JP2024044154A - Information processing equipment and programs - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an information processing device and program that allows a store to select a menu of other stores that the store adopts. [Solution] The information processing device of the embodiment includes a first management unit that manages menu information of a first store, a characteristic information receiving unit that receives input of characteristic information indicating the characteristics of the store, an acquisition unit that acquires menu information of a second store that is different from the first store and has characteristics matching the characteristic information received by the characteristic information receiving unit, and a second management unit that manages the menu information of the second store acquired by the acquisition unit. [Selected Figure] Figure 13

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to an information processing device and a program.

BACKGROUND ART In recent years, an ordering system has been proposed that allows restaurants to order menu items from other restaurants (for example, Patent Document 1). According to this ordering system, a customer visiting a store can order not only products from the store but also products from other stores. As a result, the customer can receive products from other stores different from the store he or she visits.

However, the conventional ordering system described above does not allow a store to freely set the menus of other stores that can provide products at the store (hereinafter also referred to as "other store menus"). For this reason, the conventional ordering system described above was not necessarily satisfactory for stores.

The problem that the present invention aims to solve is to provide an information processing device and program that allows a store to select menu items from other stores that the store uses.

The information processing device of the embodiment includes a first management unit that manages menu information of a first store, a characteristic information receiving unit that receives input of characteristic information indicating store characteristics, an acquisition unit that acquires menu information of a second store that is different from the first store and has characteristics matching the characteristic information received by the characteristic information receiving unit, and a second management unit that manages the menu information of the second store acquired by the acquisition unit.

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a menu management system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a main hardware configuration of the management server according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the data structure of the store master stored in the storage unit of the management server of the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a data configuration of a menu management table stored in the storage unit of the management server according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a data configuration of a store management table stored in the storage unit of the management server according to the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a data configuration of a payment information management table stored in the storage unit of the management server according to the embodiment. FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a main functional configuration of a control unit of the management server according to the embodiment. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a main hardware configuration of a store server according to the embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the data structure of the menu information table stored in the storage unit of the store server according to the embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a data configuration of an order information table stored in the storage unit of the store server of the embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the data structure of the payment information table stored in the storage unit of the store server according to the embodiment. FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing the main functional configuration of the control unit of the store server according to the embodiment. FIG. 13 is a sequence chart showing the flow of operations of the menu management system of the embodiment. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the flow of the other store menu setting process by the control unit of the store server according to the embodiment. FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the flow of an order receiving process by the control unit of the store server according to the embodiment.

Hereinafter, an information processing apparatus and a program 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, an example will be described in which the store server included in each store is an information processing device, but the present invention is not limited to this. The information processing device may be a management server that is communicably connected to a plurality of store servers.

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a menu management system 1. As shown in FIG. The menu management system 1 of this embodiment manages a plurality of restaurants (hereinafter also referred to as "stores") that participate in a service that provides customers with products from other stores (hereinafter also referred to as "other store product provision service"). It is built across. The menu management system 1 includes a management server 2 and a plurality of store systems 10. The management server 2 and each store system 10 are communicably connected to each other via a network such as the Internet.

Each store system 10 includes a store server 3, an order terminal 4, and a POS (Point Of Sales) terminal 5. These store server 3, order terminal 4, and POS terminal 5 are communicably connected to each other via a wired or wireless network such as a LAN (Local Area Network). Note that the number of management server 2, store system 10, store server 3, order terminal 4, and POS terminal 5 is not limited to the illustrated example.

The management server 2 is managed by a business operator that operates the other-store product provision service. The management server 2 manages characteristic information of the stores participating in the other-store product provision service, menu information of the stores, etc. The management server 2 receives and stores characteristic information of each store and menu information of each store from the store server 3 of each store. Here, characteristic information is information that indicates the characteristics of the store, and includes, for example, the time period during which products can be provided to other stores, the genre of products provided by the store (Japanese, Chinese, Italian, etc.), the area in which the store is located, the delivery method of products when providing products to other stores, etc. Furthermore, menu information is information related to products (food and drink) provided by the store, and includes, for example, a product ID that identifies the product, product name, price, etc.

The management server 2 accepts other store menu requests including characteristic information from the store server 3 of the store requesting menu information of other stores. The other store menu request is a request for a menu of products from other stores to be provided to customers visiting the store. Then, the management server 2 extracts menu information of a store that matches the characteristic information included in the other store menu request and is other than the store that outputs the other store menu request. The management server 2 transmits the extracted menu information to the store server 3 that is the source of the other store menu request.

In the following description, a store that obtains menu information from another store and provides the menu of that other store to customers who visit the store may be referred to as a "first store." Furthermore, a store that supplies products to be provided to customers of the other store, i.e., the first store, may be referred to as a "second store." A store that participates in the other store product provision service is both a first store and a second store. However, a store that provides products to customers only through delivery cannot be a first store.

The management server 2 accepts order information related to the menu of another store from the store server 3 of the store that accepted the order for the menu of the other store. In other words, the management server 2 accepts order information related to the menu of the second store from the store server 3 of the first store. The management server 2 transmits the accepted order information to the store server 3 of the second store. Here, the order information is information indicating the contents of the order by the customer, and includes, for example, an order ID that identifies one order, a product ID that identifies the product ordered by the order, and a store ID that identifies the store that provides the product. The second store that acquires the order information from the management server 2 prepares the product related to the order information and supplies it to the first store that accepted the order information.

