shelf 12. The home inventory information management device 13 is connected to the information providing server 21, the user terminal 31, and the store terminal 41 via the network 15. The network 15 may be, for example, the Internet, a dedicated line, a VPN (Virtual Private Network), or a combination thereof. Home inventory information stored in the home refrigerator 11 and storage shelf 12 is sent from the home inventory information management device 13 to the information providing server 21 via the network 15.

  The information providing server 21 is a computer device that receives home stock information of the refrigerator 11 and the storage shelf 12 sent from the home stock information management device 13 and stores the received home stock information. The information providing server 21 stores store inventory information of the store 40. The information providing server 21 is connected to the home inventory information management device 13, the user terminal 31, and the store terminal 41 via the network 15.

  The user terminal 31 is a computer terminal carried by the user (store customer). As the user terminal 31, various devices such as a PC (Personal Computer), a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a smartphone, and a mobile phone terminal can be used. The user terminal 31 is connected to the information providing server 21 via the network 15. The user can know the stock stored in the refrigerator 11 and the storage shelf 12 in the home 10 of his / her home anytime and anywhere by accessing the information providing server 21 through the user terminal 31.

  The store terminal 41 is a computer terminal owned by the store 40. As store terminal 41, various things, such as PC, PDA, a smart phone, and a mobile phone terminal, can be used. Further, the store terminal 41 may be able to communicate with an accounting processing device (POS: Point Of Sales) or the like. The store terminal 41 accesses the information providing server 21 via the network 15 to support the purchase of products that are goods to be sold, the purchase timing and purchase amount of goods, and the purchase support of regular items. I do.

  In the purchase support, by estimating the menu of each household from the total household inventory information, it is possible to determine the items for which demand is expected and perform the purchase support. In the purchase time and purchase amount determination process, the purchase time and purchase amount of an article can be accurately determined by using the store stock amount and the home stock total amount. In the stocking support process, the demand for stocks such as toilet paper, seasonings, and eggs can be predicted and the stocks can be purchased.

Next, each part which comprises this system is demonstrated in detail. First, the home inventory information management device 13 will be described.
As described above, the home inventory information management device 13 manages the inventory of items such as food and daily necessities stored in the refrigerator 11 and the storage shelf 12 in the house. As shown in FIG. 2, the home stock information management apparatus 13 includes a detection unit 101, a home stock information storage unit 102, and a communication unit 103.

  The detection unit 101 detects an inventory amount of an article consumed in the home, generates home inventory information associated with each item of the article, and stores the home inventory information in the home inventory information storage unit 102. Here, the articles consumed in the home are non-durable consumer goods that are consumed in daily life and need to be purchased regularly or irregularly, such as food and daily necessities. Foods are foods and drinks for the purpose of intake and preference of nutrients. For example, fresh foods (fruits and vegetables, fresh fish, meat, etc.), animal foods (meat, seafood, etc.), vegetable foods (cereals, vegetables, etc.) ), Processed foods (frozen foods, dairy products, etc.), taste foods (confectionery, etc.), seasoning materials (condiments, spices, etc.), beverages and the like. Daily necessities are general household goods consumed for living. For example, satellite goods (paper products such as toilet paper and tissue paper, sanitary products, medical supplies such as adhesive bandages and masks), detergents (for washing) Detergents, kitchen detergents, bath detergents, toilet detergents, etc.) Household products (kitchen items such as wrap film, aluminum foil, cleaning items such as garbage bags), toiletries (body care such as hand soap and body soap) Products, skin care products such as hand cream and lip balm, hair care products such as shampoo, bath additives, etc.), cosmetics, household chemical products (insecticides, insect repellents, dehumidifiers, deodorants, etc.), dry batteries, lighters, etc. Includes miscellaneous goods.

Here, the detection unit 101 includes an image analysis unit 111 and a weight sensing unit 112.
The image analysis unit 111 captures an article such as food or daily necessities stored in the refrigerator 11 or the storage shelf 12 to generate an image, analyzes the generated image, and determines the item and quantity of the article included in the image. Judgment. For example, the image analysis unit 111 stores reference information indicating feature points of an image of a reference article in advance, and extracts feature points from an image obtained by capturing an article stored in the refrigerator 11 or the storage shelf 12. The item of the article is determined by performing a matching operation with the reference information. This matching operation can improve the determination accuracy by adding a learning function.

  Alternatively, when a barcode is printed or attached to an article stored in the refrigerator 11 or the storage shelf 12, the image analysis unit 111 may read the barcode to determine the item of the article. it can. For example, the image analysis unit 111 acquires information on the article indicated by the read barcode from the information providing server 21. Here, the image analysis unit 111 can perform both the image matching calculation and the barcode reading process to determine the item with higher accuracy, or may determine the item by another method. . In addition, the image analysis unit 111 calculates the inventory amount of the article based on the area of the article included in the image, the number of read barcodes, and the like. Further, the image analysis unit 111 may calculate the degree of deterioration of the article based on the color or shape of the article.

  Here, the image analysis unit 111 may always take an image of an article with a camera installed in the refrigerator 11 or the storage shelf 12, or each time the door of the refrigerator 11 or the storage shelf 12 is opened or closed. It is also possible to compare images captured in the refrigerator 11 and the storage shelf 12 and calculate the item and inventory amount of the newly stored article or the removed article for the portion where the image has changed.

