JP2022168494A - Recipe proposal system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a recipe proposal system that improves convenience.SOLUTION: In a recipe proposal system, a server 200 includes: an information acquisition unit 220 that acquires advertisement information indicating a foodstuff that can be purchased at a price lower than a normal price; a foodstuff management unit 230 that manages inventory information indicating a foodstuff owned by a user; a recipe selection unit 240 that preferentially selects a recipe containing a foodstuff with an old purchase date or a close intake date from among a plurality of referable recipes; and a notification unit 250 that, when the recipe selected by the recipe selection unit contains insufficient foodstuffs that the user does not have, if there is a foodstuff included in the advertisement information among the insufficient foodstuffs, associates the recipe selected by the recipe selection unit with a fact that there is a foodstuff included in the advertisement information among the insufficient foodstuffs and notifies the user of the same.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to recipe suggestion systems.

A system has been proposed that determines recipes based on information about food items stored in a refrigerator, the expiration date of the food items, and information about the food items that are on sale at the store. Such a system may unnecessarily promote the purchase of foods on bargain sale, requiring the user to make decisions based on past experiences.

JP 2008-242911 A

A problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a recipe proposal system capable of improving convenience.

A recipe proposal system according to an embodiment has an information acquisition unit, a food material management unit, a recipe selection unit, and a notification unit. The information acquisition unit acquires advertisement information indicating ingredients that can be purchased at a price lower than the normal price. The ingredient management unit manages inventory information indicating ingredients owned by a user. The recipe selection unit preferentially selects, from among a plurality of referenceable recipes, a recipe containing ingredients with an old purchase date or a close intake date, based on the purchase date or the intake date of the ingredients included in the inventory information. do. If the recipe selected by the recipe selection unit includes a missing food ingredient that the user does not possess, and if the missing food ingredient includes a food ingredient that is included in the advertisement information, The recipe selected by the recipe selection unit and the fact that there is a food item included in the advertisement information among the deficient food items are reported in association with each other.

The figure which shows the whole structure of the recipe proposal system of 1st Embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the server of the first embodiment; FIG. The figure which shows an example of the content of the advertisement information of 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the content of the inventory information of 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the display screen of the display apparatus of 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the display screen of the display apparatus of 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the display screen of the display apparatus of 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the display screen of the display apparatus of 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the display screen of the display apparatus of 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the display screen of the display apparatus of 1st Embodiment. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing according to the first embodiment; The block diagram which shows the functional structure of the server of 2nd Embodiment. FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a server according to the third embodiment; FIG. The figure which shows an example of the content of the regular stock information of 3rd Embodiment.

Hereinafter, the recipe proposal system of the embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals are given to components having the same or similar functions. Duplicate descriptions of these configurations may be omitted. "Based on XX" means "based at least on XX" and may include based on other elements in addition to XX. "XX or YY" is not limited to either one of XX and YY, but may include both XX and YY. This is also the case when there are three or more selective elements. "XX" and "YY" are arbitrary elements (eg, arbitrary information).

(First embodiment)
<1. Overall Configuration of Recipe Proposal System>
First, the overall configuration of the recipe proposal system 1 will be described.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a recipe proposal system 1. As shown in FIG. The recipe proposal system 1 includes, for example, a refrigerator 100, a server 200, and a terminal device 300. The recipe proposal system 1 is not limited to the configuration described above, and may be configured by only the server 200 (more specifically, only the refrigerator management server 201 described later). The network NW described later is the Internet, cellular network, Wi-Fi (registered trademark) network, LPWA (Low Power Wide Area), WAN (Wide Area Network), LAN (Local Area Network), or other public lines or dedicated lines. and the like.

Refrigerator 100 is placed in user U's residence. Refrigerator 100 is connected to network NW, for example, via a wireless router R installed at user U's residence, and can communicate with server 200 (eg, refrigerator management server 201) via network NW. Refrigerator 100 includes a plurality of storage compartments (refrigerator compartment, chilled compartment, vegetable compartment, freezer compartment, etc.) that can store foodstuffs. In this embodiment, the refrigerator 100 includes a display device 101 including a display screen capable of displaying various types of information, and an operation unit 102 capable of accepting user U's operation. The display device 101 is, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display. The operation unit 102 is, for example, a touch sensor provided over the display screen of the display device 101 . However, refrigerator 100 may not have display device 101 and operation unit 102 .

The server 200 provides services related to management of foodstuffs in the refrigerator 100 and proposal of recipes. The server 200 is composed of, for example, one or more server devices (for example, cloud servers) connected to the network NW. The server 200 may include an information processing unit that performs edge computing and fog computing, such as an information processing unit included in a router in the network NW. Server 200 can communicate with refrigerator 100 and terminal device 300 via network NW. Note that the server 200 is not limited to a cloud server, and may be a computer in the user U's residence or a home router (eg, wireless router R). Also, the server 200 may be implemented as part of the terminal device 300 .

In this embodiment, server 200 includes refrigerator management server 201 and recipe server 202 . Refrigerator management server 201 is a server that manages ingredients of refrigerator 100 and performs remote control. On the other hand, the recipe server 202 is a server that accumulates recipe information 263 (see FIG. 2) in which multiple recipes are registered. The refrigerator management server 201 and the recipe server 202 can communicate with each other via the network NW. Refrigerator management server 201 and recipe server 202 may be realized by one server device. Below, the refrigerator management server 201 and the recipe server 202 are collectively described as a "server 200".

The server 200 can communicate with one or more external servers SS via the network NW. The external server SS is a server that distributes advertisement information indicating foodstuffs that can be purchased at a price lower than the normal price (for example, bargain items or inexpensive foodstuffs). The external server SS is, for example, a server of a retail store such as a supermarket, or a server of an information distributor that collects and distributes advertising information from a plurality of retail stores. For convenience of explanation, foodstuffs that can be purchased at a price lower than the normal price are hereinafter referred to as "bargain items". In other words, the term "bargain product" as used in the present application is not limited to particularly cheap foodstuffs, but broadly means foodstuffs that can be purchased at a price lower than the normal price.

