JP2023141815A - Registration device, program, and accounting system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a registration device, a program, and an accounting system for enabling announcement of information with a simple configuration to a customer deemed to require the information.SOLUTION: A registration device of an embodiment is a registration device for use in an accounting system having a registration device that registers commodity information on a commodity to be purchased by a customer by an operation performed by a shop clerk, and an accounting device that executes accounting processing based on the commodity information registered by the registration device by an operation performed by a customer, the registration device including: an operation accepting unit that accepts an operation of inputting instruction information for instructing the accounting device about announcement to the customer, the information being set in correspondence to one transaction; and an output unit that in a case in which the operation accepting unit accepts the operation of inputting the instruction information, outputs transaction information on the one transaction and the instruction information in association with each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a registration device, a program, and an accounting system.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, accounting systems are known in which customers who purchase products or services (hereinafter collectively referred to as "products") operate and make payments themselves. This type of accounting system includes a self-checkout system in which customers themselves perform operations related to product registration and accounting processing, a registration device in which store staff perform operations related to product registration, and an accounting device in which customers perform operations related to accounting processing. There is something called a semi-self POS (Point Of Sales) that has the following.

With these accounting systems, some customers may forget to take change or receipts, or may not understand how to operate them. For example, there is a tendency for elderly customers and customers with children to forget to take change and receipts while paying close attention to their children.

In order to prevent forgetting to take a receipt, a self-checkout system has been proposed in which various sensors are installed in the accounting device operated by the customer to detect forgetting to take a receipt and notify the customer (for example, Patent Document 1 ), there is a problem that it becomes a large-scale device, which increases the cost.

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a registration device, a program, and an accounting system that make it possible to notify customers who are deemed to need the information by using a simple configuration.

The registration device of the embodiment includes: a registration device that registers product information of a product purchased by a customer through the operation of a store clerk; and an accounting device that executes accounting processing based on the product information registered with the registration device through the operation of the customer. A registration device used in an accounting system having an operation receiving unit that accepts an input operation of instruction information that is information set corresponding to one transaction and instructs the accounting device to notify a customer; The apparatus further includes an output section that outputs the transaction information of the one transaction and the instruction information in association with each other when the reception section receives the input operation of the instruction information.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the entire checkout system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the registration device and accounting device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the registration device and accounting device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a transfer screen in the registration device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of screen transitions in the accounting device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing another example of screen transitions in the accounting device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of registration processing by the control unit of the registration device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of notification processing by the control unit of the accounting device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the data structure of the notification information management table stored in the storage unit of the accounting device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a transfer screen in the registration device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of registration processing by the control unit of the registration device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the flow of notification processing by the control unit of the accounting device according to the second embodiment.

Hereinafter, a registration device, a program, and an accounting system according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below. For example, in the embodiment described below, the notification information output by the accounting device will be described as being outputted as audio, but it may be displayed.

Furthermore, in the embodiments described below, the accounting device receives transaction information for accounting processing from the registration device and performs accounting processing, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the accounting device reads the transaction code from the accounting ticket printed by the registration device, obtains transaction information related to the transaction code from the store server, etc., and performs accounting processing (hereinafter also referred to as the "accounting ticket method"). It may be of.

(First embodiment)
The first embodiment will be described below. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the entire accounting system 101 according to the embodiment. Accounting system 101 is used in stores such as supermarkets. As shown in FIG. 1, the accounting system 101 is a so-called semi-self POS system that includes a plurality of registration devices 102 operated by an operator O, who is a store clerk, and a plurality of accounting devices 103 operated by a customer C.

The registration device 102 is installed on a workbench 104 shaped like a horizontally long table. Each registration device 102 and each accounting device 103 are electrically connected to each other via a network NT such as a LAN (Local Area Network). Note that the number of registration devices 102 and accounting devices 103 is not limited to the illustrated example.

Two accounting devices 103 are provided for one registration device 102. In the example of FIG. 1, accounting device 1 and accounting device 2 are connected to registration device A. Further, an accounting device 3 and an accounting device 4 are connected to the registration device B. Each accounting device 103 is installed adjacent to and linearly with respect to the workbench 104 on which the corresponding registration device 102 is installed. In this embodiment, a passage for the customer C is formed between the plurality of workbenches 104.

Note that the accounting device 103 can be switched between a semi-self POS accounting device and a self-POS terminal. The store can use the accounting device 103 as a self-service POS terminal depending on the operation. Here, the self-POS terminal is a device that allows the customer C who purchases a product to perform operations related to product registration and accounting processing.

An outline of the operation of the accounting system 101 is as follows. When a customer C brings a product to be purchased to a workbench 104 on which a registration device 102 is installed, product registration is executed on the registration device 102 by an operation of an operator O. Product registration means, for example, reading a product code from a barcode attached to a product and storing product information (product name, price, etc.) obtained based on the read product code.