The weight sensing unit 112 measures the remaining amount of the articles stored in the refrigerator 11 and the storage shelf 12 by measuring the weight of the articles such as food and daily necessities stored in the refrigerator 11 and the storage shelf 12. Here, the usage amount can be calculated by obtaining the difference between the previous weight and the current weight.
Moreover, the detection part 101 can also estimate the home inventory information which shows the stock accommodated in the refrigerator 11 or the storage shelf 12 based on the information of a smart meter. For example, based on the history of electric power consumption of electric appliances by a smart meter, the usage of the ingredients in the refrigerator 11 and the storage shelf 12 is estimated by associating the use of the electric cooker with the ingredients used for the cooking. be able to.

Moreover, the detection unit 101 includes an input unit such as a keyboard, and can accept input of items and inventory quantities. In this case, the user inputs an item and an inventory quantity to the input unit every time an article is taken in or out of the refrigerator 11 or the storage shelf 12.
Further, the detection unit 101 includes a voice recognition unit such as a microphone, and can accept input of items and inventory quantities by voice. For example, by recognizing a voice when a user reads a shopping receipt, the item or number of the article is recognized, and an input of the item or inventory quantity of the article stored in the refrigerator 11 or the storage shelf 12 is accepted. May be. In addition, a character recognition unit may be provided in the home inventory information management device 13 so as to recognize a shopping receipt as a character and accept input of inventory of articles stored in the refrigerator 11 or the storage shelf 12.
Further, the detection unit 101 may include, for example, an odor sensor and detect food items and the degree of deterioration.

  In addition, when an RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) in which information on an article is stored is attached to an article stored in the refrigerator 11 or the storage shelf 12, the detection unit 101 detects the article from the RFID. By reading the information, it is possible to detect items and inventory quantities of articles stored in the refrigerator 11 and the storage shelf 12. If such an RFID is attached, home inventory information of articles stored in the refrigerator 11 or the storage shelf 12 can be detected by an RFID reader without any user operation.

Alternatively, if data can be exchanged between the store accounting processing device and the home inventory information management device 13, information on items purchased at the store is received from the store accounting processing device, and the refrigerator 11 or storage It is also possible to generate home inventory information of articles stored in the shelf 12.
In addition, the inventory of articles stored in the refrigerator 11 or the storage shelf 12 may be input by operation on the user terminal 31 and sent to the information providing server 21. Moreover, the inventory of the articles in the refrigerator 11 and the storage shelf 12 may be input by voice recognition from the user terminal 31 and sent to the information providing server 21.

Here, the home inventory information management device 13 may be provided separately from the refrigerator 11 and the storage shelf 12 using a PC or the like, and the functions of the home inventory information management device 13 are provided in the refrigerator 11 and the storage shelf 12. You may make it provide integrally. The communication unit 103 may be wired or wireless. Furthermore, when the home inventory information management device 13 is integrated with the refrigerator 11 and the storage shelf 12, a PLC (Power Line Communication) can be used as the communication unit 103. According to the PLC, information on the refrigerator 11 and the storage shelf 12 can be sent to the information providing server 21 by connecting to the network 15 simply by attaching a plug to an outlet. In this case, the home inventory information of the articles stored in the refrigerator 11 and the storage shelf 12 can be sent to the information providing server 21 in real time with almost no operation by the user.
The home stock information storage unit 102 stores the home stock information generated by the detection unit 101. The communication unit 103 communicates with the information providing server 21 via the network 15.

Next, the information providing server 21 will be described. FIG. 3 shows the configuration of the information providing server 21. The information providing server 21 includes a control unit 201, a communication unit 202, and a storage unit 203.
The control unit 201 controls the operation of the information providing server 21 and includes a purchase support unit 254, a regular product purchase support unit 256, and a menu determination unit 261.

  The menu determination unit 261 determines a menu that will be made in each home based on the home inventory information, and the purchase support unit 254 is an article for which demand is expected in the store terminal 41 based on the determined menu. Determine purchases. For example, the menu determination unit 261 reads out the home inventory information stored in the home inventory information storage unit 102, and based on the stock amount for each item of food indicated by the read home inventory information, the menu information corresponding to the item Is determined from the menu information storage unit 221 to determine the menu. Further, the menu determination unit 261 detects foods whose home stock amount is equal to or greater than a predetermined stock threshold from a plurality of home stock information stored in the home stock information storage unit 102, and uses the detected foods The menu that can be used is determined from the menu information storage unit 221. Here, the menu determination unit 261 stores the stock threshold value in its own storage area in advance.

  Based on the menu determined by the menu determination unit 261, the purchase support unit 254 determines a food item for which demand is expected as a purchased product. For example, the purchase support unit 254 determines a food item associated with the menu determined by the menu determination unit 261 as the purchased item. The purchase support unit 254 includes a purchase time and purchase amount determination unit 255. The purchase time / purchase amount determination unit 255 determines the purchase time and the purchase amount of the article using the total household stock amount and the store stock amount, and instructs the store terminal 41. The regular-stock purchase support unit 256 has a regular-item determination unit 262, and checks whether the regular items such as toilet paper, seasonings, and eggs are adequately provided in each household. When the shortage is estimated, the store terminal 41 is instructed to increase the inventory of the regular items using the regular items as the purchased items.

