JP2021051503A - Information processing device and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an information processing device and a program capable of supporting shopping of a group customer.SOLUTION: An information processing device includes: reception means for accepting the operation of starting a transaction specifying an identifier of a specific user; first notification means for notifying each of terminal devices corresponding to the identifiers of the other users previously associated with the user identifier of the specified user of the start of the transaction in accordance with the start operation of the transaction; and second notification means for notifying the terminal device corresponding to the identifier of the specific user that the purchase intention operation has been performed when a purchase intention operation indicating that an article to be purchased is made by any of the terminal devices.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

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

Conventionally, in retail stores (stores) such as supermarkets, a POS (Point Of Sale) device is used to read product information such as a JAN (Japanese Article Number) code from a product purchased by a customer, and a closing operation is performed after the reading is completed. We are processing payments.

By the way, among the customers who come to the store, there are group customers who come to the store in groups of a plurality of people such as family members. In addition, there are also group customers who make the same accounting by paying the price of the product that each person wants to purchase in a lump sum by a person who accounts within the group (hereinafter, an accountant).

However, for example, if a member of a group customer is located away from the accountant and is carrying the product he / she wants to purchase, the accounting ends while he / she is away from the accountant. There was an inconvenience of having to pay separately.

An object to be solved by the present invention is to provide an information processing device and a program capable of supporting shopping of group customers.

The information processing device of the embodiment includes a receiving means, a first notification means, and a second notification means. The receiving means accepts a transaction start operation in which an identifier of a specific user is specified. The first notification means notifies each of the terminal devices corresponding to the identifiers of other users previously associated with the user identifier of the specific user of the start of the transaction in response to the transaction start operation. When the purchase intention operation indicating that any of the terminal devices has an intention to purchase the product is performed, the second notification means causes the other user to receive the product from the terminal device corresponding to the identifier of the specific user. Notify that you are willing to purchase.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a shopping support system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the mobile terminal according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the POS device according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the server device according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a member master according to the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a group management table according to the embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the mobile terminal, the POS device, and the server device according to the embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a first notification screen displayed by the first notification screen display unit of the embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a second notification screen displayed by the second notification screen display unit of the embodiment. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a group registration process executed by the mobile terminal and the server device of the embodiment. FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a product purchase process executed by the mobile terminal, the POS device, and the server device of the embodiment.

Hereinafter, the information processing apparatus and the program according to the embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the embodiment described below, an example applied to a shopping support system that supports the shopping of customers who visit a store such as a supermarket will be described. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a shopping support system. As shown in FIG. 1, the shopping support system 1 includes a mobile terminal 10, a POS device 20, and a server device 30.

The mobile terminal 10 is an example of a terminal device. The mobile terminal 10 is a portable communication terminal owned by a customer who visits the store ST, such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal. The mobile terminal 10 can communicate with other mobile terminals 10 and the server device 30 via a network N1 such as the Internet or a public line.

The POS device 20 is an example of a product sales data processing device arranged in the store ST. The POS device 20 reads a product code that identifies the type of the product from the product purchased by the customer, and executes a product settlement (also referred to as accounting) process according to a closing operation after the reading is completed. Further, the POS device 20 can communicate with the server device 30 connected to the network N1 via the in-store network N2.

The server device 30 is an example of an information processing device. The server device 30 provides a service for supporting shopping of a group customer composed of a plurality of customers such as a family member. In FIG. 1, one server device 30 is configured, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a cloud composed of a plurality of server devices 30 may be used.

Next, the configuration of each device of the shopping support system 1 described above will be described.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the mobile terminal 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the mobile terminal 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 102, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 103.

The CPU 101 is an example of a processor, and controls the operation of the mobile terminal 10 in an integrated manner. The ROM 102 stores various programs. The RAM 103 is a workspace for developing programs and various data. The CPU 101, ROM 102, and RAM 103 are connected to each other via the bus 104. The CPU 101, ROM 102, and RAM 103 constitute a control unit 100 of a computer configuration. The control unit 100 executes various processes by operating the CPU 101 according to the control program 105a stored in the ROM 102 or the storage unit 105 and expanded in the RAM 103.

The control unit 100 is connected to the storage unit 105 and the communication unit 106 via the bus 104. The storage unit 105 is composed of an HDD (Hard Disc Drive), a flash memory, or the like, and maintains the stored contents even when the power supply is cut off. The storage unit 105 stores, for example, a user ID of a customer who operates his / her own mobile terminal 10 and a control program 105a, which will be described later.