When the registration device 102 completes product registration for all products purchased by one customer, the registration device 102 calculates the total price of the products and generates transaction information for one transaction. The transaction information is information for performing accounting processing in the accounting device 103, and includes product information and total amount of products related to one transaction. Note that the transaction information does not need to include the total amount. In this case, the total amount is calculated by the accounting device 103. The registration device 102 transmits the generated transaction information to the corresponding accounting device 103. Operator O tells customer C the number of accounting device 103 to which the transaction information was sent. Customer C makes payment using the accounting device 103 of the number that was communicated to him.

At this time, the registration device 102 transmits instruction information associated with the transaction information to the accounting device 103 as necessary. The instruction information instructs the accounting device 103 to announce notification information. Announcement information is information that is notified to a specific target audience, and in this embodiment, a message (hereinafter referred to as (Also referred to as a "reminder for forgetting to take something.") For example, a message such as "Are you sure you have left something behind? Please check again." is an example of a message to alert you to something you have left behind.

Note that the notification information is not limited to alerting people who have forgotten to take items, but can be set arbitrarily by the store. For example, the message may be a message related to support for operating the accounting device 103 (hereinafter also referred to as "operation support") aimed at customer C with a physical disability or an elderly person. Operational support includes, for example, messages such as "If you have any inconvenience, please contact the store staff." Further, the announcement information may be a message related to an advertisement (hereinafter also referred to as "target advertisement") targeted at seniors. An example of a target audience advertisement is a message such as "Month/XX is Senior Day, and all products are discounted by XX%."

Note that whether or not the registration device 102 transmits the instruction information to the accounting device 103 is determined by the operator O who operates the registration device 102 . Thereby, there is no need to provide various sensors in the accounting device 103 to determine whether the customer C requires notification information. In other words, by focusing on the unique situation of semi-self POS in which the registration device 102 is operated by a clerk, and by using the judgment of the clerk, notification information is notified to a specific target person using the accounting device 103 with a simple configuration. It is something that can be done.

Next, the hardware configurations of the registration device 102 and the accounting device 103 will be explained. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the registration device 102 and the accounting device 103.

As shown in FIG. 2, the registration device 102 includes a control unit 150 having a computer configuration including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory) (all not shown), and the like. It is equipped with The control unit 150 executes various processes by causing the CPU to operate according to a program stored in the ROM or the storage unit 136 (described later) and developed in the RAM.

The CPU is an example of a processor, and centrally controls each part of the registration device 102. The ROM stores various programs. RAM is a workspace in which programs and various data are developed.

The control unit 150 controls, via an I/O (Input/Output) device control unit 139 and a bus 138, a scanner 111, a touch panel 113, a display 114, an operation unit 115 such as a keyboard, a printer 116, a customer-side display 117, It controls I/O devices such as the storage unit 136 and controls the entire registration device 102.

The scanner 111 recognizes code symbols such as barcodes attached to products purchased by customer C optically or by imaging. The scanner 111 then decodes the recognized code symbol and reads the product code indicated by the code symbol. Note that the code symbol recognized by the scanner 111 may be decoded by the control unit 150.

The touch panel 113 is provided on the surface of the display 114 and inputs information to the control unit 150 according to the touched position. The touch panel 113 functions as an input device for inputting information based on operations by the operator O.

The display device 114 is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal panel, and displays various information to the operator O who operates the registration device 102. The display device 114 displays, for example, a transfer screen that is an operation screen for transmitting product information of registered products and transaction information to the accounting device 103 after product registration.

The operation unit 115 includes, for example, a keyboard. The operation unit 115 includes various keys such as a subtotal key for declaring the end of product registration for one transaction, a number key for inputting a product code, amount, etc., and a clear key for clearing input. The operation unit 115 functions as an input device for inputting information based on operator O's operations.

The printer 116 issues a receipt on which transaction information and the like of one transaction are printed when processing related to payment is performed in the registration device 102 by the operation of the operator O, for example, when the customer C pays with a cash voucher.

The customer-side display 117 is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal panel, and displays various information to the customer C. The customer side display 117 displays, for example, product information of registered products.

The storage unit 136 is composed of an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), a flash memory, etc., and maintains the stored contents even if the power is cut off. The storage unit 136 stores a program 137 executable by the CPU of the control unit 150 and a product master F1.

The product master F1 is a master file that stores a product code uniquely assigned to each product in association with information regarding the product such as the name, price, and product classification of the product. The product master F1 is transmitted from a store server (not shown). Furthermore, when the scanner 67 specifies the product code of the product by general object recognition, the product master F1 also stores feature quantities such as the color tone and surface unevenness read from the product image. Note that since the products handled at the store change daily, the product master F1 is updated as appropriate.

