JP3406724B2 - POS system - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is a PO in which a cash register (cash registering device) and a management device are connected by a communication line.
It relates to an S (point-of-sale information management) system.

[0002] In various retail businesses such as department stores, mass retailers, small and medium-sized supermarkets, and individual shops, as customer service for acquiring fixed customers, for example, discounts for members only, a privilege can be obtained by collecting a certain number of customers. Issuance of stamp tickets that are used. Particularly in recent years, along with the spread of the POS system and the customer management method of issuing an identification card to a specific customer (member), transaction contents are converted into points and stored for each customer, and a gift certificate is issued according to accumulated points. The introduction of so-called point services (point system) for returning profits such as discounts is spreading.

In the point service, since the past transaction record is reflected in the privilege, it is possible to increase the number of customers as compared with a simple discount at the time of the transaction and to suppress the decrease in the income of the store side due to the discount. it can. Also, POS
Since the transaction record is stored by the system or the identification card possessed by the customer, compared to issuing a stamp ticket,
The service cost can be reduced and the labor on the customer side can be saved.

[0004]

2. Description of the Related Art A point-of-sale system compatible with a point service has a customer management file that associates customer codes with customer-specific cumulative points, and is configured to calculate points for each transaction and update the cumulative points. ing. Usually, the customer management file is provided in the management device. Also,
The customer code is notified from the cash register, which is a terminal device, to the management device at each transaction.

Conventionally, there has been widely adopted a sales method in which an appropriate target point is set on the store side and a predetermined gift is presented to a customer whose cumulative point reaches the target point.

[0006] When carrying out such a selling method, in order to increase the customer's willingness to purchase, a receipt issued by the cash register for each transaction, together with the transaction details, the points of the target points and the updated cumulative points. The difference was printed together with the prize name (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-13156).
No. 2). In other words, a receipt was printed with a message saying, "How many more points can I get this gift for?".

[0007]

Conventionally, when the store side determines a plurality of prizes of a similar price for one target point as a gift option, a plurality of prize names are listed on the receipt. It was However, the gift that the customer truly wants to give is only one or two of the listed gifts, and there is a problem that the more kinds of the gift, the more wasteful printing information for the customer.

Even if the store side sets the target points in stages, the customer selects a desired target point (that is, the price range of the free gift) according to his / her circumstances to obtain the free gift. There was also the problem of not being able to aim.

The present invention has been made in view of these problems, and it is possible to diversify prizes and efficiently provide meaningful information to each individual customer. The purpose is to enable customers to implement point services with high flexibility in setting goals.

[0010]

System SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION claims 1 invention, as shown in FIG. 1, in a POS system example Bei a cash register apparatus for managing device and the management device and the data communication, the management apparatus , According to the prize number and transaction corresponding to the prize selected by the customer from the multiple choices
The total points to be provided to the customer, and customer management file for managing in association with the customer code, a plurality of prizes
About the free gift number and the exchange points set for each free gift
And premium management file for association with each other, in response to a request by the cash register system, premium number corresponding to the prize in association with the customer code to the customer management file
And file update means for registering items, in response to a query by the cash registering device, wherein the prize number registered in the customer management file, the accumulated points, and the prize
Corresponds to the relevant prize number registered in the management file
A file search means for notifying the cash registration device of the exchange points being provided, and the cash registration device,
The prize registration processing means for requesting the management device to register the prize number corresponding to the prize selected by the customer, and the customer code is notified for each transaction and is associated with the customer code.
And a reward information corresponding to the prize number notified from the management device , and point information inquiring means for inquiring the management device of the stored premium number, exchange points, and accumulated points. Cumulative for exchange points
A difference between the total points becomes a receipt control means for printing including Umate receipt.

[0011] The system of the invention of claim 2, before Symbol cash register device, and point calculating means for calculating the points in accordance with the contents of the transaction, and the point at which point calculation means has calculated, is notified from the management device was based the total means for calculating, in said latest value the switching point and the cumulative means notified from the management device to calculate the sum of the accumulated points as the latest value, calculates the difference between the points And a computing means.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the case where the money registration device causes the customer to receive the free gift when the latest value exceeds the exchange point ,
Including the latest value or accumulated points and the difference between exchange points
Configured to print a receipt Te.

[0013]

The prize selected by the customer is registered in the customer management file as customer information corresponding to the customer code.

Points are calculated for each transaction and the cumulative points are updated. The customer code is notified from the money registration device to the management device, and the registered prize is notified from the management device to the money registration device.

[0015] The difference between the point of the accumulated points after the update and exchange point that corresponds to the prize is printed on the receipt along with the name of the prize. Therefore, the customer can easily know how many points are needed after this in order to obtain the prize he / she desires.

[0016]

1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a POS system 1 according to the present invention. The POS system 1 is a network system in which a management device 2 and a plurality of cash registers 3 are connected by a communication line, and is used for sales management and point service.