The control program 105a is a control program for controlling the operation of the mobile terminal 10. Further, the control program 105a may include an application for using the service provided by the server device 30 (for example, an SNS (Social Networking Service) application such as Alipay (trademark registration) or WeChat (trademark registration)).

The communication unit 106 is a communication interface that can be connected to the network N1. The communication unit 106 communicates with the server device 30 and the like via the network N1.

Further, the display unit 108, the operation unit 109, the image pickup unit 110, and the like are connected to the control unit 100 via the bus 104 and the input / output controller 107. The display unit 108 is a display device such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), and displays various information under the control of the control unit 100. The operation unit 109 has various operation buttons and outputs key information according to the customer's operation to the control unit 100. The operation unit 109 may be, for example, a touch panel provided on the surface of the display unit 108. The image pickup unit 110 is an image pickup device composed of a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) image sensor or the like.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the POS device 20. As shown in FIG. 3, the POS device 20 includes a CPU 201, a ROM 202, and a RAM 203.

The CPU 201 is an example of a processor, and controls the operation of the POS device 20 in an integrated manner. The ROM 202 stores various programs. The RAM 203 is a workspace for developing programs and various data. The CPU 201, ROM 202, and RAM 203 are connected to each other via the bus 204. The CPU 201, ROM 202, and RAM 203 form a computer-configured control unit 200. The control unit 200 executes various processes by operating the CPU 201 according to the control program 205a stored in the ROM 202 or the storage unit 205 and expanded in the RAM 203.

The control unit 200 is connected to the storage unit 205 and the communication unit 206 via the bus 204. The storage unit 205 is composed of an HDD, a flash memory, or the like, and maintains the stored contents even when the power supply is cut off. The storage unit 205 stores, for example, the control program 205a and the product master 205b.

The control program 205a is a control program for controlling the operation of the POS device 20. The product master 205b stores product information related to each product sold in the store ST. The product master 205b stores product information such as a product name and a price in association with a product code of each product, for example. Here, the product code is an example of a product identifier that can identify the type of product. The product name is information indicating the name of the product specified by the product code. The price is information indicating the unit price of the product specified by the product code.

The communication unit 206 is a communication interface that can be connected to the in-store network N2. The communication unit 206 can communicate with another POS device 20 or communicate with the server device 30 of the network N1 via the in-store network N2.

Further, the display unit 208, the operation unit 209, the scanner unit 210, the printer 211, the deposit / withdrawal unit 212, the card reading unit 213, and the like are connected to the control unit 200 via the bus 204 and the input / output controller 207.

The display unit 208 is a display device such as an LCD, and displays various information under the control of the control unit 200. The operation unit 209 has various operation buttons such as a number key and a tightening key, and outputs key information according to a customer's operation to the control unit 200. The operation unit 209 may be, for example, a touch panel provided on the surface of the display unit 208.

The scanner unit 210 is a reading device capable of reading a code symbol such as a bar code or a two-dimensional code. For example, the scanner unit 210 reads the product code from the code symbol attached to the product and outputs the read product code to the CPU 201. Further, for example, the scanner unit 210 reads the user ID and payment information related to electronic payment, which will be described later, from the code symbol displayed on the display unit 108 of the mobile terminal 10, and outputs the read information to the CPU 201.

The printer 211 prints a receipt related to the payment process executed by the control unit 200. The deposit / withdrawal unit 212 includes a storage unit (not shown) for storing money (coins, banknotes) by denomination, and executes deposit processing of payment amounts, change withdrawal processing, and the like.

The card reading unit 213 is a reading device that reads information from a card medium such as a magnetic card or an IC card. For example, the card reading unit 213 reads the credit information related to the payment of the product price from the credit card, and outputs the read credit information to the CPU 201.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the server device 30. As shown in FIG. 4, the server device 30 includes a CPU 301, a ROM 302, and a RAM 303.

The CPU 301 is an example of a processor, and controls the operation of the server device 30 in an integrated manner. The ROM 302 stores various programs. The RAM 303 is a workspace for developing programs and various data. The CPU 301, ROM 302, and RAM 303 are connected to each other via the bus 304. The CPU 301, ROM 302, and RAM 303 form a computer-configured control unit 300. The control unit 300 executes various processes by operating the CPU 301 according to the control program 305a stored in the ROM 302 or the storage unit 305 and expanded in the RAM 303.