Further, the control unit 150 is connected to the communication I/F 140 via the bus 138. The communication I/F 140 is an interface for communicating with external devices such as the accounting device 103 and a store server (not shown) via the network NT. The control unit 150 can communicate with the external device via the communication I/F 140.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, the accounting device 103 includes a control unit 50 having a computer configuration including a CPU, ROM, RAM (all not shown), and the like. The control unit 50 executes various processes by causing the CPU to operate according to programs stored in the ROM or the storage unit 36 (described later) and developed in the RAM.

The CPU is an example of a processor, and centrally controls each part of the accounting device 103. The ROM stores various programs. RAM is a workspace in which programs and various data are developed.

The control unit 50 controls I/O devices such as a touch panel 62, a display 61, a scanner 67, a card reader/writer 63, a printer 64, a speaker 65, a change machine 66, and a storage unit 36 via an I/O device control unit 39 and a bus 38. /O equipment and controls the entire accounting device 103.

The touch panel 62 is provided on the surface of the display 61 and inputs information to the control unit 50 according to the touched position. The touch panel 113 functions as an input device for inputting information based on customer C's operations.

The display device 61 is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal panel, and displays various information to the customer C who operates the accounting device 103. The display device 61 displays, for example, a checkout screen for the customer C to perform operations related to checkout processing. On the checkout screen, product information about the product to be purchased, payment method selection buttons, etc. are displayed. Further, the display device 61 displays a confirmation screen when the payment by the customer C is completed. Furthermore, the display device 61 displays a standby screen when it is not being used by the customer C, in other words, when it is not receiving transaction information from the registration device 102.

The scanner 67 reads the two-dimensional code from the information terminal of the customer C when the customer C makes the two-dimensional code payment. Further, when the checkout device 103 is used as a self-service POS terminal, the scanner 67 reads the product code from a code symbol such as a barcode attached to the product. The method by which the scanner 67 reads the product code is similar to the method used by the scanner 111 of the registration device 102. Note that the scanner 67 may also be configured to be able to read product codes when used as a semi-self POS accounting device 103. In this way, even after product registration on the registration device 102 is completed, customer C can easily purchase additional products by registering additional products on the accounting device 103.

The card reader/writer 63 reads information from customer C's point card or credit card. The card reader/writer 63 may be a magnetic card reader that reads information from a magnetic card, or an IC card reader that reads information from a card with a built-in IC chip.

When the payment is completed by the operation of the customer C, the printer 64 issues a receipt on which transaction information and the like of one transaction are printed.

The speaker 65 outputs audio as necessary. For example, the speaker 65 outputs a voice warning to the customer C that he or she has forgotten to take the item, in response to an instruction from the control unit 50 .

When customer C pays by cash, change machine 66 accepts, separates, and stores the inserted banknotes and coins. Then, the change machine 66 dispenses change according to instructions from the control unit 50.

The storage unit 36 is composed of an HDD, a flash memory, etc., and maintains the stored contents even if the power is cut off. The storage unit 36 stores a program 37 executable by the CPU of the control unit 50, a product master F1, and notification information X.

The product master F1 is similar to the product master F1 stored in the registration device 102. Announcement information is information indicating a message emitted from the speaker 65. The notification information can be set arbitrarily by the store. In the present embodiment, a message is stored to remind you if you forget to take it.

Further, the control unit 50 is connected to the communication I/F 40 via the bus 38. The communication I/F 40 is an interface for communicating with external devices such as the registration device 102 and a store server (not shown) via the network NT. The control unit 50 can communicate with the external device via the communication I/F 40.

Next, the functional configurations of the registration device 102 and the accounting device 103 will be explained. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the registration device 102 and the accounting device 103. First, the registration device 102 will be explained.

The control unit 150 of the registration device 102 functions as a registration unit 1021, an operation reception unit 1022, an output unit 1023, and a display control unit 1024 when the CPU operates according to a program stored in the ROM or the storage unit 136. Note that each of these functions may be configured by hardware such as a dedicated circuit.

The registration unit 1021 executes product registration. Specifically, when the scanner 111 reads a product code, the registration unit 1021 refers to the product master F1 to read and store product information corresponding to the product code.

The operation reception unit 1022 accepts an input operation for instruction information that is information set corresponding to one transaction and instructs the accounting device 103 to notify the customer C. The instruction information instructs the accounting device 103 to output a message alerting the user to the forgotten items. The instruction information is input by operating the touch panel 113 based on the judgment of the operator O who has confirmed the characteristics of the customer C (elderly person, customer with children, etc.).

