JP2023158028A - Commodity sales data processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a commodity sales data processing device that can present information usable for a checkout operation to an employee.SOLUTION: According to an embodiment, the commodity sales data processing device includes a first display unit, a receiving unit, and a second display unit. The first display unit displays a first screen for processing concerning sales of a commodity. The receiving unit receives first data distributed from a first external device. The second display unit displays a second screen based on the first data without interlocking with the processing of displaying the first screen.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a product sales data processing device.

A store accounting system (checkout system) used in a supermarket or the like is equipped with a product sales data processing device (for example, a POS (Point of Sales) terminal) that is operated by an employee. The POS terminal performs, for example, registration processing of products purchased by a customer, payment processing for registered products, and various other processing related to checkout operations in response to input operations by employees. Generally, a POS terminal is provided with a touch panel that can accept input operations by an employee and display processing details, and a keyboard (hardware keyboard) provided with a plurality of keys. By operating keys (buttons) displayed on the touch panel or keys on the keyboard according to various situations in the checkout operation, the employee can execute the process required for that situation.

In relatively large stores, multiple POS terminals are installed, each of which is individually operated by an employee. Employees are able to individually check the information they need during checkout work. For example, for information such as today's special sale items, a flyer listing the special sale items is posted around the POS terminal, or a memo with a message from the store manager or the like is written in the store. Furthermore, when there is information to be shared among multiple employees, it is communicated, for example, through conversations between employees, and each employee has to memorize the information individually.

Some conventional POS terminals are equipped with a sub display (or touch panel) in addition to a main display (or touch panel) that displays a screen for checkout operations by employees. The sub-display (touch panel) is used, for example, as a customer-facing display that displays a screen for presenting information to the customer and accepting confirmation operations from the customer. On customer-facing displays, processes for checkout operations using the screen displayed on the main display, such as screens linked to the registration process of products that the customer wants to purchase and the payment process for registered products. is displayed.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2015-162208

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a product sales data processing device that can present information useful for checkout operations to employees.

According to the embodiment, the product sales data processing device includes a first display device, a receiving section, a data acquisition section, and a second display device. The first display device displays a first screen for processing related to product sales. The receiving unit receives first data distributed from a first external device. The data acquisition unit acquires second data from a second external device corresponding to the first data. A second display device independent of the first display device displays a second screen based on the second data without interlocking with the process of displaying the first screen.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the product sales data processing device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a combination keyboard according to the present embodiment. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a system provided with a POS terminal in this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a server and a POS terminal in this embodiment. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the server in this embodiment. 1 is a flowchart showing the operation of a POS terminal in this embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the screen displayed on the touch panel in this embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the screen displayed by the browser on the touch panel in this embodiment.

This embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a product sales data processing device according to this embodiment. The product sales data processing device constitutes a part of a checkout system used in a store such as a supermarket, and is configured as a POS (Point of Sales) terminal 10, for example. The following will explain the POS terminal 10 as an example.

As shown in FIG. 1, the POS terminal 10 is provided with a change machine 11e, a touch panel 11h, a combination keyboard 11j (keyboard 11ja, touch panel 11jb), a printer 11k, a card reader/writer 11m, and a display 11n.

The POS terminal 10 is configured such that a touch panel 11h, a combination keyboard 11j, a printer 11k, and a display 11n can be attached to and detached from a specified housing. Therefore, the POS terminal 10 can individually select and implement the touch panel 11h, combination keyboard 11j, printer 11k, and display 11n that are suitable for use in a store.

For example, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the combination keyboard 11j may include a keyboard 11ja and a touch panel 11jb, as well as a keyboard-only mode in which more keys are mounted instead of the touch panel 11jb. There is something. Further, it is also possible to accept input operations by employees only from the touch panel 11h without implementing the combination keyboard 11j. The present embodiment will be described on the assumption that a combination keyboard 11j including a keyboard 11ja and a touch panel 11jb shown in FIG. 2 is mounted.