The terminal device 300 is, for example, a mobile terminal device such as a smart phone or a tablet terminal device. The terminal device 300 includes a display device 301 including a display screen capable of displaying various information, and an operation unit 302 capable of accepting user U's operation. The display device 301 is, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display. The operation unit 302 is, for example, a touch sensor provided over the display screen of the display device 301 . An application program P for using refrigerator 100 and server 200 is installed in terminal device 300, and functions described below are supported. Note that the terminal device 300 is not limited to a mobile terminal device, and may be a personal computer, a smart speaker, or the like.

As an example of searching and displaying recipes, an example in which a recipe is displayed on the display device 301 of the terminal device 300 based on the user U's operation on the operation unit 302 of the terminal device 300 will be described below. Instead of/in addition to this, the recipe may be displayed on the display device 101 of the refrigerator 100 based on the user U's operation on the operation unit 102 of the refrigerator 100 . That is, "operation unit 302 of terminal device 300" and "display device 301 of terminal device 300" in the following description may be read as "operation unit 102 of refrigerator 100" and "display device 101 of refrigerator 100", respectively. .

<2. Functional Configuration of Server>
Next, the functional configuration of the server 200 will be described.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the server 200. As shown in FIG. The server 200 has, for example, an instruction reception unit 210, an information acquisition unit 220, a food material management unit 230, a recipe selection unit 240, and a notification unit (information output unit) 250. These functional units are implemented by one or more hardware processors such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) installed in the server 200 executing programs. However, some or all of these functional units are implemented by hardware (including circuitry) such as ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), PLD (Programmable Logic Device), or FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). Alternatively, it may be realized by cooperation of software and hardware.

Furthermore, the server 200 has a storage unit 260 . Storage unit 260 is realized by a RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), HDD (Hard Disk Drive), flash memory, or a combination of these. Advertisement information 261 , inventory information 262 and recipe information 263 are stored in the storage unit 260 .

The instruction accepting unit 210 accepts an instruction from the user U based on the user U's operation on the operation unit 302 of the terminal device 300 . The user U's instruction is, for example, an instruction to search for a recipe, an instruction to display the details of a specific recipe among a plurality of recipes included in the recipe search results on the display device 301 of the terminal device 300, or the like. In addition, the instruction receiving unit 210 also receives an instruction from the user U to specify a store (information collection target store) from which advertisement information (described later) is to be obtained, or, when displaying a bargain item on a specific sale date together with a recipe, specifies the sale date. It is possible to receive an instruction from the user U to do so.

The information acquisition unit 220 acquires advertisement information 261a from one or more external servers SS via a communication unit (not shown) and a network NW. The advertisement information 261a is information indicating ingredients (bargain items) that can be purchased at a price lower than the normal price. In the present application, "obtaining information" means not only passively receiving information, but also notifying a transmission request for transmitting advertisement information to the external server SS, and receiving advertisement information from the external server SS in response. It can also include the case of obtaining

The information acquisition unit 220 identifies a store (hereinafter referred to as an “information collection target store”) from which the advertisement information 261a is acquired, based on an instruction from the user U received by the instruction reception unit 210, for example. The information collection target store is, for example, a store within the action range of the user U (a store near the user U's home, a store on the way to work, etc.). However, the information collection target store may be a store that assumes delivery, such as an online supermarket. The information acquisition unit 220 acquires advertisement information 261a indicating bargain products that can be purchased at the information collection target store from the external server SS that distributes information on the information collection target store, and stores the acquired advertisement information 261a in the storage unit 260. stored as part of the advertisement information 261 to be displayed.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the advertisement information 261. As shown in FIG. The advertisement information 261 includes, for example, advertisement information 261a regarding a plurality of information collection target stores acquired by the information acquisition unit 220 . In the advertisement information 261, "management ID", "ingredient name", "price", "store", and "sales date" are associated and registered for each bargain item. A “store” is a store where the bargain item can be purchased at a price lower than the regular price. The “sale date” is a sale date (bargain sale date) on which the bargain item can be purchased at a price lower than the regular price.

The foodstuff management unit 230 manages inventory information 262 indicating foodstuffs owned by the user U. FIG. In the inventory information 262, ingredients that are in stock at the residence of the user U are registered. The inventory information 262 is not limited to the foodstuffs stored in the storeroom inside the refrigerator 100, and may include foodstuffs stored outside the refrigerator 100 (for example, stored at room temperature). The food material management unit 230 updates the inventory information 262 based on, for example, instructions from the user U received by the instruction receiving unit 210 . The update of the inventory information 262 is addition, deletion, quantity change, or the like of ingredients owned by the user U. In place of/in addition to the user's instruction, the food material management unit 230 stores the stock information 262 based on information obtained from a sensor (for example, a camera) provided in the refrigerator 100 or food purchase information such as a receipt. may be updated.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the inventory information 262. As shown in FIG. In the inventory information 262, for each ingredient, "management ID", "ingredient name", "ingredient category", "storage location", "purchase date", "ingestion date", "quantity", "unit", and "history ” is associated and registered.

"Each ingredient" means, for example, the same ingredients purchased at the same time. In other words, a food item purchased on a certain date and time and a food item purchased on another date and time are registered as different food items, even if they are of the same type. The term “purchase date” used here refers to the registration date when a specific ingredient was newly registered, that is, the date when the inventory amount increased, and is used to include cases where the acquisition route of the ingredient was not purchase. .

"Foodstuff classification" means a classification of foodstuffs. In this embodiment, as the "ingredient classification", "vegetables", "fruit", "meat", "seafood / seaweed", "eggs / dairy products", "beans / bean products", "processed food", " There are 16 types of foodstuff categories: rice/breads, noodles, beverages, frozen foods, sweets, seasonings, spices, side dishes, and others. is set. However, the above divisions are examples, and the divisions of the ingredients can be set as appropriate.

