JP5428812B2 - Business support device and business support program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a business support device and a business support program that support a delivery business of a package.

  Generally, when delivering a plurality of packages collected at a collection / delivery center to a delivery destination, a delivery route is set based on map information and traffic information. In the conventional route search, for example, a delivery route with the shortest route when going through a plurality of delivery destinations is searched. Conventionally, there is a technique for preventing redelivery of a package to a home away from home in order to improve the efficiency of delivery work (for example, see Patent Documents 1 to 5 below).

JP-A-8-287158 JP-A-1-293465 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-035192 JP-A-5-327852 JP 2003-331180 A

  However, with the above-described conventional technology, it is possible to deliver a package with a specified delivery time on time by simply setting the delivery route so that the route is the shortest without considering whether or not the delivery time of the package is specified. There is a problem that it may disappear.

  On the other hand, setting a delivery route that passes only a delivery destination with a specified delivery time delays delivery to a delivery destination with no specified delivery time, leading to inefficiency in delivery operations. . In addition, during delivery based on this delivery route, it can be considered to deliver together with a delivery destination whose delivery time is not specified. However, there is a problem that it is difficult to determine which delivery destination is selected so that it is possible to go through more delivery destinations while delivering a package with a designated delivery time on time.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a business support apparatus and a business support program that can improve the efficiency of package delivery business in order to solve the above-described problems caused by the prior art.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the disclosed business support device and business support program are selected from a plurality of delivery destinations including delivery destinations whose delivery time is specified for a predetermined period. A first delivery time required for delivering the package from one delivery destination to a second delivery destination is calculated, and a third delivery for which the delivery time of the package is not designated from the first delivery destination A second required time required to deliver the package to the second delivery destination via the destination is calculated, and the first time and the second required time are calculated based on the calculated first and second required times. It is necessary to determine whether or not to deliver the package to the third delivery destination and to output the determined determination result.

  According to the business support apparatus and the business support program, there is an effect that it is possible to improve the efficiency of the package delivery business.

It is explanatory drawing which shows one Example of the work support method. It is a system configuration diagram showing a system configuration example of a business support system. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the hardware constitutions of a work support apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the memory content of invoice DB. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the memory content of a customer table. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the memory content of a division table. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the memory content of a road table. It is a block diagram which shows an example of a functional structure of a work support apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the memory content of a delivery time zone table. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the memory content of a delivery destination table. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of a setting of a delivery destination table. It is explanatory drawing (the 1) which shows the example of an update of the memory content of a delivery destination table. It is explanatory drawing which shows the specific example of a delivery destination list | wrist. It is explanatory drawing which shows the specific example of a contact recommendation list | wrist. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of a display screen of a portable terminal. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the registration processing procedure of various data. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the update process sequence of various tables. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a business support processing procedure according to the first embodiment; It is a flowchart which shows an example of the specific process sequence of a total required time calculation process. It is a flowchart (the 1) which shows an example of the specific process sequence of a 1st determination process. It is a flowchart (the 2) which shows an example of the specific process sequence of a 1st determination process. It is explanatory drawing (the 1) which shows an example of the memory content of a required time difference table. It is a flowchart (the 1) which shows an example of the specific process sequence of a 1st contact determination process. It is a flowchart (the 2) which shows an example of the specific process sequence of a 1st contact address determination process. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the 2nd determination processing procedure. It is explanatory drawing (the 1) which shows an example of the memory content of a delivery cost difference table. It is explanatory drawing (the 2) which shows the example of an update of the memory content of a delivery destination table. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a business support processing procedure according to the third embodiment; It is a flowchart which shows an example of the specific process sequence of a required time difference calculation process. It is explanatory drawing (the 2) which shows an example of the memory content of a required time difference table. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the specific process sequence of a 3rd determination process. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the specific process sequence of a delivery cost difference calculation process. It is explanatory drawing (the 2) which shows an example of the memory content of a delivery cost difference table. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the specific process sequence of a 4th determination process.

  Exemplary embodiments of a business support apparatus and a business support program according to the present invention will be explained below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(One example of business support method)
First, an example of the business support method according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an embodiment of a business support method.

  In the business support method according to the present embodiment (hereinafter referred to as “this method”), the delivery time of the package is specified during the delivery of the package to the first and second delivery destinations selected from a plurality of delivery destinations. It is determined whether or not to deliver the package to a third delivery destination that has not been done. Note that the second delivery destination is a delivery destination whose delivery time of the package is designated in a predetermined delivery time zone.

  (1) In this method, the required time t1 required for delivering the package from the first delivery destination to the second delivery destination is calculated. Here, the required time t1 is the time required from the completion of the parcel delivery work at the first delivery destination to the completion of the parcel delivery work at the second delivery destination. The package delivery operation includes, for example, unloading a package from a transport vehicle, walking to a delivery destination, dealing with a customer, filling out an absence slip, and walking to a transport vehicle.

  (2) In this method, the time t2 required for delivering the package from the first delivery destination to the second delivery destination via the third delivery destination is calculated. Specifically, for example, in the present method, a required time ta required from the completion of the parcel delivery work at the first delivery destination to the completion of the parcel delivery work at the third delivery destination is calculated. . Further, in this method, the time tb required from the completion of the parcel delivery work at the third delivery destination to the completion of the parcel delivery work at the second delivery destination is calculated. In this method, the required time t2 is calculated by adding the required time ta and the required time tb.

  (3) In this method, based on the calculated required times t1 and t2, it is determined whether or not to deliver the package to the third delivery destination in a predetermined delivery time zone. Specifically, for example, in this method, it is determined whether or not to deliver the package to the third delivery destination based on the required time difference ΔT representing the difference between the required time t1 and the required time t2.

  More specifically, for example, in this method, when a package cannot be delivered to the second delivery destination on time by way of the third delivery destination, the package is not delivered to the third delivery destination. On the other hand, in this method, if the parcel can be delivered to the second delivery destination on time even via the third delivery destination, the parcel is delivered to the third delivery destination.

  As described above, in this method, it is determined whether or not the package is to be delivered to the third delivery destination in consideration of the required time that is increased by passing through the third delivery destination. As a result, it is possible to set a delivery route that can be delivered to a larger number of delivery destinations while delivering the packages to a designated delivery destination on time, thereby improving the efficiency of delivery operations. it can.

(System configuration of business support system)
Next, the business support system according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a system configuration diagram illustrating a system configuration example of the business support system. In FIG. 2, the business support system 200 is configured to include a business support device 201, a mobile terminal 202, and telephones 203 and 204. In the business support system 200, the business support device 201, the portable terminal 202, and the telephones 203 and 204 can communicate with each other via a network 210 such as the Internet, wireless communication, or a telephone line.

  Here, the business support apparatus 201 has a function of supporting a package delivery business. Specifically, for example, the business support apparatus 201 creates business support information for supporting the delivery business of a deliveryman's package and transmits the business support information to the portable terminal 202. The business support apparatus 201 is installed at, for example, sales offices or branches of home delivery companies scattered in various places.

  In addition, the business support apparatus 201 includes an OCR (Optical Character Reader) scanner 205 for reading a package invoice. The invoice is a statement issued from a courier (sender) to a customer (recipient) when a package delivery request is made.

  The portable terminal 202 is a communication device that is carried by a parcel delivery person and has a function of displaying various types of information that supports delivery operations. The telephone 203 has a function of accepting a telephone call from a customer or automatically making a telephone call to a customer. The telephone 203 is installed at, for example, a courier business office or a branch office. The telephone 204 is a telephone used by a customer to whom a package is delivered.

(Hardware configuration of business support device 201)
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the business support apparatus. In FIG. 3, a business support apparatus 201 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 301, a ROM (Read-Only Memory) 302, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 303, a magnetic disk drive 304, a magnetic disk 305, and an optical disk. A drive 306, an optical disk 307, a display 308, an I / F (Interface) 309, a keyboard 310, a mouse 311, a scanner 312, and a printer 313 are provided. Each component is connected by a bus 300.

  Here, the CPU 301 governs overall control of the business support apparatus 201. The ROM 302 stores a program such as a boot program. The RAM 303 is used as a work area for the CPU 301. The magnetic disk drive 304 controls the reading / writing of the data with respect to the magnetic disk 305 according to control of CPU301. The magnetic disk 305 stores data written under the control of the magnetic disk drive 304.

  The optical disk drive 306 controls the reading / writing of the data with respect to the optical disk 307 according to control of CPU301. The optical disk 307 stores data written under the control of the optical disk drive 306, and causes the computer to read data stored on the optical disk 307.

  The display 308 displays data such as a document, an image, and function information as well as a cursor, an icon, or a tool box. As this display 308, for example, a CRT, a TFT liquid crystal display, a plasma display, or the like can be adopted.

  The I / F 309 is connected to a network 210 such as a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), and the Internet through a communication line, and is connected to other devices via the network 210. The I / F 309 controls an internal interface with the network 210 and controls input / output of data from an external device. For example, a modem or a LAN adapter can be adopted as the I / F 309.