Similarly, the display 11n, for example, is used as a customer surface for providing information to customers, and can be mounted by selecting one from a plurality of units with different screen sizes. Moreover, it is also possible to mount a touch panel in place of the display 11n so that input operations by the customer can be accepted.

Note that in this embodiment, an operation screen including, for example, a plurality of keys is displayed on the touch panel 11h and the touch panel 11jb, and a touch operation is performed on the panel, but other input operations may be performed. For example, depending on the operation screens displayed on the touch panel 11h and the touch panel 11jb, it is also possible to operate the keyboard 11ja to select any key, or to specify the key to be selected by voice input. In this case, a display may be provided in place of the touch panel 11h or 11jb to display an operation screen.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a system provided with POS terminals 10 (10-1, 10-2, . . . , 10-n) in this embodiment. In FIG. 3, the checkout system installed in a store includes a plurality of POS terminals 10 (10-1, 10-2,..., 10-n), a server 12 (store computer), and a LAN (Local Area Network) 14. They are connected so that they can communicate with each other via networks such as . Further, the POS terminal 10 and the server 12 are individually connected to a network 16 including the Internet outside the checkout system. The POS terminal 10 and the server 12 access a server 18 (SNS (Social Networking Service), website, blog site, short text posting site, database system, etc.) via a network 16 (Internet) to receive data.

The POS terminal 10 is equipped with computer functions, and includes a processor (CPU (central processing unit), etc.) 11a, ROM (read-only memory) 11b, RAM (random-access memory) 11c, storage unit 11d, and a change machine. 11e, a communication unit 11f, a scanner 11g, a touch panel 11h, a combination keyboard 11j (keyboard 11ja, touch panel 11jb), a printer 11k, a card reader/writer 11m, a display 11n, and a communication unit 11p.

The processor 11a is a circuit for controlling each part to realize various operations of the POS terminal 10 based on the operating system, middleware, and application programs stored in the ROM 11b and RAM 11c.

The ROM 11b and the RAM 11c record various programs executed by the processor 11a as well as data referenced by the processor 11a when performing various processes. For example, in the RAM 11c, when a process for registering product information is executed, a registered product table in which information on products to be purchased by a customer is registered is recorded. Further, data of screens to be displayed on the touch panel 11h and the touch panel 11jb, etc. are stored in the RAM 11c.

The program executed by the processor 11a includes a scanning process for inputting product information (product code, etc.) through the scanner 11g, and generating transaction information used for payment processing according to product information registered in the registered product table. It includes a control program for executing registration processing, payment processing based on transaction information, etc. The processor 11a displays a screen for processing related to product sales (including registration processing and payment processing) on the touch panel 11h by executing a control program. In addition, the control program includes a reception process (receiving unit) that receives data distributed from the server 12, and a process related to product sales that is executed using the screen displayed on the touch panel 11h. A display control program that can control a display process (display unit) that displays a screen based on data received from the server 12 on the touch panel 11jb is included.

The storage unit 11d stores data used by the processor 11a to perform various processes, or data generated by processing by the processor 11a. As the storage unit 11d, for example, an EEPROM (registered trademark) (electric erasable programmable read-only memory), an HDD (hard disk drive), or an SSD (solid state drive) can be used.

The change machine 11e receives coins and banknotes that are inserted, and discharges coins and banknotes as change.
The communication unit 11f controls communication with a server 18 (external device) that provides various information such as SNS, websites, blog sites, short message posting sites, database systems, etc., via a network 16 including, for example, the Internet. .

The scanner 11g reads product information by optical scanning, for example, and inputs a product code unique to the product. The scanner 11g may be a fixed or hand-held two-dimensional code scanner, or may be a type that identifies the product using image recognition technology from a photographed image of the product. Moreover, the scanner 11g may be provided with only one type, or may be provided with a plurality of types.