The management server 2 receives payment information regarding the order from the store server 3 of the first store that accepted the order for the product of the second store and provided the product to the customer. The management server 2 sends a payment notification to the store server 3 of the second store that supplied the product to the first store. The payment notification is information that notifies that the payment has been completed with the customer at the first store regarding the product that the second store supplied to the first store. The second store that has obtained the payment notification can bill the first store for the products supplied to the first store.

The store server 3 is installed in each store. The store server 3 manages various information about the store. In other words, the store server 3 stores various store information and reads out the stored information as needed. For example, the store server 3 receives and stores transaction information for each transaction from the POS terminal 5, and performs sales management of the store by reading out the transaction information as needed.

Further, the store server 3 manages menu information of its own store. Specifically, the store server 3 manages menu information of products prepared and provided at the store to customers visiting the store. The menu information of the own store can be set arbitrarily by the store. The menu information of the own store is an example of the menu information of the first store.

The store server 3 accepts input of characteristic information indicating the characteristics of the store. The store server 3 sends an other store menu request including the input characteristic information to the management server 2. The management server 2 extracts stores that match the characteristic information included in the other store menu request, and sends the menu information of the extracted stores to the store server 3.

The store server 3 can receive menu information from the management server 2 of stores that match the input characteristic information, in other words, of other stores that the store wants to provide products to customers. The characteristic information input to the store server 3 includes, for example, product availability time, area, genre, product delivery method, and the like.

When a first store wishes to specify a time when it will provide products from a second store to customers who visit the store, the first store sets the product provision time as characteristic information. For example, when a first store wishes to provide products from a second store to customers by using customer seats during the preparation time when the first store's products are being prepared, the first store inputs characteristic information specifying the product provision time as a time period during the preparation time. This enables the first store to obtain menu information of the second store that can provide products during the time period when the first store's products cannot be provided to customers. When the first store provides products from the second store to customers, the first store may be able to obtain a fee for using the customer seats at its own store from the operating company of the other store product provision service or from the second store.

Further, when the first store wants to specify the area of the second store, the area is set as characteristic information. For example, if a first store wants to provide customers with products from a second store located in an area where delivery time to its own store is considered to be short, the first store inputs characteristic information specifying the area. do. This allows the first store to acquire menu information of a second store located in an area that can be delivered to the first store in a short time.

Furthermore, if the first store wishes to specify the genre of the second store, the genre is set as characteristic information. For example, if the first store wishes to avoid offering to individual customers products from other stores in the same genre that compete with the first store, the first store inputs characteristic information specifying a genre different from that of the first store. This allows the first store to obtain menu information from the second store in a genre different from that of the first store.

In addition, if a first store wishes to specify a product delivery method for receiving products from a second store, the product delivery method is set as characteristic information. For example, if a first store is short-staffed and wishes to have the second store deliver products to the first store, the first store inputs characteristic information specifying the delivery method. This allows the first store to obtain menu information for the second store that can deliver products to the first store.

The store server 3 also manages menu information of other stores received from the management server 2. The other store's menu information is an example of the second store's menu information. The store server 3 transmits menu information of its own store and menu information of other stores that it manages to the order terminal 4. In addition, in the following description, when both the own store's menu information and the other store's menu information are included, it may be simply referred to as "menu information." Here, the store server 3 is an example of an information processing device.

The order terminal 4 stores the received menu information. Order information indicating the contents of the order received from a customer who visits the store is input to the order terminal 4. The order terminal 4 may be installed at a customer's seat and operated by the customer, or may be carried by a store clerk and operated by the store clerk. The order terminal 4 transmits the input order information to the store server 3.

The store server 3 manages the received order information. Of the received order information, the store server 3 sends order information related to the menu of its own store to a kitchen printer (not shown). In the kitchen, the products are prepared based on the order form output from the kitchen printer. The store server 3 also sends, of the received order information, order information related to the menu of another store (second store) to the management server 2. The management server 2 sends the received order information to the store server 3 of the second store, which prepares the products related to the order information.

The POS terminal 5 executes accounting processing related to products ordered by customers visiting the store. Accounting processing is processing for paying for products ordered by a customer. The POS terminal 5 performs accounting processing on order information related to the menu of its own store and order information related to the menu of other stores. The POS terminal 5 transmits transaction information indicating the details of the transaction processed to the store server 3.

The store server 3 manages the received transaction information by dividing it by store. The store server 3 transmits the transaction information for the second store to the management server 2. The management server 2 transmits a payment notification including the received transaction information for the second store to the store server 3 of the second store.

Next, the management server 2 will be described in detail. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the main hardware configuration of the management server 2. The management server 2 includes a control unit 20, a memory unit 21, a display unit 22, an operation unit 23, and a communication unit 24. The control unit 20, the memory unit 21, the display unit 22, the operation unit 23, and the communication unit 24 are connected to each other via a bus 25 or the like.

The control unit 20 is a computer configuration including a CPU 201 (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory) 202, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 203. The CPU 201, the ROM 202, and the RAM 203 are connected to each other via a bus 25.

The CPU 201 controls the overall operation of the management server 2. The ROM 202 stores various programs, such as a program used to drive the CPU 201, and various data. The RAM 203 is used as a work area for the CPU 201, and expands the various programs and data stored in the ROM 202 and the memory unit 21. The control unit 20 executes various control processes of the management server 2 by the CPU 201 operating in accordance with the control programs stored in the ROM 202 and the memory unit 21 and expanded in the RAM 203.