  The keyboard 310 includes keys for inputting characters, numbers, various instructions, and the like, and inputs data. Moreover, a touch panel type input pad or a numeric keypad may be used. The mouse 311 performs cursor movement, range selection, window movement, size change, and the like. A trackball or a joystick may be used as long as they have the same function as a pointing device.

  The scanner 312 optically reads an image and takes in the image data into the business support apparatus 201. The scanner 312 may have an OCR function (the OCR scanner 205 shown in FIG. 2). The printer 313 prints image data and document data. As the printer 313, for example, a laser printer or an ink jet printer can be employed.

(Memory contents such as various tables)
Next, an example of stored contents such as various tables used by the business support apparatus 201 will be described. Note that the various tables are stored in a storage device such as the RAM 303, the magnetic disk 305, and the optical disk 307 shown in FIG.

<Storage contents of invoice DB (database)>
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the contents stored in the invoice DB. In FIG. 4, the invoice DB 400 has fields of an invoice ID, a scheduled delivery date, a delivery time zone ID, a customer ID, an address, a customer name, a telephone number, a redelivery acceptance flag, and an extracted flag. By setting information in each field, invoice data D (for example, invoice data D1 to D7) is stored as a record.

  Here, the invoice ID is an identifier for identifying a package invoice. The scheduled delivery date is the scheduled date for delivering the package. The delivery time zone ID is an identifier for identifying the delivery time zone of the package designated by the shipper or the recipient (customer). The customer ID is an identifier for identifying a customer. An address is a customer's address. The customer name is a name such as a customer name or a company name. A telephone number is a customer's telephone number.

  The redelivery acceptance flag is a flag indicating whether or not a redelivery request for a package has been accepted. The redelivery acceptance flag is set to “0” in the initial state (not accepted), and is set to “1” when a redelivery request is accepted. The extracted flag is a flag indicating whether or not the invoice data D has been extracted. The extracted flag is set to “0” in the initial state (not extracted), and is set to “1” when the invoice data is extracted.

<Contents stored in customer table>
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of an example of the contents stored in the customer table. In FIG. 5, the customer table 500 has fields of customer ID, customer name, address, telephone number, section ID, number of stays at home, and number of absences at home. By setting information in each field, customer data (for example, customer data 500-1 to 500-7) is stored as a record.

  Here, the customer ID is an identifier for identifying a customer. The customer name is a name such as a customer name or a company name. An address is a customer's address. A telephone number is a customer's telephone number. The section ID is an identifier for identifying the section to which the customer's address belongs. The section is an area divided by dividing the delivery target area.

  The number of stays at home is a past delivery record that represents the number of times a customer has been at home when delivering a package. The number of absences is a past delivery record showing the number of times the customer was absent when delivering the package. However, since the customer V0 indicates the sales office of the delivery company, “-(null)” is set in the number-of-homes field and the number-of-absence field.

<Storage contents of partition table>
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the stored contents of the partition table. In FIG. 6, a partition table 600 has fields of a partition ID and an address, and stores partition data 600-1 to 600-5 by setting information in each field. Here, the section ID is an identifier for identifying a section. An address is a local address indicated by a section.

<Memory contents of road table>
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of an example of the contents stored in the road table. In FIG. 7, the road table 700 includes fields of a movement source section ID, a movement destination section ID, and a road. By setting information in each field, road data 700-1 to 700-10 are stored as records.

  Here, the movement source section ID is an identifier for identifying the movement source section. The destination partition ID is an identifier for identifying the destination partition. The road is the distance [km] of the road when moving from the source section to the destination section.

(Embodiment 1)
The business support apparatus 201 according to the first embodiment will be described below. FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the business support apparatus. In FIG. 8, the business support apparatus 201 includes an acquisition unit 801, an extraction unit 802, a selection unit 803, a first calculation unit 804, a second calculation unit 805, a determination unit 806, and a third calculation. A configuration unit 807, a creation unit 808, and an output unit 809.

  Specifically, each functional unit (acquisition unit 801 to output unit 809) causes the CPU 301 to execute a program stored in a storage device such as the ROM 302, the RAM 303, the magnetic disk 305, and the optical disk 307 illustrated in FIG. Or the I / F 309 realizes the function. Note that the processing results of each functional unit are stored in a storage device such as the RAM 303, the magnetic disk 305, and the optical disk 307 unless otherwise specified.

  First, the acquisition unit 801 has a function of acquiring invoice data D of a package to be delivered. Specifically, for example, the acquisition unit 801 may acquire the invoice data D by a user operation input using the keyboard 310 or the mouse 311 shown in FIG. 3, or the OCR scanner shown in FIG. It may be acquired by reading the invoice with 205.

  The acquired invoice data D is registered, for example, in the invoice DB 400 shown in FIG. Further, when the customer data of the customer specified from the invoice data D is not registered in the customer table 500 shown in FIG. 5, new customer data is created and registered. A detailed description of various data registration processing will be described later with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  In addition, when the telephone 203 shown in FIG. 2 receives a redelivery request from a customer, the invoice data D in the invoice DB 400 is updated each time. Specifically, the contents of the scheduled delivery date and delivery time zone ID of the invoice data D are updated, and “1” is set in the redelivery acceptance flag. The update contents of the invoice data D (invoice ID, scheduled delivery date, delivery time zone ID, etc.) are acquired by the acquisition unit 801 from the telephone 203, for example.

  The extraction unit 802 has a function of extracting, from the invoice DB 400, invoice data D relating to a delivery destination whose package delivery time is designated for a predetermined period. The term is, for example, a package delivery period defined by date, date, time, and time zone. In the following description, a case where the period is defined by a time zone such as “9 to 12:00” will be described as an example. Here, a delivery time zone table 900 that stores delivery time zones that can be designated as delivery times of packages will be described.

  FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the contents stored in the delivery time zone table. In FIG. 9, the delivery time zone table 900 has fields of delivery time zone ID, acceptance deadline time, start time, and end time. By setting information in each field, delivery time zone data 900-1 to 900-6 are stored as records.

  The delivery time zone ID is an identifier for identifying a time zone that can be designated as the delivery time of the package. The reception deadline time is a deadline time for accepting redelivery of packages in each delivery time zone. For example, after 12:00, redelivery of packages in the delivery time zone Z1 to Z3 on that day is not accepted. The start time is the start time of each delivery time zone. The end time is the end time of each delivery time zone.

  In the following description, an arbitrary delivery time zone among the delivery time zones Z1 to Z6 is referred to as a “delivery time zone Zk” (k = 1, 2,..., 6).

  That is, the extraction unit 802 extracts from the invoice DB 400 the invoice data D of the delivery destination designated as the delivery time zone Zk. Specifically, for example, the extraction unit 802 extracts invoice data D group in which “delivery time zone Zk” is set in the delivery time zone ID field in the invoice DB 400. However, the invoice data group D to be extracted is assumed to have the same scheduled delivery date.

  The delivery time zone Zk is designated by a user operation input using the keyboard 310 or the mouse 311, for example. Alternatively, the delivery time zone Zk may be automatically designated by using the elapse of the redelivery acceptance deadline (see FIG. 9) in the delivery time zone Zk as a trigger. For example, the delivery time zone Z1 is automatically designated after 6 o'clock, which is the deadline for accepting re-delivery in the delivery time zone Z1.

  When the invoice data D is extracted from the invoice DB 400, “1” is set in the extracted flag of the invoice data D. For example, when the invoice data D1 is extracted from the invoice data DB 400, “1” is set in the extracted flag of the invoice data D1.

  The acquisition unit 801 has a function of acquiring delivery orders of a plurality of delivery destinations whose delivery times of packages are designated in the delivery time zone Zk. Here, the delivery order of a plurality of delivery destinations may be obtained by the business support apparatus 201 or may be obtained by an external computer apparatus.

  Specifically, for example, first, the acquisition unit 801 gives an address of a delivery destination specified from the extracted invoice data D group to an existing route search tool, so that delivery routes that pass through a plurality of delivery destinations. To get. Then, the acquisition unit 801 acquires the delivery order of a plurality of delivery destinations by sequentially specifying delivery destinations that are routed from the start point to the end point of the delivery route.

  In addition, the search method of a route search tool is arbitrary. Specific search methods include, for example, a method that searches for a route that has the shortest route when passing through multiple delivery destinations, a route, a road type (for example, a general road, a highway), and traffic congestion. Thus, there is a method for searching for a route having a minimum (or maximum) movement cost.

  The acquisition unit 801 may acquire the delivery order of a plurality of delivery destinations from the external computer device by transmitting addresses of the plurality of delivery destinations to an external computer device (not shown). Furthermore, the acquisition unit 801 may acquire the delivery order of a plurality of delivery destinations by a user operation input.

  In the following description, a plurality of delivery destinations are expressed as “delivery destinations R (1) to R (n)” in the order of delivery. Further, the delivery order of the acquired delivery destinations R (1) to R (n) is stored in the delivery destination table 1000 shown in FIG.

  FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the contents stored in the delivery destination table. In FIG. 10, the delivery destination table 1000 has fields of delivery destination ID, scheduled delivery date, delivery time zone ID, customer ID, delivery order, section ID, required time, required time difference, scheduled delivery count, and redelivery acceptance flag. . By setting information in each field, delivery destination data 1000-1 to 1000-n of delivery destinations R (1) to R (n) are stored as records.