The touch panel 11h is a device on which an employee (cashier) performs an input operation, and includes a display device and a touch sensor. The display device displays any screen such as a GUI (Graphical User Interface) screen. For example, the display device displays a registration screen (product list screen) that includes a list of transaction information (product name, amount, etc.) and subtotal amount related to products registered for purchase, and multiple screens corresponding to various functions. Displays an operation screen including a menu including keys and keys for inputting commands for instructing execution of various functions. As the display device, for example, a well-known device such as a color LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) can be used. The touch sensor is arranged to overlap the display surface of the display device. The touch sensor detects the touch position of the operator on the display surface of the display device, and sends the position information to the processor 11a. A well-known device can be used as the touch sensor.

The combination keyboard 11j is a device on which input operations are performed by an employee (cashier), and includes, for example, a keyboard 11ja on which a plurality of keys each individually assigned with a specific function are arranged, and a touch panel 11jb. The touch panel 11jb is configured similarly to the touch panel 11h, for example. The touch panel 11jb displays supplementary information that does not need to be displayed all the time, information that should be shared with employees in the store (sale information, messages from the store manager, etc.), and the like. The touch panel 11jb displays a screen based on data distributed from the server 12, for example.

The printer 11k is, for example, a thermal printer or a dot impact printer, and prints various character strings, images, code patterns (barcodes, two-dimensional codes, etc.) on receipt paper to print product names, unit prices, etc. A transaction receipt etc. is issued on which transaction details such as the total amount are printed.

The card reader/writer 11m reads data recorded on the card and writes data to the card. Cards include payment cards such as credit cards, debit cards, electronic money cards, and prepaid cards, as well as various cards that record information related to payment processing, such as membership cards and point cards. The card reader/writer 11m may be a magnetic type, contact type, or non-contact type device, and may include multiple types of devices.

The display 11n is a device used for providing information to customers, for example, and can be a well-known device such as a color LCD.

The server 12 includes a processor (such as a CPU) 21a, a ROM 21b, a RAM 21c, a storage unit 21d, a communication unit 21f, a keyboard 21g, a display 21h, and a communication unit 21p. The server 12 is an information processing device having computer functions.

The processor 21a is a circuit for controlling each part to implement various operations as the server 12 based on the operating system, middleware, and application programs stored in the ROM 21b and RAM 21c.

The ROM 21b and the RAM 21c store programs such as an operating system, middleware, and application programs executed by the processor 21a, as well as data that the processor 21a refers to when performing various processes.

The programs executed by the processor 21a include a POS program for realizing a POS function related to product sales, a data distribution program for distributing data to be displayed on the touch panel 11jb of the POS terminal 10, and the like.

The storage unit 21d stores data used by the processor 21a to perform various processes or data generated by processing by the processor 21a. As the storage unit 21d, for example, an EEPROM (registered trademark), an HDD, or an SSD can be used. The storage unit 21d stores sales management data (including product master data, sales data (including product name, price, sales time, number of sales, etc.), inventory data, etc.) processed in the POS function, and data sent to the POS terminal 10. For distribution, input distribution data input by an employee's operation of the keyboard 21g, acquired data acquired for distribution to the POS terminal 10 from an external device (such as the server 18), and the like are stored.

The communication unit 21f controls communication with the POS terminal 10 and the like via the LAN 14. The keyboard 21g inputs data to the server 12 in response to operations by employees. Note that the server 12 may be provided with input devices (such as a touch panel and a mouse) other than the keyboard 21g.
The display 21h displays a screen corresponding to the POS function, data distribution processing, etc. executed by the processor 21a.
The communication unit 21p controls communication with an external device such as a server 18 (such as a website) via the network 16.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the server 12 and POS terminal 10 in this embodiment.
The server 12 implements the functions of a keyword acquisition section 21a1, a data acquisition section 21a2, and a data distribution section 21a3 by executing a data distribution program using a processor 21a. The keyword acquisition unit 21a1 performs a setting process for setting an external device as a provider of data (distribution data) to be distributed to the POS terminal 10 based on the data stored in the storage unit 21d (storage unit 21d1). Execute (setting section). The storage unit 21d1 includes distribution data 30 distributed to the POS terminal 10 and sales management data 31 stored by the POS function (POS program). The distribution data 30 includes input distribution data 30a inputted by an employee's operation of the keyboard 21g for distribution to the POS terminal 10, and input distribution data 30a input for distribution to the POS terminal 10 from an external device (such as the server 18). This includes acquired data 30b. The input distribution data 30a includes, for example, information regarding today's special sale items (product name, price, etc.), messages from the store manager to employees (text data), and the age referenced when confirming the customer's age during registration processing. Confirmation data and a URL (uniform resource locator) indicating a website that is a data provider that can be accessed through the network 16 are included. In addition to the data described above, the input distribution data 30a can store any data to be distributed to the POS terminal 10.