The communication unit 202 communicates with the store terminal 41 and the home inventory information management device 13 via the network 15. For example, the communication unit 202 obtains information such as the purchase item, the purchase amount, the purchase date, the purchase item, the purchase amount, etc., determined by the purchase support unit 256, from the purchase support unit 254. It transmits to the store terminal 41 as an input instruction, and displays it on the display unit 404 of the store terminal 41.
The storage unit 203 stores various types of information, and includes a common information storage unit 211, a user information storage unit 212, and a store information storage unit 213.
The common information storage unit 211 stores information used in common. As shown in FIG. 4, the common information storage unit 211 includes a menu information storage unit 221 and a food information storage unit 222.

As shown in FIG. 5, the menu information storage unit 221 stores menu information in which food materials that are food items are associated with menus corresponding to the food materials. In the menu information, the ingredients for cooking the menu dish, the amount, and the calories are associated.
The food information storage unit 222 stores information regarding individual foods. As shown in FIG. 6, the food information storage unit 222 stores items, classifications, periods in which freshness can be maintained, average prices, and information on nutrients in association with each other.

The user information storage unit 212 stores data for each user, and includes a home stock information storage unit 231, a home stock history storage unit 232, and a stock item information storage unit 233, as shown in FIG.
The household inventory information storage unit 231 stores household inventory information of the refrigerator 11 and the storage shelf 12 in the user's home 10 for each user. As shown in FIG. 7, the home inventory information is information in which an item item, a remaining amount, a purchase date, a deadline, a deterioration notice flag, a disposal flag, and the like are associated with each other. The deterioration caution flag is a flag indicating whether or not the article is deteriorated. The discard flag is a flag indicating that the article is to be discarded because there is a high possibility that the article has deteriorated.

  The home stock history storage unit 232 stores a history of home stock information corresponding to a time series. Specifically, for example, the control unit 201 reads out the home stock information stored in the home stock information storage unit 231 every predetermined period (for example, one day), associates it with the current date, and stores the home stock history. The data is stored in the storage unit 232. As a result, the home stock information stored in the home stock information storage unit 231 is stored as a history. With this home stock history storage unit 232, it is possible to determine what items have been in the refrigerator 11 and storage shelf 12 and how they have been consumed in the past.

As shown in FIG. 8, the permanent item information storage unit 233 stores items of a permanent item, a remaining amount, a shortage threshold value, and a permanent level. The shortage threshold is a level at which the permanent item is desired to be kept at a minimum. For example, if you have a family of four, you always want to have at least four eggs. In this case, the shortage threshold is four.
The standing level is a level that reflects the necessity of the standing item. For example, seasonings such as miso, soy sauce, salt, and sugar cannot be cooked without this, so the level of standing is high. On the other hand, since the cabbage can be substituted by other things without it, the level of standing is low.

  Further, the shortage threshold and the standing level depend on the expiration date and expiration date of the item. For example, daily miscellaneous goods such as toilet paper do not deteriorate even if they are purchased in large quantities. For this reason, even if it decreases, it can be purchased waiting for the next opportunity. On the other hand, eggs and milk deteriorate after a period. For this reason, it is necessary to set a shortage threshold and a standing level in consideration of deterioration.

As shown in FIG. 4, the store information storage unit 213 includes a store inventory information storage unit 271, a household total inventory information storage unit 272, and a permanent product total inventory information storage unit 273.
As shown in FIG. 9, the store stock information storage unit 271 stores items, stock date, remaining amount, and price that are in stock at the store. These pieces of information can be acquired from the information of the accounting processing device of the store.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the household total inventory information storage unit 272 stores household total inventory information that is the total amount of inventory included in the household inventory information for each item of all users in a predetermined area. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, a region L1 near the store 40 is determined as a predetermined region. The range of the region L1 is a range of households that come to the shop 40 for daily shopping. The control unit 201 detects the home inventory information of each home 50a, 50b, 50c,... In the region L1 from the home stock information storage unit 231, and the home of each home 50a, 50b, 50c,. Total household inventory information is calculated based on the inventory information. Then, the calculated household total inventory information is stored in the household total inventory information storage unit 272. The distance of the region L1 can be determined according to whether the user of each home 50a, 50b, 50c,... Visits the store 40 on foot, visits using a car, or takes a train or bus. . The area L1 has a radius of about 1.5 km for walking and a radius of about 10 km for automobiles. In addition, if it is a member-based store that is in close contact with the area, the area L1 is a range that covers the members. The store 40 may be a mobile store that visits and sells the homes 50a, 50b, 50c,..., Or may be a net store that sells goods to the homes 50a, 50b, 50c,.