The storage unit 21 is composed of a storage medium such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or a flash memory, and maintains the stored contents even if the power is cut off. The storage unit 21 stores a control program 211, a store master 212, a menu management table 213, a store management table 214, and a payment information management table 215.

The control program 211 is a program for implementing functions such as sending and receiving data to and from the store server 3, extracting menu information in response to a request from the store server 3 for another store's menu, sending order information relating to a second store from the store server 3 to the store server 3 of the second store, and sending a payment notification to the second store in response to transaction information for the second store from the store server 3.

Store master 212 is a master file that stores store information acquired from each store. Store information registered in the store master 212 is acquired from the store when the store applies for participation in another store's product providing service. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the data structure of the store master 212. The store master 212 stores notification destinations and characteristic information in association with store IDs.

The store ID is store identification information that identifies the store. The store ID is assigned by the operator of the service when the store applies for participation in the product provision service of other stores. The notification destination is information indicating the destination when transmitting information to the store, and is the communication address of the store server 3 in this embodiment.

The characteristic information is information that indicates the characteristics of the store, and in this embodiment, it is information that indicates the product availability time, region, genre, and product delivery method, but is not limited to this. The characteristic information can be set arbitrarily.

The product availability time is information indicating the time periods during which products can be provided to other stores. For example, if products can be supplied to other stores only during the hours when the store is open, information indicating the store's business hours is registered as the product availability time. Furthermore, if products can be supplied to other stores only during the hours when the store is closed, information indicating the hours when the store is closed is registered as the product availability time.

The area is information indicating the area where the store is located. In this embodiment, information indicating regional blocks divided by operators of other store product providing services is registered. For example, between stores within the same regional block, the regional block is set so that products can be delivered within a predetermined time (for example, 10 minutes).

The genre is information indicating the genre of products provided by the store. For example, information indicating Japanese food, Chinese food, Italian food, French food, etc. is registered as the genre.

The product delivery method is information indicating the method by which a store delivers products to other stores. For example, product delivery methods include supplier delivery, in which a second store that supplies the product delivers the product to a first store that receives the product, and a second store that supplies the product to a first store that supplies the product. Information indicating delivery to the supply destination to pick up the product at store No. 2, paid delivery by the delivery company, etc. is registered.

The menu management table 213 is a table that manages menu information acquired from each store for each store. The menu information registered in the menu management table 213 is acquired from the store when the store applies for participation in another store's product providing service, and is rewritten according to menu change information appropriately transmitted from the store server 3. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the data structure of the menu management table 213. The menu management table 213 stores product IDs, product names, prices, cooking times, and out-of-stock flags in association with store IDs.

The store ID is store identification information that identifies the store as described above. The product ID is product identification information that identifies the product. The product name is information indicating the name of the product. The price is information indicating the price of the product. The cooking time is information indicating the time from when the order for the product is received until the cooking is completed. The out-of-stock flag is information indicating whether the product can be provided or is out of stock. The cooking time and the out-of-stock flag are rewritten as appropriate depending on the store situation. That is, the management server 2 rewrites the cooking time and out-of-stock flag information according to the menu change information appropriately received from the store server 3.

The store management table 214 stores menu information receiving stores (first stores) that have received menu information from other stores and menu information supply stores (second stores) that have supplied menu information to the menu information receiving stores. This is a table that manages relationships. The store management table 214 is updated when the management server 2 transmits menu information to the store server 3 in response to another store menu request from the store server 3 . FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the data structure of the store management table 214. The store management table 214 stores menu information receiving stores and menu information supplying stores in association with each other.

The menu information receiving store is information indicating a store that has received menu information from another store, and for example, the store ID of that store is registered. The menu information supplying store is information indicating a store that has supplied menu information to the menu information receiving store, and for example, the store ID of that store is registered. When the menu information of a menu information supplying store is changed, the management server 2 refers to the store management table 214 to extract the menu information receiving store that corresponds to that menu information supplying store. Then, the management server 2 notifies the extracted menu information receiving store that the menu information of the menu information supplying store has been changed. The store management table 214 can be said to be a table that manages the stores that are the recipients of a notification of the change in menu information when the menu information of a menu information supplying store is changed.

The payment information management table 215 is a table that manages the payment information of the product supplied by the second store to the first store. The payment information management table 215 manages the payment information based on the transaction information received from the store server 3 of the first store that provided the product to the customer. Figure 6 is a diagram showing the data configuration of the payment information management table 215. The payment information management table 215 stores the supplying store and the amount for each store in association with the payment ID.

The payment ID is information that identifies the transaction information paid at the first store that provided the product to the customer. The supplying store is information that identifies the second store that supplied the product to the first store, for example the store ID of the second store. The store-specific amount is information that indicates the price of the product that the corresponding supplying store (second store) supplied to the first store.

Returning to FIG. 2, the hardware configuration of the management server 2 will be described.

The display unit 22 is a display device and is configured with a liquid crystal display or the like. The display unit 22 displays various information under the control of the control unit 20. For example, the display unit 22 displays various information stored in the memory unit 21 as necessary.

The operation unit 23 is an input device, and includes a keyboard, a touch panel, a mouse, and the like. For example, the operation unit 23 is operated when inputting information for updating various information stored in the storage unit 21.

