JP2020190834A - Information processor, information processing program, and information processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

To allow a member of a specified type to be given a privilege so as not to be more disadvantageous than other members.SOLUTION: An information processor according to the embodiment includes detection means, selection means, and processing means. The detection means detects that a target person of a transaction is a member of a specified type. The selection means selects a first privilege or a second privilege different from each other as instructed by an operator when the detection means detects that the member is a member of the specified type. The processing means performs processing for giving the privilege selected by the selection means to the target person in relation to the transaction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to information processing devices, information processing programs, and information processing methods.

Regarding transactions such as buying and selling goods, when giving benefits to the target person of the transaction, it has already been done to give the special target person an advantage over the general target person. ..
For example, while giving points to general buyers according to the purchase price, cash discounts should be given to employees at a discount rate higher than the point giving rate to general buyers. Cases are known.

However, in the above case, if the point award rate for general purchasers is temporarily increased due to a campaign or the like, the benefits provided to employees will be higher than the benefits provided to general purchasers. Sometimes it was more disadvantageous.
Under these circumstances, it is possible to give benefits to members of the specified type such as the above-mentioned special target person so as not to be more disadvantageous than other members such as the above-mentioned general target person. It was hoped that it could be done.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-172957

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an information processing device, an information processing program, and an information processing method capable of giving a specified type of member a privilege so as not to be disadvantageous to other members. It is to be.

The information processing apparatus of the embodiment includes detection means, selection means, and processing means. The detection means detects that the target person of the transaction is a member of a specified type. When the detection means detects that the member is a member of a specified type, the selection means selects a first privilege or a second privilege different from each other according to an instruction from the operator. The processing means performs processing for providing the privilege selected by the selection means to the target person in relation to the transaction.

The block diagram which shows the main part circuit composition of the POS terminal which concerns on one Embodiment. The flowchart of registration accounting processing by the processor in FIG. The flowchart of registration accounting processing by the processor in FIG. The figure which shows the selection screen.

Hereinafter, an example of the embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, a POS (point-of-sale) terminal will be described as an example of the information processing device.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a main circuit configuration of the POS terminal 1 according to the present embodiment.
The POS terminal 1 includes a processor 11, a main memory 12, an auxiliary storage unit 13, a display unit 14, an input unit 15, a reading unit 16, a printer 17, a communication interface 18, a transmission line 19, and the like.

The processor 11, the main memory 12, and the auxiliary storage unit 13 are connected by a transmission line 19 to form a computer.
The processor 11 is a central part of the computer described above. The processor 11 executes information processing for realizing various functions as the POS terminal 1 based on information processing programs such as an operating system, middleware, and application programs stored in the main memory 12 and the auxiliary storage unit 13.

The main memory 12 corresponds to the main memory portion of the computer. The main memory 12 includes a non-volatile memory area and a volatile memory area. The main memory 12 stores at least a part of the above information processing program in the non-volatile memory area. Further, the main memory 12 may store data necessary for the processor 11 to execute a process for controlling each part in a non-volatile or volatile memory area. The main memory 12 uses a volatile memory area as a work area in which data is appropriately rewritten by the processor 11.

The auxiliary storage unit 13 corresponds to the auxiliary storage portion of the computer. As the auxiliary storage unit 13, for example, well-known storage devices such as EEPROM (electric erasable programmable read-only memory), HDD (hard disk drive), and SSD (solid state drive) can be applied alone or in combination of two or more. The auxiliary storage unit 13 stores data used by the processor 11 for performing various types of information processing, or data generated by the information processing in the processor 11. The auxiliary storage unit 13 may store a part of the above information processing program.

The display unit 14 displays various screens for notifying the operator of various information. As the display unit 14, for example, a well-known device such as a liquid crystal display device or a fluorescent display tube can be applied alone or in combination of two or more.
The input unit 15 inputs various instructions by the operator. As the input unit 15, a well-known device such as a touch sensor or a keyboard can be applied alone or in combination of two or more.