The control unit 300 is connected to the storage unit 305 via the bus 304. The storage unit 305 is composed of an HDD, a flash memory, or the like, and maintains the stored contents even when the power is cut off. The storage unit 305 stores, for example, the control program 305a, the member master 305b, and the group management table 305c.

The control program 305a is a control program for controlling the operation of the server device 30. Further, the control program 305a may include a server program for cooperating with an application (for example, an SNS application) mounted on the mobile terminal 10.

The member master 305b stores the user ID of each customer registered in advance by a procedure such as membership registration. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the member master 305b. As shown in FIG. 5, the member master 305b stores member information such as name, age, and gender in association with the user ID.

Here, the user ID is an example of a user identifier that identifies a customer (user). As the user ID, for example, unique information such as a telephone number of the mobile terminal 10 owned by the customer and a user ID used on an application (for example, an SNS application) introduced in the mobile terminal 10 can be used. The name is information indicating the name of the customer specified by the user ID. The age is information indicating the age of the customer specified by the user ID. The gender is information indicating the gender of the customer specified by the user ID.

The member information registered in the member master 305b is not limited to the example of FIG. For example, the member information may include contact information such as an address and a telephone number. In addition, the member information itself may be left blank.

The group management table 305c is data for storing and managing the user IDs of each customer grouped (grouped). FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the group management table 305c. As shown in FIG. 6, the group management table 305c stores the user IDs of the members belonging to the group in association with the group ID that identifies each group.

For example, in the group ID "001", three user IDs "U0001, U0002, U0003" are grouped in the same group. Further, in the group ID "002", four user IDs "U0101, U0102, U0103, U0104" are grouped in the same group. In the present embodiment, the user ID associated with the same group ID is treated as a group customer.

Returning to FIG. 4, the communication unit 306 is connected to the control unit 300 via the bus 304. The communication unit 306 is a communication interface that can be connected to the network N1. The communication unit 306 can communicate with each of the mobile terminals 10 or communicate with the POS device 20 connected to the in-store network N2 via the network N1.

Next, the functional configuration of the shopping support system 1 described above will be described. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the mobile terminal 10, the POS device 20, and the server device 30.

Note that, for convenience of explanation, FIG. 7 describes the functional configurations of each of the mobile terminals 10 separately for the two mobile terminals 10 (10a and 10b). The mobile terminals 10a and 10b are mobile terminals 10 owned by customers grouped in the same group. Here, the mobile terminal 10a means a mobile terminal 10 possessed by a customer (specific user) who conducts a transaction among the members in the same group. The transaction means a series of procedures (settlement, etc.) related to the purchase of goods performed by the POS device 20. Hereinafter, the customer who conducts the transaction is also referred to as an accountant.

Further, the mobile terminal 10b means a mobile terminal 10 possessed by a customer (another user) other than the customer who conducts a transaction among the members in the same group. Hereinafter, among the members in the same group, the customer who conducts the transaction is referred to as an accountant, and the customers other than the customer who conducts the transaction are referred to as a companion. Further, when the mobile terminal 10a and the mobile terminal 10b are not distinguished, it is simply referred to as the mobile terminal 10.

As shown in FIG. 7, the mobile terminal 10 includes a group registration unit 151, a user ID display unit 152, a payment information display unit 153, a first notification reception unit 154, a first notification screen display unit 155, and a purchase intention notification unit 156. A second notification reception unit 157, a second notification screen display unit 158, and a payment suppression unit 159 are provided as functional units.

Further, the POS device 20 includes a reading control unit 251, a transaction start notification unit 252, a sales registration unit 253, and a settlement processing unit 254 as functional units.

Further, the server device 30 includes a group management unit 351, a transaction start reception unit 352, a companion notification unit 353, a purchase intention reception unit 354, and an accountant notification unit 355 as functional units.

A part or all of the functional units included in each of the above-mentioned devices is realized by the cooperation between the processor (CPU) of the device and various programs (for example, control programs) stored in the memory (ROM, storage unit, etc.). Software configuration may be used. Further, a part or all of the functional units included in each of the above-mentioned devices may have a hardware configuration realized by a dedicated circuit or the like provided in the device. In FIG. 7, the functional units related to each other are connected by a broken line.

