JP2015038673A - Mobile automatic account settlement system, mobile automatic account settlement method, and mobile automatic account settlement program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a mobile automatic account settlement system for allowing a commodity which a customer is going to purchase to be determined easily, and allowing the determined commodity to be registered and settled for accounts on the stop without moving to a register.SOLUTION: Provided is a mobile automatic account settlement system for performing registration of and settlement of accounts for a commodity which a user is going to purchase using a shopping cart equipped with at least an accommodation basket, a commodity information sensor, and a touch panel-fitted display device, wherein the shopping cart is provided with a commodity comparison function (step S15) which, when a customer's intention for comparing a plurality of candidate commodities for purchase is indicated by a "Compare button" on the touch panel (Yes in step S14), extracts, from among commodity information about each of the plurality of commodities accommodated in the accommodation basket, commodity information about each commodity pertaining to an item discretionarily designated using the touch panel and lists, on the display device, the extracted information in a format in which each commodity is comparable.

Description

  The present invention relates to a mobile automatic payment system, a mobile automatic payment method, and a mobile automatic payment program, and in particular, a mobile automatic payment system when shopping using a shopping cart in a large store such as a supermarket or a shopping center, The present invention relates to a mobile automatic settlement method and a mobile automatic settlement program.

  Conventionally, when a customer shop at a large store such as a supermarket or a shopping center, an arbitrary product that the customer intends to purchase is put in a shopping cart and moved to a place where a cash register (price settlement machine) is installed. , The store clerk performed product registration and payment for products purchased by customers at the cash register. For this reason, customers often spend a long time waiting for product registration and payment processing at the cash register when the cash register is busy.

  In order to eliminate such a situation, for example, a payment system using a shopping cart itself as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-251625 “Automatic Payment System” of Patent Document 1 has been proposed. In the automatic settlement system described in Patent Document 1, a product storage unit that stores products in a shopping cart, a product ID reading device that reads ID information of products stored in the product storage unit, and a product that performs settlement processing A product information presentation device for displaying the read ID information, an operation input device operated by a customer, a payment card registration device for inserting a payment card, and a payment result. At least a receipt launching device. By using a shopping cart like this, customers can go from product registration to payment processing of purchased products stored in the shopping cart without having to bother to go to the cash register, and take time to wait at the cash register etc. There is no, you can do a comfortable shopping.

JP2009-251625A (Page 5-10)

  In large stores such as conventional supermarkets and shopping centers, it took a long time to shop due to the congestion of the cash register. To solve this situation, product registration and payment at the cash register became unnecessary, and customers ( For example, an automatic settlement system such as that described in Patent Document 1 has been proposed, in which payment by the user itself is possible.

  However, when a customer makes a purchase at a large store such as a supermarket or a shopping center, it is difficult to find a place where the product to be purchased is displayed, not just the waiting time at the cash register. In many cases, it takes a long time to move to the place where the product is displayed. In other words, it was difficult to pinpoint the exact location even if the customer was able to roughly grasp the location where the product was displayed using a guide board or the like when searching for the product to be purchased. .

  Furthermore, when customers compare products that are candidates for purchase, the display position and description method (ie display format, product shape, etc.) of the labels attached to the products of each manufacturer differ from manufacturer to manufacturer. , It was difficult to compare each product for the same item, and it was not possible to organize and compare only arbitrary information that customers wanted to compare. It was also physically difficult to compare multiple products at once.

(Object of the present invention)
The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, so that the customer can easily determine the product to be purchased and without moving the registration and settlement of the determined product to the cash register. It is an object of the present invention to provide a mobile automatic settlement system, a mobile automatic settlement method, and a mobile automatic settlement program that can be performed on the spot.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the mobile automatic settlement system, the mobile automatic settlement method, and the mobile automatic settlement program according to the present invention mainly adopt the following characteristic configuration.

  (1) A mobile automatic settlement system according to the present invention performs merchandise registration and settlement of merchandise to be purchased by a user using a shopping cart having at least a storage basket, a merchandise information sensor, and a display device with a touch panel. In the mobile automatic settlement system, the user selects a product information tag attached to each of a plurality of products stored in the storage basket from the product information of each product obtained by reading the product information sensor. The shopping cart includes a product comparison function that extracts product information of each product related to an item arbitrarily specified using the touch panel and displays a list on the display device.