Next, the store terminal 41 will be described. FIG. 12 shows the configuration of the store terminal 41. As illustrated in FIG. 12, the store terminal 41 includes a control unit 401, a storage unit 402, an input unit 403, a display unit 404, and a communication unit 405.
The control unit 401 includes a CPU or the like and controls the overall operation. Various application programs are installed in the storage unit 402. The input unit 403 includes a keyboard and a mouse. The display unit 404 includes a liquid crystal display or the like. For example, the store terminal 41 receives information such as a purchased item, a purchase amount, and a purchase date from the information providing server 21 and causes the display unit 404 to display the received information.
In addition, the structure of the user terminal 31 is the same as that of the shop terminal 41, The description is abbreviate | omitted.

  When realizing the service of the system according to the present embodiment, the store terminal 41 and the information providing server 21 are connected via the network 15 by the communication unit 405. By communicating between the store terminal 41 and the information providing server 21, it is possible to provide purchase support, purchase time and purchase amount determination, and stock supply support services.

Next, the operation of the system according to this embodiment will be described. In the system according to the present embodiment, the menu of each household is estimated from the household inventory information, so that purchases that are goods for which demand is expected can be determined, and purchase support on the store side can be performed.
That is, as shown in FIG. 11, in the system according to this embodiment, the household total inventory information storage unit 272 of the information providing server 21 stores the homes 50 a, 50 b, 50 c,. Is stored. The menu of each household can be estimated from this household total inventory information.

  For example, when the home stock information indicates that there are onions, carrots, and potatoes as home stock, there is a high possibility that the home will make a dish that effectively uses the stock for the menu. Menus that can be made with onions include curry and fried foods. Menus that can be made with carrots include curry and pickles. There is curry in the menu that can be made with potatoes. Therefore, when there are onions, carrots, and potatoes as stock in the home, the menu is likely to be curry, stir-fried food, or pickles. If the menu is curry, demand for pork and beef is expected in addition to onions, carrots and potato bowls. If the menu is fried, demand for cabbage and bean sprouts is expected in addition to onions. If the menu is pickled, demand for cucumber is expected in addition to carrots. The store side can satisfy the user's demand by increasing the inventory of items for which these demands are expected.

  In addition, if the store recommends the menu estimated from the in-house stock, the customer is likely to make the menu, and sales can be expected by actively selling food for the menu. For example, if there are onions, carrots, and potatoes as stock in the home, it is highly likely that curry will be made as a menu, and the store will use special dates for curry ingredients. Onions, carrots, potatoes, pork Sale of beef, etc. As a result, the store side can provide customers with special foods that meet the demand, and can expect an increase in sales.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a process for estimating purchase of a home menu and providing purchase support.
In FIG. 13, when the information providing server 21 receives a purchase support processing start request from the store terminal 41, the control unit 201 of the information providing server 21 reads the household total inventory from the household total inventory information storage unit 272 (FIG. 10). Information is acquired (step S101). And the control part 201 detects the foodstuff exceeding an inventory threshold value in household total inventory information (step S102), and produces a list as shown in FIG. The control unit 201 searches the menu information storage unit 221 (FIG. 5) for menus containing ingredients exceeding the inventory threshold (step S103), and gives points to this menu in the list of FIG. 14 (step S104).

  For example, when it is determined in step S102 that the stock of onions, carrots, and potatoes is greater than or equal to the threshold value based on the home total stock information in the home total stock information storage unit 272, the control unit 201 determines whether the onion, A menu for using carrots and potatoes as food is searched from the menu information storage unit 221. Menus that can be made with onions include curry and fried foods. Menus that can be made using carrots include curry and pickles. There is curry in the menu that can be made with potatoes. As a result, in step S104, points are given to the searched menu in the list of FIG.

  Next, the control unit 201 gives points according to the fashion and season. That is, the control unit 201 gives points to trendy and seasonal ingredients such as cabbage, carrots, futonou in the spring, peppers, eggplant, cucumber in the summer, potatoes, sword fish in the autumn, radish, spinach in the winter (step S105). ). Then, the control unit 201 gives an instruction to the store terminal 41 so that the menu with the highest points is set as the recommended menu in the descending order of the total of the points (step S106). In addition, the control unit 201 gives an instruction to the store terminal 41 so as to secure the ingredients used for this menu as inventory (step S107).

  For example, if it is determined that the menu with a high point is curry, stir-fried food, or pickled, in step S106, the control unit 201 sets the recommended menu to curry, stir-fried food, or pickled rice. Give instructions to. In step S107, the control unit 201 assumes that the menu is curry, increases the stock of pork and beef in addition to onions, carrots, and potatoes, and assumes that the menu is a fried food. In addition to onions, the store terminal 41 is instructed to increase the stock of cabbage and bean sprouts and to increase the stock of cucumber in addition to carrots, assuming that the menu is soaked. give.

  Note that the control unit 201 may give points according to various external information such as regional events (athletics and festivals) and lunch menus as well as points according to fashion and season. Moreover, you may make it give a point not only to a foodstuff but a menu. For example, if there is an athletic meet, give a high point to fried chicken and winners according to the lunch box menu that children prefer, or if it is a summer festival, it will be related to the day of the festival, such as okonomiyaki and takoyaki It is possible to give high points. Furthermore, it is conceivable that the control unit 201 gives points according to external information such as climate and business conditions. For example, if a hot day continues, it may be possible to give a high point to a refreshing menu. On the day of bonus payment, high points can be given to high-quality food.