Further, the operation reception unit 1022 receives various information based on operations on the touch panel 113 and the operation unit 115. For example, the operation receiving unit 1022 receives an input operation of information indicating the end of product registration in one transaction by operating a subtotal key.

When the operation reception unit 1022 receives an input operation for instruction information, the output unit 1023 outputs the transaction information of one transaction and the instruction information in association with each other. Specifically, when the operation reception unit 1022 receives an input operation for instruction information, the output unit 1023 associates the transaction information of one transaction with the instruction information and transmits the association to the accounting device 103.

Note that the output destination of transaction information and instruction information by the output unit 1023 is not limited to the accounting device 103. For example, when the accounting device 103 performs accounting processing using the accounting ticket system, the output unit 1023 transmits transaction information to a store server (not shown), and also outputs a transaction code that specifies the transaction information and a code that indicates instruction information. Output to printer 116.

The display control unit 1024 causes the display 114 and the customer-side display 117 to display various information. For example, the display control unit 1024 causes the display device 114 and the customer-side display device 117 to display product information of the registered product. Further, the display control unit 1024 causes the display 114 to display a transfer screen for transmitting transaction information and instruction information to the accounting device 103 after completion of product registration for one transaction.

Further, the display control unit 1024 causes a first operator for accepting an input operation of instruction information and a second operator for instructing output of transaction information to be displayed on the same screen of the display 114. . Specifically, the display control unit 1024 displays a first operator and a second operator on the transfer screen.

Next, the functional configuration of the accounting device 103 will be explained. The control unit 50 of the accounting device 103 functions as an input unit 1031, an accounting processing unit 1032, a display control unit 1033, and a notification unit 1034 when the CPU operates according to a program stored in the ROM or the storage unit 36. Note that each of these functions may be configured by hardware such as a dedicated circuit.

Various information is input to the input section 1031. For example, transaction information and instruction information output by the output unit 1023 of the registration device 102 are input to the input unit 1031.

The accounting processing unit 1032 executes accounting processing based on the transaction information input to the input unit 1031. Accounting processing refers to processing for paying for products purchased by customer C. Specifically, accounting processing includes the processing of calculating and displaying change, the processing of instructing the change machine 66 to issue change, and the processing of information related to transactions (product information, total amount, deposit amount, amount of change, etc.). Refers to the process of issuing printed receipts. Note that when customer C makes a payment by cashless payment, the accounting processing unit 1032 executes processing necessary for the cashless payment, such as communication with a payment server.

The display control unit 1033 causes the display 61 to display various information. The display control unit 1033 causes the display 61 to display, for example, an accounting screen for the customer C to perform operations related to accounting processing and a confirmation screen for confirming that the payment has been completed. Further, the display control unit 1033 causes the display device 61 to display a standby screen when the accounting device 103 is not being used by the customer C and is not executing any processing related to payment.

When the notification unit 1034 receives transaction information and instruction information for one transaction, it makes a notification based on the instruction information. Specifically, when instruction information is input to the input unit 1031 in association with transaction information of one transaction, the notification unit 1034 reads out the notification information X stored in the storage unit 36 and outputs the sound from the speaker 65. . In the present embodiment, the notification unit 1034 notifies the customer C by outputting a message from the speaker 65 reminding the customer that the item has been forgotten. More specifically, the notification unit 1034 causes the speaker 65 to output a voice such as "Have you forgotten anything? Please check again."

Note that, as described above, the information notified by the notification unit 1034 is not limited to a warning about forgetting to take something, but may also be operation support or target audience advertisement.

In this manner, the notification unit 1034 provides notification to customer C when operator O determines that notification is necessary or desirable according to customer C's characteristics. In other words, the notification unit 1034 does not notify the customer C for whom the operator O has determined that the notification is unnecessary. As a result, the customer C who does not need to be notified is not unnecessarily restrained by the accounting device 103, and can request that the customer service be deteriorated.

Next, the operation screens in the registration device 102 and accounting device 103 configured as described above will be explained.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a transfer screen in the registration device 102. The transfer screen is displayed on the display 114 after product registration of products related to one transaction is completed. The transfer screen displays a total amount display area 1141, a discount button 1142, a discount button 1143, a payment method selection button 1144, a back button 1145, an accounting machine guide button 1146, an accounting machine information display area 1147, and a re-notification button 1148. be done.

The total amount display section 1141 displays the number of products purchased in one transaction and the total amount. The discount button 1142 is operated to discount a predetermined amount from the total amount. For example, it is operated when customer C uses a discount coupon. The discount button 1143 is operated to discount a predetermined percentage of the total amount. For example, it is operated when customer C uses a discount coupon. The return button 1145 is an operation button for returning to the product registration screen when registering a product after operating the subtotal key.