  (2) The mobile automatic settlement method according to the present invention performs merchandise registration and settlement of merchandise that a user intends to purchase using a shopping cart including at least a storage basket, a merchandise information sensor, and a display device with a touch panel. In the mobile automatic settlement method, the user selects a product information tag attached to each of a plurality of products stored in the storage basket from the product information of each product obtained by reading the product information sensor. The shopping cart has a product comparison step of extracting product information of each product related to an item arbitrarily specified using the touch panel and displaying the product on a list on the display device.

  (3) The mobile automatic settlement program according to the present invention is characterized in that at least the mobile automatic settlement method described in (2) is implemented as a program executable by a computer.

  According to the mobile automatic settlement system, mobile automatic settlement method, and mobile automatic settlement program of the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

  First, if the customer wants to select and purchase one of the products based on the result of comparing multiple products, the product information display format, product shape, etc. for each of the multiple products are different. However, for the items that the customer has arbitrarily selected, the product information of each of the multiple products can be displayed in a list on the display device and presented to the customer. Therefore, the customer must select any product to purchase. It is possible to reduce the trouble of determining whether or not.

  Secondly, even if the display location of the product to be purchased by the customer is unknown, the display location of the product is searched by operating the “search button” of the shopping cart, and the product is displayed on the display device. In addition to displaying guide information to the display location (displaying map information indicating the route, etc.), and when the product is placed on the display shelf, the shelf number and stage number of the display shelf can also be displayed. Therefore, the customer can reduce the trouble of searching for a display place where the product to be purchased is displayed, and can obtain the desired product at an early stage.

  Third, when a customer makes a payment for a registered product, the customer can perform the payment process by operating the “settlement button” of the shopping cart at any timing without having to bother moving to the cash register. Therefore, it is not necessary to line up at the cash register, the time required from product registration to payment can be shortened to a shorter time, and efficient and comfortable shopping can be performed.

It is a left view which shows the structure of an example of the shopping cart applied to the mobile automatic payment system of this invention. It is a front view which shows the structure of an example (FIG. 1A) of a shopping cart applied to the mobile automatic payment system of this invention. It is a rear view which shows the structure of an example (FIG. 1A) of a shopping cart applied to the mobile automatic payment system of this invention. It is a flowchart for demonstrating an example of the operation | movement at the time of purchasing goods in the mobile automatic settlement system using the shopping cart shown to FIG. 1A-FIG. 1C. It is a screen figure which shows an example of the goods registration screen which displays the registration condition of purchased goods on an LCD display. It is a screen figure which shows an example of the search screen which displays on the LCD display the information which shows the display place of the goods which are going to purchase. It is a screen figure which shows an example of the comparison screen which displayed the information regarding the item arbitrarily selected by the customer from the detailed merchandise information of a plurality of goods used as a purchase candidate on the LCD display for comparison.

  Preferred embodiments of a mobile automatic settlement system, a mobile automatic settlement method, and a mobile automatic settlement program according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, the mobile automatic settlement system and the mobile automatic settlement method according to the present invention will be described. However, the mobile automatic settlement method is implemented as a mobile automatic settlement program that can be executed by a computer. Needless to say, the mobile automatic settlement program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium.

(Features of the present invention)
Prior to the description of the embodiments of the present invention, an outline of the features of the present invention will be described first. The present invention provides at least a storage basket and a product information sensor such as an IC (Integrated Circuit) tag reader and a display device with a touch panel such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) display in a shopping cart disposed in a large store such as a supermarket or a shopping center. The main feature is that when a customer makes a purchase, the display location of one or more purchase candidate products is displayed on the screen as requested, and the product information to be compared for each product is displayed. It is possible to specify items and display them in a comparable format, and on the spot, decide the products to be purchased based on the comparison results and obtain the effect that the customer can move to the product registration while moving. be able to. Furthermore, if the shopping cart is equipped with a payment terminal for payment, such as an ETC (Electronic Toll Collection) payment terminal, from the selection of the purchased product to the product registration / settlement for the product determined to be purchased, While moving, you can get the effect that you can do it yourself.

  That is, when a user (customer) makes a purchase, the user searches for a place where a purchase candidate product is displayed on the shopping cart display device and displays it on the screen so that the user can display the purchase candidate product display location. Can be accurately grasped, and based on the guide information displayed on the display device of the shopping cart, it is possible to move to the display location of the item of purchase candidate. Further, the user simply loads a plurality of products in the shopping cart, and on the spot, the product tag attached to each product, for example, detailed information on the IC tag is used as the product information of each product on the spot. By reading with an IC tag reader, you can specify any product information (items) that the user wants to compare from among each product information, display them in a list on the display device, and compare them. Product registration can be performed for the determined product.

