JP4387843B2 - Packing support system and method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a packing support system and method, and more particularly, to a packing support system and method using a POS (Point of Sales) system suitable for supporting sales staff to pack sales products in a store such as an entertainment store in a packing bag.

  In retail stores such as a supermarket (supermarket) and a convenience store (convenience store), a large number of products handled in these stores are displayed on the product shelves, and the products desired by the customer are selected and transported to the cashier counter. The cashier counter generally has a POS system, optically reads a bar code or other code affixed to the product selected by the customer, calculates the total amount and applicable consumption tax, etc. The product is packed in a shopping bag and delivered to the customer to complete the process.

  However, the products handled at these stores are generally miscellaneous such as food, detergents, horticultural supplies, clothing and other items. In addition, fresh foods, drinks, processed products, frozen foods, heated lunch boxes, and other packagings also differ in food products. In order to efficiently operate a store with a small number of store clerk and without too much waiting time for the customer, the store clerk is required to pack these various products neatly and hand them to the customer.

Several systems have been disclosed or proposed as prior art related to such technology. A logistics management method is disclosed that comprehensively manages the work that occurs with the delivery of products based on order data to improve work efficiency and prevent the occurrence of delivery mistakes (see, for example, Patent Document 1). . Also, the non-contact IC tag attached to the product and the bar code attached to the packing material are read using a non-contact IC reader or bar code reader, the packed contents, and the packing material contents There has been disclosed a non-contact method and apparatus for confirming whether or not the indications coincide with each other without unpacking (for example, see Patent Document 2).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-2924 (page 4-5, FIG. 1) JP 2002-230497 A (page 4, FIG. 4)

However, in the conventional POS system, it is impossible to display or instruct how to pack the product, so the store clerk judges based on the experience, for example, packs food and detergent separately, and packs frozen food and heated food separately. There was a need to do. Otherwise, the merchandise purchased by the customer may be damaged or uncomfortable for the customer, which may damage the store's credit. In addition, if a store clerk's response is delayed due to inexperience, etc., a queue will be created in front of the cashier counter, which will require a decrease in customer satisfaction or increase in staff and facilities such as store clerk and POS, resulting in a decrease in store management efficiency There was a problem.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the prior art, and provides a packing support system and method that enables an unskilled store clerk to efficiently maintain and improve store reliability and customer satisfaction. Main purpose.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the packing support system and method according to the present invention employ the following characteristic configuration.

(1) In a packaging support system that assists a store clerk in a retail store or the like equipped with a POS terminal to pack a product in an appropriate packaging bag and deliver it to a customer.
Product code number, product name, product category, price, temperature, weight, capacity, product table with individual message, shape of packaging bag for packaging the product, critical weight, packaging bag table with critical capacity and same packaging A storage unit for storing a table including a product category of a product whose packaging is prohibited in a bag and a reciprocity rule having a temperature, and information necessary when the code of the product is read into the POS terminal And a display for displaying
Packing support system in which the clerk helps to packing the goods to the packing bag.

(2) The packing support system according to ( 1), wherein the table further includes a message table including a message number, a product category, a temperature, and a message .

(3) The packing support system according to (1) or (2) , wherein the storage unit that stores the table is provided in the POS terminal .

(4) The packing support system according to (1) or (2) , wherein the storage unit that stores the table is provided in a management server accessible by the POS terminal .

(5) In a packing support method for assisting a clerk to pack a product selected by a customer at a retail store or the like that sells various products with a cashier counter equipped with a POS terminal and packing the product into a packing bag.
Obtaining a product table having information on the product, a packing bag table having information on the packaging bag, and a table including reciprocal rules having information prohibited from packing together among the products;
Reading the information attached to the product selected and purchased by the customer into a POS terminal;
Displaying information on the product read by the POS terminal and information on a packing bag for packing the product purchased by the customer with reference to the table, on a display;
A packing support method for supporting a store clerk packing the product by displaying the display .

(6) The packing support method according to (5) , wherein the table includes a message table related to a product purchased by the customer, and further includes a step of displaying the message on the display to alert the store clerk .

(7) The packing support method according to (5) or (6), further including a step of displaying, on the customer side display, an item related to a product purchased by the customer among items displayed on the display .

  According to the packing support system and method of the present invention, the following significant effects can be obtained. That is, since the packing method for the products handled in the store is also specified, all the store clerk can perform predetermined packing without specially educating and training the store clerk. Furthermore, since the store clerk only has to follow the POS display or instructions without judging the packing method at the checkout counter, it is possible to process quickly and contribute to the improvement of work efficiency, resulting in customer satisfaction and store It is possible to increase trust.

Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of a preferred embodiment of a packing support system and method according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  First, FIG. 1 shows a system configuration diagram of a preferred embodiment of a packing support system according to the present invention. The packing support system 10 includes a POS terminal (hereinafter referred to as POS) 13 having a customer-side POS display 11 and a store clerk-side POS display 12, and a bar code reader 15 connected to the POS 13.