A "storage place" means a place where foodstuffs are stored. In this embodiment, four types of storage locations are set as the "storage location": "refrigerator", "vegetable compartment", "freezer", and "others". “Other” corresponds to a storage location outside refrigerator 100 . The “expiration date” is the expiration date or expiration date. The “due date” may be registered based on an instruction from the user U, or may be automatically entered as a date obtained by adding a predetermined number of days to the date of purchase. The latest quantity of ingredients is registered in the "quantity". In the "history", information indicating the quantity after the decrease and the date and time when the amount of food decreased is registered.

The recipe selection unit 240 can refer to multiple recipes included in the recipe information 263 . A recipe is information including a method of cooking ingredients. Each recipe included in the recipe information 263 includes information indicating an image of the finished dish, the types of ingredients required for cooking, the amount of each ingredient required for cooking, the cooking procedure, and the like. Note that the recipe selection unit 240 communicates with an external server (for example, an external server SS or another server) in place of/in addition to the recipe information 263 stored in the storage unit 260, thereby enabling recipe information stored in the external server. It may be possible to refer to one or more (e.g., multiple) recipes.

The recipe selection unit 240 preferentially selects recipes containing ingredients with an old purchase date or a close expiration date from among a plurality of referable recipes, based on the purchase date or expiration date of the ingredients included in the inventory information 262. do.

In this embodiment, the recipe selection unit 240 also selects recipes that include one or more food ingredients that the user U does not possess (that is, food ingredients that are not registered in the inventory information 262) from a plurality of referenceable recipes. It is possible. Below, foodstuffs that the user U does not possess (that is, foodstuffs not registered in the inventory information 262) may be referred to as “shortage foodstuffs”. In this embodiment, the recipe selection unit 240 determines whether or not each recipe includes ingredients included in the advertisement information 261 among the missing ingredients (that is, whether or not there are bargain items). Priority is given to recipes containing ingredients that are close to their expiration dates. Note that the recipe selection unit 240 will be described later in detail.

The notification unit 250 notifies the user U of one or more (for example, multiple) recipes selected by the recipe selection unit 240 . For example, the notification unit 250 notifies the user U of one or more (for example, multiple) recipes selected by the recipe selection unit 240 by displaying them on the display device 301 of the terminal device 300 . In the present embodiment, the notification unit 250 is activated when the recipe selected by the recipe selection unit 240 includes a missing ingredient, and the missing ingredient includes the ingredient included in the advertisement information 261 (i.e., when the bargain item is If there is), the recipe selected by the recipe selection unit 240 and the fact that there is a food item included in the advertisement information 261 (that is, there is a bargain item) among the lacking food materials are notified in association with each other. Note that the notification unit 250 will be described later in detail.

<3. Recipe selection and display>
Next, recipe selection by the recipe selection unit 240 and recipe display by the notification unit 250 will be described in detail. In the following description, the ingredients owned by the user U (that is, the ingredients whose stock is registered in the inventory information 262) may be referred to as "something" or "stocked ingredients".

In this embodiment, the recipe selection unit 240 can select one or more recipes using a recipe search method selected from among a plurality of recipe search methods with different search criteria for ingredients used. "Selecting a recipe" means extracting one or more recipes that meet the conditions from a plurality of referable recipes. As examples of the recipe search method, "existing item priority search" and "existing item essential search" will be described below. Note that the recipe search method is not limited to the example described below. In the following description, the term "ingredients" means ingredients that constitute the main or semi-main part of a dish, and does not include seasonings, fragrances, condiments, and the like.

<3.1 Priority search for existing items>
Next, an existing-thing priority search will be described. The certain item priority search is a search method in which the priority of using ingredients included in the inventory information 262 is lower than the later-described "some item essential search". The recipe selection unit 240 preferentially selects recipes containing ingredients possessed by the user U based on the inventory information 262 without an instruction from the user U to select ingredient candidates for use in the certain item priority search. In this embodiment, the recipe selection unit 240 selects recipes containing foodstuffs with an old purchase date or a close intake date from among a plurality of referable recipes based on the purchase date or the intake date of the stock ingredients in the certain item priority search. choose with priority. In addition, the recipe selection unit 240 preferentially selects a recipe that contains more food ingredients that have an older purchase date or a closer intake date from among a plurality of referenceable recipes in the certain item priority search. A “recipe including ingredients with an old purchase date or a close intake date” means a recipe including ingredients extracted based on the date of purchase or a recipe including ingredients extracted based on the expiration date.

For example, the recipe selection unit 240 extracts the first food material, the second food material, and the third food material based on the inventory information 262 in the certain item priority search, and selects the first food material, the second food material, and the second food material from among a plurality of referable recipes. A recipe containing all ingredients and a third ingredient (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “recipe 1”) is preferentially selected. In addition, the recipe selection unit 240 selects a recipe (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “recipe 2”) containing any two of the first ingredient, the second ingredient, and the third ingredient at a lower priority than recipe 1. select. In addition, the recipe selection unit 240 selects a recipe (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “recipe 3”) that includes any one of the first ingredient, the second ingredient, and the third ingredient at a lower priority than recipe 2. to select.

The “first food” is a food whose purchase date is relatively old or whose expiration date is relatively close among the food items belonging to the first food material category. “Second foodstuffs” are foodstuffs that belong to a second foodstuff classification different from the first foodstuffs classification and that have a relatively old date of purchase or a near expiration date for consumption. The “third food” is a food that has a relatively old date of purchase or a near expiration date among the food that belongs to the third food classification that is different from the first food classification and the second food classification. The “first food category” is any one of a food category including meat or seafood, a food category including processed food, or a food category including vegetables. The “second food category” is any other one of a food category including meat or seafood, a food category including processed food, or a food category including vegetables. The “third food category” is any further one of the food category including meat or seafood, the food category including processed food, or the food category including vegetables.