  In addition, when the shopping cart is further provided with a payment terminal for payment, such as a credit payment terminal or an ETC payment terminal, after performing the product registration of the purchased product, By using the payment terminal to read information such as a credit card or ETC card and communicating with a credit company or ETC company, the customer can pay for the purchased product without having to go to the cash register. Can do. Alternatively, the shopping cart may be provided with a wireless communication device or an infrared communication device capable of transmitting and receiving a wireless signal or an infrared signal with a POS (Point Of Sales) terminal installed in the store. Even in such a case, by sending the product registration information determined to be purchased to the POS terminal by radio signal or infrared signal, the customer can settle the purchased product while moving without going to the register. Can do. In some cases, the shopping cart may be provided with a communication device that can transmit and receive wired signals to and from the POS terminal via a wired cable.

(Configuration example of embodiment of the present invention)
Next, an example of a shopping cart applied to the mobile automatic settlement system of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C. FIGS. 1A to 1C are diagrams showing an example of the configuration of a shopping cart applied to the mobile automatic settlement system of the present invention, FIG. 1A is a left side view of the shopping cart, and FIG. 1B is the shopping cart. FIG. 1C is a front view of the cart, and FIG. 1C is a rear view of the shopping cart.

  A shopping cart 101 shown in FIGS. 1A to 1C is provided with a storage basket 102 for storing products 108. Further, on the front side, a display device 103 composed of an LCD display and the like, A touch panel 104 affixed to the front surface and a payment terminal 105 such as an ETC payment terminal for performing payment by inserting a payment card such as an ETC card used by a customer for payment are attached, and this mobile automatic payment system A control unit 107 is also attached for controlling the operation of each part constituting the. Further, on the back side of the shopping cart 101, a product information sensor 106 such as an IC tag reader for reading a product information tag such as an IC tag attached to each product stored in the storage basket 102 is attached. The product information tag such as an IC tag attached to each product stores detailed information about each product and can be read by a product information sensor 106 such as an IC tag reader.

  In the following description, in order to make the description easy to understand, a screen display is performed using an LCD display as the display device 103, an ETC card is used as a payment card used for payment, and an ETC is used as the payment terminal 105. This is a case where payment processing is performed using a payment terminal, and an IC tag is used as a product information tag attached to the product 108, and an IC tag reader is used as the product information sensor 106. A case of reading information will be described.

  The shopping cart 101 is a wheelbarrow equipped with a storage basket 102 for storing products 108 to be purchased by a customer. In order to realize a mobile automatic settlement function, various units as described above are attached. ing.

  The LCD display 103 is a display unit that displays various types of information on a liquid crystal screen as a user interface unit for output to the customer. Under the control of the control unit 107, the display location and display location of the product to be purchased by the customer Display map information showing the route to the display, guidance information (guidance information) on shelf numbers and column numbers of display shelves, list product information for comparing each product that the customer is a candidate for purchase, The product registration status for each product that the customer intends to purchase is displayed, and software buttons for operating the customer to operate the touch panel 104 disposed on the front of the screen are displayed.

  The display of guidance information (guidance information) regarding the route to the display location of the product, the shelf number of the display shelf, the column number, and the like can be arbitrarily designated by the customer by operating the touch panel 104. Further, the product information displayed as a list in order to compare the products 108 can be displayed for product information of items arbitrarily designated by the customer by operating the touch panel 104. The customer simply stores a plurality of products 108 as purchase candidates in the storage basket 102, and the IC tag attached to each product 108 is automatically read by the IC tag reader 106, and product information of each product 108 is obtained. Can be obtained.

  In addition, the touch panel 104 notifies the control unit 107 of the result of selecting and touching any software button displayed on the LCD display 103 as an input user interface unit for a customer to perform an input operation. . In other words, software buttons related to a display request for guidance information up to the display location of a product, a display request to display a list of information related to arbitrarily specified product information among product information of candidate products for purchase, a settlement processing request for purchased products, etc. Is displayed on the LCD display 103 as necessary, and the customer can arbitrarily select one of the software buttons.