The communication unit 24 is an interface for communicating with external devices such as each store server 3. By being connected to an external device via the communication unit 24, the control unit 20 can transmit and receive information (data) to and from the external device.

Next, the functional configuration of the control unit 20 of the management server 2 will be described. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the main functional configuration of the control unit 20 of the management server 2. The control unit 20 functions as a transmission/reception unit 2001, an input unit 2002, a display control unit 2003, and a data management unit 2004 by the CPU 201 operating in accordance with a control program stored in the ROM 202 or the memory unit 21. Note that each of these functions may be configured using hardware such as a dedicated circuit.

The transmitting/receiving unit 2001 transmits and receives various information to and from the store server 3 . For example, the transmitting/receiving unit 2001 receives a request for another store's menu from the store server 3, and transmits extracted store menu information to the store server 3 as a response. The transmitting/receiving unit 2001 also receives menu change information from the store server 3 of the store functioning as the second store. The transmitting/receiving unit 2001 transmits a menu change notification indicating that the menu of the second store has been changed to the store server 3 of the first store to which the second store supplies products. The menu change notification includes changed menu information.

The transmission/reception unit 2001 receives order information related to products of the second store from the store server 3 of the store that has become the first store, and transmits the order information to the store server 3 of the second store. The transmission/reception unit 2001 also receives transaction information related to products supplied by the second store to the first store from the store server 3 of the store that has become the first store. The transmission/reception unit 2001 transmits a payment notification including the received transaction information to the store server 3 of the second store.

Various information is input to the input unit 2002 from the operation unit 23 . For example, data to be updated when manually updating the store master 212, menu management table 213, store management table 214, and payment information management table 215 is input to the input unit 2002.

The display control unit 2003 causes the display unit 22 to display various information. For example, the display control unit 2003 causes the display unit 22 to display a data input screen for updating the store master 212, menu management table 213, store management table 214, and payment information management table 215.

The data management unit 2004 manages information stored in the storage unit 21. When the transmitting/receiving unit 2001 receives the other store menu request from the store server 3, the data management unit 2004 reads out the store ID of the store matching the characteristic information included in the other store menu request from the store master 212. Then, the data management unit 2004 reads menu information of the store identified by the read store ID from the menu management table 213.

The data management unit 2004 updates the store management table 214 when the transmitting/receiving unit 2001 receives menu addition store information from the store server 3 of the first store in which the menu information of the second store has been registered. The menu addition store information notifies the second store where the menu information has been registered in the first store, and includes the store ID of the first store and the menu information registered in the first store. and the store ID of the second store. Specifically, the data management unit 2004 registers the store ID of the first store as a menu information receiving store in the store management table 214. Furthermore, the data management unit 2004 registers the store ID of the second store as a menu information supply store in the store management table 214.

The data management unit 2004 updates the menu management table 213 when the transmission/reception unit 2001 receives the changed menu information from the store server 3. The changed menu information is information indicating that the menu of the store has been changed, and includes the store ID of the store and the changed menu information. The data management unit 2004 rewrites the information in the menu management table 213 based on the store ID and menu information included in the changed menu information. Furthermore, the data management unit 2004 reads out, in the store management table 214, the store ID registered in the menu information receiving store corresponding to the item of the menu information supplying store in which the store ID included in the changed menu information is registered. The read store ID is set as the destination of the menu change notification.

The data management unit 2004 registers information in the payment information management table 215 based on the transaction information received by the transmission/reception unit 2001 from the store server 3 of the first store. The transaction information received by the transmission/reception unit 2001 is transaction information related to products of the second store among information related to transactions processed at the POS terminal 5 of the first store.

Next, the store server 3 will be explained in detail. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the main hardware configuration of the store server 3. The store server 3 includes a control section 30, a storage section 31, a display section 32, an operation section 33, and a communication section 34. The control section 30, the storage section 31, the display section 32, the operation section 33, and the communication section 34 are connected to each other via a bus 35 or the like.

The control unit 30 has a computer configuration including a CPU 301, a ROM 302, and a RAM 303. CPU 301 , ROM 302 , and RAM 303 are connected to each other via bus 35 .

The CPU 301 controls the overall operation of the store server 3. The ROM 302 stores various programs such as programs used to drive the CPU 301 and various data. The RAM 303 is used as a work area for the CPU 301 and expands various programs and data stored in the ROM 302 and the storage unit 31. The control unit 30 executes various control processes for the store server 3 by causing the CPU 301 to operate according to a control program stored in the ROM 302 or the storage unit 31 and developed in the RAM 303.

The storage unit 31 is composed of a storage medium such as an HDD or a flash memory, and maintains the stored contents even if the power is cut off. The storage section 31 stores a control program 311, a menu information table 312, an order information table 313, a payment information table 314, and a store ID section 315.

The control program 311 is a program that realizes functions such as managing the menu information of the store itself, accepting input of characteristic information indicating the characteristics of the store, acquiring menu information of other stores that matches the accepted characteristic information from the management server 2, and managing the acquired menu information of other stores.

The menu information table 312 is a table for managing menu information of the own store and other stores. In the menu information table 312, menu information of the own store input from the operation unit 33 and menu information of other stores received from the management server 2 are registered. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the data structure of the menu information table 312. The menu information table 312 stores product IDs, product names, prices, cooking times, menu settings, and reception hours in association with store IDs.