  Here, the delivery destination ID is an identifier for identifying the delivery destination. The scheduled delivery date is the scheduled date for delivering the package. The delivery time zone ID is an identifier for identifying the delivery time zone of the package designated by the shipper or the recipient (customer). The customer ID is an identifier for identifying the customer who is the recipient of the package.

  The delivery order is a delivery order when delivering a package to each delivery destination. The section ID is an identifier for identifying the section to which the customer's address belongs. The required time is the time required for delivering a package between delivery destinations. However, the required time of the delivery destination R (1) is “0” because the delivery order is “1”.

  The required time difference is a difference between required time when the package is delivered to the delivery destination and when the package is not delivered. A detailed description of the required time difference will be described later. The scheduled delivery count is a predicted value of the delivery count to the delivery destination considering redelivery. The redelivery acceptance flag is a flag indicating whether or not a redelivery request for a package has been accepted.

  The scheduled delivery date, delivery time zone ID, customer ID, and redelivery acceptance flag are specified from the invoice data D of each delivery destination R (1) to R (n). Further, the section ID is specified from the customer ID of the invoice data D of each delivery destination R (1) to R (n) with reference to the section table 600, for example.

  Returning to the description of FIG. 8, the selection unit 803 selects a delivery destination R (i) and a delivery destination R (i + 1) in which the acquired delivery order is continuous from among a plurality of delivery destinations R (1) to R (n). (I = 1, 2,..., N−1). Specifically, for example, the selection unit 803 refers to the delivery order field in the delivery destination table 1000 and selects any delivery destination R (i) and delivery destination R (i + 1) in which the delivery order is continuous.

  The first calculation unit 804 has a function of calculating a required time t (i, i + 1) required for delivering a package from the selected delivery destination R (i) to the delivery destination R (i + 1). Specifically, for example, the first calculating unit 804 delivers the distance d (i, i + 1) from the delivery destination R (i) to the delivery destination R (i + 1) and the delivery of the package at the delivery destination R (i + 1). The required time t (i, i + 1) is calculated based on the required time for the work.

  Here, the distance d (i, i + 1) is, for example, the distance (road distance) from the delivery destination R (i) to the delivery destination R (i + 1). For the distance d (i, i + 1), for example, referring to the road table 700, the section ID of the delivery destination R (i) is specified as the movement source section ID and the section ID of the delivery destination R (i + 1) is specified as the movement destination section ID. can do. For example, if the section ID of the delivery destination R (i) is “1” and the section ID of the delivery destination R (i + 1) is “2”, the distance d (i, i + 1) is “1.4”.

  More specifically, for example, the first calculation unit 804 calculates the required time (i, i + 1) using the following formula (1). However, t (x, y) is the time required for delivering the package from the delivery destination R (x) to the delivery destination R (y), and d (x, y) is the delivery destination R (x) to the delivery destination R. The distance to (y), a is a constant related to the distance between the delivery destinations, and b is a constant related to the delivery work of the package at the delivery destination R (y).

    t (x, y) = a × d (x, y) + b (1)

  That is, first, the first calculation unit 804 refers to the road table 700 and specifies the distance d (i, i + 1) from the delivery destination R (i) to the delivery destination R (i + 1). Then, the first calculation unit 804 calculates the required time t (i, i + 1) by substituting the identified distance d (i, i + 1) into the above equation (1).

  The calculated required time t (i, i + 1) is set in the required time field of the delivery destination R (i + 1) in the delivery destination table 1000. Here, a setting example when the required time t (1, 2) required for delivering the package from the delivery destination R (1) to the delivery destination R (2) is described. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a setting example of a delivery destination table. In FIG. 11, t (1, 2) is set in the required time field of the delivery destination R (2) in the delivery destination table 1000.

  Returning to the description of FIG. 8, the second calculation unit 805 passes from the delivery destination R (i) to the delivery destination (hereinafter referred to as “delivery destination R (j)”) for which the delivery time of the package is not specified. Thus, it has a function of calculating a required time t (i, j, i + 1) required for delivering the package to the delivery destination R (i + 1). Here, the delivery destination R (j) is selected, for example, by the extraction unit 802 extracting any invoice data D in which “none” is set in the delivery time zone field ID from the invoice DB 400. The

  Specifically, for example, first, the time t required for the second calculation unit 805 to deliver the package from the delivery destination R (i) to the delivery destination R (j) using the above formula (1). (I, j) is calculated. Further, the second calculation unit 805 calculates the required time t (j, i + 1) required for delivering the package from the delivery destination R (j) to the delivery destination R (i + 1) using the above formula (1). To do. Then, the second calculation unit 805 adds the calculated required time t (i, j) and the required time t (j, i + 1) to calculate the required time t (i, j, i + 1).

  Note that the constants a and b in the above formula (1) can be arbitrarily set according to the skill level and skill of the delivery person. Specifically, for example, a delivery person with a high level of skill has high driving skills and can perform a delivery work of a baggage efficiently, so that constants a and b are lower than a delivery person with a low degree of skill. The value may be set small. Further, the values of the constants a and b are statistically calculated from the past delivery results (for example, the required time t (x, y) with respect to the distance d (x, y)) by using an approximation method such as the least square method. May be required.

  Based on the calculated required time t (i, i + 1) and required time t (i, j, i + 1), the determination unit 806 determines whether to deliver the package to the delivery destination R (j) in the delivery time zone Zk. It has a function to determine. Specifically, for example, the second calculation unit 805 calculates a required time difference ΔT (i, i + 1) representing a difference between the required time t (i, i + 1) and the required time t (i, j, i + 1). .

For example, when the calculated required time difference ΔT (i, i + 1) is equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold value T ₀ , the determination unit 806 determines that the package is delivered to the delivery destination R (j) in the delivery time zone Zk. Also good. The threshold T ₀ is set in advance and stored in a storage device such as the RAM 303, the magnetic disk 305, and the optical disk 307.

  In addition, based on the required time difference ΔT (i, i + 1) and the accumulated required time T required to deliver the package to a plurality of delivery destinations R (i) to R (n), the determination unit 806 delivers the delivery time zone. Whether to deliver the package to the delivery destination R (j) to Zk may be determined. Specifically, for example, first, the first calculation unit 804 requires time t (1,2) to t (n−1, n) required to deliver a package between delivery destinations whose delivery order is continuous. ) Is calculated.

  The calculated required times t (1, 2) to t (n-1, n) are set in the required time fields of the delivery destinations R (1) to R (n) in the delivery destination table 1000. . However, the required time t (0, 1) of the delivery destination R (1) is “0”, and the required time t (i, i + 1) of the delivery destination R (i + 1) has been calculated.

  Thereafter, the first calculation unit 804 calculates the total required time T by accumulating the required times t (1, 2) to t (n−1, n). Next, the second calculation unit 805 adds the required time difference ΔT (i, i + 1) and the total required time T to calculate a new total required time T. Then, for example, when the newly calculated total required time T is less than or equal to the delivery worker's actual working time Tk in the delivery time zone Zk, the determining unit 806 loads the package to the delivery destination R (j) in the delivery time zone Zk. Decide to deliver.

  Here, the actual working time Tk is, for example, the time from the start time to the end time of the delivery time zone Zk in the delivery time zone table 900. Note that by specifying the start time when the delivery person actually starts business, the determination unit 806 may calculate the time from the specified start time to the end time as the actual working time Tk.

  That is, when the determination unit 806 delivers to the delivery destination R (j) during delivery to the delivery destinations R (1) to R (n), it determines whether or not the actual working time Tk of the delivery time zone Zk is exceeded. Here, when the actual working time Tk is exceeded, the parcel cannot be delivered on time, so the parcel is not delivered to the delivery destination R (j). On the other hand, if the actual working time Tk is not exceeded, the package can be delivered to the delivery destination R (j) because it can be delivered on time even if it is delivered to the delivery destination R (j).

  The determination unit 806 has a function of determining the delivery order of the delivery destination R (j) when it is determined to deliver the package to the delivery destination R (j). Specifically, for example, the determination unit 806 changes the delivery order of the delivery destination R (j) based on the acquired delivery order of the delivery destinations R (1) to R (n) to the delivery destination R (i). And (i + 1) th in the delivery order of the delivery destination R (i + 1).

  The determined delivery order of the delivery destination R (j) is stored in the delivery destination table 1000. Specifically, delivery destination data relating to delivery destination R (j) is newly created and registered in delivery destination table 1000. At this time, the stored contents of the delivery destination table 1000 are updated.

  Specifically, for example, first, the delivery order of the (i + 1) th and subsequent records in the delivery destination table 1000 is incremented. Then, delivery destination data relating to the delivery destination R (j) is registered in the delivery destination table 1000 as the (i + 1) th record. Thereafter, the delivery destination IDs in the delivery destination table 1000 are sorted according to the delivery order.

  Further, the required time t (i, i + 1) of the delivery destination R (i + 1) and the required time t (i + 1, i + 2) of the delivery destination R (i + 2) in the delivery destination table 1000 are updated. Here, the required time t (i, i + 1) is the required time t (i, j) calculated by the second calculation unit 805.