Also, the recipe selection unit 240 determines that the first number, which is the number of recipes 1 selected by the recipe selection unit 240 (that is, extracted by being searched and matching the conditions) in the certain-item priority search, is greater than the predetermined number. is less, additionally select recipe 2 (ie, additionally search and extract) according to the first number. The "predetermined number" is a preset number. For example, the "predetermined number" is the number of recipes that are output to the display device 301 at one time (that is, displayed on the display screen of the display device 301 at one time) as a response to an instruction from the user U requesting a recipe proposal. be. "Displayed at once" includes a case where a part of the display screen is hidden and displayed sequentially by scrolling.

If the number of recipes 2 selected by the recipe selection unit 240 (that is, extracted by being searched and meeting the conditions) is greater than the second number, the recipe selection unit 240 follows a predetermined rule (predetermined procedure). Randomly select a second number of recipes from among recipes 2 based on. The "second number" is a number corresponding to the difference between the predetermined number and the first number or a number smaller than the difference. "Selecting randomly" is not limited to a specific method, but is realized by, for example, generating random numbers by the recipe selection unit 240 and selecting recipes based on the generated random numbers.

Recipe selection unit 240 additionally selects recipe 3 according to the sum of the first number and the second number when the sum of the first number and the second number is less than the "predetermined number" in the given priority search. (i.e. additionally search and extract). If the number of recipes 3 selected by the recipe selection unit 240 (that is, extracted by searching and satisfying the conditions) is greater than the third number, the recipe selection unit 240 follows a predetermined rule (predetermined procedure). Randomly select a third number of recipes from among recipes 3 based on . The "third number" is a number corresponding to the difference between the sum of the first number and the second number and the "predetermined number" or a number smaller than the difference.

<3.2 Required search for existing items>
Next, a certain thing essential search will be described. Requirement retrieval is a method of retrieving recipes that require the use of at least one ingredient included in the inventory information 262 . A certain thing required search is, for example, accompanied by an instruction from the user U to select ingredients that are candidates for use. In this embodiment, the notification unit 250 causes the display device 301 to display at least a portion of the ingredients in stock based on the inventory information 262 when a certain item essential search is performed. The instruction receiving unit 210 receives a user's instruction to select a candidate food item from the stocked food items while at least part of the stocked food items is displayed on the display device 301 by the notification unit 250 .

In this embodiment, the instruction receiving unit 210 can receive a user's instruction to select a plurality of food ingredients as use candidate ingredients from the stock food ingredients. In this embodiment, when the instruction receiving unit 210 receives a user's instruction to select a plurality of ingredients as use candidate ingredients, the recipe selection unit 240 selects a recipe that includes at least one of the plurality of ingredients. to select. However, when the instruction receiving unit 210 receives a user's instruction to select a plurality of ingredients as use candidate ingredients, the recipe selection unit 240 may select only recipes that include all of the plurality of ingredients. good.

The recipe selection unit 240 selects a recipe including the candidate ingredients for use received by the instruction receiving unit 210 in the certain essential search. For example, it is assumed that ingredients A, ingredients B, ingredients C, ingredients D, and ingredients E are inventory ingredients. The user U selects the food A, the food B, and the food C as "use candidate food". The recipe selection unit 240 selects a recipe including one or more (preferably two or more, more preferably three or more) of the ingredients A, B, and C.

<3.3 Rearranging the display order>
The notification unit 250 outputs information indicating one or more recipes selected by the recipe selection unit 240 to the terminal device 300 and causes the display screen of the display device 301 to display the information. In the present embodiment, when displaying two or more recipes selected by the recipe selection unit 240 on the display screen of the display device 301, the notification unit 250 disallows the plurality of recipes based on a predetermined rule (predetermined procedure). They are rearranged according to the rule and displayed on the display screen of the display device 301 . That is, the notification unit 250 causes the two or more recipes selected by the recipe selection unit 240 to be displayed on the display screen of the display device 301 in an order different from the order in which they were selected by the recipe selection unit 240 (the order in which they were extracted). Like, rearrange multiple recipes randomly.

In the present embodiment, when displaying two or more recipes selected by the recipe selection unit 240 on the display device 301, the notification unit 250 determines whether there is an ingredient included in the advertisement information 261 among the missing ingredients of each recipe. Two or more recipes are randomly rearranged and displayed based on a predetermined procedure regardless of whether or not there is a special sale item. By irregularly rearranging and displaying recipes, multiple recipes selected based on the same ingredient (multiple recipes containing the same ingredient) are prevented from being displayed in succession. "Randomly rearranging" is not limited to a specific technique, but is realized by, for example, generating random numbers by the notification unit 250 and rearranging a plurality of recipes based on the generated random numbers.

In this embodiment, the notification unit 250 causes the display device 301 to display a predetermined number of recipes including the first number of recipes 1 and the second number of recipes 2 randomly selected by the recipe selection unit 240. , the predetermined number of recipes are rearranged irregularly based on the predetermined rule (predetermined procedure) and displayed on the display screen of the display device 301 . As a result, recipe 1 and recipe 2 are displayed in a mixed order on the display screen of the display device 301 . This is also the case when recipe 3 is included.

In this embodiment, when the notification unit 250 displays two or more recipes selected by the recipe selection unit 240 on the display screen of the display device 301, each recipe selected by the recipe selection unit 240 and each recipe The included ingredients whose purchase date is old or whose expiration date is close, the ingredients (bargain items) included in the advertisement information 261 among the missing ingredients included in each recipe, and the number of missing ingredients included in each recipe are associated with each other. to display. This will be explained in detail in the specific examples given below.