The reading unit 16 reads the data stored or displayed on the recording medium or the data displayed by the display unit. As the reading unit 16, well-known devices such as a bar code scanner, a wireless tag reader, or a card reader can be applied alone or in combination of two or more.
The printer 17 prints various images on the paper. The printer 17 uses, for example, receipt paper as the paper. Then, the printer 17 issues a receipt, for example, by printing a receipt image.

The communication interface 18 performs data communication via the communication network 2. As the communication interface 18, for example, a well-known communication device for data communication via a LAN can be applied.
The transmission line 19 includes an address bus, a data bus, a control signal line, and the like, and transmits data and control signals transmitted and received between the connected units.

One of the information processing programs stored in the main memory 12 or the auxiliary storage unit 13 relates to information processing described later. The information processing program is typically stored in the main memory 12 or the auxiliary storage unit 13 when the POS terminal 1 is transferred to a company or the like that operates a store. However, the above information processing program may be transferred to the above company or the like separately from the hardware of the POS terminal 1. The transfer of the information processing program can be realized by recording on a removable recording medium such as a magnetic disk, a magneto-optical disk, an optical disk, or a semiconductor memory, or by downloading via a network. In this case, the information processing program is written to the main memory 12 or the auxiliary storage unit 13 in response to an operation by the administrator of the POS terminal 1 or the installation worker of the POS terminal 1. This is the case, for example, when the above information processing program is provided as a version upgrade program.

Next, the operation of the POS terminal 1 configured as described above will be described.
Prior to explaining the operation of the POS terminal 1, the member service in the store where the POS terminal 1 is installed will be described. The store will provide point services to customers who have registered as members in advance with the membership type "general". The point service gives members the points obtained by multiplying the subtotal amount by the specified grant rate. In addition, at the store, the employee discount will be applied to customers who are registered as members by the membership type "employee". The employee discount is discounted from the subtotal amount at a discount rate larger than the normal grant rate in the point service. These membership types are managed in association with a membership code for identifying a member on a server that manages the member. If the point service is a global service provided across multiple stores and is also used for employee discounts at multiple stores, the membership types are "A store employee" and "B". It will be defined as "store employee".

The processor 11 stores information stored in the main memory 12 or the auxiliary storage unit 13 when the POS terminal 1 is in a state where the product is registered as a purchased product and the processing for accounting for the registered purchased product should be performed. Information processing described below (hereinafter referred to as registered accounting processing) is performed according to the processing program.
2 and 3 are flowcharts of registration accounting processing by the processor 11. The contents of the processes described below are examples, and it is possible to change the order of some processes, omit some processes, or add another process as appropriate.

As ACT1, the processor 11 performs preparatory processing such as initialization or deletion of data such as a product table that is temporarily used in information processing related to one transaction. The product table is a data table that represents a list of purchased products that are the targets of one transaction, and is stored in the main memory 12 or the auxiliary storage unit 13.

As ACT2, the processor 11 confirms whether or not a member code for identifying a member of the member service has been input. Then, if the input of the member code cannot be confirmed, the processor 11 determines No and proceeds to ACT3.
As ACT3, the processor 11 confirms whether or not the change in the list of purchased products is instructed. Then, if the processor 11 cannot confirm that the corresponding instruction has been given, the processor 11 determines No and proceeds to ACT4.
As ACT4, the processor 11 confirms whether or not the accounting instruction has been given. Then, if the processor 11 cannot confirm that the corresponding instruction has been given, the processor 11 determines No and returns to ACT2.
Thus, the processor 11 waits for the membership code to be input or the change or transfer is instructed as ACT2 to ACT4.

The customer picks up the products to be purchased from the sales floor, takes them to the check-out corner, and entrusts the registration of those products to the clerk who is the operator of the POS terminal 1. If the customer wishes to use the member service or employee discount, he / she will notify the clerk to that effect. In response to this declaration, the clerk enters a membership code to identify the member. For example, the clerk operates the reading unit 16 so as to read the barcode displayed on the membership card possessed by the customer. Then, the reading unit 16 reads the barcode and outputs the membership code represented by the barcode. The membership code may be input by arbitrarily using various other well-known methods. In addition, a part of the operation for inputting the membership code may be performed by the customer. Then, if the membership code is input in this way, the processor 11 determines Yes in ACT2 and proceeds to ACT5.