  The required time t (i + 1, i + 2) is the required time t (j, i + 1) calculated by the second calculating unit 805. However, the second calculation unit 805 may recalculate the required time t (i, i + 1) and the required time t (i + 1, i + 2) using the above formula (1).

  Here, an example of updating the stored contents of the delivery destination table 1000 when the delivery order of the delivery destination R (j) is determined second will be described. FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram (part 1) of an example of updating the stored contents of the delivery destination table. In FIG. 12, first, the delivery order of the second and subsequent records in the delivery destination table 1000 is incremented ((1) in FIG. 12).

  Thereafter, the delivery destination data relating to the delivery destination R (j) is registered in the delivery destination table 1000 as the second record, and the delivery destination ID of each record is sorted according to the delivery order ((2) in FIG. 12). . The required times t (1, 2) and required times t (2, 3) of the delivery destination R (2) and the delivery destination R (3) are set ((3) in FIG. 12).

  Returning to the description of FIG. 8, the third calculation unit 807 determines the time t (i, j) required to deliver the package from the delivery destination R (i) to the delivery destination (j) and the absent rate F (j ) And a delivery cost C (i, j) required for delivering the package from the delivery destination R (i) to the delivery destination R (j).

  Here, the absence rate F (j) is an index value indicating a rate of absence of the delivery destination R (j) at the time of delivery of the package. The delivery cost C (i, j) is an index value that represents the effort of the delivery person when delivering the package from the delivery destination R (i) to the delivery destination (j). When the delivery cost C (i, j) increases, the labor and time required for delivery personnel to spend on delivery work increases.

  Specifically, for example, first, the third calculation unit 807 refers to the customer table 500 and specifies the number of times at which the delivery destination R (j) is at home and the number at which it is absent. Then, the third calculation unit 807 calculates the absence rate F (j) of the delivery destination R (j) by substituting the specified number of times at home and the number of absences into the following equation (2). However, F (x) is the absent rate of the delivery destination R (x), α (x) is the number of absences of the delivery destination R (x), and β (x) is the number of times the delivery destination R (x) is at home.

    F (x) = α (x) / (α (x) + β (x)) (2)

  Thereafter, the third calculation unit 807 calculates the scheduled delivery count H (j) of the delivery destination R (j) by substituting the calculated absence rate F (j) into the following equation (3). However, H (x) is a predicted value of the number of deliveries considering re-delivery to the delivery destination R (x).

    H (x) = 1 / (1-F (x)) (3)

If the absence rate F (j) is “F (j) = 1” or there is no past delivery record and the number of absences and the number of times at home are both “0”, the scheduled number of delivery H (j) is set to a constant H _max . . The constant H _max is set in advance and stored in a storage device such as the RAM 303, the magnetic disk 305, and the optical disk 307 (for example, H _max = 20).

  Further, when a re-delivery request from the delivery destination R (j) is accepted, there is a high possibility of being at home at the next delivery, so the scheduled delivery count H (j) may be set to “1”. Whether or not a re-delivery request from the delivery destination R (j) is accepted can be specified by referring to the re-delivery acceptance flag field of the delivery destination R (j) in the delivery destination table 1000.

  Then, the third calculation unit 807 calculates the delivery cost C (i, j) by substituting the required time t (i, j) and the scheduled delivery count H (j) into the following equation (4). However, C (x, y) is a delivery cost for delivering the package from the delivery destination R (x) to the delivery destination R (y). H (y) is the scheduled delivery count of the delivery destination R (y). Further, t (x, y) is a time required for delivering the package from the delivery destination R (x) to the delivery destination R (y).

    C (x, y) = H (y) × t (x, y) (4)

  In other words, the delivery destination R (j) having a large delivery cost C (i, j) means that the customer absent rate at the time of delivery is high and the scheduled delivery frequency H (j) is large, or / and the delivery destination R (i). Is a delivery destination that takes a long time t (i, j) to be delivered when delivering a package to a delivery destination R (j).

Further, the determination unit 806 has a function of determining the delivery destination R (j) as a contact for urging to stay at home before delivering the package based on the calculated delivery cost C (i, j). Specifically, for example, when the calculated delivery cost C (i, j) is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value C ₀ , the determination unit 806 may determine the delivery destination R (j) as a contact address.

That is, since the delivery destination R (j) having a large delivery cost C (i, j) requires a lot of labor and time required for the delivery staff to spend on the delivery work, the determination unit 806 sends the delivery destination R (j) to the delivery of the package. Decide on a contact that prompts you to stay home. The threshold value C ₀ is set in advance and stored in a storage device such as the RAM 303, the magnetic disk 305, and the optical disk 307, for example.

  Further, the determination unit 806 delivers the delivery destination R (j) based on the delivery cost difference ΔC (i, i + 1) representing the difference between the delivery cost C (i, i + 1) and the delivery cost C (i, j, i + 1). May be determined as a contact for urging to stay home before delivery of the package. Here, the delivery cost C (i, j, i + 1) is a delivery cost for delivering a package from the delivery destination R (i) to the delivery destination R (i + 1) via the delivery destination R (j). .

  Specifically, for example, the third calculation unit 807 calculates the absence rate F (i + 1) of the delivery destination R (i + 1) using the above formula (2). Next, the third calculation unit 807 calculates the scheduled delivery count H (i + 1) of the delivery destination R (i + 1) using the above equation (3). Then, the third calculation unit 807 calculates the delivery cost C (j, i + 1) by substituting the required time t (j, i + 1) and the scheduled delivery count H (i + 1) into the above equation (4).

  Further, the third calculation unit 807 calculates the delivery cost C (i, i + 1) by substituting the required time t (i, i + 1) and the scheduled delivery count H (i + 1) into the above equation (4). Thereafter, the third calculation unit 807 calculates the delivery cost C (i, j, i + 1) by adding the delivery cost C (i, j) and the delivery cost C (j, i + 1). Finally, the third calculation unit 807 substitutes the delivery cost C (i, j, i + 1) and the delivery cost C (i, i + 1) into the following equation (5), so that the delivery cost difference ΔC (i, i + 1) is obtained. ) Is calculated.

  ΔC (i, i + 1) = C (i, j, i + 1) −C (i, i + 1) (5)

Then, for example, when the calculated delivery cost difference ΔC (i, i + 1) is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold value ΔC ₀ , the determination unit 806 sets the delivery destination R (j) as a contact for urging to stay home before delivering the package. You may decide. The threshold value ΔC ₀ is set in advance and stored in a storage device such as the RAM 303, the magnetic disk 305, and the optical disk 307.

  That is, a delivery destination R (j) having a large delivery cost difference ΔC (i, i + 1) passes through the delivery destination R (j) during delivery of the package from the delivery destination R (i) to the delivery destination (i + 1). The labor and time required for delivery personnel to spend on delivery work increases. For this reason, the determination unit 806 determines the delivery destination R (j) as a contact for prompting to stay home before delivering the package.

  Note that the contact means for urging to stay at home before delivery of the package includes telephone contact from the telephone 203 to the telephone 204 and mail communication from the business support apparatus 201 to the telephone 204. Further, the delivery cost difference ΔC (i, i + 1) can be obtained using the following equation (6) by modifying the above equation (5) as follows.

ΔC (i, i + 1) = C (i, j) + C (j, i + 1) −C (i, i + 1)
= H (j) * t (i, j) + H (i + 1) {t (j, i + 1) -t (i, i + 1)}
= H (j) × t (i, j) + H (i + 1) {ΔT (i, i + 1) −t (i, j)}
= T (i, j) {H (j) -H (i + 1)} + H (i + 1) × ΔT (i, i + 1)
... (6)

  The creation unit 808 has a function of creating a delivery destination list related to delivery destinations that deliver packages in the delivery time zone Zk based on the determined determination result. Specifically, for example, the creation unit 808 may create a delivery destination list by listing delivery destinations registered in the delivery destination table 1000. Here, a specific example of the delivery destination list will be described.

  FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a specific example of the delivery destination list. In FIG. 13, the delivery destination list 1300 shows delivery destinations scheduled to be delivered in “delivery time zone: 12:00 to 14:00” of “scheduled delivery date: November 11” in the order of delivery. Yes. The scheduled delivery time is obtained by accumulating the required time between deliveries at the start time “12:00” of the delivery time zone.

  Further, the creation unit 808 has a function of creating a contact recommendation list related to a contact for recommending telephone contact for urging to stay at home before delivery of a package based on the determined determination result. Specifically, for example, the creation unit 808 may create a contact recommendation list by listing delivery destinations determined as contact destinations prompting to stay at home before delivering packages. Here, a specific example of the contact recommendation list will be described.

  FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of a specific example of a contact recommendation list. In FIG. 14, the contact recommendation list 1400 includes a delivery destination scheduled to be delivered in “delivery time zone: 12:00 to 14:00” of “scheduled delivery date: November 11” before delivery of the package. The delivery destination that recommends to make a call to stay home is shown.