The group registration unit 151 of the mobile terminal 10a requests the server device 30 to register the group in response to the operation of the operation unit 109. Specifically, the group registration unit 151 has a user ID of a customer (accountant) who operates its own mobile terminal 10a and a user ID of a customer (accompanying person) who is a member in response to an operation via the operation unit 109. A registration request including and is transmitted to the server device 30.

Here, the method of specifying the user ID of the companion and the timing of requesting registration are not particularly limited. For example, the group registration unit 151 may accept selection of user IDs to be grouped from the list of user IDs stored in advance in the storage unit 105. Further, the registration request may be made before visiting the store ST, or may be made when visiting the store ST.

The group management unit 351 of the server device 30 groups the members instructed by the registration request in response to the registration request from the mobile terminal 10a (group registration unit 151). Specifically, the group management unit 351 associates the user ID group included in the registration request with the same group ID and registers it in the group management table 305c.

The group management unit 351 determines whether or not the member is a regular member by collating each user ID included in the registration request with the member master 305b prior to registration in the group management table 305c. May be good. In this case, when the group management unit 351 detects a non-member user ID, it may return an error to the mobile terminal 10a to suppress grouping.

The user ID display unit 152 of the mobile terminal 10a causes the display unit 108 to display the user ID of the operator of its own mobile terminal 10a in response to the operation of the operation unit 109. Specifically, the user ID display unit 152 encodes the user ID into a code symbol such as a bar code, so that the code symbol including the user ID is displayed on the display unit 108.

Further, the payment information display unit 153 of the mobile terminal 10a causes the display unit 108 to display the payment information related to the electronic result in response to the operation of the operation unit 109. Specifically, the payment information display unit 153 encodes the payment information into a code symbol such as a two-dimensional code, so that the code symbol including the payment information is displayed on the display unit 108. The user ID and the payment information may be displayed on the same screen or may be displayed on different screens.

For example, the operator (accountant) of the mobile terminal 10a instructs the operation unit 109 to display the user ID when the POS device 20 accounts for the product picked up from the store. The user ID display unit 152 causes the display unit 108 to display the user ID in response to this display instruction. Further, the operator (accountant) of the mobile terminal 10a instructs the operation unit 109 to display the payment information when the POS device 20 makes a payment for the product. The payment information display unit 153 causes the display unit 108 to display the payment information in response to this display instruction. Then, the accountant presents the user ID and payment information (code symbol) displayed on the display unit 108 to the operator of the POS device 20, and the code symbol is read by the scanner unit 210.

The reading control unit 251 of the POS device 20 controls the scanner unit 210 to acquire various information read through the scanner unit 210. For example, the reading control unit 251 acquires the product code from the code symbol attached to the product purchased by the customer. Further, the reading control unit 251 acquires the user ID and payment information from the code symbol displayed on the display unit 108 of the mobile terminal 10a.

When the transaction start notification unit 252 receives the transaction start operation from the accountant of the mobile terminal 10a, the transaction start notification unit 252 notifies the server device 30 of the transaction start together with the user ID of the accountant. Specifically, the transaction start notification unit 252 transmits the user ID acquired by the reading control unit 251 to the server device 30 as the user ID of the accountant.

Here, various operation methods can be adopted regardless of the transaction start operation. For example, the transaction start notification unit 252 may accept that the user ID has been acquired by the reading control unit 251 as a transaction start operation. That is, when the POS device 20 is used as an information processing device, the reading control unit 251 that receives the input of the user ID can be used as an example of the receiving means.

In this case, in the mobile terminal 10a, the operation of instructing the display of the user ID performed via the operation unit 109 corresponds to the operation of starting the transaction. That is, when the mobile terminal 10 is used as an information processing device, the user ID display unit 152 that receives the user ID display instruction can be used as an example of the receiving means.

The transaction start reception unit 352 of the server device 30 is an example of the reception means. The transaction start reception unit 352 receives a transaction start notification, that is, a transaction start operation, in which the accountant's user ID is specified from the POS device 20 (transaction start notification unit 252). Specifically, the transaction start reception unit 352 receives the transaction start notification unit 252 of the POS device 20 and also receives the accountant's user ID transmitted together with the notification.

The companion notification unit 353 of the server device 30 is an example of the first notification means. The companion notification unit 353 notifies the companion's mobile terminal 10b of the start of the transaction based on the user ID of the accountant received by the transaction start reception unit 352. Specifically, the companion notification unit 353 refers to the group management table 305c and identifies the group ID including the user ID of the accountant. Then, the companion notification unit 353 starts trading with each of the user IDs other than the accountant's user ID, that is, the mobile terminal 10b corresponding to the companion's user ID among the user ID group associated with the specified group ID. Notify. The companion notification unit 353 may also notify the mobile terminal 10a corresponding to the user ID of the accountant of the start of the transaction.