The keyword acquisition unit 21a1 sets an external device as a provider of distribution data, for example, based on the input distribution data 30a and the sales management data 31. For example, when the input distribution data 30a stores data (URL, etc.) indicating the access destination of an external device, the keyword acquisition unit 21a1 determines which external device is the provider of the distribution data based on the data indicating the access destination. Set up the device (server 18). For example, by storing the URL of a weather forecast website in the input distribution data 30a, settings can be made such that the weather forecast website can be accessed and weather forecast data (web page) can be obtained.

Further, the keyword acquisition unit 21a1 can create a search keyword for searching for an access destination (distribution data provider) using a search engine, for example, based on the data stored in the input distribution data 30a. can. For example, the keyword acquisition unit 21a1 can extract the "product name" of the sale data included in the input distribution data 30a and use it as a search keyword. Similarly, the keyword acquisition unit 21a1 can extract, for example, a word included in a store manager's message (text data) included in the input distribution data 30a, or data stored in advance as a keyword, and use it as a search keyword. can.

Alternatively, specific data (web page) may be acquired by accessing a website indicated by a pre-registered URL and specifying a search keyword. For example, a user accesses a website that provides cooking recipes, specifies the "product name" of the sale item as a search keyword, and accesses a web page that describes cooking recipes using the sale item.

Further, the keyword acquisition unit 21a1 performs a search for searching the server 18 connected via the network 16 based on the sales management data 31 (at least either sales data or inventory data) stored in the storage unit 21d1. Get keywords. For example, if a product whose sales volume is higher than normal is detected based on sales data, the "product name" of this product is acquired as a search keyword. For example, if you access a TV program information site or news site (food related) based on a "product name" that has a particularly high sales volume, you can access the TV program or news that is assumed to have led to an increase in sales volume. page.

Note that the setting of the external device as the provider of the distribution data described above is just one example, and the data provider may be set using other methods.

The data acquisition unit 21a2 accesses the external device (such as the server 18) set by the keyword acquisition unit 21a1 via the network 16, and acquires data used for distribution from the external device to the POS terminal 10. The data acquisition unit 21a2 stores the acquired data 30b as distribution data 30 in the storage unit 21d1 (storage unit 21d).

The data distribution unit 21a3 distributes the distribution data 30 (input distribution data 30a, acquired data 30b) to the plurality of POS terminals 10, and displays information according to the distribution data 30 through the display control unit 11a1 operating in the POS terminal 10. It is displayed on the touch panel 11jb.

The POS terminal 10 realizes the functions of the display control section 11a1 by executing a display control program using the processor 11a. The display control unit 11a1 receives data distributed from the server 12 (data distribution unit 21a3), and displays a screen based on the received data on the touch panel 11jb. The display control unit 11a1 controls the display on the touch panel 11jb independently of the display control on the touch panel 11h without interlocking with the screen displayed on the touch panel 11h for processing related to product sales (registration processing, payment processing, etc.). can do.

