JP2023111704A - Order management system - Google Patents

Abstract

To simply place an order for a commodity with an original label having a design that a customer desires.SOLUTION: An order management system (1) includes: a display control unit (111) which displays, on an input device (2) for receiving an input operation from a customer, an input region for receiving an input for a design, which is set in advance on an image of a label, together with the image of the label; and an order receiving unit (112) which receives an order for a commodity via the input device. The order receiving unit decides, when receiving an order for a commodity, a design received in the input region, as a design to be printed on a label of the commodity.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

One aspect of the present invention relates to an order management system capable of accepting an order for a product having a label attached to a container.

In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for products with original labels that are designed to suit the tastes of customers in various scenes of life. The manufacturer receives the design from the customer, creates an original label on which the design is printed, attaches the label to the container of the product, and manufactures the product. Then, the quantity requested by the customer is provided to the customer or another consumer designated by the customer.

In the conventional service, orders for products are received through telephone, facsimile, or the like. In this case, the manufacturer or a person entrusted by the manufacturer will actually produce the design to be printed on the label based on the explanation from the customer. Even when facsimile is used, the design is represented in monotone, so the customer has to explain at least information such as color in text, for example. For this reason, conventional services place a burden on the customer when receiving an order, and sometimes it is difficult to provide the customer with a design that meets the customer's request.

An object of one aspect of the present invention is to realize an order management system that can easily receive orders for products to which original labels with designs desired by customers are attached.

In order to solve the above problems, an order management system according to one aspect of the present invention is an order management system capable of receiving an order for at least a product having a label attached to a container, and accepting an input operation by a customer. A display control unit for displaying an input area for receiving an input of a design set in advance in the image together with the image of the container on the input device, and an order receiving unit for receiving an order for the product via the input device. In addition, when receiving an order for the product, the order receiving unit determines the design received in the input area as the design to be printed on the label of the product.

According to the order management system according to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to easily receive an order for a product to which an original label having a design desired by a customer is attached.

1 is a block diagram showing an example of an order management system according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of a kind reception screen. It is a figure which shows an example of a quantity reception screen. It is a figure which shows an example of a design reception screen. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow from order reception of goods to shipment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of an image displayed on a portable terminal; FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing related to content output control;

An order management system 1 according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of an order management system 1. As shown in FIG. FIG. 1 also shows an input device 2 and a portable terminal 3 as examples of devices communicably connected to the order management system 1 .

[Configuration of order management system (configuration related to product orders)]
The order management system 1 functions as a system that accepts orders for products whose containers are labeled and prepares for shipment. The products ordered by the order management system 1 are, for example, containers filled with beverages. Beverages include, for example, alcoholic beverages, soft drinks (eg amazake), and lactic acid beverages. However, the object filled in the container is not limited to beverages. Objects may be, for example, solids, liquids or gases. Also, the object is not limited to food, and may be cosmetics or the like. The container may be of any form as long as it can be filled with an object and can be labeled. Examples of containers include cup-shaped containers. The label may be a shrink label or in the form of a sticker.

The order management system 1 is communicably connected to the input device 2, for example. The input device 2 is a device that receives an input operation by a customer. In this embodiment, the input device 2 receives input of various information for customers to order products. Further, in this embodiment, the input device 2 includes a display section capable of displaying various information under display control from the control section 11 of the order management system 1 . Examples of the input device 2 include a PC (Personal Computer) and a portable terminal.

The order management system 1 includes, for example, a control unit 11, a filling unit 12, a printing unit 13, a label attaching unit 14, and a storage unit 15. The control unit 11 controls each unit of the order management system 1 in an integrated manner, and is realized by, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control unit 11 includes, for example, a display control unit 111, an order receiving unit 112, and a registration unit 113.