The first notification receiving unit 154 of the mobile terminal 10b receives the notification of the start of transaction from the server device 30 (liner notification unit 353). When the first notification receiving unit 154 receives the notification of the start of the transaction, the first notification screen display unit 155 of the mobile terminal 10b causes the display unit 108 to display the first notification screen notifying that the transaction has started.

Here, FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the first notification screen displayed by the first notification screen display unit 155. As shown in FIG. 8, the first notification screen G1 has a display column G11. In the display column G11, a message (transaction has started) or the like notifying the start of transaction is displayed. Further, the first notification screen G1 is provided with an additional purchase button B11 and an OK button B12 as operators that can be operated by the operator (accompanying person) of the mobile terminal 10b.

The additional purchase button B11 is an operator related to the purchase intention operation indicating the purchase intention of the product. For example, when the operator (accompanying person) of the mobile terminal 10b exists at a position in the store different from the accountant and there is a product desired to be purchased, the additional purchase button B11 can be operated. Instruct that you are willing to purchase the product. On the other hand, the OK button B12 is an operator for indicating consent to start a transaction, and is operated, for example, when there is no intention of purchasing a product.

The purchase intention notification unit 156 of the mobile terminal 10b accepts the operation of the additional purchase button B11 or the OK button B12, and notifies the server device 30 of information indicating whether or not the companion has the purchase intention based on the operation content. For example, when the purchase intention notification unit 156 accepts the operation of the additional purchase button B11, the purchase intention notification unit 156 transmits the purchase intention information indicating that there is a purchase intention to the server device 30 together with the user ID of the mobile terminal 10b. Further, for example, when the purchase intention notification unit 156 accepts the operation of the OK button B12, the purchase intention notification unit 156 transmits the purchase intention information indicating that there is no purchase intention to the server device 30 together with the user ID of the mobile terminal 10b.

The purchase intention reception unit 354 of the server device 30 receives the purchase intention information transmitted from each of the mobile terminals 10b (purchase intention notification unit 156). Specifically, the purchase intention reception unit 354 receives the purchase intention information and the user ID of the mobile terminal 10b from each of the mobile terminals 10b.

The accountant notification unit 355 is an example of the second notification means. When the purchase intention information received by the purchase intention reception unit 354 from each of the mobile terminals 10b includes the purchase intention information indicating that there is a purchase intention, the accountant notification unit 355 tells the companion to purchase the product. Notify the mobile terminal 10a that there is. Specifically, the accountant notification unit 355 notifies the mobile terminal 10a of the purchase intention information indicating that there is a purchase intention together with the user ID of the corresponding mobile terminal 10b.

The second notification receiving unit 157 of the mobile terminal 10a receives the notification of the purchase intention information from the server device 30 (accounting person notification unit 355). The second notification screen display unit 158 of the mobile terminal 10a displays a second notification screen that notifies the companion that the companion has an intention to purchase the product when the second notification reception unit 157 receives the notification of the purchase intention information. To display.

Here, FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the second notification screen displayed by the second notification screen display unit 158. As shown in FIG. 9, the second notification screen G2 has a display column G21. In the display column G21, a message (there is an additional purchased product) or the like notifying the companion that he / she intends to purchase the product is displayed.

The second notification screen display unit 158 may display the user ID of the companion notified together with the purchase intention information or the name of the companion corresponding to the user ID in the display column G21. As a result, the accountant can easily grasp which companion is willing to purchase the product, so that the convenience can be improved.

Further, the second notification screen G2 is provided with a payment execution button B21 as an operator that can be operated by the operator (accountant) of the mobile terminal 10a. The payment execution button B21 will be described later.

Returning to FIG. 7, the payment suppression unit 159 suppresses the function related to payment mounted on the mobile terminal 10a on condition that the purchase intention information is notified from the server device 30. In other words, the payment suppression unit 159 of the mobile terminal 10a functions as an example of the suppression means for suppressing the function related to the payment of the mobile terminal 10a by cooperating with the accountant notification unit 355 of the server device 30.