  The ETC payment terminal 105 includes an input user interface unit for inserting an ETC card used by a customer for payment and reading information on the inserted ETC card, and is installed in the store under the control of the control unit 107. The data communication is performed with the ETC company via the store server, and the payment processing of the purchased product is performed. That is, when a customer inserts an ETC card and touches a settlement software button for requesting settlement, a settlement request relating to a product to be purchased is transmitted from the control unit 107 to the store server to perform settlement. The settlement result is returned from the store server.

  The IC tag reader 106 is an antenna unit that reads an IC tag attached to a product 108 stored in the storage basket 102 of the shopping cart 101, and notifies the control unit 107 of information on the read IC tag. In other words, the product tag can be registered by automatically reading the IC tag attached to the product 108 by the IC tag reader 106 simply by storing the purchase candidate product 108 in the storage basket 102 of the shopping cart 101.

  Moreover, the control part 107 is a site | part which controls operation | movement of each unit by performing communication between each unit attached to the shopping cart 101, and is wireless between the store servers installed in the store. Alternatively, data communication can be performed by wire, and in-store guidance information, product information, payment information by communication with a payment company, and the like can be exchanged between the units. Although the store server is not shown in FIGS. 1A to 1C, the store server performs data communication with a settlement company server, and based on the result, generates a settlement information related to the registered product, and guides in the store. It has a function to store information and product information in a database, and transmits guide information and product information in response to a request from the shopping cart 101.

  Instead of attaching a payment terminal 105 such as an ETC payment terminal to the shopping cart 101, payment is made by attaching a communication device capable of communicating with a POS terminal or the like installed in the store to the shopping cart 101. At this time, the communication device may transmit information related to the purchased product to be settled to the POS terminal or the like. The communication device that performs communication with a POS terminal or the like may be any of infrared communication, wireless communication, and wired communication. In the following description, a case where a payment terminal 105 such as an ETC payment terminal is attached to the shopping cart 101 as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B will be described.

  A general flow from selection of a purchased product to product registration and settlement when the shopping cart 101 shown in FIGS. 1A to 1C is used is as follows.

  (1) A customer who visits the store first inserts an ETC card for payment into the ETC payment terminal 105 of the shopping cart 101, activates the operation of each unit of the shopping cart 101, and then searches for items 108 as purchase candidates. When the guide to the display location of the product 108 is requested by touching the “search button” on the touch panel 104 of the shopping cart 101, the guide information to the requested display location is displayed on the LCD display 103. In addition, when the product 108 is placed on the display shelf, the shelf number and the column number are also displayed. Further, if requested by the customer, map information can also be displayed on the LCD display 103.

  (2) When a customer who has moved to the display location of the product 108 while pushing the shopping cart 101 finds the purchase candidate product 108 and stores it in the storage basket 102 of the shopping cart 101, the product 108 is affixed to the purchase candidate product 108. The IC tag is automatically read by the IC tag reader 106, and the product information recorded on the IC tag is displayed on the LCD display 103.

  (3) If the customer wants to select one of a plurality of purchase candidate products 108, repeat the operations (1) and (2) for each of the plurality of purchase candidate products 108, The product information related to the purchase candidate products is sequentially acquired and displayed on the screen.

  (4) In the state where the product information of each of the plurality of purchase candidate products 108 stored in the storage basket 102 is read, the customer can read the product information of each product 108 by touching the “comparison button” on the touch panel 104. When an item for comparing each product 108 is selected from among the items and a list display is requested, the product information of each product 108 relating to the item selected and specified by the customer is displayed in a list on the LCD display 103.

  (5) The comparison item of the product information of each displayed product 108 is confirmed, and the customer selects any one or a plurality of products 108 and stores them in the storage basket 102 as they are, and the products 108 that are not selected. When the product is taken out from the storage basket 102 and returned to the original location, the product registration of the product 108 taken out from the storage basket 102 is deleted, and only the selected product 108 is registered as a purchase target.

  (6) When the customer completes product registration for all products desired to be purchased by repeating the operations of (1) to (5), when a settlement instruction is made by touching the “settlement button” on the touch panel 104, The ETC payment terminal 105 calculates the total amount of all the products 108 registered for purchase, and transmits them together with the ETC card number to the store server via the control unit 107. The store server performs data communication with the ETC card company, and when the payment withdrawal process is completed, the settlement result is returned from the store server to the ETC settlement terminal 105, so that the settlement result is displayed on the LCD display 103. Display on the screen to notify the customer.