The display control unit 111 displays, for example, a screen (image) on the input device 2 for the customer to input information about ordering products. In this embodiment, when the display control unit 111 receives an order instruction from a customer via the input device 2, for example, a type reception screen 201, a quantity reception screen 202, a design reception screen 203, an option reception screen, and an order details display screen are displayed. are sequentially displayed on the input device 2 . The display order of the screens can be set arbitrarily, and may be determined, for example, in consideration of ease of ordering by the customer.

The type reception screen 201 is a screen for receiving input of the type of the object to be filled in the container. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the type reception screen 201. As shown in FIG. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the display control unit 111 displays on the input device 2 a type reception screen 201 including types of beverages that can be selected by the customer. The display control unit 111 may display an input area on the type reception screen 201 for the customer to directly input the type of the target object.

The quantity reception screen 202 is a screen for receiving input of the quantity of products. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the quantity reception screen 202. As shown in FIG. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the display control unit 111 displays on the input device 2 a quantity reception screen 202 including categories of the number of products that can be selected by the customer. In this embodiment, the order management system 1 can accept orders from 30 bottles, but the number of orders that can be accepted may be set arbitrarily. For example, in one order, it may be possible to accept a plurality of products or to accept one product. In addition, the display control unit 111 may display an input area in which the customer directly inputs the quantity of the product on the quantity reception screen 202 .

The design reception screen 203 is a screen for receiving the input of the design drawn by the customer. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the design acceptance screen 203. As shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the display control unit 111 includes a container image 211, a label image 212, an input area 213 for receiving a design input preset in the label image 212, is displayed on the input device 2.

The container displayed as the image 211 is a container to be filled with the type of object input via the type reception screen 201 . Also, the label displayed as the image 212 is the label attached to the container. In addition, the label includes the input area 213, does not accept input to the input area 213 in the initial state, and is a label in a state in which no design is applied other than the basic information.

Basic information of the product is printed on a partial area of the label attached to the product. Basic information includes, for example, information such as the type of object, raw material, and manufacturer. The position and size of the partial area where the basic information is printed are determined in advance. For example, if the object is food such as beverage, the position and size of the partial area are predetermined from a legal point of view. Therefore, on the label, a predetermined area other than the partial area where the basic information is printed becomes an area where the design drawn by the customer can be printed (hereinafter referred to as a design printing area).

The display control unit 111 displays an area corresponding to the design printing area in the label image 212 as an input area 213 . Then, the control unit 11 receives an input of a design desired by the customer in the input area 213 . This allows the customer to directly input the design desired by the customer into the area corresponding to the printable area on the actual label. Therefore, the control unit 11 can print the design on the label as it is without changing the position of the design on the label after receiving the order for the product. Therefore, according to the order management system 1, an original label can be easily created.

Also, the display control unit 111 displays the design input to the input area 213 in the input area 213 in real time. Therefore, the customer can draw a desired design while being conscious of the state in which the original label is attached to the product. Therefore, the customer can create a desired original label.

The design acquisition technology and display technology via the design reception screen 203 may be realized by known technology. For example, the control unit 11 may receive, as a design, at least one of characters, figures, symbols, and colors that the customer draws according to his/her preference, via the customer's operation on the design reception screen 203 . The control unit 11 may accept information (eg, images and/or templates) pre-stored in the storage unit 15 or an external device as part of the design. As a design, the control unit 11 may accept input of a barcode. Examples of barcodes include two-dimensional barcodes (eg, QR code (registered trademark)), but they may also be one-dimensional codes. The barcode may optionally be associated with related information that can be stored in the storage unit 15 . Related information will be described later. In addition, the control unit 11 can accept changes in the position of the design input by the customer within the range of the input area 213 . The display control unit 111 updates the design reception screen 203 each time an input is received to display the latest input result.

In this embodiment, the display control unit 111 displays the image 211 of the container with the label attached on the design reception screen 203 , but does not display the image 211 of the container and displays the image of the label including the input area 213 . 212 only may be displayed. However, by displaying the image 211 of the container with the label attached, including the input area 213, the customer can input the design while being conscious of the state of the original label attached to the container.