Here, the payment suppression unit 159 controls the payment information so that it is not displayed on the display unit 108 by suppressing the output function (display function) of the payment information display unit 153. As a result, in the mobile terminal 10a, it is possible to prevent the product from being inadvertently settled (electronic payment) until the companion brings the product to the POS device 20.

If the payment information is already displayed when the purchase intention information is notified, such as when the payment information is displayed together with the user ID, the payment suppression unit 159 erases the displayed payment information and outputs it. Suppress the function.

Further, the settlement suppression unit 159 releases the suppression of the output function in response to the operation of the operator (accountant) of the mobile terminal 10a. For example, when the operation of the payment execution button B21 is accepted on the second notification screen G2 of FIG. 9, the payment suppression unit 159 determines that the operation to release the suppression has been performed, and releases the suppression of the output function. As a result, the payment information display unit 153 can display the payment information on the display unit 108 in response to the operation of the payment execution button B21.

The accountant notification unit 355 of the server device 30 may control the display of the second notification screen G2 by cooperating with the second notification screen display unit 158. Further, the accountant notification unit 355 of the server device 30 may be configured to release the suppression of the output function by controlling the operation of the payment suppression unit 159 in response to the operation of the payment execution button B21.

Further, the POS device 20 includes a sales registration unit 253 and a payment processing unit 254 as functional units related to product transactions. When the product code is acquired by the reading control unit 251, the sales registration unit 253 registers the sales of the product corresponding to the product code. Specifically, the sales registration unit 253 identifies the product information of the corresponding product by collating the product code acquired by the reading control unit 251 with each product code stored in the product master 205b. Then, the sales registration unit 253 registers the sales of the product by temporarily storing the product code acquired by the reading control unit 251 and the product information corresponding to the product code.

The settlement processing unit 254 of the POS device 20 executes accounting processing for each product registered for sales by the sales registration unit 253. Specifically, when the settlement processing unit 254 receives the operation of the closing key, it calculates the total price of the products purchased by the customer based on the product information of each product registered for sales up to that point. Then, the settlement processing unit 254 executes an accounting process in which the total price of the goods is settled by the payment amount paid by the customer. For example, when the payment processing unit 254 acquires payment information by the reading control unit 251, the payment processing unit 254 pays the total price of the product by electronic payment by cooperating with an external server device that provides an electronic payment service. Execute the process.

Hereinafter, operation examples of the mobile terminal 10, the POS device 20, and the server device 30 will be described.

First, the group registration process performed between the mobile terminal 10 and the server device 30 will be described with reference to FIG. Here, FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the group registration process executed by the mobile terminal 10 and the server device 30.

First, the group registration unit 151 of the mobile terminal 10 waits until the user ID of the customer (accompanying person) who is a member of the group is specified (step S11; No). When the user ID of the companion is specified (step S11; Yes), the group registration unit 151 registers the user ID of the customer who operates his / her mobile terminal 10 and the user ID specified in step S11. The request is transmitted to the server device 30 (step S12).

On the other hand, when the group management unit 351 of the server device 30 receives the registration request from the mobile terminal 10 (step S21), the user ID group included in the registration request is associated with the same group ID and registered in the group management table 305c. By doing so, grouping is performed (step S22).

As a result, in the shopping support system 1, a group such as a family composed of a plurality of customers can be treated as a group customer who shares accounting.

Next, with reference to FIG. 11, a product purchase process performed between the mobile terminal 10, the POS device 20, and the server device 30 will be described. Here, FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a product purchase process executed by the mobile terminal 10, the POS device 20, and the server device 30. In this process, the user ID is read at the start of the transaction, but the timing at which the user ID is read is not limited to this.

First, the accountant packs the products he / she wants to purchase into a shopping cart or the like and carries them to the POS device 20. Then, the accountant operates the mobile terminal 10a to display the code symbol representing the user ID on the display unit 108. The user ID display unit 152 of the mobile terminal 10 causes the display unit 108 to display a code symbol representing the user ID in response to the operation of the operation unit 109 (step S31).

In the POS device 20, when the user ID is read from the code symbol displayed on the display unit 108 of the mobile terminal 10a by the scanner unit 210, the reading control unit 251 acquires the read user ID (step S41). Next, the transaction start notification unit 252 notifies the server device 30 of the transaction start together with the user ID acquired in step S41 (step S42).