In addition, the display control unit 11a1 may, in a specific situation, display on the touch panel 11jb a screen that is linked to a process executed using the display on the touch panel 11h. In addition, the customer display 11n basically displays screens that are linked to processes executed using the display on the touch panel 11h (for example, a list screen of products registered in a registration process, a screen in a payment process, etc.). (e.g. payment screen showing the payment amount). However, similar to the touch panel 11jb, unique information (information for customers) that is not linked to the processing executed using the display on the touch panel 11h may be displayed.

The display control unit 11a1 is also provided with a function of a browser 11a2 that accesses the server 18 through the network 16 and displays a web page provided by the server 18. The browser 11a2 is realized by executing a browser program by the processor 11a. For example, in response to an input operation on the touch panel 11jb, the browser 11a2 can access, for example, a website specified by the input operation, and display the web page on the touch panel 11jb.

Next, operations of the POS terminal 10 and the server 12 related to display control on the touch panel 11jb of the POS terminal 10 in this embodiment will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the server 12 in this embodiment, and FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the POS terminal 10 in this embodiment.

In the POS terminal 10, when the registration process of the product to be purchased is started, the processor 11a starts the control process based on the control program stored in the ROM 11b or the storage unit 11d.

When the processor 11a starts the registration process, it clears the registered product table recorded in the RAM 11c and displays a registration screen on the touch panel 11h. The registration screen is for displaying information on products registered in the registered product table, and is a screen for allowing employees to check the implementation status of the registration process.

When detecting that a product code attached to a product is read by the scanner 11g through an operation by an employee, the processor 11a registers (updates) information on the product corresponding to the product code in the registered product table. Further, the processor 11a updates the product information on the registration screen displayed on the touch panel 11h according to the contents of the updated registered product table.

On the other hand, the processor 21a (data distribution unit 21a3) of the server 12, when the preset distribution timing for the input distribution data 30a stored in the storage unit 21d (storage unit 21d1) has arrived (Act 15, Yes), The input distribution data 30a is distributed to the plurality of POS terminals 10 (Act 16). The distribution timing may be, for example, a specific distribution time set for each data stored as the input distribution data 30a, or may be a timing in response to a request from the POS terminal 10. For example, it is assumed that the distribution timing of data referred to in general check operations performed at the POS terminal 10 is set to be distributed at the business start time (or when the POS terminal 10 is started). For example, special sale data, store manager message data, age confirmation data, etc. included in the input distribution data 30a correspond to data that is referenced in the overall checking work.

On the other hand, when the processor 11a (display control unit 11a1) receives data distributed from the server 12 regardless of the registration process (Act 21, Yes), the processor 11a (display control unit 11a1) stores the acquired data and displays data based on the acquired data. The screen is displayed on the touch panel 11jb (Act 22).

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the touch panel 11jb based on the input distribution data 30a distributed from the server 12. FIG. 7 shows an example in which product information of "today's featured sale" based on sale data, a store manager's message, and reference information for age confirmation are displayed. In FIG. 7, three different types of data are displayed on one screen, but the format for displaying information on the touch panel 11jb may be predetermined or may be changed dynamically according to the data distributed from the server 12. may be changed to It is also possible to switch screens and display them by an employee's operation.

The touch panel 11jb can display information based on data received from the server 12, regardless of the display on the touch panel 11h. Therefore, the employee who operates the POS terminal 10 can always refer to the information displayed on the touch panel 11jb. Therefore, there is no need to post flyers with special sale items around the POS terminal 10, or to prepare memos with information or messages to be referenced for age verification. Further, since common data is distributed from the server 12 to a plurality of POS terminals 10, information can be easily shared among a plurality of employees.

Further, when the input distribution data 30a stores the URL of the data provider, the processor 21a (keyword acquisition unit 21a1) of the server 12 responds to this URL according to the distribution timing set for the URL. to set the external device (server 18) that will be the provider of the distribution data. The data acquisition unit 21a2 accesses the website indicated by the URL set by the keyword acquisition unit 21a1, acquires the web page, and stores it in the storage unit 21d1. The data distribution unit 21a3 distributes the acquired data acquired from the website by the data acquisition unit 21a2 to the plurality of POS terminals 10.