  The output unit 809 has a function of outputting the determined determination result. Examples of the output format include display on the display 308, print output to the printer 313, and transmission to an external device via the I / F 309. Further, it may be stored in a storage area such as the RAM 303, the magnetic disk 305, and the optical disk 307.

  Specifically, for example, the output unit 809 may transmit the created delivery destination list 1300 to the mobile terminal 202 shown in FIG. As a result, the contents of the delivery destination list 1300 are displayed on the display screen 1501 of the portable terminal 202 carried by the delivery person (see FIG. 15).

  Further, the output unit 809 may transmit the created contact recommendation list 1400 to the telephone 203 of the sales office shown in FIG. As a result, for example, a telephone contact is automatically made from the telephone 203 to urge each delivery destination in the contact recommendation list 1400 to stay home.

  Further, the output unit 809 may transmit the created contact recommendation list 1400 to the mobile terminal 202. In this case, the delivery person can confirm the contents of the recommended contact list 1400 displayed on the portable terminal 202, and can make a telephone call to prompt each delivery destination to stay home. Here, a display screen example of the portable terminal 202 that displays the delivery destination list will be described.

  FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a display screen example of the mobile terminal. In FIG. 15, a selection screen 1510 for selecting a scheduled delivery date and a delivery time zone of a package is displayed on the display screen 1501 of the portable terminal 202. Specifically, for example, the selection screen 1510 displays buttons B1 to B4 for selecting a scheduled delivery date and a delivery time zone of the package.

  When the delivery person operates the operation unit 1502 of the mobile terminal 202 on the selection screen 1510 and selects the button B2, a list screen 1520 is displayed on the display screen 1501. Specifically, the list screen 1520 displays a list of delivery destinations scheduled to be delivered in “delivery time zone: 12:00 to 14:00” of “scheduled delivery date: November 11”. Yes.

(Various processing procedures of the business support apparatus 201)
Hereinafter, various processing procedures of the business support apparatus 201 according to the first embodiment will be described.

(Registration procedure for various data)
First, a procedure for registering invoice data D and customer data will be described. FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a registration process procedure for various data. In the flowchart of FIG. 16, first, the acquisition unit 801 determines whether or not the invoice data D of the package to be delivered has been acquired (step S1601).

  Here, the acquisition unit 801 waits to acquire the invoice data D (step S1601: No). When the invoice data D is acquired (step S1601: Yes), the acquisition unit 801 searches the customer table 500 for customer data whose telephone number matches the telephone number of the invoice data D (step S1602).

  Here, when the customer data is not searched (step S1603: No), the acquisition unit 801 refers to the partition table 600 and identifies the partition ID whose address matches the front of the address of the invoice data D (step). S1604). For example, when the address of the invoice data D is “Chuo-ku Chuo-ku, Tokyo”, the section ID is “1”.

  Then, the acquisition unit 801 creates customer data of the customer specified from the acquired invoice data D and registers it in the customer table 500 (step S1605). However, the section ID of the customer data is the section ID specified in step S1604. In addition, the number of stays at home and the number of absences of customer data are “0”.

  Thereafter, the acquired invoice data D is registered in the invoice DB 400 by the acquisition unit 801 (step S1606), and the series of processes according to this flowchart ends. If customer data is searched in step S1603 (step S1603: Yes), the process proceeds to step S1606.

  Thus, each time a new package delivery request is received, new invoice data D is accumulated in the invoice DB 400. Further, each time a delivery request is received from a new customer, new customer data is accumulated in the customer table 500.

(Update procedure for various tables)
Next, the update processing procedure of the invoice DB 400 and the customer table 500 will be described. FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an update processing procedure for various tables. In the flowchart of FIG. 17, first, the acquisition unit 801 determines whether or not a package delivery result has been acquired (step S1701).

  The package delivery result includes an invoice ID, a customer ID, and information indicating whether or not the package delivery has been completed. Note that the delivery result of the package may be acquired by the acquisition unit 801 by a user operation input using the keyboard 310 or the mouse 311 or by reception from the mobile terminal 202 illustrated in FIG. May be.

  Here, after waiting for the delivery result to be acquired (step S1701: No), if acquired (step S1701: Yes), the acquisition unit 801 causes the customer ID to be included in the delivery result from the customer table 500. The customer data matching the ID is searched (step S1702).

  Then, the acquisition unit 801 determines whether or not the delivery of the package has been completed based on the delivery result (step S1703). Here, when the delivery of the package is completed (step S1703: Yes), the acquisition unit 801 increments the number of stays of the searched customer data (step S1704), and the series of processes according to this flowchart ends.

  On the other hand, if the delivery of the package has not been completed (step S1703: No), the acquisition unit 801 searches the invoice DB 400 for invoice data D whose invoice ID matches the invoice ID included in the delivery result (step S1703: No). S1705).

  Then, the retrieved invoice data D is updated by the acquisition unit 801 (step S1706). Specifically, the acquisition unit 801 sets the scheduled delivery date of the invoice data D to “next day”, the delivery time zone to “none”, the redelivery acceptance flag to “0”, and the extracted flag to “0”. change. Further, the acquisition unit 801 increments the number of absences of the searched customer data (step S1707), and the series of processes according to this flowchart is terminated.

  As a result, each time a new delivery result is acquired, the stored contents of the invoice DB 400 and the customer table 500 are updated.

(Business support procedure)
Next, a job support processing procedure of the job support apparatus 201 according to the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 18 is a flowchart of an example of a business support processing procedure according to the first embodiment. In the flowchart of FIG. 18, first, the extraction unit 802 determines whether or not a package delivery time zone Zk has been designated (step S1801).

  Here, the extraction unit 802 waits for the delivery time zone Zk to be specified (step S1801: No). When the delivery time zone Zk is designated (step S1801: Yes), the extraction unit 802 causes the delivery destination invoice data D group designated as the delivery time zone Zk from the invoice DB 400 to be delivered. Is extracted (step S1802). Note that the invoice data D to be extracted is that in which the scheduled delivery date of the invoice DB 400 is the same day and the extracted flag is set to “0”.

  Next, the delivery unit 801 obtains the delivery order of the delivery destination specified from the extracted invoice data D group (step S1803). As a result, delivery destination data relating to a plurality of delivery destinations R (1) to R (n) is registered in the delivery destination table 1000.

  Thereafter, the first calculation unit 804 executes a total required time calculation process for calculating a total required time T required to deliver the package to a plurality of delivery destinations R (i) to R (n) (step S1804). ). The determining unit 806 calculates the delivery worker's actual working time Tk in the delivery time zone Zk (step S1805), and determines whether the calculated accumulated required time T is equal to or less than the actual working time Tk (step S1806).

  If the accumulated required time T is greater than the actual working time Tk (step S1806: NO), the creation unit 808 creates a delivery destination list in which delivery destinations are listed (step S1807). Then, the output unit 809 outputs the created delivery destination list (step S1808), and the series of processing according to this flowchart ends.

  On the other hand, in step S1806, when the accumulated required time T is equal to or shorter than the actual working time Tk (step S1806: Yes), the extraction unit 802 causes the invoice for the delivery destination R (j) for which no delivery time is specified from the invoice DB 400. Data D is extracted (step S1809).

  Here, when the invoice data D is extracted (step S1810: Yes), the determination unit 806 determines whether or not to deliver the package to the delivery destination R (j) in the delivery time zone Zk. Is executed (step S1811), and the process returns to step S1809.

  If the invoice data D is not extracted in step S1810 (step S1810: No), the determination unit 806 executes a first contact determination process for determining a contact for prompting to stay at home before delivery of the package. (Step S1812). Then, the creation unit 808 creates a contact recommendation list in which contact destinations prompting to stay home are listed before delivery of the package (step S1813).

  Further, the creation unit 808 creates a delivery destination list in which delivery destinations are listed (step S1814). Then, the output unit 809 outputs the created delivery destination list and contact recommendation list (step S1815), and the series of processing according to this flowchart ends.

  Accordingly, it is possible to output a delivery destination list that can be delivered to more delivery destinations while delivering on time to delivery destinations designated in the delivery time zone Zk. In addition, in order to prevent re-delivery, it is possible to output a contact recommendation list indicating delivery destinations that should be contacted to be at home before delivering packages.

<Total required time calculation processing procedure>
Next, a specific processing procedure of the accumulated required time calculating process in step S1804 shown in FIG. 18 will be described. FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a specific processing procedure of the accumulated required time calculation processing.

  In the flowchart of FIG. 19, first, the selection unit 803 initializes “i” with “i = 1” (step S1901), and the delivery destination R (i) from the delivery destinations R (1) to R (n). ) And delivery destination R (i + 1) are selected (step S1902). Thereafter, the first calculation unit 804 refers to the road table 700 and specifies the distance d (i, i + 1) from the delivery destination R (i) to the delivery destination R (i + 1) (step S1903).

  When the first calculation unit 804 substitutes the specified distance d (i, i + 1) into the above formula (1) and delivers the package from the delivery destination R (i) to the delivery destination R (i + 1). The time required t (i, i + 1) is calculated (step S1904). The calculated required time t (i, i + 1) is set in the required time field of the delivery destination R (i + 1) in the delivery destination table 1000.