As the ACT 5, the processor 11 stores the above-input membership code in the main memory 12 or the auxiliary storage unit 13. Then, the processor 11 then returns to the standby state of ACT2 to ACT4. When the member code is repeatedly input, the processor 11 executes the ACT 5 again and overwrites and saves the already saved member code with the newly input member code. The processor 11 may not determine Yes in ACT2 after performing ACT5 once.

The clerk performs a registration operation for instructing the customer to register each product entrusted as described above as a purchased product. As a registration operation, the clerk operates the reading unit 16 so as to read the barcode displayed on the product, for example. As a registration operation, the clerk operates the input unit 15 to specify a product, for example. Alternatively, the clerk performs a deletion operation to instruct to exclude the registered product from the purchased product. As a deletion operation, the clerk specifies, for example, a product to be deleted from the list of purchased products, and operates the input unit 15 or the reading unit 16 so as to instruct the deletion. Then, when the processor 11 confirms that such a registration operation or deletion operation has been performed, the processor 11 determines that the change instruction has been made and determines Yes in ACT3, and proceeds to ACT6.

As ACT6, the processor 11 updates the product table in response to the change instruction. For example, when the registration operation is performed, the processor 11 updates the product table so as to represent the product specified by the registration operation as a purchased product. Further, for example, when the deletion operation is performed, the processor 11 updates the product table so as to exclude the product specified by the deletion operation from the purchased products. Then, the processor 11 then returns to the standby state of ACT2 to ACT4.

The clerk repeats the change instruction so that the product table shows a list of all the products that the customer is trying to purchase. In response to this, the processor 11 repeats ACT6 and updates the product table according to the instruction. When a product not shown in the product table is newly specified, the processor 11 records the number of the product as "1" in the product table. Then, when the same product is specified more than once, the processor 11 changes the number recorded in the product table.

When the product table represents a list of all the products that the customer is trying to purchase, the clerk gives an accounting instruction by, for example, a predetermined operation in the input unit 15. Then, the processor 11 determines Yes in ACT4 and proceeds to ACT7.
As the ACT 7, the processor 11 calculates a subtotal amount for the purchased goods shown in the goods table. For example, the processor 11 acquires the unit price for each of the purchased products shown in the product table. The processor 11 obtains the unit price shown in association with the product in the PLU table by, for example, searching the PLU (price look up) table stored in the auxiliary storage unit 13. The processor 11 may obtain a unit price by inquiring a POS server or the like that manages the PLU table from the communication interface 18 via the communication network 2. The processor 11 calculates the selling price for one product by multiplying the unit price thus acquired by the number of the same purchased product shown in the product table. In calculating the selling price, the processor 11 may apply a well-known discount process determined for each product to be applied to all customers. Then, the processor 11 calculates the subtotal amount as the total selling price of each product. The processor 11 may apply a well-known discount process defined as being applied to all customers when calculating the total.

As the ACT 8, the processor 11 confirms whether or not the customer is a member. The processor 11 confirms that the customer is a member, for example, when the member code saved in the ACT 5 is stored in the main memory 12 or the auxiliary storage unit 13. Then, if the processor 11 cannot confirm that the customer is a member, the processor 11 determines NO and proceeds to ACT9.
As ACT9, the processor 11 adds the consumption tax amount to the subtotal amount calculated in ACT7 to determine the settlement amount, and performs the settlement process for settlement of the settlement amount. The settlement process is a part of the process for accounting, and is a process for settling the settlement amount determined as described above. The processor 11 executes, for example, a well-known process for subtracting the payment amount determined as described above from the electronic money balance read by the reading unit 16 from the electronic money media. For the payment processing, for example, cash, credit, virtual currency, prepaid, cash voucher, or any other payment media that is permitted to be used on the POS terminal 1 can be appropriately applied. Then, the processor 11 executes a well-known process for payment using the payment media designated by the operator. The processor 11 then proceeds to ACT 22 in FIG.