The option acceptance screen is a screen for accepting the selection of options related to product ordering. Options include, for example, presence/absence of Noshi, presence/absence of a box, and necessity of registration of related information.

The order details display screen is a screen that displays the product type, quantity, and option selection status, as well as the billing amount calculated by the control unit 11 based on the product type, quantity, and option selection status. The order details display screen may be provided with an area for accepting input of billing address and shipping address (shipping address). Further, the order details display screen may be provided with an operation button for confirming the order details of the product. The screen for receiving the input of the billing address and the shipping address (shipping address) and/or the screen for receiving the input to the operation button may be a screen different from the order details display screen.

In addition, the display control unit 111 may display, for example, a scene input screen and/or a related information reception screen.

The scene input screen is a screen for receiving input of various life scenes. When an input of a scene is received, the control unit 11 may print a color, pattern, or the like suitable for the scene as the background of the label. In addition, the display control unit 111 may display a color, pattern, or the like that matches the input scene as the background of the label in the image 212 of the label.

The related information reception screen is a screen for receiving input of related information related to at least one of images and sounds. For example, when an option to register related information is selected via the option reception screen, the display control unit 111 displays the related information reception screen. Therefore, the customer can input desired related information in addition to inputting the design.

Note that the control unit 11 may receive the related information on the design reception screen 203 . In this case, the related information reception screen functions on the design reception screen 203 . Further, in this case, the control section 11 may receive the necessity of registration of the related information on the design receiving screen 203 .

The related information input via the related information reception screen may be an image or may be sound. The related information may also be link information (eg, URL (Uniform resource Locator)) for reading images and/or sounds. The image indicated by the related information may be a still image or a moving image. The image and/or sound are output together with the image of the original label at the portable terminal 3, which will be described later. As such, the images and/or sounds may be associated with the original label design.

The order receiving unit 112 confirms the contents of the order when receiving the order for the product. Accepting an order for a product means accepting an input operation for confirming an order for a product via the input device 2, such as an input to the operation buttons described above. The order reception unit 112 stores the confirmed order content in the storage unit 15 in association with identification information that can identify the order content.

For example, when receiving an order for a product, the order receiving unit 112 determines the design received in the input area 213 as the design to be printed on the label of the product. In this way, the order management system 1 can easily accept the design desired by the customer. Therefore, the order management system 1 can easily receive an order for a product to which an original label having a design desired by the customer is attached.

Also, for example, when receiving an order for a product, the order receiving unit 112 determines the type of object received via the type receiving screen 201 and the quantity received via the quantity receiving screen 202 as the contents of the order. . Therefore, the order management system 1 can easily receive the type and quantity of products desired by the customer together with the design desired by the customer.

In addition, when receiving an order for a product, the order receiving unit 112 confirms the information regarding the order input via the input device 2, such as the selected option, billing amount, billing address, shipping address, etc., as the contents of the order. .

The registration unit 113 registers the design received in the input area 213 confirmed by the order receiving unit 112 in association with the related information received via the related information receiving screen. If the related information is input, the order receiving unit 112 confirms the related information as the contents of the order when the product order is received. Then, the registration unit 113 associates the design received by the order receiving unit 112 with the related information, and stores them in the storage unit 15 . If the registration unit 113 stores related information in the storage unit 15 when the order reception unit 112 receives an order for a product, the reception unit 112 may function as the registration unit 113 .

In this embodiment, the order management system 1 receives and registers related information when an order is placed for a product. It may be later.

The filling unit 12 is a device that fills an empty container with an object. For example, the control unit 11 refers to the storage unit 15 to identify the type and quantity of the object ordered by the order receiving unit 112 . Under the control of the control unit 11, the filling unit 12 may fill the container with the objects of the ordered type for the ordered quantity. The filling unit 12 may receive an initiation operation by the manufacturer to start filling the container with the object. Moreover, when the manufacturer performs the filling operation, the order management system 1 does not have to include the filling section 12 .