The store ID is store identification information that identifies the store. The product ID is product identification information that identifies the product. The product name is information indicating the name of the product. The price is information indicating the price of the product. The cooking time is information indicating the time from when the order for the product is received until the cooking is completed.

The menu settings are information that indicates whether or not the store will include the product with the corresponding product ID in its menu. The menu settings can be freely rewritten by the store. For example, a store can register information indicating that products from other stores' menus obtained from the management server 2 that are the same as or similar to products in the store will not be included in the menu. This allows the store to prevent a decline in sales of its own products.

The reception time period is information that indicates the time period during which orders for the product with the corresponding product ID are accepted. The reception time period can also be freely rewritten by each store. For example, a store can limit the time during which orders are accepted for menu items from other stores obtained from the management server 2. This allows a store to accept menu items from other stores only during times when the store's own products cannot be provided, which also makes it possible to prevent a decline in sales of the store's own products.

The order information table 313 is a table that manages order information received by a store. Order information received from the order terminal 4 is registered in the order information table 313. The order information table 313 is used when calculating sales for each store from transaction information obtained from the POS terminal 5. Figure 10 is a diagram showing the data structure of the order information table 313. The order information table 313 stores product IDs and store IDs in association with order IDs.

The order ID is information that identifies a single order. As described above, the product ID is product identification information that identifies the product, and the store ID is store identification information that identifies the second store, i.e., the store that supplies the product.

The payment information table 314 is a table that manages payment information for each order accepted by the store. The payment information table 314 is updated based on transaction information received from the POS terminal 5. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the data structure of the payment information table 314. The payment information table 314 stores a payment ID, total amount, store ID, amount by store, and whether or not data transmission is necessary, in association with the order ID.

As described above, the order ID is information for identifying one order, and the store ID is store identification information for identifying a store. The payment ID is information that identifies a settled transaction. The total amount is information indicating the total amount of one transaction. The order ID, payment ID, and total amount are each associated with each other on a one-to-one basis. The store-specific amount is information indicating the amount paid to the corresponding store out of the total amount of settled transactions. The data transmission necessity is information indicating whether the data is to be transmitted to the management server 2 or not. The data sent to the management server 2 is data regarding payments for products at other stores. Specifically, for data corresponding to the store ID of the own store, "no" is registered in the data transmission necessity, and for data corresponding to the store ID of another store, "required" is registered in the data transmission necessity. Ru.

The store ID section 315 stores the store ID of its own store, i.e., the store where the store server 3 is installed. When the store server 3 transmits information to the management server 2, it reads out the store ID from the store ID section 315 and associates it with the information. This allows the management server 2 to identify the store server 3 that transmitted the information.

Returning to Figure 8, we will now explain the hardware configuration of the store server 3.

The display unit 32 is, for example, a liquid crystal panel, and displays various information. For example, the display unit 32 displays the menu information table 312, the order information table 313, the payment information table 314, and information stored in the store ID section 315, as necessary.

The operation unit 33 is for inputting information to the control unit 30, and includes a keyboard, a touch panel, a mouse, and the like. For example, the operation unit 33 is operated when inputting information for updating various information stored in the storage unit 31.

The communication unit 34 is an interface for communicating with external devices such as the management server 2, the order terminal 4, and the POS terminal 5. The control unit 30 is connected to the external devices via the communication unit 34, enabling it to send and receive information (data) to and from the external devices.

Next, the functional configuration of the control unit 30 of the store server 3 will be explained. FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing the main functional configuration of the control unit 30 of the store server 3. As shown in FIG. The control unit 30 operates by the CPU 301 in accordance with the control program stored in the ROM 302 and the storage unit 31, thereby controlling the transmission/reception unit 3001, the input unit 3002, the acquisition unit 3003, the characteristic information reception unit 3004, the order information reception unit 3005, and the settings. 3006 , a display control section 3007 , and a data management section 3008 . Note that each of these functions may be configured by hardware such as a dedicated circuit.

The transmitting/receiving unit 3001 transmits and receives various information to and from the management server 2, order terminal 4, and POS terminal 5. For example, the transmitting/receiving unit 3001 transmits a request for menus of other stores to the management server 2, and receives menu information of other stores from the management server 2 as a response. When the data management unit 3008 registers the menu information of other stores received from the management server 2 in the menu information table 312, the transmission/reception unit 3001 transmits menu additional store information to the management server 2. Further, the transmitting/receiving unit 3001 transmits menu information registered in the menu information table 312 to the order terminal 4.

The transmitting/receiving unit 3001 receives a menu change notification from the management server 2 . The menu change notification is sent from the management server 2 when there is a change in the menu of another store registered in the menu information table 312.

The transmitting/receiving unit 3001 receives order information input into the order terminal 4 from the order terminal 4 . Among the order information received from the order terminal 4, the transmitting/receiving unit 3001 transmits order information related to menus of other stores to the management server 2. The order information sent to the management server 2 is sent to the store server 3 of the other store. The transmitting/receiving unit 3001 functions as an output unit that outputs order information of another store to the other store via the management server 2.

The transmitting/receiving unit 3001 receives transaction information for each transaction from the POS terminal 5. Of the transaction information for one transaction received from the POS terminal 5 , the transmitting/receiving unit 3001 transmits transaction information for other stores to the management server 2 .

Various information is input to the input unit 3002 from the operation unit 33. For example, when a store requests a menu from another store, characteristic information indicating the characteristics of the store is input to the input unit 3002. Furthermore, when a store sets or changes its own menu information, the set or changed menu information is input to the input unit 3002.