(Description of operation of embodiment)
Next, an example of the operation when purchasing the product 108 in the mobile automatic settlement system using the shopping cart 101 shown in FIGS. 1A to 1C will be described in more detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the operation when purchasing the product 108 in the mobile automatic settlement system using the shopping cart 101 shown in FIGS. 1A to 1C.

  First, each unit of the shopping cart 101 is not activated until the customer who has visited the store takes out one of the shopping carts 101 and inserts an ETC card into the ETC payment terminal 105 of the shopping cart 101. Is in a state where a standby screen is displayed (step S1). When an ETC card is inserted into the ETC payment terminal 105 of the shopping cart 101 (yes in step S2), a product registration screen as shown in FIG. 3A is displayed on the LCD display 103 (step S3).

  FIG. 3A is a screen diagram illustrating an example of a product registration screen that displays the registration status of purchased products on the LCD display 103. The product registration screen shown in FIG. 3A is displayed when the tab is switched to the registration tab 21, but FIG. 3A shows a situation in which the purchased product is already registered, not just after entering the store, but during shopping. Show. On the left side of the screen, product registration 211 in which registered products are displayed as a list is displayed. On the right side of the screen, product information 212 indicating detailed information of the product to be registered is displayed. In the product registration 211, for example, the product name “AAAAAAAAA” with the quantity “XX” is registered as the first product 108 already registered, such as “1. AAAAAAA XX Y, YYY yen (tax ZZZ yen)”. ”And the purchase price is“ Y, YYY Yen ”including the consumption tax“ ZZZ Yen ”. Further, in the product information 212 on the right side of the screen, as the detailed information of the product 108 to be registered, the price of the product name “CCCCCCCC” is “YYYY Yen”, and the content, the selling agency, the place of origin, the expiration date, Information such as raw materials and storage methods is displayed with a scroll bar.

  Here, if the customer knows the display location where the product 108 to be purchased is displayed, the customer moves to the display location while pushing the shopping cart 101 and moves the corresponding product 108 to the storage basket 101 in the shopping cart 101. 102 (Yes in step S4), the IC tag attached to the product 108 is automatically read by the IC tag reader 106, and the product is registered as the product 108 to be purchased (step S5). Detailed information regarding the product 108 registered in the product information 212 on the product registration screen of the device 103 is displayed on the screen, and the product registration 211 is displayed on the product registration 211 on the screen.

  Next, on the contrary, it is confirmed whether or not the stored product 108 has been taken out from the storage basket 102 of the shopping cart 101 (step S6). When the product is taken out from the storage basket 102 (yes in step S6), the product registration as the product 108 to be purchased is canceled (step S7), and the product registration 211 on the product registration screen of the LCD display 103 is displayed for the product 108. Also erase the contents.

  In this way, the increase / decrease operation of the registered products in steps S4 to S7 is constantly monitored by the IC tag reader 106, and if there is an increase / decrease in the registered products, the display content of the product registration screen of the LCD display 103 is updated each time repeat. When the customer completes the registration of the product 108 to be purchased and wants to settle the purchased product, the user performs a touch operation on the settlement tab 24 that is a software button on the product registration screen displayed on the LCD display 103. (Yes in step S8), the touch panel 104 detects the touch operation of the settlement tab 24 and performs the settlement function. First, the ETC card is inserted into the ETC settlement terminal 105 of the shopping cart 101. It is confirmed whether or not the state continues (step S9).

  If the ETC card has not been inserted into the ETC payment terminal 105 of the shopping cart 101 (no in step S9), a payment cancellation display indicating that payment processing cannot be performed because no ETC card has been inserted is displayed on the LCD. After the screen is displayed on the device 103 (step S10), the process proceeds to step S11. On the other hand, when the state where the ETC card is still inserted in the ETC payment terminal 105 of the shopping cart 101 is continued (yes in step S9), the product registration screen is switched to the payment screen, and the screen is displayed on the LCD display 103. indicate. Thereafter, it is checked whether or not the customer has touched the “settlement button” on the settlement screen that is switched and displayed on the LCD display 103 (step S17).

  When it is detected on the touch panel 104 that the “payment button” is touched by the customer (Yes in step 17), the total of the registered products to be settled together with the ETC card number of the inserted ETC card from the ETC payment terminal 105. Information regarding the amount of money is transmitted to the store server via the control unit 107, and a settlement process regarding the registered product is performed (step S18). When the settlement result by the store server is returned to the ETC settlement terminal 105 of the shopping cart 101, the settlement result is displayed on the LCD display 103, and all the processes are terminated.