If the processor 11 can confirm that the customer is a member, the processor 11 determines YES in the ACT 8 and proceeds to the ACT 10 in FIG.
As the ACT 10, the processor 11 calculates the discount amount due to the employee discount. For example, the processor 11 multiplies the subtotal amount calculated by the ACT 7 by the discount rate of the employee discount, and further performs a predetermined rounding process to calculate the discount amount. Since the formula for calculating the discount amount by the employee discount can be variously determined depending on the store, the processor 11 calculates the discount amount by performing the calculation according to the rules in the store.

As the ACT 11, the processor 11 calculates the points granted by the point service. For example, the processor 11 multiplies the subtotal amount calculated by the ACT 7 by the point service grant rate, and further performs a predetermined rounding process to calculate the grant points. Since the formula for calculating the points granted by the point service can be variously determined by the point service, the processor 11 calculates the points granted by performing calculations according to the rules in the point service. Further, since the grant rate changes depending on the campaign or the like, the processor 11 uses the currently applied grant rate in the above calculation.

As the ACT 12, the processor 11 confirms whether or not the member type is an employee related to the store in which the POS terminal 1 is installed. Then, the processor 11 determines YES if it is the corresponding employee, and proceeds to ACT 13. If the processor 11 determines YES here, it means that the customer as the target person of the transaction is a member of the specified type “employee”. As the processor 11 executes information processing based on the information processing program in this way, the computer having the processor 11 as a central portion functions as a detection means.

As the ACT 13, the processor 11 confirms whether the point service is more advantageous to the customer than the employee discount. For example, the processor 11 confirms that it is advantageous if the discount amount calculated by the ACT 10 is smaller than the converted amount of the grant points calculated by the ACT 11. Then, if the processor 11 can confirm that it is advantageous, it determines YES and proceeds to ACT14.
As the ACT 14, the processor 11 causes the display unit 14 to display the selection screen. The selection screen is a screen for allowing the operator to perform an operation of specifying whether to apply the employee discount or the point award.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the selection screen SC1.
The selection screen SC1 shown in FIG. 4 is an example in which the grant points calculated by ACT 11 are 100 points and the discount amount calculated by ACT 10 is 40 yen.

The selection screen SC1 includes messages ME1 and ME2 and buttons BU1 and BU2. Message ME1 represents the granted points and the discount amount in a comparable manner. Message ME2 informs that the grant rate has increased five times due to the point service campaign. The information represented by these messages ME1 and ME2 on another selection screen SC1 may be different. The button BU1 is a GUI (graphical user interface) element for the operator to specify the application of the employee discount. The button BU2 is a GUI element for the operator to specify the application of point granting. Buttons BU1 and BU2 are also included in another selection screen SC1.

By displaying the selection screen SC1 as described above, the operator is notified to instruct whether to select the employee discount as the first benefit or the point award as the second benefit. Thus, when the processor 11 executes information processing based on the information processing program, the computer having the processor 11 as a central portion functions as the first notification means. Further, by displaying the selection screen SC1, the operator is notified of the difference between the employee discount as the first privilege and the point grant as the second privilege, and which is more advantageous to the customer. Thus, when the processor 11 executes information processing based on the information processing program, the computer having the processor 11 as a central part functions as a second notification means.

The clerk conveys the information displayed on the selection screen SC1 to the customer. Based on the information, the customer selects either employee discount or point award and informs the clerk. The clerk operates the input unit 15 so as to press the button BU1 when the customer specifies the employee discount. If the customer specifies to give points, the clerk operates the input unit 15 so as to press the button BU2.

If the display unit 14 includes a customer surface display device with the display surface facing the customer side, the customer surface display device may display the selection screen SC1. Further, in this case, if the input unit 15 includes an input device for inputting an operation on the customer surface display device, the customer's designation may be directly input by the input device. In this way, the customer can directly confirm the content of the notification by the selection screen SC1, and the trouble of the clerk telling the customer can be saved. In addition, since the customer can directly specify whether to apply the employee discount or the point award, the clerk operates the input unit 15 according to the trouble of the customer communicating the intention to the clerk and the intention transmitted so. You can save the trouble of doing it.