  As will be described later, the POS 13 incorporates a storage unit 14 that stores various tables and the like. The customer-side display 11 is provided on the customer side so that the customer 21 can confirm. Each time the clerk reads the barcode attached to the product 23 by the barcode reader 15, the product name 42, the amount 44 and the number 49 are displayed. Etc. are displayed.

On the other hand, the store clerk side display 12 is directed to the store clerk side, and displays a “packing method” to be described later together with the product name 42, the amount 44, and the number 49 of the product 23 read from the product 23 by the barcode reader 15. That is, the packing support system 10 according to the present invention uses a general POS 13, but the clerk-side display 12 displays the packing method designated for each product 23 recorded in the product 23 in advance. Features.

Next, the overall operation of the packaging system according to the present invention will be briefly described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, when the customer 21 selects the product 23 from the product display shelf and brings it to the checkout counter, the store clerk 22 reads the barcode attached to the product 23 by the barcode reader 15 of the POS 13 and all the products. It is determined whether or not the reading of is completed (step A1).

  If reading of all products is not completed (step A1: NO), reading of unread products is continued (step A2). Next, it is determined whether or not the read product has packing method data (step A3). If there is packing method data (step A3: YES), “packing method” is displayed on the clerk side POS display 12 (step A4). On the other hand, when there is no data or information of “packing method” (step A3: NO), normal display is performed (step A5). Then, it returns to step A1 mentioned above. When reading of all the products is completed (step A1: YES), the store clerk packs the products, delivers the packed products to the customer (step A6), and ends the process.

  Next, specific examples of various tables such as a product table stored in the POS 13 will be described with reference to FIG. 3A shows a specific example of a product table 40, FIG. 3B shows a packaging bag table 50, FIG. 3C shows a message table 60, and FIG. These tables 40 to 70 are stored in advance in a storage unit 14 built in the POS 13 or a management server (not shown) accessible by the POS 13.

  First, the product table 40 shown in FIG. 3A includes a barcode number (No) 41, a product name 42, a product category 43, an amount 44, a temperature 45, a weight 46, a capacity 47, an individual message 48, and the like. . Here, the barcode number 41 is a barcode number attached to each product 23. The product name 42 is, for example, a weekly magazine, teriyaki chicken, detergent, or the like. The product category 43 is a category to which each product 23 belongs, and is, for example, a magazine, a lunch box, or a detergent. The amount 44 is the unit price of each product 23. The temperature 45 is the temperature of each product 23, and is normal temperature, high temperature, low temperature, or the like. The weight 46 and the capacity 47 are the weight and capacity (or volume) of each product 23. In addition, the individual message 48 is a message or warning that alerts the store clerk, such as “Please wrap it individually in a plastic bag because the sauce is easy to leak” for food such as chicken teriyaki.

  Next, FIG. 3B is an example of the packing bag table 50, in which a packing bag number (No) 51, a shape 52, a limit weight 53, a limit capacity 54, and the like are defined. The packing bag table 50 is a packing bag (plastic bag) for packing the products of each customer 21 and includes, for example, a white large bag, a white small bag, a brown bag, and the like.

  Next, FIG. 3C shows a specific example of the message table. The message table 60 includes a message number 61, a product category 62, a temperature 63, and a message 64. In this specific example, message numbers 61 are given numbers such as 001, 002, and 003, and lunch boxes, detergents, and high-temperature foods are assigned thereto, respectively. As messages 64, “please put in brown packaging bag”, “do not put in the same bag as food” and “do not put in the same bag as low-temperature products” are given.

  Next, FIG. 3D shows a specific example of the conflict rule 70. According to the reciprocal rule 70, it is defined that the product category does not include a lunch box and a detergent, and a high temperature and a low temperature in the same bag. It should be noted that these are merely examples, and there are of course many other combinations, such as magazines and fresh foods containing moisture.

Next, with reference to FIG. 4, a display example of the clerk side display 12 when, for example, “chicken teriyaki” is read into the POS 13 by the barcode reader 15 will be described. In this case, on the clerk side display 12, “chicken teriyaki” is displayed as the product name 42, 380 yen as the amount (unit price) 44 and 1 as the number 49 are displayed at the top. In the next line, “Bento” is displayed as the product category 43 and “High temperature” is displayed as the temperature 45. Furthermore, in the packing support system of the present invention, the same as the low temperature product in the central part of the store clerk's display 12 "please spill easily and pack it in a plastic bag" A message 64 "Please do not put in the bag" is displayed. When the display 12 of the POS 13 is, for example, full color, these messages 64 are preferably displayed in a conspicuous color such as red in order to call the store clerk's attention.

  Furthermore, in addition to the general display such as the product name, number, price, and total price of the product read into the POS 13, as shown in the large frame 65 on the right side, a packing bag is displayed at the bottom of the store clerk display 12. A small frame 66 on the left side and a small frame 67 in the center are displayed. The left frame 66 shows that detergent and weekly magazines are packed in a white large bag. On the other hand, the center frame 67 indicates that the chicken teriyaki is packed in a brown bag and instructs the store clerk. Therefore, the store clerk packs the goods according to this packing method or instruction.