  Thereafter, the selection unit 803 increments “i” (step S1905), and determines whether “i” is greater than “n−1” (step S1906). If “i” is equal to or less than “n−1” (step S1906: NO), the process returns to step S1902.

  On the other hand, when “i” is larger than “n−1” (step S1906: Yes), the first calculation unit 804 accumulates the required times t (1,2) to t (n−1, n). Then, the accumulated required time T is calculated (step S1907), and the process proceeds to step S1805 shown in FIG.

  As a result, according to the delivery order of the delivery destinations R (i) to R (n), it is possible to calculate the total required time T required to deliver the package to the delivery destinations R (i) to R (n).

<First determination processing procedure>
Next, a specific processing procedure of the first determination processing in step S1811 shown in FIG. 18 will be described. 20A and 20B are flowcharts illustrating an example of a specific processing procedure of the first determination process.

  In the flowchart of FIG. 20A, first, the selection unit 803 initializes “i” with “i = 1” (step S2001), and selects the delivery destination R from among the delivery destinations R (1) to R (n). (I) and a delivery destination R (i + 1) are selected (step S2002). Next, the first calculation unit 804 refers to the delivery destination table 1000 and calculates the time t (i, i + 1) required for delivering the package from the delivery destination R (i) to the delivery destination R (i + 1). Specify (step S2003).

  Thereafter, the second calculation unit 805 refers to the road table 700 and specifies the distance d (i, j) from the delivery destination R (i) to the delivery destination R (j) (step S2004). When the second calculation unit 805 substitutes the specified distance d (i, j) into the above equation (1) and delivers the package from the delivery destination R (i) to the delivery destination R (j). The time required t (i, j) is calculated (step S2005).

  Next, the second calculation unit 805 refers to the road table 700 and specifies the distance d (j, i + 1) from the delivery destination R (j) to the delivery destination R (i + 1) (step S2006). When the second calculation unit 805 substitutes the specified distance d (j, i + 1) into the above equation (1) and delivers the package from the delivery destination R (j) to the delivery destination R (i + 1). The required time t (j, i + 1) is calculated (step S2007).

  Thereafter, the second calculation unit 805 adds the calculated required time t (i, j) and the required time t (j, i + 1) to obtain the delivery destination R (j) from the delivery destination R (i). A required time t (i, j, i + 1) required for delivering the package to the delivery destination R (i + 1) via the route is calculated (step S2008).

  Then, the second calculation unit 805 calculates a required time difference ΔT (i, i + 1) representing a difference between the required time t (i, i + 1) and the required time t (i, j, i + 1) (step S2009). The calculated required time difference ΔT (i, i + 1) is stored in the required time difference table 2100 shown in FIG.

  FIG. 21 is an explanatory diagram of an example of the contents stored in the required time difference table. In FIG. 21, the required time difference table 2100 has fields of delivery destination ID and required time difference. By setting information in each field, the required time difference ΔT (1) of each of the delivery destinations R (2) to R (n). 2) to ΔT (n−1, n) are stored as records.

  Here, the required time difference ΔT (i, i + 1) is set in the required time difference field of the delivery destination R (i + 1) in the required time difference table 2100. The required time difference of the delivery destination R (1) is “− (null)” because it is the starting point.

  Returning to the description of FIG. 20A, the selection unit 803 increments “i” (step S2010), and determines whether “i” is larger than “n−1” (step S2011). If “i” is equal to or less than “n−1” (step S2011: No), the process returns to step S2002. On the other hand, when “i” is larger than “n−1” (step S2011: Yes), the process proceeds to step S2012 illustrated in FIG.

  In the flowchart of FIG. 20B, first, the second calculation unit 805 refers to the required time difference table 2100 to identify the minimum required time difference ΔT (i, i + 1) (step S2012).

  Then, the determining unit 806 determines whether or not the accumulated required time T + ΔT (i, i + 1) when the delivery destination R (j) is added is equal to or shorter than the actual working time Tk (step S2013). If the accumulated required time T + ΔT (i, i + 1) is greater than the actual working time Tk (step S2013: No), the process returns to step S1809 shown in FIG.

  On the other hand, when the accumulated required time T + ΔT (i, i + 1) is equal to or shorter than the actual working time Tk (step S2013: Yes), the accumulated required time T + ΔT (i, i + 1) is set as a new accumulated required time T (step S2014). Then, the determining unit 806 determines to deliver the package to the delivery destination R (j) in the delivery time zone Zk (step S2015). Thereafter, the determining unit 806 determines the delivery order of the delivery destination R (j) to be (i + 1) th (step S2016).

  Then, the determining unit 806 updates the stored contents of the delivery destination table 1000 (step S2017), and returns to step S1809 shown in FIG.

  As a result, the delivery order of the delivery destination R (j) can be determined to be the delivery order that minimizes the required time difference ΔT (i, i + 1). Further, it is possible to determine whether or not to deliver the package to the delivery destination R (j) in consideration of the delivery worker's actual working time Tk in the delivery time zone Zk.

<First Contact Determination Procedure>
Next, a specific processing procedure of the first contact address determination process in step S1812 shown in FIG. 18 will be described. FIG. 22-1 and FIG. 22-2 are flowcharts illustrating an example of a specific processing procedure of the first contact address determination process.

  Here, the delivery destination in the delivery destination table 1000 in which the delivery destination R (j) for which the delivery time of the package is not specified is added as a new delivery destination is referred to as “delivery destinations R (1) to R (n)”. ". An arbitrary delivery destination among the delivery destinations R (1) to R (n) is expressed as “delivery destination R (i)” (i = 1, 2,..., N).

  In the flowchart of FIG. 22-1, first, the selection unit 803 initializes “i” with “i = 1” (step S2201), and selects the delivery destination R from among the delivery destinations R (1) to R (n). (I) is selected (step S2202). Thereafter, the third calculation unit 807 refers to the redelivery acceptance flag field of the delivery destination table 1000 to determine whether or not a redelivery request from the delivery destination R (i) is accepted (step S2203). .

  If a re-delivery request is accepted (step S2203: Yes), the third calculation unit 807 sets the scheduled delivery count H (i) of the delivery destination R (i) to “H (i) = 1”. (Step S2204), the scheduled delivery count H (i) is registered in the delivery destination table 1000 (Step S2205).

  On the other hand, when the re-delivery request has not been received (step S2203: No), the third calculating unit 807 substitutes the number of times of home and the number of absence of the delivery destination R (i) into the above formula (2), and the delivery destination The absent rate F (i) of R (i) is calculated (step S2206). Note that the number of times at which the delivery destination R (i) is at home and the number of times he / she is absent are specified from the customer table 500.

  Thereafter, the third calculation unit 807 determines whether or not calculation is impossible because the calculated absence rate F (i) is “F (i) = 1”, or the number of absences and the number of times at home are both “0”. Judgment is made (step S2207).

  Here, when the calculated absent rate F (i) is “F (i) ≠ 1” (step S2207: No), the third calculating unit 807 calculates the absent rate F (i) from the above equation (3). And the scheduled delivery count H (i) of the delivery destination R (i) is calculated (step S2208). Then, the third calculation unit 807 registers in the calculated delivery destination table 1000 (step S2205).

In step S2207, if the absence rate F (i) is “F (i) = 1” or cannot be calculated (step S2207: Yes), the scheduled delivery count H (i) of the delivery destination R (i) is set to “H”. (I) = H _max ”(step S2209), and is registered in the delivery destination table 1000 (step S2205).

  Thereafter, the selection unit 803 increments “i” (step S2210), and determines whether “i” is greater than “n” (step S2211). If “i” is equal to or less than “n” (step S2211: NO), the process returns to step S2202. On the other hand, when “i” is larger than “n” (step S2211: Yes), the process proceeds to step S2212 shown in FIG.

  In the flowchart of FIG. 22-2, first, the selection unit 803 initializes “i” with “i = 2” (step S2212). Then, the selection unit 803 determines whether “i” is greater than “n” (step S2213).

  If “i” is equal to or less than “n” (step S2213: No), the selection unit 803 selects a delivery destination R (i) from the delivery destinations R (1) to R (n) (step S2213: No). S2214). On the other hand, when “i” is larger than “n” (step S2213: Yes), the process proceeds to step S1813 shown in FIG.

  Thereafter, the third calculation unit 807 refers to the delivery time zone ID field of the delivery destination table 1000 to determine whether or not the delivery time of the delivery destination R (i) is designated (step S2215). Here, when the delivery time is designated (step S2215: Yes), the process proceeds to step S2219.

  On the other hand, when the delivery time is not designated (step S2215: No), the third calculation unit 807 calculates the delivery cost difference ΔCi of the delivery destination R (i) using the following equation (7) (step S2215: No). S2216).

  Note that t (i−1, i) is the required time of the delivery destination R (i) in the delivery destination table 1000, H (i) is the scheduled delivery count of the delivery destination R (i), and ΔT (i−1, i ) Is the required time difference of the delivery destination R (i), and H (i + 1) is the scheduled delivery count of the delivery destination (i + 1).