In the server device 30, when the transaction start reception unit 352 receives the notification from the POS device 20, the companion notification unit 353 refers to the group management table 305c and the user of the companion who belongs to the same group as the notified user ID. The ID is specified (step S51). Next, the companion notification unit 353 notifies each of the mobile terminals 10b corresponding to the specified user ID of the start of the transaction (step S52).

In the mobile terminal 10b, when the first notification receiving unit 154 receives the notification from the server device 30, the first notification screen display unit 155 causes the display unit 108 to display the first notification screen G1 for notifying the start of the transaction (step). S61). As a result, the companion can easily confirm that the accountant has started the transaction based on the first notification screen displayed on the display unit 108.

Next, when the purchase intention notification unit 156 receives an operation for instructing whether or not there is a purchase intention (step S62), the purchase intention notification unit 156 notifies the server device 30 of the purchase intention information according to the operation content together with the user ID of the mobile terminal 10b (step S62). S63).

In the server device 30, when the purchase intention reception unit 354 receives the notification from the mobile terminal 10b, the content of the notified purchase intention information is confirmed, and when there is purchase intention information indicating that the product is intended to be purchased, the server device 30 carries the product. Notify the terminal 10a (step S53).

Subsequently, in the mobile terminal 10a, when the second notification receiving unit 157 receives the notification from the server device 30, the second notification screen display unit 158 notifies that the companion intends to purchase the product. The notification screen G2 is displayed on the display unit 108 (step S32). Further, the payment suppression unit 159 suppresses the display of payment information by the payment information display unit 153 (step S33). As a result, the accountant can easily confirm that there is a person who intends to purchase the product among the accompanying persons based on the second notification screen displayed on the display unit 108.

On the other hand, in the server device 30, after reading the user ID in step S41, the sales registration of the product brought in by the accountant is executed. Specifically, when the product code is read from the code symbol attached to the product by the scanner unit 210, the reading control unit 251 acquires the read product code (step S43). Next, the sales registration unit 253 registers the sales based on the acquired product code (step S44).

Until the closing key is operated, it is possible to continuously register the sales of the product. Therefore, for example, when a companion who has expressed his intention to purchase a product brings the product he / she wants to purchase to the POS device 20, the product is sold as a product purchased in the same transaction until the closing key is operated. You can register.

When the payment processing unit 254 of the server device 30 receives the operation of the closing key (step S45), the payment processing unit 254 calculates the total price based on the product information of the product registered for sales, thereby settling the product price (accounting). To be in a state where it is possible to perform.

Here, for example, when the accountant determines that the settlement will proceed due to reasons such as the completion of sales registration of the companion or the companion not arriving at the POS device 20, the above-mentioned settlement execution button B21 is operated. By doing so, the suppression release of the payment information display unit 153 is instructed.

When the payment suppression unit 159 of the mobile terminal 10a receives the operation of the payment execution button B21 (step S34), the payment suppression unit 153 releases the suppression of the payment information display unit 153. As a result, the payment information display unit 153 causes the display unit 108 to display the code symbol including the payment information (step S35).

In the POS device 20, when the payment information is read from the code symbol displayed on the display unit 108 by the scanner unit 210, the reading control unit 251 acquires the read payment information (step S46). Then, the payment processing unit 254 executes the payment processing based on the acquired payment information (step S47).

As described above, when the server device 30 of the present embodiment receives the transaction start operation in which the accountant's user ID is specified, each of the mobile terminals 10b corresponding to the companion's user ID associated with the user ID is received. Notify the start of the transaction. Further, when the purchase intention operation indicating that the server device 30 has an intention to purchase the product is performed on any of the mobile terminals 10b, the server device 30 sends the product to the accompanying person with respect to the mobile terminal 10a corresponding to the user ID of the accountant. Notify that you are willing to purchase.

As a result, the server device 30 can notify the companion that the transaction has started even when a member (accompanying person) of the same group as the accountant exists at a position away from the accountant. it can. Further, since the server device 30 notifies the mobile terminal 10a of the purchase intention operation on the mobile terminal 10b, the accountant is informed that there is a companion who intends to purchase the product. Can be recognized. Therefore, the server device 30 can provide an opportunity for the accountant and the companion to carry out the same transaction (accounting), and thus can support the shopping of group customers.

It should be noted that the above-described embodiment can be appropriately modified and implemented by changing a part of the configuration or function of each of the above-mentioned devices. Therefore, in the following, some modifications according to the above-described embodiment will be described as other embodiments. In the following, points different from the above-described embodiment will be mainly described, and detailed description of points common to the contents already described will be omitted. Further, the modifications described below may be carried out individually or in combination as appropriate.