In addition, the filling unit 12 may fill the container with a certain number of objects in advance regardless of whether the order receiving unit 112 receives the order. Whether to fill each order or to fill in advance may be determined in advance depending on the type of object, for example.

The printing unit 13 is a device that prints the design ordered by the order receiving unit 112 on a label attached to the container. The control unit 11 identifies the design received by the order receiving unit 112 by referring to the storage unit 15 . The printing unit 13 prints the design in a predetermined design printing area under the control of the control unit 11 . As a result, the original label desired by the customer is created. The printing unit 13 may start printing on the label with the above design in response to a start operation by the manufacturer.

The labeling unit 14 is a device that affixes an original label on which the design is printed to the container. The container to which the original label is affixed may be a container before filling or a container after filling. When an original label and a container are set and an instruction to start labeling is received from the control unit 11, the labeling unit 14 affixes the original label to the container. The labeling unit 14 may be initiated by the manufacturer to apply the original label to the container.

Whether to use the label attaching unit 14 to attach the original label or to manually attach the original label may be determined according to the quantity of ordered products. For example, the control unit 11 may transmit an instruction to start labeling to the labeling unit 14 when the quantity of ordered products is equal to or greater than a specified quantity. On the other hand, when the quantity of the ordered product is less than the prescribed quantity, the control unit 11 displays the container to be labeled and the quantity on the display device (not shown), and at the same time instructs the manufacturer to attach the label. is displayed. In this case, the manufacturer affixes the original label to the container according to the content of the label. If the manufacturer does all the labeling work, the order management system 1 does not have to include the labeling section 14 .

The storage unit 15 can store programs and data used by the control unit 11 . The storage unit 15 stores, for example, the details of the received order confirmed by the order receiving unit 112 . The storage unit 15 may be implemented as an external device that is not provided in the order management system 1 but is communicably connected to the order management system 1 .

[Flow of processing from product order to shipment]
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the flow from receipt of an order to shipment of a product in the order management system 1. As shown in FIG. When placing an order for a product, the customer uses the input device 2 to input information related to ordering the product. In the order management system 1, the display control unit 111 sequentially displays screens corresponding to the details of the product order, and the control unit 11 can display the type, quantity, design, and related information of the object through the screens. Input of order details is accepted (S1). When the control unit 11 receives an input operation for confirming an order for a product, the control unit 11 confirms the content of the order as the content of the order (S2), and stores the content of the order in the storage unit 15 . When the related information is received, the registration unit 113 associates the related information with the received design and stores the related information in the storage unit 15 .

After that, the filling unit 12 fills the container with the object based on the content of the order (S4). In parallel, the printing unit 13 creates an original label by printing the received design on the label (S5). Note that the process of S5 may be executed after the process of S4, or may be executed in the reverse order. After the processing of S4 and S5, the label attaching section 14 attaches the original label to the container (S6). Instead of the label sticking section 14, the manufacturer may stick an original label on the container. Alternatively, the object may be filled into the container after the original label is attached to the container before filling. After the process of S6, the manufacturer packs the product with the original label attached to the container (S7), and then ships the product to the shipping destination (S8). As a result, it is possible to deliver the product with the original label having the design desired by the customer to the customer or the consumer designated by the customer.

It should be noted that if the object of the order content is filled in the container in advance before the order is received, the filling unit 12 does not have to execute the process of S4. In this case, in the process of S6, the original label may be applied to the container pre-filled with the object.

[Configuration of order management system (content output control based on related information)]
In addition, the order management system 1 functions as a system that controls output of content based on related information. The content based on the related information refers to the related information itself or information associated with the related information, which is output when the original label is displayed. Specifically, the content based on the related information is an image or sound stored as related information in the storage unit 15, or an image or sound associated with the link information as the related information. Before explaining the output control of the content, the configuration of the portable terminal 3 communicably connected to the order management system 1 will be explained.