<4. Specific example>
<4.1 Concrete Example of Priority Search>
Next, a specific example of a given-thing priority search will be described.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the display screen D1 of the display device 301. As shown in FIG. Displayed on the display screen D1 are an operation unit (for example, button B1) for selecting a certain thing priority search, an operation unit (for example, button B2) for selecting a certain thing essential search, and the like. By operating the button B1, the recipe selection unit 240 performs a certain priority search. As a result, the display screen D1 transitions to the display screen D2 shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the display screen D2 on which a list of a plurality of recipes extracted (selected) by the certain-item priority search is displayed. A plurality of recipes displayed on the display screen D2 of FIG. Also, the plurality of recipes displayed on the display screen D2 of FIG. 6 are the plurality of recipes selected by the recipe selection section 240 and rearranged irregularly by the notification section 250, as described above.

When displaying a plurality of recipes selected by the recipe selection unit 240 on the display device 301, the notification unit 250 sets each recipe selected by the recipe selection unit 240 and the date of purchase or expiration date included in each recipe. It is displayed in association with the first display M1 indicating the nearby ingredients (that is, the ingredients used in the search by the recipe selection unit 240). That is, the first display M1 shows the name of the food, which is the first food, the second food, or the third food.

In this embodiment, in addition to the first display M1, the notification unit 250 displays each recipe selected by the recipe selection unit 240 and ingredients (bargain items) included in the advertisement information 261 among the missing ingredients included in each recipe. is displayed in association with the second display M2 indicating . That is, the second display M2 shows the name of the bargain item, which is the missing ingredient used in each recipe. The second display M2 is displayed only for recipes in which bargain items, which are insufficient ingredients used in each recipe, are present.

The notification unit 250 displays, for example, the first display M1 and the second display M2 side by side. The notification unit 250 displays the first display M1 and the second display M2 in different display modes. "Different display modes" include different colors of characters, different background colors, different colors or line types of borders surrounding characters, different thicknesses of characters, different titles or notes, and the like. In the present embodiment, the first display M1 is a box with a white background and black characters to display the name of the ingredient. On the other hand, the second display M2 displays the name of the ingredient in black characters in a box with a yellow background.

In addition to the above, the notification unit 250 may display the second display M2 displayed in association with each recipe based on the advertisement information 261 in a different display mode for each store that sells the bargain item. . For example, the second display M2 related to store A displays the name of ingredients in a box with a yellow background in black letters, and the second display M2 related to store B displays the names of ingredients in a box with a light blue background in black letters. may be

In addition, based on the advertisement information 261, the notification unit 250 may display the second display M2 displayed in association with each recipe in a different display mode for each sales day when bargain items can be purchased at a low price. For example, the second display M2 related to the bargain sale items to be sold on the day the recipe is retrieved is a bargain sale to be sold the day after the recipe is retrieved, in which the name of the ingredient is displayed in a box with a yellow background in black characters. The second display M2 for the product may display the name of the food in black letters in a box with a green background. The display modes that differ for each store or for each sale date are not limited to the above examples, and include different character colors, different background colors, different colors or line types of borders surrounding characters, and different character thicknesses. , may have different titles or notes, etc.

In this embodiment, in addition to the first display M1 and the second display M2, the notification unit 250 displays each recipe selected by the recipe selection unit 240, and the third display M3 indicating the number of missing ingredients contained in each recipe. are displayed in association with each other. In this embodiment, the third display M3 displays only the number of insufficient ingredients, not the name of the insufficient ingredients used in each recipe. In the example of the recipe for "Peanut Banana Cake" shown in FIG. One of them, "Peanuts", is shown to be available for purchase as a bargain. For example, the third display M3 is displayed in a smaller space than the first display M1 and the second display M2.

In the present embodiment, the notification unit 250 associates the ingredients included in the advertisement information 261 with the recipe selected by the recipe selection unit 240 with respect to the ingredients that are in stock (the ingredients that are registered in the inventory information 262). to suppress notification of "Suppress" means that even if the ingredients are included in the advertisement information 261, the ingredients that are in stock are not displayed (for example, the second display M2 does not exist), or are displayed more modestly than the ingredients that are in short supply ( for example, display small).

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the display screen D3 of the display device 301. As shown in FIG. On the display screen D3 shown in FIG. 7, the user U performs an operation of selecting a specific recipe among the plurality of recipes displayed on the display screen D2 shown in FIG. 6 (for example, by tapping the image of the specific recipe). This is a display screen on which the details of the specific recipe are displayed.

The notification unit 250 displays all ingredients required for a specific recipe on the display screen D3. The notification unit 250 displays the ingredients included in the recipe that have an old date of purchase or are close to the expiration date (that is, the ingredients used in the search by the recipe selection unit 240) with a first highlight N1 among all the ingredients. The ingredients (bargain items) included in the advertisement information 261 among the missing ingredients included in the recipe are displayed by the second highlighting N2.

For example, the first highlighting N1 and the second highlighting N2 are different modes. "Different aspects" include different colors of characters, different background colors, different colors or line types of borders surrounding characters, different thicknesses of characters, different titles or notes, and the like. In the present embodiment, the first highlighting N1 is a highlighting that encloses the food name with a black frame. On the other hand, the second highlighting N2 is highlighting that encloses the name of the ingredient with a black frame and changes the background to yellow. In the display screen D3, the notification unit 250 does not highlight the ingredients included in the recipe whose purchase date is old or whose expiration date is close. product) may be highlighted. That is, the first highlighting N1 may not exist, and only the second highlighting N2 may exist.

<4.2 Concrete example of mandatory search for something>
Next, a specific example of a certain thing essential search will be described.
By operating the button B2 on the display screen D1 shown in FIG. As a result, the display screen D1 transitions to the display screen D4 shown in FIG. On the display screen D4 shown in FIG. 8, a plurality of ingredients in stock are displayed side by side in a predetermined order of priority. The predetermined order of priority is, for example, the order of ingredient names, the order of date of purchase, or the order of expiration dates.