Note that, as described above, the data acquisition unit 21a2 does not access the web page and distribute it to the POS terminal 10 based on the URL stored as the input distribution data 30a, but the data distribution unit 21a3 accesses the input distribution data 30a. The set URL may be distributed to the POS terminal 10. The POS terminal 10 may access a website using the browser 11a2 based on the URL distributed from the server 12, and display the website on the touch panel 11jb.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a screen (browser screen) displayed by the browser 11a2 on the touch panel 11jb. FIG. 8 shows an example of displaying a web page of a weather forecast website. The content of the web page is displayed on the browser screen. Further, at the top of the browser screen, for example, four tabs (TAB1 to TAB4) are provided for setting arbitrary web pages (web sites) as bookmarks. In addition, at the bottom of the browser screen, there are buttons (previous page, next page, refresh, close) for accepting operations to update the displayed page, and on the left side of the browser screen, there are buttons that allow you to scroll the page. There are buttons (upper button, lower button) for The browser 11a2 of this embodiment provides buttons on the browser screen that accept only simple operations, so that the operational burden on employees does not increase.

On the browser screen displayed by the browser 11a2, a web page can be displayed by specifying an access destination through an operation by an employee, for example, in the same manner as in general information devices (personal computers, smartphones, etc.). For example, when a site access request is input by selecting a tab (Act 27, Yes), the browser 11a2 accesses the website preset for the selected tab via the network 16 (Act 28). The browser 11a2 displays the web page of the accessed website on the touch panel 11jb (Act 29).

Thereby, in the POS terminal 10, the browser 11a2 can access not only the Web page distributed from the server 12 but also any Web site according to the operation of the employee and display the Web page.

Further, in the POS terminal 10, the contents of the screen displayed on the touch panel 11jb can be changed by an operation by an employee. For example, when an employee's operation on the touch panel 11jb instructs the processor 11a to switch the display (Act 23, Yes), if the data to be displayed is stored in advance, the processor 11a (display control unit 11a1) The display on the touch panel 11jb is switched based on the completed data. Furthermore, if the data to be displayed is not stored in advance, the processor 11a (display control unit 11a1) transmits a data acquisition request to the server 12 (Act 24). When the processor 21a (data distribution unit 21a3) of the server 12 receives the data acquisition request from the POS terminal 10 (Act 17, Yes), it transmits the data specified by the operation on the POS terminal 10 to the POS terminal 10 (Act 18).

When the display control unit 11a1 of the POS terminal 10 receives data from the server 12 in response to the data acquisition request transmission (Act 25), it stores the acquired data and displays a screen based on the acquired data on the touch panel 11jb. (Act 26).

Further, the keyword acquisition unit 21a1 sets an external device as a provider of the distribution data based on the input distribution data 30a or the sales management data 31. For example, as described above, the keyword acquisition unit 21a1 extracts the "product name" of the sale data included in the input distribution data 30a (Act 11, Yes). The data acquisition unit 21a2 acquires the "product name" extracted from the keyword acquisition unit 21a1 as a search keyword (Act 12), and acquires data corresponding to the search keyword via the network 16 (Act 13). The data acquisition unit 21a2 stores the data acquired based on the search keyword in the storage unit 21d1 (storage unit 21d) as acquired data 30b (Act 14).

Similarly, the keyword acquisition unit 21a1 acquires a search keyword based on sales management data 31 (at least one of sales data or inventory data), and stores the data acquired based on the search keyword as acquired data 30b. 21d1 (storage unit 21d) (Acts 11 to 14).

The processor 21a (data distribution unit 21a3) transmits the acquired data 30b stored in the storage unit 21d (storage unit 21d1) at a preset distribution timing (Act 15), similarly to the input distribution data 30a described above. , Yes), and is distributed to a plurality of POS terminals 10 (Act 16). Note that the data distribution unit 21a3 may distribute the acquired data 30b to the POS terminal 10 at the timing when the acquired data 30b is stored by the data acquisition unit 21a2.