  On the other hand, when the touch panel 104 detects that the “payment cancel button” is touched by the customer instead of the “payment button”, or the “payment button” is not touched within a predetermined time. (No in step 17), the process proceeds to step S10, and a payment cancellation display indicating that the payment process has been canceled is displayed on the LCD display 103 (step S10), and then the screen display on the LCD display 103 is displayed. Is left as it is or is returned from the settlement screen to the product registration screen, and the process proceeds to step S11.

  In step S11, the customer touches the search tab 23, which is a software button on the product registration screen displayed on the LCD display 103 or the settlement screen, in order to purchase the product 108. (Step S11), and if the search tab 23 has not been touched (no in step S11), the customer knows the display location of the product 108 to be purchased, or Since all the registration operations for the product 108 to be purchased have been completed, the process proceeds to step S14.

  On the other hand, when the touch operation is performed on the search tab 23 (yes in step S11), it is a case where the customer is performing a touch operation as if the customer does not know the display location of the product to be purchased. Thus, in order to detect the touch operation of the search tab 23 and implement the display location search function, the process proceeds to a display location search process for the product 108, and switches from the product registration screen to a search screen as shown in FIG. The screen is displayed on the LCD display 103 (step S12). That is, the search tab 23 serving as a “search button” is touched by the customer when the display location of the product 108 that the customer wants to purchase is unknown.

  FIG. 3B is a screen diagram illustrating an example of a search screen for displaying information indicating a display location of a product to be purchased on the LCD display 103. The search screen shown in FIG. 3B is displayed when the tab is switched to the search tab 23, and on the right side of the screen is a search window 235 for inputting a product name for which the display location is desired and software for selecting a character to be input. A search product name input field 233 having a text button 236 as a button is displayed. On the left side of the screen, the display location of the corresponding product 108 is searched by the product name input in the search window 235, and obtained as a search result. In order to display the displayed display location on the screen as a search history of each product 108, the product name candidate 231 indicating the name of the purchase candidate product 108 for which the customer has searched the display location, and the display location of the product 108 that is the purchase candidate A display place display 232 indicating a map and a map display button 234 for displaying a map are displayed.

  In the product name candidate 231 in FIG. 3B, for example, “1. AAAAAAAAA” is displayed as the product name candidate of the first searched product 108, and the product 108 with the product name “AAAAAAAAA” is displayed in the display place display 232. Is displayed as “1F A-2 section pan corner”, and a map showing the route to the location is displayed on the LCD display 103 by touching the map display button 234 of the software button. Can be displayed on the screen. When the search target product 108 is placed on a display shelf or the like, in the case of the third product name “3.CCCCCCCC” of the product name candidate 231 in FIG. 3B, “1F E-3 section B As indicated by “2nd shelf”, the shelf number and the shelf number of the display shelf are displayed on the LCD display 103 as well as the place where the display shelf is installed.

  Here, according to the search screen as shown in FIG. 3B displayed on the LCD display 103, the customer moves while pushing the shopping cart 101 to the display place where the product 108 to be purchased is displayed. When the product 108 to be found is found and a touch operation is performed on the “return button” 237 that is a software button on the search screen (yes in step S13), the touch operation of the “return button” 237 is detected by the touch panel 104. The search operation is terminated and the process proceeds to the next step S14.

  In step S14, the customer compares one or more products 108 stored in the storage basket 102 of the shopping cart 101 as purchase candidates, and selects one or more products 108 according to the comparison result. Whether or not a touch operation is being performed on the comparison tab 22 (“comparison button”), which is a software button on the product registration screen displayed on the LCD display 103, is checked (step S14). If the comparison tab 22 has not been touched (no in step S14), it is not the case where the customer wants to compare and select a plurality of candidates for the product 108 to be purchased. The customer selects the next product 108 and stores it in the storage basket 102 of the shopping cart 101 to register the product, or takes out the stored product from the storage basket 102 of the shopping cart 101 and registers the product. Or return to the operation to determine whether the product registration is completed and payment is requested, or whether the display location of the product 108 is further searched.

  On the other hand, if the comparison tab 22 is touched (Yes in step S14), the customer compares an arbitrary item selected from the detailed product information of each of the plurality of products 108 to be purchased. This is a case where a touch operation is performed, and a touch operation of the comparison tab 22 is detected by the touch panel 104, and a plurality of products 108 as purchase candidates are compared in order to perform a product comparison function. Proceeding to the process, the product registration screen is switched to the comparison screen as shown in FIG. 3C and displayed on the LCD display 103 (step S15).