The processor 11 shifts to the standby state of the ACT 15 and the ACT 16 with the selection screen SC1 displayed on the display unit 14.
As the ACT 15, the processor 11 confirms whether or not the application of the employee discount is specified. Then, if the processor 11 cannot confirm that the designation has been made, it determines NO and proceeds to ACT 16.
As the ACT 16, the processor 11 confirms whether or not the application of the point service is instructed. Then, if the processor 11 cannot confirm that the designation has been made, it determines NO and returns to ACT15.
Thus, the processor 11 waits for either the employee discount or the point service to be designated as the ACT 15 and the ACT 16. Then, if the employee discount is specified by, for example, pressing the button BU1, the processor 11 determines YES in the ACT 15 and proceeds to the ACT 17.

If the point service is not more advantageous than the employee discount, the processor 11 determines NO in ACT13, passes ACT14 to ACT16, and proceeds to ACT17.
As the ACT 17, the processor 11 determines the settlement amount by applying the employee discount. That is, for example, the processor 11 deducts the discount amount calculated by ACT 10 from the subtotal amount calculated by ACT 7, and further adds the consumption tax amount to determine the settlement amount.

As the ACT 18, the processor 11 executes a settlement process for settling the settlement amount determined by the ACT 17. Note that, for example, cash, electronic money, credit, virtual currency, prepaid, cash vouchers, and any other payment media that are permitted to be used on the POS terminal 1 can be appropriately applied to the payment process. The processor 11 then proceeds to the ACT 22.

On the other hand, if the application of the point service is specified by, for example, pressing the button BU2, the processor 11 determines YES in the ACT 16 and proceeds to the ACT 19.
If the customer is a general member, the processor 11 determines NO in ACT12, passes ACT13 to ACT16, and proceeds to ACT19.
As the ACT 19, the processor 11 determines the settlement amount by adding the consumption tax amount to the subtotal amount calculated by the ACT 7.

As the ACT 20, the processor 11 executes a settlement process for settling the settlement amount determined by the ACT 19. Note that, for example, cash, electronic money, credit, virtual currency, prepaid, cash vouchers, and any other payment media that are permitted to be used on the POS terminal 1 can be appropriately applied to the payment process.

As the ACT 21, the processor 11 executes point processing for giving points to the customer. For example, the processor 11 adds the points granted in ACT 11 to the point balance associated with the membership code stored in ACT 5. The processor 11 then proceeds to the ACT 22.

In this way, the processor 11 selects one of the employee discount as the first privilege and the point grant as the second privilege according to the instruction by the operator. Then, the processor 11 executes ACT 17 or ACT 21 as a process for providing the privilege selected in this way to the customer as the target person. Thus, when the processor 11 executes information processing based on the information processing program, the computer having the processor 11 as a central portion functions as a selection means and a processing means.

As described above, when the processor 11 finishes ACT9 in FIG. 2 and ACT18 or ACT21 in FIG. 3, the processor 11 proceeds to ACT22 in any case.
As the ACT 22, the processor 11 causes the printer 17 to issue a receipt for the transaction subject to the registration accounting process this time. Note that the electronic receipt data may be transmitted to the receipt server instead of or in addition to printing the receipt.
Then, the processor 11 ends the registration accounting process. The processor 11 restarts the above registration accounting process in preparation for registration and accounting for the next transaction.

As described above, according to the POS terminal 1, points are given by the point service even to customers whose member type is "employee" because the point service grant rate is temporarily increased by the campaign. If it is more advantageous to receive the employee discount than to apply the employee discount, it is possible to apply the point award. In this way, employees can be given benefits so that they are not at a disadvantage to regular members.

Further, according to the POS terminal 1, when it is more advantageous to receive points given by the point service than to apply the employee discount, a selection screen SC1 showing that fact is displayed on the display unit 14. Therefore, the customer can surely recognize that the situation is such.