When the POS terminal 10 is instructed to end the display on the touch panel 11jb, for example, by an operation of an employee (Act 30, Yes), the POS terminal 10 ends the display of the data received from the server 12 on the touch panel 11jb. Until then, the POS terminal 10 can display various information on the touch panel 11jb based on the data distributed from the server 12, as described above (Acts 21 to 29).

In this way, the POS terminal 10 according to the present embodiment performs checkout processing (registration processing, payment processing, etc.), information can be displayed on the touch panel 11jb. On the touch panel 11jb, information can be constantly displayed or the display can be switched regardless of the processing status of registration processing and payment processing. Therefore, it is possible to present information useful for checkout operations to employees operating the POS terminal 10, and facilitate information sharing among employees.

Note that in the above description, data to be displayed on the touch panel 11jb is distributed from the server 12 to the plurality of POS terminals 10, but the data distribution source is not limited to the server 12. For example, the data may be distributed from any one of the plurality of POS terminals 10, or the data may be distributed from an external device installed outside the store connected via the network 16. . Furthermore, it is also possible to distribute message data, etc. input by an employee's operation from each POS terminal 10 to other POS terminals 10. In this case, each POS terminal 10 displays information on the touch panel 11jb based on data received from other POS terminals 10. This makes it easier to share information among employees.

Further, in the above description, the POS terminal 10 operated by an employee is described as the target, but it is possible to target other product sales data processing devices provided in the checkout system. For example, it is possible to target a registration device and an accounting device in a semi-self-type checkout system, and a registration/accounting device in a self-type checkout system. In this case, for example, in the registration device, accounting device, or registration/accounting device, a sub touch panel or display is provided in addition to the touch panel (display) operated for the main processing, and the touch panel 11jb described above is provided with a sub touch panel or display. Control the display. Furthermore, since the accounting device and registration/accounting device are devices that are mainly operated by customers, information for customers is displayed instead of information for employees that is displayed on the POS terminal 10 and registration device described above. The display may be controlled so that the In this case, the server 12 shall individually distribute data for displaying information for employees and data for displaying information for customers.

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.

Furthermore, the processes described in the above-described embodiments can be performed on a recording medium such as a magnetic disk (flexible disk, hard disk, etc.), an optical disk (CD-ROM, DVD, etc.), a semiconductor memory, etc., as a program that can be executed by a computer. It can be written to and provided to various devices. It is also possible to transmit the information via a communication medium and provide it to various devices. A computer reads a program recorded on a recording medium or receives a program via a communication medium, and its operations are controlled by the program, thereby executing the above-described processes.

10... POS terminal, 11a... Processor, 11b... ROM, 11c... RAM, 11d... Storage unit, 11e... Change machine, 11f... Communication unit, 11g... Scanner, 11h... Touch panel, 11j... Combination keyboard, 11ja... Keyboard, 11jb ...touch panel, 11k... printer, 12... server (store computer), 18... server.

Claims (5)

a first display device that displays a first screen for processing related to product sales;
a receiving unit that receives first data distributed from a first external device;
a data acquisition unit that acquires second data from a second external device corresponding to the first data;
Product sales data processing having a second display device independent of the first display device that displays a second screen based on the second data without being linked to the process of displaying the first screen. Device. The receiving unit acquires, from the first external device, third data searched based on a keyword including at least one of sales data or inventory data stored in the first external device;
2. The product sales data processing device according to claim 1, wherein the second display device displays a third screen based on the third data without interlocking with the process of displaying the first screen. The product sales data processing device according to claim 2, wherein the receiving unit receives the third data distributed from the first external device to a plurality of devices. When the second display device is instructed to switch the screen content displayed on the second display device, if the data to be displayed is stored in advance, the second display device displays the stored data to be displayed. A product sales data processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The product sales data processing device according to claim 1, wherein the second display device displays the second screen for employees.