The accounting machine guide button 1146 is an operation button for transmitting transaction information to the accounting device 103 and displaying the number of the accounting device 103 that transmitted the transaction information. The accounting machine guide button 1146 is an example of a second operator for instructing the output of transaction information.

When the accounting machine guide button 1146 is operated, the registration device 102 transmits transaction information to the accounting device 103. At this time, if the re-notification button 1148 is operated before the accounting machine guide button 1146 is operated, the registration device 102 associates the instruction information with the transaction information and transmits it to the accounting device 103. The registration device 102 acquires the status information of the corresponding accounting device 103, automatically selects an available accounting device 103, and transmits transaction information.

Then, the registration device 102 pops up the number of the accounting device 103 selected as the transaction information destination on the transfer screen shown in FIG. Operator O can guide customer C to the accounting device 103 with the pop-up number.

The accounting device information display section 1147 displays status information of the accounting device 103 corresponding to the registration device 102. For example, when the registration device 102 is the registration device A shown in FIG. 1, the accounting machine information display section 1147 displays status information of the accounting device 1 and the accounting device 2.

The re-notification button 1148 is an operation button for inputting instruction information for instructing the accounting device 103 to make a notification. In this embodiment, the content displayed on the display device 61 after the accounting process in the accounting device 103 (content to be careful not to forget to take change and receipts) is announced again through the speaker 65, so that the operation The button is a re-notification button 1148. The notification to be instructed does not have to be a re-announcement. The re-notification button 1148 is an example of a first operator for accepting an input operation of instruction information.

Next, the display etc. by the accounting device 103 after receiving transaction information will be explained. The accounting device 103 displays a confirmation screen when the payment by customer C is completed, and then displays a standby screen. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the transition of the display unit 61 etc. when the accounting device 103 has not received the instruction information, and FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the transition of the display unit 61 etc. when the accounting device 103 has received the instruction information. Note that FIGS. 5 and 6 are examples in which customer C pays in cash.

When customer C completes payment, display 61 displays a confirmation screen. A message display section 611, a transaction amount display section 612, a guidance display section 613, and a clerk call button 614 are displayed on the confirmation screen.

Message display section 611 displays a message to notify customer C. In this embodiment, a message is displayed to remind you if you forget to take the item. Specifically, the message display section 611 displays the message "Please receive your receipt and change."

Transaction amount display section 612 displays the total amount of purchased products, the amount of money that customer C put into accounting device 103, and the amount of change. The guidance display section 613 displays an image or illustration of the accounting device 103 showing the position where the change is discharged and the position where the receipt is discharged. By checking the guidance display section 613, customer C can recognize the discharge position of change and receipts. A clerk call button 614 is an operation button for calling a clerk.

After payment by customer C is completed and a confirmation screen is displayed, when a predetermined period of time has elapsed, or when it is detected that change or a receipt has been taken out by customer C, the display 61 shifts from the confirmation screen to a standby screen. On the standby screen, the words "Welcome" are displayed over the entire surface of the display 61. Note that if change and/or receipts remain in the accounting device 103 when transitioning from the confirmation screen to the standby screen, the accounting device 103 may emit an error sound from the speaker 65.

On the other hand, if the accounting device 103 has received the instruction information associated with the transaction information, as shown in FIG. 6, the notification information is announced before transitioning from the confirmation screen to the standby screen. Specifically, the speaker 65 outputs a voice saying, "Have you left anything behind? Please check again." After that, the display 61 displays a standby screen.

Next, a process performed by the registration device 102 and the accounting device 103 to re-announce based on the judgment of the operator O will be described. First, the registration process executed by the registration device 102 will be explained. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of registration processing by the control unit 150 of the registration device 102.

The control unit 150 determines whether or not a product code has been input to the registration unit 1021 (step S1), and if it has not been input (N in step S1), the process returns to step S1 and waits. When the product code is input (Y in step S1), the registration unit 1021 registers the product based on the input product code (step S2).

The control unit 150 determines whether the product registration for one transaction has been completed (step S3), and if it has not been completed (N in step S3), the process returns to step S1. The control unit 150 determines that product registration has ended when the subtotal key that declares the end of product registration for one transaction is operated.

When the product registration is completed (Y in step S3), the display control unit 1024 causes the display 114 to display the transfer screen shown in FIG. 4 (step S4). Next, the control unit 150 determines whether transaction information transfer input has been made (step S5). When the accounting machine guide button 1146 is operated on the transfer screen, the control unit 150 determines that transaction information transfer input has been made.