The management device 2 is a computer system equipped with an external storage device such as a hard disk unit, and has a customer management file F1, a gift management file F2, a file update unit 201, and a file search unit 202.

In response to the request from the cash register 3, the file updating unit 201 registers the prize G selected by the customer in the customer management file F1 in association with the customer code CC. The file search unit 202 notifies the cash register 3 of the prize G and the accumulated points TP registered in the customer management file F1 in response to the inquiry by the cash register 3.

On the other hand, each cash register 3 is an electronic register, and has a function of reading a customer code CC from an identification card 4 issued to an individual customer, in addition to a basic function of registering money, and a function to be described later. Receipt RP
Has the function of issuing. The identification card 4 is a magnetic card on which the customer code CC is recorded.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a data structure of a main part of the customer management file F1, and FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a data structure of the premium management file F2. The customer management file F1 is a set of data related to customers (registered customers) who issued the identification card 4, and personal information (not shown) such as customer name and address, as well as customer code that assigns information related to point service to each customer. This is a file stored in association with CC. The information related to the point service includes the prize number GN of the gift G selected by the customer, the target point MP uniquely determined by the selection of the gift G, and the cumulative point TP which is the total of the points VP in the past transactions. When the cumulative points TP are substantially blank, it means that the customer has registered as a member but has not actually made a transaction (shopping).

The free gift management file F2 is a file for managing a target point MP, which is a point VP required for the customer to obtain the free gift G, and is created by a console operation of the management device 2. In this embodiment, the prize number GN is used as the link data between the prize management file F2 and the customer management file F1.

FIG. 4 is an external view of the cash register 3. The cash register 3 includes a controller unit 10 having a built-in microcomputer, a drawer unit 20 for storing money, a keyboard 30 in which various keys are arranged, a CRT display 40 for an operator, a display 50 for a customer, and a receipt. The thermal printer 60, the bar code reader 70, the magnetic card reader 80, and the like are provided for this purpose.

The thermal printer 60 can print an arbitrary image such as a character and a logo mark on a receipt paper (roll paper) having a predetermined width by combining dots. The barcode reader 70 optically reads a barcode attached to a product or the like, and outputs bit data corresponding to the code.

When the customer brings a desired product for purchase, the operator (casher) of the cash register 3 inputs the product code and carries out a series of operations for depositing the identification card 4 from the customer and inserting it into the card insertion slot.

FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram of the cash register 3. In FIG. 5, the cash register 3 is
Cash registration processing unit 11, point calculation unit 12, accumulation unit 1
3, a calculation unit 14, a print control unit 15, and a display control unit 17. Each of these units is realized by hardware centered on a microprocessor unit and software represented by a program.

The cash registration processing section 11 is a data processing means having a basic function of the cash register 3, discriminates the output of the input device (keyboard 30, bar code reader 70, magnetic card reader 80) and responds to the transaction. Register the contents for money. For example, when a product code is input from the bar code reader 70 or the keyboard 30 during a transaction, a journal which is record data of the transaction is created by referring to a product management file (price table). The registration status of the product information (item, price, quantity, etc.) is displayed by the display control unit 1.
It is sequentially displayed by 7.

The money registration processing section 11 has a prize registration processing section 111 and a point information inquiry section 112 as functional elements peculiar to the present invention. Freebie registration processor 1
When the prize number GN indicating the prize G selected by the customer is input, 11 notifies the management device 2 of the prize number GN together with the customer code CC and requests registration. In response to this, the file updating unit 201 of the management device 2 registers the premium number GN as customer information in the customer management file F1 as described above.

Here, the selection of the prize G is performed, for example, at the time of the first transaction by referring to a prize list (flyers, posters, etc.) in which photographs and points of the prize G are printed.
That is, the customer selects a desired prize G by looking at the prize list provided at the counter or distributed in advance to the customer, and informs the cashier (clerk). The cashier inputs the prize number GN using the keyboard 30. Alternatively, the customer himself / herself inputs the prize number GN by using the ten-key keyboard 35 for the customer used for inputting the personal identification number at the time of credit payment.

In this embodiment, the customer can change the prize G at any date within the point service period. For example, there may be a situation in which a low-priced premium G has been selected before, but a high-priced premium G is selected again because the cumulative points TP have increased significantly by purchasing a high-priced product.

The point information inquiry unit 112 notifies the management apparatus 2 of the customer code CC read by the magnetic card reader 80 at each transaction, and registers the prize number GN, the target point MP, and the total accumulated up to the previous time. Inquire the point TP. Then, in the inquiry result notified from the file search unit 202 of the management device 2, the prize number GN is sent to the print control 15, the cumulative point TP is sent to the cumulative unit 13, and the target point MP is sent to the arithmetic unit 14.

The point calculation unit 12 calculates the point VP for each transaction based on the transaction content notified from the cash registration processing unit 11 after the end of the cash registration, and transfers it to the accumulating unit 13. The point VP is a numerical value indicating the degree of contribution of the customer, and is calculated by integrating the price of the product, the type of product, and the transaction period. The point VP is also transferred to the print controller 15.