  As described above, in the system according to the present embodiment, it is possible to determine the items for which demand is expected by estimating the menu of each household from the home inventory information, and perform purchase support. Further, in the system according to the present embodiment, it is possible to actively dig up demand by proposing an estimated menu.

  For home inventory, we would like to use not only inventory but also inventory with near expiration dates and expiration dates. Therefore, when performing the menu estimation, not only the inventory amount but also the expiration date or the expiration date may be considered. For example, the shelf life of pork is shorter than cabbage. Therefore, the menu may be determined by adding points according to the expiration date. Further, the menu estimation process may be learned by comparing the menu determined from the household stock with the result of the menu actually made in each home.

  Next, purchase time and purchase amount determination processing will be described. In the system according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the store information storage unit 213 of the information providing server 21 is provided with a store stock information storage unit 271 and a household total stock information storage unit 272. Store stock information is stored in the store stock information storage unit 271, and home total stock information in a predetermined area is stored in the home total stock information storage unit 272. By using the store inventory information and the household total inventory information, it is possible to determine the purchase time and purchase amount on the store side.

  That is, even if the store side inventory decreases, if there is sufficient inventory in each home, the user does not have to go to the store for shopping, and the store side inventory does not run short. Moreover, even if there is a large amount of inventory on the store side, if the inventory of each household is small, many users will go to the store for shopping, and the inventory on the store side may be insufficient. That is, it is necessary to determine whether or not the store inventory is sufficient, including not only the store inventory but also the inventory of each household.

  In the system according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, store inventory information is stored in the store inventory information storage unit 271, and as shown in FIG. 10, the household total inventory information storage unit 272 stores The household total inventory information of the households 50a, 50b, 50c,... In the area L1 around the store 40 in FIG. 11, assuming that all the homes 50a, 50b, 50c,... In the area L1 in FIG. 11 shop at the store 40, the total inventory amount T in the area L1 is obtained from the store inventory information storage unit 271. This is the sum of the store inventory quantity P and the household inventory quantity Q obtained from the household inventory information storage unit 272.

FIG. 15 shows a change in the total inventory amount T obtained by adding the store inventory amount P and the home inventory total amount Q. In FIG. 15, the horizontal axis indicates the date and the vertical axis indicates the total inventory amount T. The total inventory amount T indicates a ratio when the maximum total inventory amount Tmax is 100%. The maximum stock total amount Tmax is the sum of the store stock upper limit number Pmax and the home stock total amount upper limit value Qmax. The store inventory upper limit number Pmax is determined based on, for example, store purchase funds, space for storing inventory in the store, expiration date or expiry date for each item, the number of neighboring competitor stores, past purchase results, etc. It is done. The household stock total upper limit Qmax is determined based on the maximum value of the item for each item in the history of household inventory information, for example.
As shown in FIG. 15, the total inventory amount T obtained by adding the store inventory amount P and the home inventory total amount Q decreases every day. This total inventory reduction amount is a result of daily consumption at home, and this overall inventory reduction amount is the inventory shortage amount R.

In the store 40, if a new stock is purchased before the shortage amount R becomes larger than the store stock amount P, the stock will not fall short. Further, the purchase amount at that time is an amount obtained by subtracting the total inventory amount T from the maximum total inventory amount Tmax.
For example, in the example of FIG. 15, the store 40 calculates the total stock amount T at that time (February 15) from the maximum total stock amount Tmax on February 15 when the shortage amount R is predicted to be greater than or equal to the store stock amount P. It is only necessary to purchase the reduced amount.
The maximum total inventory amount Tmax on the store side is determined by store funds, store space, shelf life or expiration date of stock items, the state of surrounding competing stores, and the like.

  FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing a purchase time and purchase amount determination process. In FIG. 16, upon receiving a purchase timing and purchase amount start request from the store terminal 41, the control unit 201 of the information providing server 21 stores the store inventory from the store inventory information storage unit 271 (FIG. 9). The amount P is acquired (step S202). And the control part 201 acquires the household inventory total quantity Q from the household total inventory information storage part 272 (FIG. 10) (step S202). Then, the control unit 201 calculates a total stock amount T from the sum of the store stock amount P obtained from the store stock information storage unit 271 and the home stock total amount Q obtained from the home total stock information storage unit 272 (step S203). ). Then, the control unit 201 calculates a date on which the shortage amount R is predicted to be greater than or equal to the store inventory amount P and determines a purchase date (step S204), and subtracts the inventory total amount T on that day from the maximum inventory total amount Tmax. The purchase amount is predicted and determined from the amount (step S205). Then, the control unit 201 sends the determined purchase date and purchase amount to the store terminal 41 and presents them (step S206).

  In addition, the purchase form of the store may have a purchase date or a purchase amount. In FIG. 15, when purchasing at a store at a certain purchase time, for example, assuming that the regular purchase date is February 13, the time from February 13 to the maximum total stock amount Tmax on February 13 Therefore, it is sufficient to purchase only the amount obtained by subtracting the total stock amount T. Further, if the purchase at the store is a fixed amount, for example, if the designated purchase amount is D, it is sufficient to purchase only the designated purchase amount D on February 11.