  FIG. 3C shows an example of a comparison screen in which information related to items arbitrarily selected by the customer from among detailed product information of a plurality of products 108 as purchase candidates is displayed in a list on the LCD display 103 for comparison. FIG. The comparison screen shown in FIG. 3C is displayed when the tab is switched to the comparison tab 22. On the right side of the screen, the customer selects an arbitrary item from among detailed product information of a plurality of products 108 that are candidates for purchase. The comparison item selection field 224 is displayed on the left side of the screen, and the product comparison field 221 indicating the product name of each candidate product 108 to be compared and the comparison item selection field 224 on the right side of the screen As an example, the price 222 per 100 g and the expiration date 223 are displayed as a list as items arbitrarily selected from the list.

  The comparison item selection field 224 in FIG. 3C includes, for example, price, price per 100 g, expiration date, price per piece, calories, content, salt content, place of origin, sugar content, allergic substances, reputation, sales Detailed product information about each product 108 such as the original is displayed with a scroll bar. In addition, when the items selected by the customer in the comparison item selection field 224 on the right side of the screen are, for example, two items of a price per 100 g and an expiration date, the price 222 per 100 g on the left side of the screen and the expiration date are displayed. Information on the price per 100 g and the expiry date is extracted from the product information on each product 108 registered as a purchase candidate for each of the products 223 and displayed on the screen. For example, in the case of the first product “AAAAAAAAA” in the product comparison column 221, for example, 98 yen and 09/09 are displayed in the price 222 per 100 g and the expiration date 223, respectively. .

  Here, the customer purchases one or a plurality of products 108 as purchase candidates while referring to the comparison items of each product 108 on the comparison screen as shown in FIG. 3C displayed on the LCD display 103. When the touch operation is performed on the “return button” 225, which is a software button on the comparison screen (Yes in step S16), the touch operation of the “return button” 225 is detected by the touch panel 104 and compared. The process is terminated and the process returns to step S3, and the customer selects another product 108 and stores it in the storage basket 102 of the shopping cart 101, or registers the product or stores the stored product in the storage basket 101. The product registration is canceled, the product registration is completed and a settlement is requested, or the product 108 is displayed. Back to what you are trying to find the location for the operation judges.

  By performing the operation as described above, the customer can obtain the desired product 108 at an early stage by reducing the trouble of searching for a display place where the product 108 to be purchased is displayed. Even if the description information of the product information of each of the plurality of candidate products 108 is not uniform, it is possible to display a list of items arbitrarily designated by the customer from each product information for comparison. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the trouble of determining which product 108 to select and purchase.

  Furthermore, when making a payment for a registered product, the customer can perform the payment process by simply touching the “settlement button” on the payment tab 24 displayed on the LCD display 103 of the shopping cart 101. In addition, since it is not necessary to move to the cash register, the time required from product registration to payment can be shortened to a shorter time.

  As described above, the ETC payment terminal 105 is not attached to the shopping cart 101 as a payment terminal, and a wired, infrared, or wireless communication terminal for transmitting the product registration contents to the POS terminal in the store is used as the shopping cart 101. The payment processing may be performed on the POS terminal side.

(Explanation of effect of embodiment)
As described in detail above, the following effects are obtained in the present embodiment.

  First, when the customer wants to select and purchase one of the products based on the result of comparing the plurality of products 108, the product information display format, product shape, etc. of each of the plurality of products 108 are different. Even in such a case, it is possible to display the product information of each of the plurality of products 108 on the display device 103 (for example, LCD display) for the item arbitrarily selected by the customer and present it to the customer. Can reduce the trouble of determining which product 108 to select and purchase.

  Second, even if the display location of the product 108 to be purchased by the customer is unknown, the display location of the product 108 is searched by operating the “search button” of the shopping cart 101. If the product information is displayed on the display shelf (for example, LCD display) (information such as map information indicating the route can be displayed) and the product 108 is placed on the display shelf, the display shelf The shelf number and column number of the product can also be displayed, so that the customer can reduce the trouble of searching for the display place where the product 108 to be purchased is displayed and obtain the desired product 108 at an early stage. Can do.

  Third, when a customer makes a payment for a registered product, the customer can perform the payment process by operating the “settlement button” of the shopping cart 101 at any timing without having to bother moving to the cash register. Therefore, it is not necessary to line up at the cash register, the time required from product registration to payment can be reduced to a shorter time, and efficient and comfortable shopping can be performed.