The accumulator 13 receives the point VP sent from the point calculator 12 and the point information inquiry 112.
The total with the cumulative points TP sent from is calculated as the latest cumulative points TP and transferred to the calculation unit 14.

The calculation unit 14 includes a point information inquiry unit 112.
Point difference D between the target point MP sent from the accumulator and the latest accumulated point TP sent from the accumulator 13
P is obtained, that is, the latest cumulative point TP is subtracted from the target point MP, and the result is transferred to the print control unit 15.

The print control unit 15 creates predetermined text print data based on the transaction content data DJ sent from the cash registration processing unit 11, the prize number GN obtained by the above-mentioned inquiry, and the point difference DP. To do. Then, the thermal printer 60 is instructed to issue the receipt RP.
The point service information is printed on the receipt RP after the transaction details. The point service information includes the point VP of this transaction, the prize G selected by the customer, and the point difference DP.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of printing a receipt.
In the receipt RP1 of FIG. (A), the value of the point VP is “12”, the prize G is “a gift certificate for 3,000 yen”, and the value of the point difference DP is “170”. That is,
This receipt RP1 provides the customer with the information that "there can be a transaction of 170 points to receive a 3,000 yen gift certificate".

On the receipt RP2 in FIG. 6B, the value of the point difference DP is "0" and the value "6" of the carry-over point OP is printed. The carry-over point OP means an excess amount when the cumulative point TP exceeds the target point MP. Therefore, in this case, the gift G has already been given.
A message Z1 indicating that the gift (gift certificate in this example) can be received is also printed.

If the customer reaches the target point MP by the cumulative points TP, that is, the point difference DP becomes "0", the customer presents the identification card 4 at a specific place (service counter). It is possible to receive the free gift G selected in. When the customer receives the free gift G, the cumulative points TP are initialized.
At that time, the carry-over point OP is added to the cumulative point TP.

In the above-described embodiment, the free gift management file F2 is downloaded from the management device 2 to the cash register 3 at a suitable time, and the free gift number GN notified from the management device 2 is used as a key to be downloaded at the cash register 3 side. Alternatively, the target point MP may be read out by searching the free gift management file F2, and the point difference DP may be calculated.

[0039]

According to the inventions of claims 1 to 3,
The prizes can be diversified, and meaningful information can be efficiently provided to each individual customer.
Moreover, it is possible to carry out a point service with a high degree of freedom in setting goals by the customer.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a POS system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a data structure of a main part of a customer management file.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a data structure of a premium management file.

FIG. 4 is an external view of a cash register.

FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram of a cash register.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of printing a receipt.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 POS System 2 Management Device 3 Cash Register (Cash Register Device) 12 Point Calculator (Point Calculator) 13 Accumulator (Cumulative Means) 14 Calculator (Calculator) 15 Print Controller (Receipt Issue Control Means) 111 Gift Registration Processing section (prize registration processing means) 112 Point information inquiry section (point information inquiry means) 201 File update section (file update means) 202 File search section (file search means) CC Customer code DP Point F1 Customer management file F2 Gift management file G Premium MP Target points (Exchange points) RP, RP1, RP2 Receipt TP Cumulative points

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Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A management apparatus and POS systems example Bei a cash register device that performs the management device and the data communication, the management device, the customer corresponding to the selected prize from a plurality of choices Jing
A customer management file that manages the product number and the cumulative points provided to the customer according to the transaction by associating it with the customer code, the gift number for multiple gifts, and the exchange set for each gift.
A free gift management file that stores the conversion points in association with each other
In response to the request from the money registration device, the customer management file is associated with the customer code and associated with the prize .
And file update means for registering the prize number of, in response to a query by the cash registering device, the customer management the prize number registered in the file, the accumulated points, and the registered in the prize management file
File searching means for notifying the cash registration device of exchange points associated with the prize number , wherein the cash registration device registers the prize number corresponding to the prize selected by the customer by the management device. And give the customer code for each transaction, and give the customer code
The prize number and exchange point stored in association with
DOO, and has a point information inquiry means for accumulated points querying to the management apparatus, a and the total points for prizes name and switching point corresponding to the prize number notified from the management device
Receipt control means and a differential printing-containing Umate receipt
Comprising a, POS system, characterized in that. 2. A pre-Symbol cash registering device, the sum of the point calculation means for calculating the points in accordance with the contents of the transaction, and the point at which point calculation means has calculated, and notified the accumulated points from the management device the based and cumulative means for calculating, in said latest value the switching point and the cumulative means notified from the management apparatus is calculated as the latest value, wherein with an arithmetic means for calculating the difference between the points Item 1. The POS system according to item 1. 3. The money registration device uses the latest value as the exchange value.
When exceeding the switching point is 顧to receive the prize
Exchange messages with customers for the latest value or accumulated points
The POS system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the receipt is printed including the difference from the point .