FIG. 9 shows a display screen D5 on the display screen D4 shown in FIG. 8 in which the user U has input three ingredients (candidate ingredients for use) to be used for searching for recipes from among a plurality of ingredients in stock. In the example shown in FIG. 9, "cheese", "cabbage", and "chicken thigh" are input as ingredients to be used.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the display screen D6 on which a list of a plurality of recipes extracted (selected) by certain essential search is displayed. A plurality of recipes displayed on the display screen D6 of FIG. 10 are recipes output to the terminal device 300 by the notification unit 250. Also, the plurality of recipes displayed on the display screen D6 of FIG. 10 are the plurality of recipes selected by the recipe selection section 240 and rearranged irregularly by the notification section 250, as described above.

When displaying a plurality of recipes selected by the recipe selection unit 240 on the display device 301, the notification unit 250 displays each recipe selected by the recipe selection unit 240 and advertising information 261 among the missing ingredients contained in each recipe. A display M2 indicating ingredients (bargain items) included in each recipe and a display M3 indicating the number of insufficient ingredients included in each recipe are displayed in association with each other. The contents of the displays M2 and M3 are the same as those of the second display M2 and the third display M3 described above.

<5. Process Flow>
Next, the flow of processing will be described.
FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing. Here, it is assumed that the advertisement information 261 has already been accumulated by the information acquisition unit 220 . Also, FIG. 11 shows the flow of processing after the instruction receiving unit 210 receives an instruction from the user U to search for recipes (for example, an instruction from the user U to search for recipes using a certain-item priority search).

First, the recipe selection unit 240 searches for recipes by means of a given priority search (S101). In this embodiment, the recipe selection unit 240 selects, from among a plurality of recipes that can be referred to, based on the date of purchase or expiration date of ingredients included in the inventory information 262, Select a predetermined number of recipes containing ingredients close to . Next, the notification unit 250 randomly rearranges the display order of the predetermined number of recipes selected by the recipe selection unit 240 (S102).

Next, the notification unit 250 determines whether or not each recipe selected by the recipe selection unit 240 includes an insufficient ingredient (S103). If the lacking ingredients are not included in any of the recipes (S103: NO), the notification unit 250 displays a predetermined number of recipes on the display screen of the display device 301 (S104).

On the other hand, if at least one recipe selected by the recipe selection unit 240 includes a shortage of ingredients (S103: YES), the notification unit 250 selects ingredients (bargain items) included in the advertisement information 261 among the shortage of ingredients. (S105). If there is no ingredient (bargain item) included in the advertisement information 261 among the missing ingredients in all the recipes for which the determination in S105 is performed (S105: NO), the notification unit 250 displays a predetermined number of ingredients on the display screen of the display device 301. The recipe is displayed (S104).

When the recipe selection unit 240 determines that at least one recipe includes ingredients (bargain items) included in the advertisement information 261 among the shortage ingredients (S105: YES), the notification unit 250 displays a predetermined number of ingredients on the display screen of the display device 301. In addition, the recipe and the bargain item are displayed in association with each other if the recipe includes the bargain item among the missing ingredients (S106).

<6. Advantage>
At home, while food expenses are kept low by using bargain products, there are many ingredients that are not used in the refrigerator and are discarded after the expiration date due to excessive purchases or forgetfulness. Without a good balance between purchase and consumption, it will be difficult to solve the problem of food waste.

Here, as a comparative example, consider a recipe proposal system that selects and proposes recipes based on information on ingredients in stock held by the user U and advertisement information on bargain products. In such a recipe suggestion system, the purchase of bargain items may be promoted more than necessary. There is a need to. Therefore, there is room for improvement in terms of convenience.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the recipe selection unit 240 selects ingredients with an old purchase date or a close intake date from among a plurality of referable recipes based on the purchase date or the intake date included in the inventory information 262. Preference is given to recipes containing If the recipe selected by the recipe selection unit 240 includes a missing food ingredient that the user does not own, and if there is a food ingredient included in the advertisement information 261 among the missing food ingredients, the notification unit 250 The recipe selected by 240 and the fact that there is a food item included in the advertisement information 261 among the deficient food items are reported in association with each other. According to such a configuration, it is possible to suppress the excessive promotion of bargain purchases, actively promote the consumption of stock ingredients, and reduce the purchase cost when there is a shortage of ingredients. can be suppressed. Thereby, the improvement of the user's U convenience can be aimed at.

In this embodiment, the recipe selection unit 240 preferentially selects recipes containing ingredients that have been purchased for a long time or that have a close expiration date, regardless of whether or not there is any ingredient included in the advertisement information 261 among the missing ingredients. do. According to such a configuration, it is possible to suppress the excessive promotion of bargain purchases, and to actively promote the consumption of stock foodstuffs.

In this embodiment, when displaying two or more recipes selected by the recipe selection unit 240 on the display device 301, the notification unit 250 determines whether or not there is an ingredient included in the advertisement information 261 among the missing ingredients. Regardless, two or more recipes are randomly rearranged and displayed based on a predetermined procedure. According to such a configuration, it is possible to suppress preferential display of recipes including bargain items (for example, display together at the top of the display order). As a result, it is possible to further suppress the promotion of purchase of bargain products more than necessary, and it is possible to suppress the collective display of recipes that are biased toward specific ingredients, and the user U can enjoy a wide variety of recipes. Makes it easier to choose your favorite recipe from Thereby, the improvement of the user's U convenience can be aimed at further.

In the present embodiment, the recipe selection unit 240 gives priority to recipes that contain more food ingredients that are older in purchase date or closer to the expiration date than among a plurality of recipes, without an instruction from the user U to select ingredients to be used. to select. According to such a configuration, it is possible to more positively promote the consumption of stock ingredients.

In the present embodiment, the notification unit 250 selects each recipe selected by the recipe selection unit 240, the ingredients included in each recipe that have an old purchase date or a close intake date, and the missing ingredients included in each recipe. The ingredients (bargain items) included in the information 261 are displayed in association with each other. According to such a configuration, the user U can easily know whether or not there are ingredients on sale that are in short supply, in addition to ingredients that have been purchased for a long time or that are close to the expiration date, in each recipe. Thereby, the improvement of the user's U convenience can be aimed at further.