  Next, the detailed operation of the packing support system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  First, after reading a barcode of a product using a barcode reader (step S1), a barcode number is searched from a product table using the barcode of the product as a key (step S2). Next, the message table.product category is searched using the product table.product category as a key. Similarly, the message table.temperature is retrieved using the product table.temperature as a key (step S3).

  Subsequently, in step S4, the value obtained by adding the current weight of the packaging bag and the weight of the product exceeds the limit weight, or the value obtained by adding the current capacity of the packaging bag and the capacity of the product exceeds the limit capacity. It is determined whether or not. For example, the value is compared with the value of the packaging bag white (large).

If it is determined in step S4 that the limit value has not been exceeded , in step S5, the packing bag category is compared with the product category, and the conflict rule 70 in FIG. The bag temperature is compared with the product temperature to determine whether the conflict rule applies. Here, if it is determined that this is not the case, the weight and capacity of the product are added to the current weight and current capacity of the packaging bag, respectively. Further, the product category and temperature of the product are added to the items of the packaging bag category and temperature (step S6).

  Thereafter, in step S7, the product name, product price, product category, temperature, the product table retrieved in step S2, the individual message, and the message table retrieved in step S3 are displayed on the display. Moreover, after displaying a packaging bag and displaying a division, temperature, and goods in it, it is determined whether all the goods were read (step S8). Here, if reading of all the products has not been completed, the process returns to step S1, and if completed, the size of the bag is determined from the current weight and current capacity of the packing bag (step S9). For example, if the current weight of the packaging bag 1 is 2,000 kg or less, it is set to white (small) instead of white (large), and the process ends.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S4 that it has exceeded, a new packaging bag is added, the weight and capacity of the product are added to the current weight and capacity of the new packaging bag, respectively, and new packaging is performed. The product category and temperature of the product are added to the bag category and temperature items (step S10), and the process proceeds to step S7.

  If it is determined in step S5 that the conflict rule applies, a new packing bag is added in step S11, and the weight and capacity of the product are added to the current weight and capacity of the new packing bag, respectively. Further, the product category and temperature of the product are added to the new packaging bag category and temperature items, and the process proceeds to step S7.

The configuration and operation of the preferred embodiment of the packing support system according to the present invention have been described in detail above. However, it will be readily understood by those skilled in the art that such embodiments are merely examples of the present invention and do not limit the present invention. For example, IC tags may be used for products instead of barcodes.
In that case, an IC reader is used instead of the barcode reader. Further, the store clerk may input the product identification data from the POS keyboard.

It is a functional block diagram of the suitable Example of the packing assistance system by this invention. It is a flowchart which shows schematic operation | movement of the packing assistance system by this invention. The specific example of the various tables memorize | stored in POS used with the packing assistance system of this invention is shown, (A) is a goods table, (B) is a packing bag table, (C) is a message table, and (D) is a conflict rule. It is. The example of a display of the shop assistant side display in the packing assistance system by this invention is shown. It is a flowchart which shows the detailed operation | movement of the packing assistance system by this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Packing support system 11 Customer side POS display 12 Sales clerk side POS display 13 POS terminal 14 Memory | storage part 15 Bar code reader 23 Goods 40 Goods table 50 Packing bag table 60 Message table 70 Reciprocal rule

Claims (7)

In a packing support system that assists a store clerk in a retail store equipped with a POS terminal to pack a product in an appropriate packing bag and deliver it to a customer.
Product code number, product name, product category, price, temperature, weight, capacity, product table with individual message, shape of packaging bag for packaging the product, critical weight, packaging bag table with critical capacity and same packaging A storage unit for storing a table including a product category of a product whose packaging is prohibited in a bag and a reciprocity rule having a temperature, and information necessary when the code of the product is read into the POS terminal And a display for displaying
Packing support system, characterized in that help the clerk to packing the goods to the packing bag. The packing support system according to claim 1, wherein the table further includes a message table including a message number, a product category, a temperature, and a message . Packaging support system according to claim 1 or 2 storage unit is characterized in that provided within the POS terminal for storing the table. The packing support system according to claim 1 , wherein the storage unit that stores the table is provided in a management server accessible by the POS terminal . In a packing support method for assisting a clerk to pack a product selected by a customer at a retail store or the like that sells various products with a cashier counter equipped with a POS terminal and packing the product in a packing bag,
Obtaining a product table having information on the product, a packing bag table having information on the packaging bag, and a table including reciprocal rules having information prohibited from packing together among the products;
Reading the information attached to the product selected and purchased by the customer into a POS terminal;
Displaying information on the product read by the POS terminal and information on a packing bag for packing the product purchased by the customer with reference to the table, on a display;
A packing support method, wherein a store clerk supports packing of the product by display on the display . The packing support method according to claim 5 , wherein the table includes a message table related to a product purchased by the customer, and further includes a step of displaying the message on the display to alert the store clerk . The packing support method according to claim 5 or 6, further comprising a step of displaying, on the customer side display, an item related to a product purchased by the customer among items displayed on the display .

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