The acquisition unit 3003 acquires menu information of a second store (other store) that is different from the first store (own store) and has characteristics matching the characteristic information received by the characteristic information receiving unit 3004. Specifically, the acquisition unit 3003 acquires the menu information of the other store that the transmission/reception unit 3001 receives from the management server 2.

The characteristic information receiving unit 3004 receives input of characteristic information indicating the characteristics of the store. Specifically, the characteristic information receiving unit 3004 receives the characteristic information input to the input unit 3002.

The order information reception unit 3005 receives order information related to product orders and distributes the order information for each store. Specifically, order information receiving section 3005 receives order information that transmitting/receiving section 3001 receives from order terminal 4 . The order information reception unit 3005 then sorts the received order information for each store. For example, if one order information includes an order related to a product of its own store and an order related to a product of another store, the order information reception unit 3005 may combine the order information with the order information of its own store and the order information of other stores. It is divided into

The setting unit 3006 sets the time when the order information receiving unit 3005 receives order information. The setting unit 3006 can set the time when order information related to products of the store is received to different time periods from the time when order information related to products of other stores is received.

The display control unit 3007 causes the display unit 32 to display various information. For example, the display control unit 3007 causes the display unit 32 to display an input screen for inputting characteristic information. The display control unit 3007 also causes the display unit 32 to display a menu information change screen for changing the menu information of the store.

The data management unit 3008 manages various types of information stored in the memory unit 31. Here, managing information means storing information in the memory unit 31 or reading information from the memory unit 31 as needed.

For example, the data management unit 3008 stores the menu information of the store itself inputted to the input unit 3002 in the menu information table 312. The data management unit 3008 reads out the menu information of the store itself stored in the menu information table 312 as necessary. The data management unit 3008 functions as a first management unit that manages the menu information of the first store (the store itself).

The data management unit 3008 also stores the menu information of the other store acquired by the acquisition unit 3003 in the menu information table 312. The data management unit 3008 reads out the menu information of the other store stored in the menu information table 312 as necessary. The data management unit 3008 functions as a second management unit that manages the menu information of the second store (other store) acquired by the acquisition unit 3003.

The operation of the menu management system 1 configured as above will be outlined below. FIG. 13 is a sequence chart showing the flow of operation of the menu management system 1. Here, it is assumed that the management server 2 has acquired menu information for each store in advance and registered the menu information in the menu management table 213. Also, it is assumed that the order terminal 4 represents the order terminal for the first store, and that the menu information for the first store has been registered in advance.

First, the operation when a first store sets menu information for a second store will be described. In order to obtain the menu information of the other store that the first store wishes to adopt, the first store determines characteristic information for identifying the other store. The characteristic information is input to the store server 3 of the first store (step S1). The store server 3 of the first store sends an other store menu request including the input characteristic information to the management server 2 (step S2).

The management server 2 extracts a store that matches the characteristic information included in the other store menu request from the store master 212, and extracts menu information of the extracted store from the menu management table 213 (step S3). The management server 2 extracts one or more stores that match the characteristic information. The number of stores extracted by the management server 2 may be predetermined or may be set by a request for other store menus. The management server 2 transmits the extracted menu information to the store server 3 of the first store (step S4).

The store server 3 of the first store registers the received menu information in the menu information table 312 (step S5). The first store determines products from other stores to be adopted from among the registered menu information, and inputs information indicating the products. The store server 3 of the first store sets menu information of other stores to be adopted based on the input information (step S6). Specifically, the store server 3 of the first store registers information in the menu settings and reception hours items of the menu information table 312 based on the input information.

The store server 3 of the first store transmits menu addition store information including the store ID of the first store and the store ID of the second store to the management server 2 (step S7). The management server 2 updates the store management table 214 (step S8). Specifically, the management server 2 registers the store ID of the first store in the menu information receiving store field of the store management table 214, and registers the store ID of the second store in the menu information supply store field of the store management table 214. Register in the item.

The store server 3 of the first store transmits updated menu information to which the menu information of the second store has been added to the order terminal 4 (step S9). The added menu information of the second store is the menu information set in step S6. The order terminal 4 registers the received menu information (step S10). This enables the order terminal 4 to accept orders for products of the second store.

Next, the operation of changing the menu information of the first store when a change occurs in the menu information of the second store will be described. When an item is added or deleted from the menu of the second store, or when an item is out of stock, menu information change input is made to the store server 3 of the second store (step S11). The menu information change input is made by inputting the contents of the changed menu information, such as information indicating that a specific item is out of stock. The store server 3 of the second store sends the changed menu information to the management server 2 (step S12).

The management server 2 updates the menu management table 213 based on the received changed menu information (step S13). The management server 2 extracts the destination store of the updated menu information, i.e., the first store that can provide the customer with the products of the store whose menu information has been changed (step S14). Specifically, the management server 2 refers to the store management table 214 and extracts the menu information receiving stores for which the store whose menu information has been changed is the menu information supplying store. In other words, the management server 2 extracts the first store whose second store is the store whose menu information has been changed. The management server 2 sends a menu change notification to the store server 3 of the extracted first store (step S15).

The store server 3 of the first store updates the menu information table 312 based on the changed menu information included in the received menu change notification (step S16). The store server 3 of the first store transmits the updated menu information to the order terminal 4 (step S17). The order terminal 4 registers the received menu information (step S18).