When the transaction information is transferred (Y in step S5), the output unit 1023 selects an output destination of the transaction information and transmits the transaction information to the accounting device 103 (step S6). Note that, at this time, the display control unit 1024 displays the number of the destination accounting device 103 as a pop-up on the transfer screen. Then, the control unit 150 ends the registration process.

In the process of step S5, if transaction information is not transferred (N in step S5), the control unit 150 determines whether instruction information is input (step S7), and if not input (N in step S7). , the process returns to step S5. When the re-notification button 1148 is operated on the transfer screen, the control unit 150 determines that instruction information has been input.

When the instruction information is input (Y in step S7), the output unit 1023 associates the transaction information with the instruction information and transmits the transaction information and instruction information to the selected accounting device 103 (step S8). . Note that, at this time, the display control unit 1024 displays the number of the destination accounting device 103 as a pop-up on the transfer screen. Then, the control unit 150 ends the registration process.

Through the above registration process, information indicating whether or not the transaction requires a re-notification to be careful not to forget change or receipts can be transmitted to the accounting device 103 .

Next, the notification process executed by the accounting device 103 will be explained. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of notification processing by the control unit 50 of the accounting device 103.

The control unit 50 determines whether transaction information has been input from the registration device 102 to the input unit 1031 (step S11), and if not (N in step S11), returns to the process of step S11 and waits. When the transaction information is input (Y in step S11), the display control unit 1033 causes the display 61 to display a checkout screen for the customer C to perform operations related to checkout processing (step S12). On the checkout screen, product information about the product to be purchased, payment method selection buttons, etc. are displayed.

The accounting processing unit 1032 executes accounting processing according to the operation of the customer C (step S13). When the checkout process is completed, the display control unit 1033 causes the display 61 to display a confirmation screen shown in FIG. 5 (step S14).

Subsequently, the control unit 50 determines whether there is instruction information associated with the transaction information input to the input unit 1031 (step S15). If there is instruction information (Y in step S15), the notification unit 1034 reads out the notification information X stored in the storage unit 36 and makes a notification by outputting the sound from the speaker 65 (step S16).

Next, the display control unit 1033 causes the display 61 to display a standby screen (step S17). Then, the control unit 50 ends the notification process. Note that in the process of step S15, if there is no instruction information (N of step S15), the control unit 50 skips the process of step S16 and proceeds to the process of step S17.

Through the above-mentioned notification process, the operator O operating the registration device 102 can notify the customer C of the information to whom the operator O has determined that notification of the information is necessary.

As described above, according to the accounting system 101 of the first embodiment, the accounting device 103 can notify the customer C who seems to need to be notified of the information. On the other hand, the accounting device 103 does not notify the information to the customer C who is considered not to need to be notified of the information. For example, a message can be sent to only customer C who is thought to often forget to take change or receipts, alerting them to forgetting to take change or receipts.

This not only allows the accounting device 103 operated by the customer C to notify the customer C of necessary information, but also prevents the customer C who does not need notification from being unnecessarily restrained by the accounting device 103. Since there are no charges, customer C can make a smooth payment.

Moreover, using the judgment of the operator O who operates the registration device 102, the customer C who seems to need to be notified of information is specified in the accounting device 103. Therefore, there is no need to provide a sensor or the like to the accounting device 103 operated by the customer C in order to determine whether the customer C requires notification of information. In other words, according to the accounting system 101 of the first embodiment, by focusing on the configuration unique to semi-self POS in which a store clerk operates the registration device 102 for registering products, and by using the store clerk's judgment, a simple configuration can be achieved. Announcement information can be notified to a specific target person using the accounting device 103.

(Second embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment will be described. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that a plurality of pieces of information to be notified are prepared and the operator O can select the information to be notified according to the customer C. Hereinafter, descriptions of configurations and functions similar to those of the first embodiment may be omitted. This is to avoid unnecessary redundancy in the following description and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.

In the second embodiment, a notification information management table Y is stored in the storage unit 36 of the accounting device 103. The notification information management table Y is a data table for managing notification information notified by the accounting device 103. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the data structure of the notification information management table Y. The notification information management table Y stores instruction information numbers and notification messages in association with each other.

The instruction information No. is a number that specifies the instruction information output by the registration device 102. The announcement message is the content of the message to be announced. For example, message A is an advertisement message aimed at senior customer C, and message B is an operation support message aimed at people with disabilities.

As shown in FIG. 10, the transfer screen displayed on the display 114 of the registration device 102 includes a total amount display section 1141, a discount button 1142, a discount button 1143, a payment method selection button 1144, a back button 1145, and an accounting machine guide. A button 1146, an accounting machine information display section 1147, a first characteristic button 1149, and a second characteristic button 1150 are displayed.