  In addition, the prediction of the shortage amount can be linearly predicted from the amount of change in the total amount of inventory per predetermined elapsed day by obtaining the amount of change in the total amount of inventory per predetermined elapsed day. In addition, in the case of an article that has a tendency of consumption and time depending on the weather, temperature, and season, it is possible to predict the deficiency more accurately by adding factors of the weather, temperature, and season.

Moreover, in the above-mentioned example, the total amount of inventory is obtained by adding the inventory amount of one store and a plurality of household inventory totals. However, the total amount of inventory of a plurality of stores and the plurality of household inventory totals are added. The total amount of inventory may be obtained. For example, as shown in FIG. 17, when there are a plurality of stores 40a, 40b in the region L1, consumers in the homes 50a, 50b, 50c,... In the region L1 are goods at the store 40a and the store 40b. Will buy. Therefore, when there are a plurality of stores 40a and 40b in this way, the inventory total amount is obtained by adding the total amount of inventory of the plurality of stores 40a and 40b and the total amount of home stock, and the purchase time and the amount of purchase are obtained. May be calculated. Such a form is particularly suitable for an environment where the stores 40a and 40b are chain stores or affiliated stores and the stock can be shared.
As described above, in the system according to the present embodiment, it is possible to determine the optimal purchase time and purchase amount by performing inventory management using the total inventory amount obtained by adding the store inventory amount and the home inventory total amount. it can.

  Next, purchasing support for regular items will be described. The regular items are those with a certain amount of stock at home, such as toilet paper, seasonings and eggs. In the system according to the present embodiment, the store side checks whether or not each household has sufficient supplies, and when the shortage of the supplies is estimated, the demand for the supplies can be expected. Processing is performed to increase the inventory of goods.

Regular items are highly necessary items. Therefore, if there is a shortage of regular items, the household customer is very likely to go to the store to purchase permanent items. The store checks whether each household has enough spare parts, and when it is suspected that there is a shortage of spare parts, increase the inventory of the permanent parts and the customer will go to buy them. Occasionally, you will always be able to buy regular items, improving customer satisfaction, and the store will no longer have an excess inventory of regular items.
In addition, regular items such as toilet paper tend to be purchased in bulk by users at the time of sale. Therefore, when a shortage of regular items in each household is estimated, if the special item is sold, the customer will purchase the regular items in bulk, and an increase in sales can be expected.

  By the way, the regular items are common to all households and are different for each household. For example, toilet paper is a regular item common to all households. On the other hand, for example, beer and wine are regular items if you like alcohol, but not for people who don't drink alcohol. Also, there are always-on items that are always needed and those that are in time for alternatives. For example, seasonings such as miso, soy sauce, and sauce are permanent items that cannot be substituted for others. On the other hand, for example, lettuce can be substituted for cabbage.

As described above, the stock item information is stored in the stock item information storage unit 233 as shown in FIG. This stock item information is generated by a process as shown in FIG. 18 because the home items differ from one home to another.
Here, a default value as a general permanent item can be stored in advance in the permanent item information. For example, in FIG. 18, toilet paper, daily necessities such as toothpaste, seasonings such as miso, soy sauce, sugar, and salt are stored as default regular items. In the regular item information generation process, first, control is performed. The unit 201 notifies the user terminal 31 of the stock items stored by default (step S301). The user looks at the default items stored and determines whether there are additions, deletions or changes in the normal items (step S302). (Step S302: Yes), the operation of the user terminal 31 is performed to add, delete, or change a regular item (Step S303). When there is no addition, deletion, or change of the regular items by the user (step S302: No), the regular item information storage unit 233 stores the default item information.

  Then, the control unit 201 determines whether the article is a regular item from the home inventory history storage unit 232 (step S304), and adds the determined regular item to the regular item information storage unit 233 (step S304). S305). In other words, if it is a regular item, it is considered that the user always purchases the regular item when the stock runs out. Therefore, when the stock runs out, the control unit 201 always determines what has been purchased from the home stock history storage unit 232 and stores it in the stock item information storage unit 233 as a stock item.

  For example, FIG. 19 is a graph showing the number of days when the inventory of each item in a certain home is exhausted. In FIG. 19, celery and cabbage have many days that are not in stock, whereas eggs, milk, and pork have few days that are not in stock. From this, for example, if a determination line for determining whether or not the item is a regular product is stored as A1, it can be determined that eggs, milk, pork, and beef are regular items, and cabbage and celery are not regular items.

  Therefore, the control unit 201 refers to the home inventory history storage unit 232, and determines whether or not the article is a permanent item for each item of the item based on the history of the household inventory information, and obtains the permanent item information. It is generated and stored in the stock information storage unit 233. For example, a product having a stock out date of 7 days or less in the most recent month is determined as a regular product. In addition, the control unit 201 determines how much the inventory amount has been purchased and changes the shortage threshold. Further, the control unit 201 calculates, for each item of the item, a maintenance level indicating the necessity of the item based on the history of the home inventory information, and stores the calculated maintenance level in the item-of-stock information storage unit 233. For example, the control unit 201 determines the number of days that there is no inventory within a predetermined period based on the history of home inventory information, and calculates the standing level based on the determination result. For example, the stock level of a stock item that is 0 days out of stock for the most recent month is judged as “large”, the stock level of a stock product that is 1 to 3 days is judged as “medium”, and from 4 days The standing level of the standing items that are 7 days is determined as “small”. Alternatively, it is determined how much is necessary from the price at the time of purchase, and the standing level is determined accordingly.