Next, the operation when accepting an order for a product from a customer visiting the first store will be explained. Here, a case will be described in which a customer orders a product from a first store and a product from a second store. When accepting an order for a product from a customer, order information is input into the order terminal 4 (step S21). For example, the product ID of the ordered product is input to the order terminal 4. The order terminal 4 transmits the input order information to the store server 3 of the first store (step S22).

The store server 3 of the first store receives order information from the order terminal 4, and sorts the order information into order information related to products of its own store and order information related to products of other stores (step S23). The store server 3 of the first store registers the received order information in the order information table 313 (step S24). The store server 3 of the first store outputs order information regarding products of its own store (step S25). For example, the store server 3 of the first store outputs order information regarding products of its own store to a kitchen printer provided in the kitchen. Further, the store server 3 of the first store transmits order information related to products of another store, in other words, order information related to products of the second store to the management server 2 (step S26).

The management server 2 registers the order information received from the store server 3 of the first store (step S27). The management server 2 transmits the order information received from the store server 3 of the first store to the store server 3 of the second store (step S28). This allows the second store to cook products to be supplied to the first store.

Next, the operation when making payment for the above order will be described. A customer who visits the first store makes payment for the ordered items, including items from the second store, at the first store. In other words, the transaction processing related to the above customer's order is performed at the POS terminal 5 of the first store. The store server 3 of the first store obtains transaction information related to the transaction that has been processed from the POS terminal 5 (step S31). The transaction information obtained from the POS terminal 5 includes an order ID that identifies the order to be transacted, a payment ID that identifies the settled transaction, the total amount of the transaction, the product ID of the ordered items, etc.

The store server 3 of the first store updates the payment information table 314 based on the acquired transaction information (step S32). Specifically, the store server 3 of the first store refers to the order information table 313, identifies the store of the ordered product from the product ID included in the acquired transaction information, and calculates the total amount of the product price for each store (amount by store). The store server 3 of the first store may also refer to the menu information table 312 to identify the store of the ordered product from the product ID included in the transaction information. In this case, the product ID and the store ID do not need to be associated in the order information table 313. The store server 3 of the first store then registers the payment information in the payment information table 314. The store server 3 of the first store extracts the transaction information related to the product of the second store from the transaction information acquired from the POS terminal 5 (step S33), and transmits the extracted transaction information to the management server 2 (step S34).

The management server 2 updates the payment information management table 215 based on the received transaction information (step S35). Specifically, the management server 2 identifies the store of the ordered product based on the product ID included in the transaction information received from the store server 3 of the first store, and calculates the store-specific price. The management server 2 then registers necessary information in the payment information management table 215. The management server 2 transmits a payment notification to the store server 3 of the second store (step S36). The second store that has received the payment notification can bill the first store for the products supplied to the first store.

The payment method when ordering products from the first store and the second store is not limited to the above. For example, the customer may use a smartphone or the like to make electronic payments to both the first store and the second store.

Next, we will explain the other store menu setting process executed by the store server 3. Figure 14 is a flowchart showing the flow of the other store menu setting process executed by the control unit 30 of the store server 3.

The control unit 30 determines whether the characteristic information receiving unit 3004 has received the characteristic information (step S41), and if not (N in step S41), returns to the process of step S41 and waits. If the characteristic information receiving unit 3004 has received the characteristic information (Y in step S41), the transceiver unit 41 transmits a request for menu items from other stores including the received characteristic information to the management server 2 (step S42).

The control unit 30 determines whether a response to the other store menu request sent by the transmission/reception unit 3001 has been received from the management server 2 (step S43), and if no response has been received (N in step S43), returns to the processing in step S43 and waits. If the transmission/reception unit 3001 receives a response from the management server 2 (Y in step S43), the control unit 30 determines whether the received response includes menu information of the other store (step S44). If the management server 2 does not extract menu information of the other store corresponding to the other store menu request, the response does not include menu information of the other store.

If the received response does not include menu information of other stores (N in step S44), the control unit 30 ends the other store menu setting process. If the received response includes menu information of other stores (Y in step S44), the data management unit 3008 registers the received menu information of other stores in the menu information table 312 (step S45).

Next, the setting unit 3006 performs menu settings based on the setting information input to the input unit 3002 (step S46). For example, in the menu information of other stores added to the menu information table 312, if there is a product that the store does not use as a menu, information indicating that the store does not use the product as a menu is input to the input unit 3002 as setting information. The setting information includes product IDs of products that are not adopted as menu items. The setting unit 3006 registers "no" in the menu setting item corresponding to the input product ID in the menu information table 312. Menu information for products for which "no" is registered in the menu setting item is not sent to the order terminal 4, and orders for the products cannot be accepted.

The setting unit 3006 can also set the time period during which orders are accepted for each product in the menu settings. For example, the product ID of the product for which the time period during which orders are accepted is set and information indicating the time period are input to the input unit 3002 as setting information. The setting unit 3006 registers information indicating the time period entered in the acceptance time period field corresponding to the input product ID in the menu information table 312. The menu information sent to the order terminal 4 also includes information on the acceptance time period. The order terminal 4 can inform the store clerk or customer operating the order terminal 4 of the acceptance time period for the product by displaying the acceptance time period for the product.

The transmitting/receiving unit 3001 transmits the menu addition store information to the management server 2 (step S47). Furthermore, the transmitting/receiving unit 3001 transmits the information of the updated menu information table 312 to the order terminal 4 (step S48). Then, the control unit 30 ends the other store menu setting process.