The total amount display section 1141, discount button 1142, discount button 1143, payment method selection button 1144, back button 1145, accounting machine guide button 1146, and accounting machine information display section 1147 are the same as in the first embodiment. , duplicate explanations will be omitted.

The first characteristic button 1149 is an operation button for inputting instruction information that instructs the accounting device 103 to announce a target person advertisement. On the first characteristic button 1149, the characters ``senior'' are displayed, indicating the senior layer targeted by the targeted person advertisement.

The second characteristic button 1150 is an operation button for inputting instruction information that instructs the accounting device 103 to notify operation support. The second characteristic button 1150 displays characters indicating a person with a disability who is the target of the target person advertisement.

When registering a product using the registration device 102, the operator O checks the characteristics of the customer C, and if the customer C corresponds to the first characteristic button 1149 or the second characteristic button 1150, operates either characteristic button. . In other words, operator O determines whether customer C is a customer C who requires target advertisement or operation support notification.

When the first characteristic button 1149 is operated, instruction information with instruction information No. 1 is transmitted to the accounting device 103. The accounting device 103 refers to the notification information management table Y, reads out the message A corresponding to the instruction information No. 1, and makes a notification. In other words, the accounting device 103 announces the message of the target advertisement.

Similarly, when the second characteristic button 1150 is operated, instruction information with instruction information No. 2 is transmitted to the accounting device 103. The accounting device 103 refers to the notification information management table Y, reads out the message B corresponding to the instruction information No. 2, and makes a notification. In other words, the accounting device 103 notifies the user of an operation support message.

Next, registration processing executed by the registration device 102 in the second embodiment will be described. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of registration processing by the control unit 150 of the registration device 102.

The processes from step S1 to step S6 are the same as those in the first embodiment, so redundant explanation will be omitted. In step S5, if the transaction information transfer input is not made (N in step S5), the control unit 150 determines whether the first characteristic button 1149 is operated and the first characteristic input is made (step S21).

When the first characteristic is input (Y in step S21), the output unit 1023 associates the transaction information with instruction information 1 and transmits it to the accounting device 103 (step S22). Then, the control unit 150 ends the registration process.

In the process of step S21, if the first characteristic input is not made (N of step S21), the control unit 150 determines whether the second characteristic button 1150 is operated and the second characteristic input is made (step S23). , if the second characteristic is not input (N in step S23), the process returns to step S5.

When the second characteristic is input (Y in step S23), the output unit 1023 associates the transaction information with the instruction information 2 and transmits it to the accounting device 103 (step S24). Then, the control unit 150 ends the registration process.

Through the above registration process, the registration device 102 can transmit any of a plurality of instruction information to the accounting device 103 according to the characteristics of the customer C.

Next, the notification process executed by the accounting device 103 will be explained. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the flow of notification processing by the control unit 50 of the accounting device 103.

The processes from step S11 to step S14 are the same as those in the first embodiment, so redundant explanation will be omitted. After displaying the confirmation screen, the control unit 50 determines whether the instruction information associated with the transaction information input to the input unit 1031 is instruction information 1 (step S31).

If the instruction information is 1 (Y in step S31), that is, the instruction information instructs to notify the target audience advertisement, the notification unit 1034 makes a notification using message A (step S32). Specifically, the notification unit 1034 reads the message A whose instruction information No. corresponds to 1 from the notification information management table Y stored in the storage unit 36 and outputs the message A from the speaker 65 as a sound. Next, the display control unit 1033 causes the display 61 to display a standby screen (step S17), similarly to the first embodiment. Then, the control unit 50 ends the notification process.

In the process of step S31, if the instruction information associated with the transaction information input to the input section 1031 is not instruction information 1 (N of step S31), the control section 50 It is determined whether the associated instruction information is instruction information 2 (step S33).

If the instruction information is instruction information 2 (Y in step S33), that is, the instruction information instructs operation support, the notification unit 1034 makes a notification using message B (step S34). Specifically, the notification unit 1034 reads the message B corresponding to the instruction information No. 2 from the notification information management table Y stored in the storage unit 36 and outputs the message B from the speaker 65 as a sound. The control unit 50 then proceeds to the process of step S17.

In the process of step S33, if the instruction information associated with the transaction information input to the input unit 1031 is not the instruction information 2 (N of step S33), the control unit 50 moves to the process of step S17.

Through the above notification processing, the accounting device 103 can select information suitable for the customer C based on the judgment of the operator O who operates the registration device 102.

As described above, according to the accounting system 101 of the second embodiment, notification information can be notified to a specific target person using the accounting device 103 with a simple configuration, similar to the first embodiment. In addition, since a plurality of notification information can be prepared, more effective information can be announced.