Further, according to the POS terminal 1, even if it is more advantageous to receive points given by the point service than to apply the employee discount, which one is applied is determined according to the instruction by the operator. Therefore, even if the point awarding is advantageous in comparing the discount amount and the awarding points, for example, a customer who does not like the point awarding can use the employee discount.

This embodiment can be modified in various ways as follows.
Whether or not the point service is advantageous can also be confirmed by the processor 11 by comparing the point service grant rate and the employee discount discount rate. Therefore, the processor 11 may display the selection screen at an arbitrary timing from the time when the customer is found to be a member of the membership type "employee" to the calculation of the subtotal amount. However, in this case, for example, the processor 11 makes the grant rate and the discount rate comparable on the selection screen.

The members of the specified type are not limited to "employees", but may be any members who should be given preferential treatment to other members by benefits. For example, a member having a higher member rank according to the transaction record may be a member of a specified type.

The benefits provided to the members of the specified type are not limited to discounts, and may be, for example, points, gifts of goods, issuance of coupons, or any other benefits.

The benefits provided to members other than the specified types are not limited to points, but may be discounts, gifts of goods, issuance of coupons, or any other benefits. In addition, it may be provided to members other than the specified types only for a certain period of time.

It may always be decided by the operator whether to apply the employee discount or the point award. That is, for example, the processor 11 omits the ACT 13 and proceeds to the ACT 14 when the ACT 12 determines YES.

The transaction for which the award is provided may be any transaction such as the transfer of goods other than goods and the provision of services.

A part or all of the display unit 14, the input unit 15, the reading unit 16, and the printer 17 may not be provided in the POS terminal 1. In this case, the corresponding unit may be externally attached to the POS terminal 1 or may be able to communicate via the communication network 2.

Assuming that the clerk acts as the operator, some or all of the various operations described above may be performed by the customer as the operator.

It can also be realized as a device that does not have the functions of executing payment processing and receipt issuance. Alternatively, it can be realized as a device that does not have a function of further executing account processing. In these cases, each unexecutable process may be executed by another device. That is, for example, it can be realized as a registration device for a semi-self-checkout system. Alternatively, it can be realized as a server such as a point server that processes information related to the provision of benefits in association with registration processing and account processing by another POS terminal.

Each function realized by the processor 11 by information processing can also be realized by hardware that executes information processing that is not based on a program such as a logic circuit or the like. Further, each of the above-mentioned functions can be realized by combining software control with the above-mentioned hardware such as a logic circuit.

Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other embodiments, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

1 ... POS terminal, 2 ... communication network, 11 ... processor, 12 ... main memory, 13 ... auxiliary storage unit, 14 ... display unit, 15 ... input unit, 16 ... reading unit, 17 ... printer, 18 ... communication interface, 19 … Transmission line.

Claims (6)

A detection means for detecting that the target person of the transaction is a member of the specified type,
When the detection means detects that the member is a member of the specified type, the selection means for selecting the first privilege or the second privilege different from each other according to the instruction by the operator.
With respect to the transaction, a processing means for performing a process for providing the privilege selected by the selection means to the target person, and
Information processing device equipped with. When the detection means detects that the member is a member of the specified type, the first is notifying the operator to instruct which of the first privilege and the second privilege is to be selected. Notification means,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising. A second notification means for notifying the target person of the difference between the first privilege and the second privilege,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising. The second notification means notifies the target person which of the first privilege and the second privilege is advantageous to the target person.
The information processing device according to claim 3. A computer equipped with an information processing device
A detection means for detecting that the target person of the transaction is a member of the specified type,
When the detection means detects that the member is a member of the specified type, the selection means for selecting the first privilege or the second privilege different from each other according to the instruction by the operator.
With respect to the transaction, a processing means for performing a process for providing the privilege selected by the selection means to the target person, and
An information processing program to function as. Detects that the target person of the transaction is a member of the specified type,
When it is detected that the member is a member of the specified type, the first privilege or the second privilege different from each other is selected according to the instruction by the operator.
With respect to the transaction, a process for providing the selected privilege to the target person is performed.
Information processing method.