(Modification example 1)
In the above-described embodiment, the mobile terminal 10a communicates with the mobile terminal 10b via the server device 30, but the mobile terminals 10 may directly communicate with each other.

In this case, the control unit 100 of the mobile terminal 10a accepts the instruction to display the user ID via the operation unit 109 as an operation for starting a transaction. Further, the control unit 100 of the mobile terminal 10a notifies each of the mobile terminals 10b of the start of transaction based on the user ID of the companion stored in the storage unit 105. In addition, the second notification screen display unit 158 of the mobile terminal 10a is the second when the purchase intention information notified from each of the mobile terminals 10b includes the purchase intention information indicating that the product is intended to be purchased. 2 Display the notification screen G2.

As a result, the mobile terminal 10 can function as an information processing device, and the same effect as that of the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

(Modification 2)
In the above-described embodiment, the embodiment in which the server device 30 is arranged outside the store ST has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the server device 30 may be a store server placed in the store ST. Further, in this case, the POS device 20 may be configured to include a part or all of the functions of the server device 30. For example, the POS device 20 can function as an information processing device by providing the functions of the transaction start reception unit 352, the companion notification unit 353, the purchase intention reception unit 354, and the accountant notification unit 355. it can.

(Modification example 3)
In the above-described embodiment, the embodiment in which the user ID of the accountant is displayed on the display unit 108 of the mobile terminal 10a and read by the scanner unit 210 has been described, but the method of inputting the user ID of the accountant is not limited to this. To do.

For example, the card reading unit 213 may read the user ID stored in the card medium from the card medium (for example, a membership card) possessed by the accountant. Further, for example, the user ID may be input via the operation unit 209.

The program executed by each device of the above-described embodiment is provided by being incorporated in a ROM or the like in advance. The program executed by each device of the above-described embodiment is a file in an installable format or an executable format on a computer such as a CD-ROM, a flexible disk (FD), a CD-R, or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk). It may be configured to be recorded and provided on a readable recording medium.

Further, the program executed by each device of the above-described embodiment may be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by downloading via the network. Further, the program executed by each device of the above-described embodiment may be configured to be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

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, changes, and combinations 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 Shopping support system 10 Mobile terminal 20 POS device 30 Server device 151 Group registration unit 152 User ID display unit 153 Payment information display unit 154 1st notification reception unit 155 1st notification screen display unit 156 Purchase intention notification unit 157 2nd notification reception Department 158 Second notification screen display unit 159 Payment suppression unit 251 Reading control unit 252 Sales registration department 253 Sales registration department 254 Payment processing department 351 Group management department 352 Transaction start reception department 353 Companion notification department 354 Purchase intention reception department 355 Accountant Notification section

Japanese Patent No. 5357288

Claims (6)

A reception means that accepts a transaction start operation that specifies a specific user's identifier,
In response to the transaction start operation, a first notification means for notifying each of the terminal devices corresponding to the identifiers of other users associated with the user identifier of the specific user in advance, and the start of the transaction.
When a purchase intention operation indicating that any of the terminal devices has an intention to purchase a product is performed, the other user has an intention to purchase the product with respect to the terminal device corresponding to the identifier of the specific user. The second notification means to notify and
Information processing device equipped with. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the second notification means notifies the terminal device corresponding to the identifier of the specific user of the identifier of another user corresponding to the terminal device for which the purchase intention operation has been performed. .. The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a suppressing means for suppressing a function related to payment mounted on the terminal device corresponding to the identifier of the specific user when the purchase intention operation is performed. The information processing device according to claim 3, wherein the suppressing means suppresses the output of payment information related to electronic payment. The information according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the suppression means controls the function related to the settlement to a state in which the function related to the payment is executed when the operation of releasing the suppression is performed by the terminal device corresponding to the identifier of the specific user. Processing equipment. The computer of the information processing device,
A reception means that accepts a transaction start operation that specifies a specific user's identifier,
In response to the transaction start operation, a first notification means for notifying each of the terminal devices corresponding to the identifiers of other users associated with the user identifier of the specific user in advance, and the start of the transaction.
When a purchase intention operation indicating that the product is intended to be purchased is performed in any of the terminal devices, a second notification means for notifying the terminal device corresponding to the identifier of the specific user that the purchase intention operation has been performed. When,
A program to make it work.

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