In the present embodiment, the notification unit 250 displays ingredients included in each recipe that have an old purchase date or a close intake date, and ingredients included in the advertisement information 261 among the lacking ingredients included in each recipe in different display modes. to display. According to such a configuration, the user U can easily distinguish and identify, in each recipe, an ingredient that has been purchased for a long time or is close to the expiration date, and a bargain item that is an ingredient that is in short supply. Thereby, the improvement of the user's U convenience can be aimed at further.

In this embodiment, the notification unit 250 outputs each recipe selected by the recipe selection unit, ingredients (bargain items) included in the advertisement information 261 among the missing ingredients included in each recipe, and the missing ingredients included in each recipe. The number of ingredients is associated with each other and displayed. According to such a configuration, it is possible to easily grasp the information on bargain products and the number of remaining ingredients that need to be additionally purchased in association with each other, and to obtain the ingredients required when adopting the recipe. Easier to calculate purchase costs. Thereby, the improvement of the user's U convenience can be aimed at further.

(Modification)
Next, a modified example of the first embodiment will be described. In this modification, the instruction receiving unit 210 controls the display screens D2 and D6 (see FIG. 6 or FIG. 10) based on the user U's operation of a predetermined operation unit (for example, button B3) displayed on the display screens D2 and D6 (see FIG. 6 or FIG. 10). Accepts an instruction to change the order of multiple recipes displayed in . For example, the instruction receiving unit 210 may arrange the plurality of recipes to be displayed on the display screens D2 and D6 so that the recipes containing more bargain items among the missing ingredients are preferentially displayed (for example, displayed at the top). accepts an instruction to change the sorting order.

In response to the instruction receiving unit 210 receiving the instruction, the reporting unit 250 changes the order of the plurality of recipes so that the recipes including the bargain items in the shortage ingredients are preferentially displayed. For example, the notification unit 250 rearranges and displays a plurality of recipes in descending order of the number of bargain items included in the shortage of ingredients. According to such a configuration, when the user U wants to know the recipes that include bargain items in the shortage ingredients, the user U can easily know those recipes.

(Second embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment will be described. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that when the same ingredient is included in the advertisement information 261a more than a predetermined frequency in a certain period of time, the ingredient is specially handled. Configurations other than those described below are the same as those of the first embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the server 200A of the second embodiment. In the present embodiment, the information acquisition unit 220 counts the number of times the food appears in the advertisement information 261a for each food (not limited to stock food, each food that is generally available). Then, when the same ingredient is included in the advertisement information 261a at a predetermined frequency or more in a certain period of time, the information acquisition unit 220 determines that the ingredient corresponds to the "special frequency ingredient", and the special frequency stored in the storage unit 260. The ingredients are registered in the ingredients information 264 . ``When the same ingredient is included in the advertisement information 261a more than a predetermined frequency in a certain period'' means that the same ingredient becomes a bargain item every week on the same day of the week, or that the same item becomes a bargain item consecutively in a specific season. This is the case. The "fixed period" is, for example, one month. The count of the number of times each ingredient appears in the advertisement information 261a is not limited to the number of times included in the advertisement information 261a of the same store, and may be the number of times included in the advertisement information 261a of a plurality of stores.

In the present embodiment, in the recipe selected by the recipe selection unit 240, the notification unit 250 detects the special frequency As for food ingredients, the fact that there is a food ingredient (bargain sale item) included in the advertisement information 261 among the missing food ingredients associated with the recipe is suppressed compared to the food ingredients that are not the special frequency food ingredients. "Suppress" means not reporting that there are bargain items among the shortage ingredients, or displaying the bargain items in the shortage ingredients more modestly than for ingredients that are not special frequency ingredients (for example, small display). In the present embodiment, the notification unit 250 does not display the display M2 in FIG. 6 or 10 even if there is a bargain item among the shortage ingredients with respect to the special frequency ingredients.

In another example, similar to the modified example of the first embodiment, the notification unit 250 can rearrange and display a plurality of recipes in descending order of the number of bargain items included in the shortage ingredients based on the operation of the user U. is. Then, when the ingredients included in the advertisement information 261 are special frequency ingredients, the notification unit 250 selects a plurality of recipes based on the number obtained by subtracting the number of special frequency ingredients from the number of bargain items included in the shortage ingredients in each recipe. The bargain items are sorted and displayed in descending order of the number of sale items.

According to such a configuration, it is possible to prevent the user U from being repeatedly notified of foodstuffs such as eggs and milk that are often sold as bargain products. Thereby, the improvement of the user's U convenience can be aimed at further.

(Third Embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment will be described. The third embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that if a bargain item included in the shortage of ingredients is a food item that is managed as a regular item of the user U, the food material is specially handled. Configurations other than those described below are the same as those of the first embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the server 200B of the third embodiment. In the present embodiment, the storage unit 260 stores stock information 265 .

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the regular supplies information 265. As shown in FIG. In the regular supply information 265, a "management ID", a "ingredient name", and a "regular quantity" are associated and registered for each ingredient that the user U wants to manage as a regular supply. The “regular quantity” is a reference (threshold value) for the inventory quantity of ingredients included in the regular commodity information 265 . When the inventory amount of food ingredients included in the regular supply information 265 falls below the regular supply amount, the notification unit 250 notifies the user U that the food ingredients, which are regular supplies, have fallen below a predetermined standard (for example, by the display device 301). display). The regular stock information 265 is registered and managed by the ingredient management unit 230 based on, for example, instructions from the user U received by the instruction receiving unit 210 .