  In the above-described example, for example, the most recent month and the day when there is no stock for 7 days or less are determined as the regular items. However, the regular item determination method is also conceivable. For example, regular items tend to be used regularly and purchased regularly. That is, milk is in stock in the morning but almost disappears in the evening. Moreover, sugar and salt are purchased every 6 months, for example. As described above, although the cycle varies depending on the items of the regular items, the purchase time is almost every certain cycle. Therefore, it is determined whether or not the purchase is periodic. If the purchase is periodic, it can be determined that the purchase is a regular item.

  The regular item information storage unit 233 stores the regular items of each household determined by the processing as described above. Then, the control unit 201 reads out the regular product information of the homes 50a, 50b, 50c,... In the region L1 in FIG. 11 from the regular product information storage unit 233, and the homes 50a, 50b, 50c,. Is stored in the stock inventory information storage unit 273 to generate stock inventory information.

  Next, with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 20, support for purchasing regular items will be described. In FIG. 20, the control unit 201 reads out the total inventory information of the inventory from the inventory inventory information storage unit 273 (step S401), and determines whether there is a inventory below the shortage threshold (step S402). When it is determined that there is a regular item that is equal to or less than the shortage threshold, the control unit 201 detects a regular item that is equal to or less than the shortage threshold (step S403). And since the demand of the regular goods below this shortage threshold is estimated, the control part 201 gives the store terminal 41 an instruction | indication so that the stock of the regular goods below this shortage threshold may be increased (step S404).

  In step S404, when an instruction is given to increase the inventory of regular items, the instruction may be given based on the permanent level. For example, if the level of the short-lived regular item is “Large”, the consumer must make a purchase, so he / she purchases without worrying about the price. Consumers tend to make purchases waiting for special sales. Therefore, the control unit 201 gives an instruction to the store terminal 41 to sell special items when the item having the normal item level “medium” is equal to or less than the shortage threshold. As a result, it is possible to expect to purchase regular items in bulk.

  In the above example, the inventory information of the households 50a, 50b, 50c,... In the region L1 is aggregated from the inventory information storage unit 233 to generate inventory inventory information, and inventory inventory. The information is stored in the information storage unit 273, and the store side uses the permanent inventory total inventory information to determine items that can be expected to have a demand for regular inventory. Here, if the store side can acquire the regular product information of each household 50a, 50b, 50c,... From the regular product information storage unit 233, the demand for the regular product for each household 50a, 50b, 50c,. In addition, if it is possible to obtain information on the regular items of each household 50a, 50b, 50c,..., A sales form in which the regular items are directly delivered to the households 50a, 50b, 50c,. Is possible.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 21 shows a second embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 21, the system according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes a home inventory information management device 513, an information providing server 521, a user terminal 531 and a store terminal 541.

  The information providing server 521 receives inventory information of articles stored in the refrigerator 511 and the storage shelf 512 of each home from the home inventory information management device 513 via the network 515. Then, the information providing server 521 generates household total inventory information from a plurality of household inventory information and stores it in the household total inventory information storage unit 772. In addition, the information providing server 521 aggregates the daily inventory information of each household, generates the inventory inventory information, and stores it in the inventory inventory information storage unit 773.

  The store terminal 541 includes a control unit 801, a storage unit 802, an input unit 803, a display unit 804, and a communication unit 805. The control unit 801 is installed with an application program for realizing a purchase support unit 754, a menu determination unit 755, and a permanent product purchase support unit 756. The storage unit 802 includes at least a menu information storage unit 721 and a store stock storage unit 771.

In the first embodiment described above, the store terminal 41 accesses the information providing server 21 via the network 15, and the information providing server 21 side purchase support unit 254, regular item purchase support unit 256, menu determination unit 261. By operating the system, it is possible to receive services for purchasing support, purchasing support for regular items, determination of purchase time and purchase amount.
On the other hand, in the system according to this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 21, the control unit 801 of the store terminal 541 includes a purchase support unit 754, a menu determination unit 755, and a stock purchase support unit 756. Are installed, and the purchase support unit 754, the menu determination unit 755, and the regular product purchase support unit 756 on the store terminal 541 side are operated to operate the purchase support and the regular product purchase. It is designed to receive services for input support, purchase timing, and purchase quantity.

  That is, in the purchase support, the store terminal 541 operates the purchase support unit 754 to receive the household total inventory information sent from the information providing server 521, and the menu information is received from the received household inventory total information. The menu which can be cooked is estimated using the memory | storage part 721, based on this estimated menu, the recommended menu recommended to a customer and the goods which a demand is anticipated are determined, and the display part 804 is made to display.

  In addition, in the purchase support and the determination of the purchase time and the purchase amount, the store terminal 541 operates the menu determining unit 755 to receive the household total inventory information sent from the information providing server 521, and The store inventory storage unit 771 is read out, the store inventory information and the home inventory total amount are added to determine the total inventory amount, and the purchase time and the purchase time are determined based on the total inventory amount and displayed on the display unit 804. .