Through the other store menu setting process described above, the store can add menu information of other stores with characteristics that meet the store's own requests to the menu information provided to customers visiting the store.

Next, the order reception process executed by the store server 3 will be explained. FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the flow of order acceptance processing by the control unit 30 of the store server 3.

The control unit 30 determines whether the order information receiving unit 3005 has received the order information (step S51), and if it has not received the order information (N in step S51), the process returns to step S51 and waits. When the order information receiving unit 3005 receives the order information (Y in step S51), the control unit 30 determines whether or not the order includes an order for a product that is not eligible for acceptance, such as a product outside the order acceptance time (step S52). ).

If the order includes an order for a product that is not eligible for acceptance (N in step S52), the transmitting/receiving unit 3001 transmits a re-input request requesting re-input of the order information to the order terminal 4 (step S53). Then, the control unit 30 ends the order reception process.

If the order does not include an order for a product that is not eligible for acceptance (Y in step S52), the order information reception unit 3005 sorts the received order information for each store (step S54). Next, the data management unit 3008 registers the distributed order information in the order information table 313 (step S55).

The transmitting/receiving unit 3001 outputs the order information related to the product of its own store (step S56). For example, the transmitting/receiving unit 3001 transmits the order information related to the product of its own store to a kitchen printer. The transmitting/receiving unit 3001 also outputs the order information related to the product of another store (step S57). Specifically, the transmitting/receiving unit 3001 transmits the order information related to the product of another store to the management server 2. Then, the control unit 30 ends the order reception process.

Through the above-described order reception process, the store can accept orders for products on the menus of its own store and other stores that can be provided to customers who visit the store. Furthermore, the store can instruct its own kitchen or other stores to cook the ordered products.

As explained above, the store server 3 of the embodiment includes a first management unit (data management unit 3008) that manages menu information of the first store (own store), and receives input of characteristic information indicating the characteristics of the store. a characteristic information reception unit 3004; and an acquisition unit that acquires menu information of a second store (other store) that is a store whose characteristics match the characteristic information received by the characteristic information reception unit 3004 and is different from the first store. 3003, and a second management unit (data management unit 3008) that manages the menu information of the second store acquired by the acquisition unit 3003.

This allows stores to select menu information related to products from other stores to offer to customers who visit the store. This allows stores to adopt menu information from other stores that is beneficial to the store.

The store server 3 of the embodiment further includes an order information receiving unit 3005 that receives order information related to product orders and distributes the order information to each store.

Thereby, the store can accept order information related to products of its own store and other stores that can be provided to customers who visit the store, and manage the order information for each store.

Furthermore, the store server 3 of the embodiment further includes an output unit (transmitter/receiver 3001) that outputs the order information allocated to the second store by the order information receiving unit 3005 to the second store.

Thereby, the store can instruct the other store (second store) to cook an order for a product from the other store (second store) among the received order information.

In addition, the store server 3 of the embodiment further includes a setting unit 3006 that can arbitrarily set the reception time of order information related to the product of the second store.

Thereby, the store can arbitrarily set the time for providing products from another store (second store) to customers. For example, a store can provide customers with products from other stores during a time when the store was not open due to preparations, allowing the store to be used effectively.

Further, the characteristic information receiving unit 3004 in the store server 3 of the embodiment receives information related to at least one of product available time, area, product category, and product transport method.

This allows stores to obtain menu information from other stores that suits their needs by setting product availability times, region, product genre, and product delivery method as conditions.

In the above embodiment, the control programs executed by each device of the management server 2 and the store server 3 may be configured to be provided by recording them on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM. The control programs executed by each device may also be configured to be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by downloading them via the network, or may even be configured to be provided via a network such as the Internet.

Although an embodiment of the present invention has been described above, this embodiment is presented as an example and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. This embodiment can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

3. Store server (information processing device)
3001 Transmitting/receiving unit (output unit)
3003 Acquisition unit 3004 Characteristics information reception unit 3005 Order information reception unit 3006 Setting unit 3008 Data management unit (first management unit, second management unit)

JP2022-28165A

Claims (6)

a first management department that manages menu information of the first store;
a characteristic information reception unit that accepts input of characteristic information indicating the characteristics of the store;
an acquisition unit that acquires menu information of a second store whose characteristics match the characteristic information received by the characteristic information reception unit and which is different from the first store;
a second management unit that manages the menu information of the second store acquired by the acquisition unit;
An information processing device comprising: The system further includes an order information receiving unit that receives order information related to product orders and distributes the order information among stores.
The information processing device according to claim 1 . an output unit that outputs the order information allocated to the second store by the order information receiving unit to the second store,
The information processing device according to claim 2 . further comprising a setting unit that can arbitrarily set a reception time for order information related to products of the second store;
The information processing device according to claim 2 or claim 3. The characteristic information reception unit receives information related to at least one of a product available time, region, product category, and product transportation method.
The information processing device according to claim 1. A program for controlling an information processing device,
The information processing device,
A first management unit that manages menu information of a first store;
a characteristic information receiving unit that receives input of characteristic information indicating characteristics of the store;
an acquisition unit that acquires menu information of a second store that has characteristics matching the characteristic information received by the characteristic information receiving unit and is different from the first store;
a second management unit that manages the menu information of the second store acquired by the acquisition unit;
A program that makes it work.

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