ΔCi = t (i−1, i) {H (i) −H (i + 1)} + H (i + 1) × ΔT (i−1, i) However, when i> n, H (i) = 0. .
... (7)

Then, the determining unit 806 determines whether or not the calculated delivery cost difference ΔCi is greater than or equal to a preset threshold value ΔC ₀ (step S2217). If the delivery cost difference ΔCi is smaller than the threshold value ΔC ₀ (step S2217: NO), the process proceeds to step S2219.

On the other hand, when the delivery cost difference ΔCi is greater than or equal to the threshold value ΔC ₀ (step S2217: Yes), the determination unit 806 determines the delivery destination R (i) as a contact for prompting to stay home before delivering the package (step S2218). Thereafter, the selection unit 803 increments “i” (step S2219) and returns to step S2213.

  As a result, it is possible to determine the delivery destination R (i), which increases the labor required for redelivery of the package, as a contact for prompting to stay home before delivery.

  If a customer who is not present as a result of a telephone contact prompting the customer to stay at a delivery destination R (i) whose delivery time of the package is not specified, the delivery destination data of the delivery destination R (i) May be deleted from the delivery destination table 1000.

  In this case, the stored contents of the delivery destination table 1000 are updated, and “0” is set in the extracted flag of the invoice data D of the delivery destination R (i) in the invoice DB 400. Further, in this case, the creation unit 808 may create a new delivery destination list in which delivery destinations registered in the delivery destination table 1000 after deletion are listed.

  As described above, according to the business support apparatus 201 according to the first embodiment, the delivery order of the delivery destination R (j) can be determined to be the delivery order that minimizes the required time difference ΔT (i, i + 1). . Thus, it is possible to suppress the increase in the total required time T when the delivery destination R (j) is added to the delivery route and present a delivery order that can deliver the package to more delivery destinations to the delivery staff. it can.

  Further, according to the business support apparatus 201 according to the first embodiment, the required time t (x, y) is calculated in consideration of the distance between the delivery destinations and the time required for the delivery work of the package at the delivery destination. Thus, it is possible to accurately estimate the time required to deliver the package.

  In addition, according to the business support apparatus 201 according to the first embodiment, the package is delivered to the delivery destination R (j) so that the accumulated time T required for delivering the package does not exceed the actual working time Tk of the delivery person. You can decide whether or not to do so. As a result, a new delivery destination R (j) can be added to the extent that the delivery time of the package can be delivered to the delivery destination designated in the delivery time zone Zk on time.

  Further, according to the business support apparatus 201 according to the first embodiment, it is possible to determine the delivery destination R (i) that increases the delivery cost difference ΔCi as a contact that prompts to stay home before delivery. As a result, it is possible to prompt customers to increase the amount of time required for the delivery person at the time of delivery, and to reduce the effort of the delivery person relating to the re-delivery of the package.

  For these reasons, according to the business support apparatus 201 according to the first embodiment, it is possible to improve the efficiency of the delivery service of the delivery person's package.

(Embodiment 2)
Next, the business support apparatus 201 according to the second embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, it is determined based on the delivery cost whether or not to deliver to a delivery destination whose package delivery time is not specified. Hereinafter, specific processing contents of each functional unit will be described. In addition, illustration and description are abbreviate | omitted about the location same as the location demonstrated in Embodiment 1. FIG.

The determination unit 806 determines whether or not to deliver the package to the delivery destination R (j) in the delivery time zone Zk based on the delivery cost C (i, j). Specifically, for example, when the delivery cost C (i, j) is equal to or less than the threshold value C ₀ , the determination unit 806 may determine to deliver the package to the delivery destination R (j) in the delivery time zone Zk. That is, since the delivery destination R (j) with a small delivery cost C (i, j) has less labor and time required for the delivery staff to spend on the delivery work, the determination unit 806 delivers the package to the delivery destination R (j). Then decide.

Further, the determination unit 806 delivers to the delivery time zone Zk based on the delivery cost difference ΔC (i, i + 1) representing the difference between the delivery cost C (i, i + 1) and the delivery cost C (i, j, i + 1). It may be determined whether to deliver the package to the destination R (j). Specifically, for example, when the determination unit 806 determines that the delivery cost difference ΔC (i, i + 1) is equal to or smaller than the threshold value ΔC ₀ , the package is to be delivered to the delivery destination R (j) in the delivery time zone Zk. Good.

  That is, the delivery destination R (j) having a small delivery cost difference ΔC (i, i + 1) passes through the delivery destination R (j) during delivery of the package from the delivery destination R (i) to the delivery destination (i + 1). However, the labor and time required for the delivery staff to spend on delivery work is small. For this reason, the determination unit 806 determines to deliver the package to the delivery destination R (j).

  In addition, the determination unit 806 selects the smallest of the delivery cost differences ΔC (1,2) to ΔC (n−1, n) between the delivery destinations R (1) to R (n). Based on the delivery cost difference ΔC (i, i + 1), it may be determined whether to deliver the package to the delivery destination R (j) in the delivery time zone Zk.

  Specifically, for example, the second calculation unit 805 adds the required time difference ΔT (i, i + 1) corresponding to the minimum delivery cost difference ΔC (i, i + 1) and the total required time T to obtain a new total. The required time T is calculated. Then, the determination unit 806 may determine to deliver the package to the delivery destination R (j) in the delivery time zone Zk when the newly calculated accumulated required time T is equal to or less than the actual working time Tk.

(Business support procedure)
Next, a work support processing procedure of the work support apparatus 201 according to the second embodiment will be described. However, of the business support processing of the business support apparatus 201, a second determination process different from the part described in the first embodiment will be described. The second determination process corresponds to the first determination process of step S1811 illustrated in FIG.

  FIG. 23 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the second determination processing procedure. In the flowchart of FIG. 23, first, the selection unit 803 initializes “i” with “i = 1” (step S2301), and selects the delivery destination R (i) from the delivery destinations R (1) to R (n). ) And delivery destination R (i + 1) are selected (step S2302).

  Then, the second calculation unit 805 calculates a required time difference ΔT (i, i + 1) representing a difference between the required time t (i, i + 1) and the required time t (i, j, i + 1) (step S2303). The specific processing contents for calculating the required time difference ΔT (i, i + 1) are the same as those in steps S2003 to S2009 shown in FIG. The calculated required time difference ΔT (i, i + 1) is stored in the required time difference table 2100 shown in FIG.

  Next, the third calculation unit 807 calculates the scheduled delivery count H (j) of the delivery destination R (j) (step S2304). Further, the third calculation unit 807 calculates the scheduled delivery count H (i + 1) of the delivery destination R (i + 1) (step S2305).

  Then, the third calculation unit 807 calculates the delivery cost difference ΔC (i, i + 1) of the delivery destination R (j) using the above equation (6) (step S2306). The calculated delivery cost difference ΔC (i, i + 1) is stored in the delivery cost difference table 2400 shown in FIG.

  FIG. 24 is an explanatory diagram of an example of the contents stored in the delivery cost difference table. In FIG. 24, the delivery cost difference table 2400 has fields of delivery destination ID and delivery cost difference. By setting information in each field, the delivery cost difference of each delivery destination R (2) to R (n). ΔC (1, 2) to ΔC (n-1, n) are stored as records. Note that the delivery cost difference of the delivery destination R (1) is “− (null)” because it is the starting point.

  Returning to the description of FIG. 23, the selection unit 803 increments “i” (step S2307), and determines whether “i” is larger than “n−1” (step S2308). If “i” is equal to or less than “n−1” (step S2308: No), the process returns to step S2303.

  On the other hand, when “i” is greater than “n−1” (step S2308: Yes), the second calculation unit 805 refers to the delivery cost difference table 2400, and the minimum delivery cost difference ΔC (i, i + 1). Is identified (step S2309). Then, the second calculation unit 805 refers to the required time difference table 2100 and specifies the required time difference ΔTi corresponding to the specified delivery cost difference ΔC (i, i + 1) (step S2310).

  Thereafter, the determining unit 806 determines whether or not the accumulated required time T + ΔTi is equal to or shorter than the actual working time Tk (step S2311). If the accumulated required time T + ΔTi is greater than the actual working time Tk (step S2311: NO), the process proceeds to step S1809 shown in FIG.

  On the other hand, if the accumulated required time T + ΔTi is equal to or shorter than the actual working time Tk (step S2311: Yes), the second calculating unit 805 adds the specified required time difference ΔTi and the accumulated required time T to obtain a new accumulated required time T. Is calculated (step S2312). Then, the determination unit 806 determines to deliver the package to the delivery destination R (j) in the delivery time zone Zk (step S2313).

  Thereafter, the determining unit 806 determines the delivery order of the delivery destination R (j) as the (i + 1) th (step S2314). Then, the determination unit 806 updates the stored contents of the delivery destination table 1000 (step S2315), and the process proceeds to step S1809 shown in FIG.

  As described above, according to the business support apparatus 201 according to the second embodiment, the delivery order of the delivery destination R (j) is determined to be the delivery order that minimizes the delivery cost difference ΔC (i, i + 1). Can do. As a result, the delivery destination R (j) that requires less time for re-delivery can be added as a new delivery destination, and the efficiency of delivery operations can be improved.