  In the stocking support, the store terminal 541 operates the stocking support unit 756 to receive the stock total inventory information sent from the information providing server 521, and keeps the stock below the threshold. And displays an instruction to increase the inventory of regular items below the shortage threshold on the display unit 804.

As described above, according to the system according to the present embodiment, by estimating the menu of each household from the household inventory information, it is possible to determine an article for which demand is expected and perform purchase support. By proposing the estimated menu to the user, it is possible to actively dig up demand.
Further, according to the system according to the present embodiment, the store inventory information and the household inventory total amount are added to obtain the total inventory amount, and the purchase timing and the purchase amount are determined based on the total inventory amount. It is possible to accurately estimate the entry time and purchase amount.
In addition, according to the system according to the present embodiment, the inventory of the regular items on the store side is appropriately set by detecting the regular items below the threshold and giving an instruction to increase the inventory of the regular items below the shortage threshold. In addition, it is possible to improve sales by carrying out special sales in accordance with the demand for regular items.

Each unit is recorded by recording a program for realizing all or part of the functions of the above-described system on a computer-readable recording medium, causing the computer system to read and execute the program recorded on the recording medium. You may perform the process of. Here, the “computer system” includes an OS and hardware such as peripheral devices.
Further, the “computer system” includes a homepage providing environment (or display environment) if a WWW system is used.
The “computer-readable recording medium” refers to a storage device such as a flexible medium, a magneto-optical disk, a portable medium such as a ROM and a CD-ROM, and a hard disk incorporated in a computer system. Furthermore, the “computer-readable recording medium” dynamically holds a program for a short time like a communication line when transmitting a program via a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line. In this case, a volatile memory in a computer system serving as a server or a client in that case, and a program that holds a program for a certain period of time are also included. The program may be a program for realizing a part of the functions described above, and may be a program capable of realizing the functions described above in combination with a program already recorded in a computer system.

  The embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and includes design changes and the like without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  Information providing server 21, store terminal 41, communication unit 202, menu information storage unit 221, purchase support unit 254, menu determination unit 261, display unit 404

Claims (10)

A home stock information storage unit for storing home stock information indicating the stock amount of each food item in a plurality of homes;
A menu information storage unit for storing menu information in which items of food and menus using the item as food are associated;
A menu determination unit that determines the menu corresponding to the item based on the inventory amount for each item of food indicated by the household inventory information;
Based on the determined menu, a purchase support unit that determines a food item for which demand is expected as a purchased product,
A purchase support apparatus comprising: The menu determining unit detects, from the menu information storage unit, a food that can be made using the detected food from the plurality of household inventory information, by detecting food that has a household inventory amount equal to or greater than a predetermined inventory threshold. The purchase support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The purchase according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the purchase support unit determines, as the purchase item, a food item associated with the menu determined by the menu determination unit. Support device. The purchase support unit calculates a purchase amount of the purchase item based on a total amount of the inventory amount indicated by the plurality of home inventory information stored in the home inventory information storage unit. The purchase support apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The purchase support unit determines the purchase item based on one or more of external information of fashion, season, regional event, and climate. The purchase support apparatus according to any one of the above. A store inventory information storage unit that stores store inventory information indicating the inventory amount of each food item in the store,
The said purchase support part determines the said purchased goods based on the menu determined by the said menu determination part, and the said store inventory information. The any one of Claims 1-5 characterized by the above-mentioned. The purchase support device according to item. The purchase support unit is indicated by a total amount of inventory indicated by the plurality of household inventory information stored in the household inventory information storage unit and store inventory information stored in the store inventory information storage unit. The purchase support apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the purchase quantity of the purchased product is calculated based on a store inventory quantity. The purchase support unit obtains the total amount of the store inventory of a plurality of stores, and calculates the purchase amount of the purchase based on the total amount of the store inventory of the plurality of stores. The purchase support apparatus according to claim 7. A menu for storing menu information in which a household inventory information storage unit storing household inventory information indicating an inventory amount for each item of food in a plurality of households, a food item, and a menu using the item as an ingredient are associated with each other. A purchase support method for a purchase support device comprising an information storage unit,
Determining the menu corresponding to the item based on the inventory amount for each item of food indicated by the household inventory information;
Determining a food item for which demand is expected based on the determined menu as a purchase;
A purchase support method characterized by comprising: A purchase support system comprising a store terminal and a purchase support device connected to the store terminal via a network,
The purchase support device includes:
A home stock information storage unit for storing home stock information indicating the stock amount of each food item in a plurality of homes;
A menu information storage unit for storing menu information in which items of food and menus using the item as food are associated;
A menu determination unit that determines the menu corresponding to the item based on the inventory amount for each item of food indicated by the household inventory information;
Based on the determined menu, a purchase support unit that determines a food item for which demand is expected as a purchased product,
A transmission unit that transmits the purchase instruction of the purchased item determined by the purchase support unit to the store terminal;
The store terminal
A purchase support system comprising: an output unit that outputs the purchase instruction transmitted from the purchase support apparatus.

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