As shown in FIG. 1, the portable terminal 3 includes, for example, a control section 31, an imaging section 32 (imaging device), a display section 33 (display device), and an acoustic output section 34 (output device). A stationary terminal such as a PC may be used instead of the portable terminal 3 . The control unit 31 controls each unit of the portable terminal 3 in an integrated manner, and is realized by, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The image capturing unit 32 is a device that captures an image of a product. The display unit 33 is a device that displays various images. The sound output unit 34 is a device that outputs various sounds. The imaging unit 32, the display unit 33, and the sound output unit 34 may be implemented as different devices.

For example, when receiving an input operation for outputting content based on related information, such as activating an application for outputting content based on related information, the control unit 31 causes the imaging unit 32 to acquire an image of the original label. The control unit 31 transmits the design or barcode included in the acquired image to the order management system 1 .

As shown in FIG. 1, the control unit 11 of the order management system 1 includes an output control unit 114, for example. When the design included in the image of the original label is received from the portable terminal 3, the output control unit 114 transmits to the portable terminal 3 a content output instruction based on the relevant information associated with the design. good. Further, when receiving the barcode included in the image of the original label from the portable terminal 3, the output control unit 114 instructs the portable terminal 3 to output content based on the relevant information associated with the barcode. may be sent.

For example, the control unit 11 reads from the storage unit 15 the related information stored in association with the design whose degree of matching with the acquired design is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (design that can be regarded as identical to the acquired design). good. Further, the control unit 11 may read from the storage unit 15 the related information stored in association with the obtained barcode. The control unit 11 may recognize a plurality of points forming the acquired design as a barcode.

When the related information stored in the storage unit 15 is an image or sound, the output control unit 114 transmits the image or sound together with the output instruction. When the related information is link information, the output control unit 114 may transmit the link information together with the output instruction, or may transmit an image or sound associated with the link information. When the output control unit 114 transmits the link information, the control unit 31 of the portable terminal 3 may read the image or sound associated with the link information.

Upon obtaining the output instruction, the control unit 31 causes the display unit 33 to display the obtained image or causes the sound output unit 34 to output the obtained sound. That is, the output control unit 114 causes the display unit 33 to display the image or causes the sound output unit 34 to output the sound. As a result, the portable terminal 3 can output content related to the design applied to the original label while displaying the original label. Therefore, viewers such as customers can acquire information related to the design in addition to information that can be acquired from the design through the portable terminal 3 .

Note that output control of content based on related information may be realized by another control device different from the control unit 11 . The output control may be implemented by the control unit 31, for example.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of an image displayed on the mobile terminal 3. As shown in FIG. Reference numeral 1001 in FIG. 6 indicates a display example of an original label with a design representing the company's anniversary celebration. Reference numeral 1002 in FIG. 6 indicates a display example of an image representing a blessing associated with the design. In this example, an AR (Augmented Reality) function is used to display a congratulatory image superimposed on the image of the original label.

In addition, the output control unit 114 may cause the portable terminal 3 to output the following content while the original label is displayed. For example, if the original label has a design related to an individual or company, the output control unit 114 may output information related to the individual or company (PR (Public Relations) information of the individual or company, etc.). Also, for example, if the original label has a design related to a music festival, the output control unit 114 may output information (live images, sounds and/or announcements, etc.) related to the music festival. Further, for example, when the original label has a design related to a wedding ceremony, the output control unit 114 may output information related to the wedding ceremony (images and/or sounds of the wedding ceremony, etc.). Further, for example, if the original label has a design related to a photograph of a child, the output control unit 114 may output information related to the child (such as the child's photograph and/or first cry).

[Flow of processing related to content output control]
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of processing related to content output control in the order management system 1 . When the portable terminal 3 acquires the barcode from the original label, the design may be replaced with the barcode in the following description.

In the portable terminal 3, when receiving an input operation to output content based on the related information, the control unit 31 activates the imaging unit 32 and acquires the design included in the image of the original label. The control section 31 transmits the design to the order management system 1 .