As explained above, the registration device 102 of each of the above embodiments includes a registration device 102 that registers product information of a product purchased by a customer C through the operation of a store clerk, and product information registered in the registration device 102 through the operation of the customer C. A registration device 102 used in an accounting system 101 having an accounting device 103 that performs accounting processing based on an operation reception unit 1022 that accepts an input operation for instruction information to be performed; and an output unit 1023 that outputs the transaction information of the one transaction and the instruction information in association when the operation reception unit 1022 accepts an input operation of the instruction information. and.

Thereby, the registration device 102 can instruct the accounting device 103 to make a notification based on the judgment of the store clerk who operates the registration device 102. Therefore, with a simple configuration, it is possible to notify the information to the customer C who seems to need to provide the information in the accounting device 103.

Further, the output unit 1023 of the registration device 102 of the first embodiment outputs instruction information that instructs to re-announce a warning to be displayed on the display 61 of the accounting device 103 during accounting processing.

Thereby, the store can more effectively call attention to customer C. Items that are alerted on the display 61 at the time of checkout, such as forgetting to take change or a receipt, are important items for the store, and it is useful for the store to be able to re-notify customer C who may need this information. It is.

Furthermore, the registration device 102 of each of the embodiments described above has a first operator for accepting an input operation of instruction information and a second operator for instructing output of transaction information on the same display device 61. It further includes a display control unit 1033 that displays on the screen.

As a result, the clerk operating the registration device 102 can see the first operator when operating the second operator to instruct output of transaction information. For this reason, forgetting to input instruction information can be suppressed.

In addition, in the registration device 102 of the second embodiment, the display control unit 1024 displays a plurality of first operators, and the output unit 1023 outputs instruction information corresponding to the selected first operator. .

Thereby, the accounting device 103 can announce any one of the plurality of prepared announcement information. Therefore, information suitable for the customer C can be selected based on the judgment of the operator O who operates the registration device 102.

The program 137 that operates the registration device 102 and the program 37 that operates the accounting device 103 are files in an installable or executable format that can be stored on a CD-ROM, flexible disk (FD), CD-R, or DVD (Digital). It is recorded and provided on a computer-readable recording medium such as Versatile Disk).

Further, each of the programs 37 and 137 may be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet, and provided by being downloaded via the network. Further, each of the programs 37 and 137 may be configured to be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

Although several embodiments of the invention have been described, these embodiments are presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and gist of the invention, as well as within the scope of the invention described in the claims and its equivalents.

101 Accounting System 102 Registration Device 103 Accounting Device 114 Display 1022 Operation Reception Unit 1023 Output Unit 1024 Display Control Unit 1034 Notification Unit

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2010-191938

Claims (6)

Used in an accounting system that includes a registration device that registers product information of products purchased by a customer through the operation of a store clerk, and an accounting device that performs accounting processing based on the product information registered in the registration device through the customer's operation. A registration device,
an operation reception unit that accepts an input operation of instruction information that is information set corresponding to one transaction and instructs the accounting device to notify the customer;
an output unit that outputs the transaction information of the one transaction and the instruction information in association when the operation reception unit accepts the input operation of the instruction information;
A registration device comprising: The output unit outputs instruction information that instructs to re-announce a warning to be displayed on a display of the accounting device during accounting processing.
The registration device according to claim 1. further comprising a display control unit that causes a first operator for accepting an input operation of the instruction information and a second operator for instructing output of the transaction information to be displayed on the same screen of a display device;
The registration device according to claim 1 or claim 2. The display control unit displays a plurality of the first operators,
the output unit outputs instruction information corresponding to the selected first operator;
The registration device according to claim 3. Used in an accounting system comprising a registration device that registers product information of a product purchased by a customer through the operation of a store clerk, and an accounting device that performs accounting processing based on the product information registered in the registration device through the operation of the customer. A program for controlling a registration device by a computer,
The computer,
an operation reception unit that accepts an input operation of instruction information that is information set corresponding to one transaction and instructs the accounting device to notify the customer;
an output unit that outputs the transaction information of the one transaction and the instruction information in association when the operation reception unit accepts the input operation of the instruction information;
A program that makes it work. An accounting system comprising: a registration device that registers product information of products purchased by a customer through operations of a store clerk; and an accounting device that executes accounting processing based on the product information registered in the registration device through operations of the customer. ,
The registration device includes:
an operation reception unit that accepts an input operation of instruction information that is information set corresponding to one transaction and instructs the accounting device to notify the customer;
an output unit that outputs the transaction information of the one transaction and the instruction information in association when the operation reception unit accepts the input operation of the instruction information,
The accounting device includes:
an announcement unit that, when receiving the transaction information of the one transaction and the instruction information, makes an announcement based on the instruction information;
An accounting system equipped with

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