In the present embodiment, if the predetermined condition is not satisfied, the notification unit 250 does not allow the ingredients (bargain items) included in the advertisement information 261 to be included in the inventory (the ingredients included in the inventory information 262). The notification in association with the recipe selected by the selection unit 240 is suppressed. On the other hand, when a predetermined condition is satisfied, the notification unit 250 selects a recipe for ingredients (bargain items) included in the advertisement information 261 and in stock (ingredients included in the inventory information 262). The recipe selected by the unit 240 and the fact that there is a regular item (regular ingredient) included in the advertisement information 261 among the deficient ingredients are reported in association with each other. The “predetermined condition” is, for example, cooking of a recipe selected by the recipe selection unit 240 where the ingredients included in the advertisement information 261 are regular items (regular ingredients) managed by the ingredient management unit 230 as regular items. is performed, the inventory amount of regular supplies decreases below a predetermined value (for example, when it falls below the regular inventory amount included in the regular supplies information 265).

According to such a configuration, it is possible to promote the purchase of bargain items when cooking with a specific recipe reduces the inventory of regular items to the reference amount or less. Thereby, the improvement of the user's U convenience can be aimed at further.

Several embodiments and modifications have been described above. However, embodiments and modifications are not limited to the examples described above. For example, the multiple embodiments and modifications described above can be implemented in combination with each other. For example, on the images of each recipe on the display screens D2 and D6 shown in FIG. 6 or FIG. And/or, one or more of nutritional components (purines, etc.) that the user does not want to take, calorie intake, salt content, or cooking time may be displayed. Moreover, based on these factors, the order of arrangement of the plurality of recipes displayed on the display screen of the display device 301 may be changed.

According to at least one embodiment described above, the recipe proposal system includes a recipe selection section and a notification section. The recipe selection unit preferentially selects recipes containing ingredients that are old or close to the expiration date from among a plurality of referable recipes. If the recipe selected by the recipe selection unit includes a missing food ingredient that the user does not own, and if there is a food ingredient included in the advertisement information among the missing food ingredients, the notification section selects the food ingredient that is included in the advertisement information. The recipe and the fact that there is an ingredient included in the advertisement information among the lacking ingredients are associated and notified. According to such a configuration, it is possible to improve convenience.

While several embodiments of the invention have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and spirit of the invention as well as the scope of the invention described in the claims and equivalents thereof.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 recipe proposal system 100 refrigerator 200, 200A, 200B server 210 instruction reception unit 220 information acquisition unit 230 ingredients management unit 240 recipe selection unit 250 notification unit 300 terminal Device.

Claims (11)

an information acquisition unit that acquires advertisement information indicating ingredients that can be purchased at a price lower than the normal price;
A food material management unit that manages inventory information indicating the food material owned by the user;
a recipe selection unit that preferentially selects, from among a plurality of referable recipes, a recipe containing ingredients with an old purchase date or a close intake date, based on the purchase date or the intake date of the ingredients included in the inventory information;
If the recipe selected by the recipe selection unit includes a missing food ingredient that the user does not possess, and if there is a food ingredient included in the advertisement information among the missing food ingredients, the recipe selection section selects it. a notification unit for associating and notifying that the obtained recipe and the fact that there is a food ingredient included in the advertising information among the deficient food ingredients;
recipe suggestion system. The recipe selection unit preferentially selects recipes containing ingredients with an old purchase date or a close intake date, regardless of whether or not the lacking ingredients include ingredients included in the advertisement information.
The recipe suggestion system according to claim 1. When the two or more recipes selected by the recipe selection unit are displayed on the display device, the notification unit performs a predetermined displaying the two or more recipes in random order based on the procedure;
The recipe suggestion system according to claim 1 or 2. The recipe selection unit preferentially selects, from among the plurality of recipes, a recipe containing a larger amount of ingredients with an older date of purchase or a closer intake date, without a user's instruction to select ingredients to be used.
The recipe suggestion system according to any one of claims 1 to 3. When causing the display device to display two or more recipes selected by the recipe selection unit, the notification unit displays each recipe selected by the recipe selection unit and the date of purchase or expiration date included in each recipe. and the ingredients included in the advertisement information among the missing ingredients included in each recipe are displayed in association with each other.
The recipe suggestion system according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The reporting unit displays ingredients included in each recipe that have an old purchase date or a close intake date, and ingredients included in the advertising information among the missing ingredients included in each recipe, in different display modes.
The recipe suggestion system according to claim 5. When causing the display device to display two or more recipes selected by the recipe selection unit, the notification unit selects each recipe selected by the recipe selection unit and the missing ingredients included in each recipe. displaying the ingredients included in the advertisement information and the number of the missing ingredients included in each recipe in association with each other;
The recipe suggestion system according to any one of claims 1 to 6. The notification unit notifies the ingredients included in the inventory information even if the ingredients are included in the advertisement information in association with the recipe selected by the recipe selection unit, compared to the case where the ingredients are in short supply. suppress that
The recipe suggestion system according to any one of claims 1 to 7. When the food ingredient included in the advertisement information is a special frequency food ingredient included in the advertisement information at a predetermined frequency or more in a certain period in the past, the notification unit is configured to detect the food ingredient that is not the special frequency food ingredient with respect to the special frequency food ingredient. compared to suppressing notification in association with the recipe selected by the recipe selection unit,
The recipe suggestion system according to any one of claims 1 to 8. The notification unit is
When the two or more recipes selected by the recipe selection unit are displayed on the display device, the two or more recipes are displayed in descending order of the number of ingredients included in the advertisement information among the shortage ingredients based on user's operation. It is possible to rearrange and display the recipes of
When the ingredients included in the advertisement information are special frequency ingredients included in the advertisement information at a predetermined frequency or more in a certain period in the past, the number of ingredients included in the advertisement information among the shortage ingredients is calculated according to the special frequency. rearranging the two or more recipes based on the number obtained by subtracting the number of ingredients;
A recipe suggestion system according to any one of claims 1 to 9. The notifying unit, even if the ingredients included in the advertisement information are the ingredients included in the inventory information, are the regular ingredients that are managed as regular items by the ingredients management unit and are selected by the recipe selection unit. When the stock amount of the stock ingredients is reduced below a predetermined value by cooking the recipe selected, the recipe selected by the recipe selection unit and the stock ingredients included in the advertisement information are included in the shortage ingredients. to inform in association with something,
The recipe suggestion system according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

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