  The configuration of the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above. However, it should be noted that such embodiments are merely examples of the present invention and do not limit the present invention in any way. Those skilled in the art will readily understand that various modifications and changes can be made according to a specific application without departing from the gist of the present invention.

21 registration tab 22 comparison tab 23 search tab 24 settlement tab 101 shopping cart 102 storage basket 103 display device (LCD display)
104 Touch panel 105 Payment terminal (ETC payment terminal)
106 Product information sensor (IC tag reader)
107 Control unit 108 Product 211 Product registration 212 Product information 221 Product comparison field 222 Price per 100 g 223 Expiration date 224 Comparison item selection field 225 “Back button”
231 Product Name Candidate 232 Display Location Display 233 Search Product Name Input Field 234 Map Display Button 235 Search Window 236 Character Button 237 “Back Button”

(Features of the present invention)
Prior to the description of the embodiments of the present invention, an outline of the features of the present invention will be described first. The present invention provides at least a storage basket and a product information sensor such as an IC (Integrated Circuit) tag reader and a display device with a touch panel such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) display in a shopping cart disposed in a large store such as a supermarket or a shopping center. The main feature is that when a customer makes a purchase, the display location of one or more purchase candidate products is displayed on the screen as requested, and the product information to be compared for each product is displayed. It is possible to specify items and display them in a comparable format, and on the spot, decide the products to be purchased based on the comparison results and obtain the effect that the customer can move to the product registration while moving. be able to. Furthermore, if the shopping cart is configured to include a payment terminal for payment, such as an ETC (Electronic Toll Collection : registered trademark, the same applies hereinafter ) payment terminal, a product related to the product for which purchase is determined from the selection of the purchase product. You can get the effect that you can go to registration / settlement while moving.

Claims (9)

  A mobile automatic settlement system that performs product registration and settlement of a product that a user intends to purchase using a shopping cart that includes at least a storage basket, a product information sensor, and a display device with a touch panel. Each product related to an item arbitrarily designated by the user using the touch panel from among the product information of each product obtained by reading the product information tag attached to each of the plurality of stored products with the product information sensor The mobile automatic settlement system is characterized in that the shopping cart is provided with a product comparison function for extracting the product information of the product and displaying the list on the display device.   2. The mobile automatic settlement according to claim 1, wherein the shopping cart has a display location search function of searching for a display location of each product and displaying the search result on the display device as guide information on the display device. system.   Product registration is performed based on the reading result of the product information tag affixed to the product stored in the storage basket, and payment processing of the product registered is automatically performed based on an instruction by the user using the touch panel. The mobile automatic settlement system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the shopping cart is provided with a settlement function to be performed on the shopping cart.   As the payment function, the shopping cart is provided with an ETC payment terminal that performs payment of a product registered using an ETC (Electronic Toll Collection) card, or information on the registered product is stored in a POS (Point Of The mobile automatic settlement system according to claim 3, wherein the shopping cart includes a wireless communication device that receives a result of settlement by sending a (Sales) terminal.   A mobile automatic payment method for registering and paying for a product to be purchased by a user using a shopping cart having at least a storage basket, a product information sensor, and a display device with a touch panel. Each product related to an item arbitrarily designated by the user using the touch panel from among the product information of each product obtained by reading the product information tag attached to each of the plurality of stored products with the product information sensor A mobile automatic settlement method characterized in that the shopping cart has a product comparison step of extracting product information and displaying a list on the display device.   7. The mobile automatic according to claim 6, wherein the shopping cart has a display location search step of searching for a display location of each product and displaying the search result as guide information on the display device on the screen. Payment Method.   Product registration is performed based on the reading result of the product information tag affixed to the product stored in the storage basket, and payment processing of the product registered is automatically performed based on an instruction by the user using the touch panel. The mobile automatic settlement method according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the shopping cart has a settlement step to be performed on the shopping cart.   In order to realize the payment step, the shopping cart is provided with an ETC payment terminal for paying for a product registered using an ETC (Electronic Toll Collection) card, or information relating to the product registered 8. The mobile automatic settlement method according to claim 7, wherein the shopping cart includes a wireless communication device that receives a result of settlement by transmitting a POS (Point Of Sales) terminal.   9. A mobile automatic settlement program, wherein the mobile automatic settlement method according to claim 5 is implemented as a program executable by a computer.

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