In the order management system 1, the control unit 11 determines whether the design has been acquired from the portable terminal 3 (S11). When determining that the design has been acquired (YES in S11), the control unit 11 refers to the storage unit 15 and determines whether there is related information associated with the design acquired by the portable terminal 3. (S12). If the control unit 11 determines that the design has not been obtained (NO in S11), it waits for the design to be obtained.

When the output control unit 114 determines that there is related information associated with the acquired design (YES in S12), it transmits a content output instruction based on the related information to the portable terminal 3 (S13). When the control unit 31 of the portable terminal 3 acquires the output instruction, the control unit 31 acquires the content and outputs the content from the display unit 33 or the sound output unit 34 . Thereby, the viewer can visually recognize the content in the display state of the original label. If there is no related information associated with the acquired design (NO in S12), the control section 11 may terminate this process.

[Example of realization by software]
The functions of the order management system 1 (hereinafter referred to as "apparatus") are programs for causing a computer to function as the apparatus. It can be realized by a program for functioning.

In this case, the apparatus comprises a computer having at least one control device (eg processor) and at least one storage device (eg memory) as hardware for executing the program. Each function described in each of the above embodiments is realized by executing the above program using the control device and the storage device.

The program may be recorded on one or more computer-readable recording media, not temporary. The recording medium may or may not be included in the device. In the latter case, the program may be supplied to the device via any transmission medium, wired or wireless.

Also, part or all of the functions of the above control blocks can be realized by logic circuits. For example, integrated circuits in which logic circuits functioning as the control blocks described above are formed are also included in the scope of the present invention. In addition, it is also possible to implement the functions of the control blocks described above by, for example, a quantum computer.

Further, each process described in each of the above embodiments may be executed by AI (Artificial Intelligence). In this case, the AI may operate on the control device, or may operate on another device (for example, an edge computer or a cloud server).

[Additional notes]
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but can be modified in various ways within the scope of the claims, and can be obtained by appropriately combining technical means disclosed in different embodiments. is also included in the technical scope of the present invention. Moreover, according to one aspect of the present invention, an original label having a design desired by a customer can be accurately produced. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the possibility of wastefully creating an original label that is different from the customer's expectations. Therefore, since the amount of waste generated can be reduced, it can contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production.

1 order management system 2 input device 32 imaging unit (imaging device)
33 display unit (display device)
34 Sound output unit (output device)
111 display control unit 112 order reception unit 113 registration unit 114 output control unit 201 type reception screen 202 quantity reception screen 213 input area

Claims (5)

An order management system capable of receiving an order for at least a product in which a label is attached to a container,
a display control unit for displaying an input area for receiving an input of a design set in advance in the image together with the image of the label on an input device for receiving an input operation by a customer;
an order receiving unit that receives an order for the product via the input device;
An order management system according to claim 1, wherein, when receiving an order for the product, the order receiving unit determines the design received in the input area as a design to be printed on the label of the product. The display control unit causes the input device to:
a type reception screen for receiving an input of a type of object to be filled in the container;
displaying a quantity reception screen for receiving input of the quantity of the product;
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, when receiving an order for the product, the order receiving unit determines the type received via the type receiving screen and the quantity received via the quantity receiving screen as details of the order received. Described order management system. The display control unit displays, on the input device, a related information reception screen for receiving input of related information related to at least one of an image and sound,
a registration unit that associates and registers related information received through the related information reception screen with the design received in the input area confirmed by the order receiving unit;
When the design included in the image of the label is obtained from the imaging device, whether to display the content based on the relevant information associated with the design on the display device while the image is displayed on the display device. 3. The order management system according to claim 1, further comprising an output control unit for outputting from an output device different from the display device. the design includes a barcode;
When the barcode included in the image of the label is acquired from the imaging device, the output control unit outputs content based on the relevant information associated with the barcode while the image is displayed on the display device. 4. The order management system according to claim 3, wherein the information is displayed on the display device, or output from an output device different from the display device. The object filled in the container is an alcoholic beverage,
5. The order management system according to claim 1, wherein said container is a cup-shaped container.

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