(Embodiment 3)
Next, the business support apparatus 201 according to the third embodiment will be described. In the third embodiment, a method for excluding a delivery destination for which a delivery time of a package is not designated from a plurality of delivery destinations will be described. Hereinafter, specific processing contents of each functional unit will be described. In addition, illustration and description are abbreviate | omitted about the location same as the location demonstrated in Embodiment 1 and 2. FIG.

  First, the extraction unit 802 extracts, from the invoice DB 400, the invoice data D of the delivery destination designated as the delivery time zone Zk. Further, the extraction unit 802 extracts, from the invoice DB 400, invoice data D of a delivery destination for which the delivery time of the package is not specified.

  The acquisition unit 801 acquires delivery orders of a plurality of delivery destinations specified from the extracted invoice data D group. In the following description, a plurality of delivery destinations are expressed as “delivery destinations R (1) to R (n)” in the order of delivery. The delivery order of the acquired delivery destinations R (1) to R (n) is stored in the delivery destination table 1000.

  The selection unit 803 selects an arbitrary delivery destination R (j) for which delivery time is not specified from among a plurality of delivery destinations R (1) to R (n) (j = 1, 2,..., N -1). Specifically, for example, the selection unit 803 selects an arbitrary delivery destination R (j) in which “none” is set in the delivery time zone field in the delivery destination table 1000.

  In addition, the selection unit 803 selects the delivery destination R (j−1) immediately before the delivery destination R (j) and the delivery destination R (j−1) immediately after the delivery order R (j) from among the plurality of delivery destinations R (1) to R (n). A delivery destination R (j + 1) is selected. Specifically, for example, the selection unit 803 refers to the delivery order field in the delivery destination table 1000 and selects the delivery destination R (j−1) and the delivery destination R (j + 1).

  The first calculation unit 804 calculates a required time t (j−1, j) required for delivering the package from the selected delivery destination R (j−1) to the delivery destination R (j). In addition, the first calculation unit 804 calculates a required time t (j, j + 1) required for delivering the package from the selected delivery destination R (j) to the delivery destination R (j + 1).

  The calculated required time t (j−1, j) is set in the required time field of the delivery destination R (j) in the delivery destination table 1000. The calculated required time t (j, j + 1) is set in the required time field of the delivery destination R (j + 1) in the delivery destination table 1000.

  The second calculation unit 805 calculates time t (j−1, j + 1) required for delivering the package from the selected delivery destination R (j−1) to the delivery destination R (j + 1). The second calculation unit 805 calculates the required time difference ΔTj between when the package is delivered to the delivery destination R (j) and when it is not delivered, using the following equation (8). The calculated required time difference ΔTj is set in the required time difference field of the delivery destination R (j) in the delivery destination table 1000.

ΔTj = {t (j−1, j) + t (j, j + 1)} − t (j−1, j + 1)
... (8)

The determination unit 806 determines whether or not to deliver the package to the delivery destination R (j) in the delivery time zone Zk based on the calculated required time difference ΔTj. Specifically, for example, the determination unit 806 may determine that the package is not delivered to the delivery destination R (j) in the delivery time zone Zk when the required time difference ΔTj is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value T ₀ , for example. .

  Further, when it is determined that the package is not delivered to the delivery destination R (j), the determination unit 806 determines the delivery order of the delivery destinations R (j + 1) to R (n). Specifically, the determination unit 806 decrements the delivery order of the delivery destinations R (j + 1) to R (n). As a result, for example, the delivery order of the delivery destination R (j + 1) is jth.

  When it is determined not to deliver the package to the delivery destination R (j), the delivery destination data regarding the delivery destination R (j) is deleted from the delivery destination table 1000. At this time, the stored contents of the delivery destination table 1000 are updated. Specifically, for example, first, the j-th record in the delivery destination table 1000 is deleted.

  Thereafter, the delivery order of the (j + 1) th and subsequent records in the delivery destination table 1000 is decremented. Then, the delivery destination IDs in the delivery destination table 1000 are sorted according to the delivery order. Further, the required time t (j−1, j) of the delivery destination R (j) in the delivery destination table 1000 is updated. The required time t (j-1, j) is the required time t (j-1, j + 1) calculated by the second calculation unit 805. However, the second calculation unit 805 may recalculate the required time t (j−1, j).

  Further, if there is a required time difference ΔT (j) of the delivery destination R (j), that is, a required time difference ΔT (j + 1) of the delivery destination R (j + 1) before sorting, the required time difference ΔT (j) is recalculated. , The required time difference field of the delivery destination R (j) is set. Further, when the delivery destination data regarding the delivery destination R (j) is deleted, “0” is set to the extracted flag of the delivery destination R (j) in the cover sheet DB 400.

  Here, an example of updating the stored contents of the delivery destination table 1000 when it is determined not to deliver the package to the delivery destination R (2) will be described. FIG. 25 is an explanatory diagram (part 2) of an example of updating the stored contents of the delivery destination table. In FIG. 25, first, the second record in the delivery destination table 1000 is deleted ((1) in FIG. 25).

  Thereafter, the delivery order of the third and subsequent records in the delivery destination table 1000 is decremented, and the delivery destination ID of each record is sorted according to the delivery order ((2) in FIG. 25). Then, the required time t (1, 2) of the delivery destination R (2) in the delivery destination table 1000 is reset ((3) in FIG. 25).

(Business support procedure)
Next, a work support processing procedure of the work support apparatus 201 according to the third embodiment will be described. FIG. 26 is a flowchart of an example of a business support processing procedure according to the third embodiment. In the flowchart of FIG. 26, first, the extraction unit 802 determines whether or not a delivery time zone Zk of a package has been designated (step S2601).

  Here, after waiting for the delivery time zone Zk to be designated (step S2601: No), if designated (step S2601: Yes), the extraction unit 802 delivers the delivery time of the package from the invoice DB 400. The invoice data D group of the delivery destination designated in the time zone Zk is extracted (step S2602).

  Next, the invoice data D group of delivery destinations for which the delivery time of the package is not specified is extracted from the invoice DB 400 by the extraction unit 802 (step S2603). However, in step S2602 and step S2603, the invoice data D to be extracted has the scheduled delivery date on the same day and the extracted flag is set to “0”.

  Then, the acquisition unit 801 acquires the delivery order of the delivery destination specified from the invoice data D group extracted in step S2602 and step S2603 (step S2604). The extracted invoice data D group is stored in the delivery destination table 1000 according to the acquired delivery order.

  Thereafter, the first calculation unit 804 executes a total required time calculation process for calculating the total required time T required to deliver the package to a plurality of delivery destinations R (i) to R (n) (step S2605). ). Note that the specific processing procedure of the cumulative required time calculation process is the same as the cumulative required time calculation process procedure shown in FIG. 19, and thus the description thereof is omitted here.

  Next, the third calculation unit 807 calculates scheduled delivery times H (1) to H (n) of the delivery destinations R (1) to R (n) (step S2606). Note that the specific processing procedure for calculating the scheduled delivery times H (1) to H (n) is the same as Step S2201 to Step S2211 shown in FIG.

  Then, the determination unit 806 calculates the delivery worker's actual working time Tk in the delivery time zone Zk (step S2607), and determines whether the calculated accumulated time T is equal to or less than the actual working time Tk, or designates the delivery time. It is determined whether there is an undelivered delivery destination R (j) (step S2608).

  Here, when the accumulated required time T is larger than the actual working time Tk, or when there is a delivery destination R (j) for which no delivery time is specified (step S2608: No), the selection unit 803 causes a plurality of R ( From i) to R (n), an arbitrary delivery destination R (j) whose delivery time is not specified is selected (step S2609).

  Here, when the delivery destination R (j) is selected (step S2610: Yes), the second calculation unit 805 executes a required time difference calculation process for calculating the required time difference ΔTj (step S2611), and step S2609. Return to.

  On the other hand, when the delivery destination R (j) is not selected (step S2610: No), the determination unit 806 determines whether to deliver the package to the delivery destination R (j) in the delivery time zone Zk. Is executed (step S2612), and the process returns to step S2608.

  In step S2608, if the total required time T is less than or equal to the actual working time Tk, or if there is no delivery destination R (j) for which no delivery time is specified (step S2608: Yes), the determining unit 806 A second contact address determination process for determining a contact address prompting to stay at home is performed (step S2613).

  Note that the specific processing procedure of the second contact determination process is the same as Step S2212 to Step S2219 of the first contact determination process shown in FIG. .

  After that, the creation unit 808 creates a contact recommendation list in which contact destinations prompting to stay home are listed before package delivery (step S2614). Further, the creation unit 808 creates a delivery destination list in which delivery destinations are listed (step S2615). Then, the output unit 809 outputs the created delivery destination list and contact recommendation list (step S2616), and the series of processing according to this flowchart ends.

  Accordingly, it is possible to output a delivery destination list that can be delivered to more delivery destinations while delivering on time to delivery destinations designated in the delivery time zone Zk. In addition, in order to prevent re-delivery, it is possible to output a contact recommendation list indicating delivery destinations that should be contacted to be at home before delivering packages.

(Time difference calculation processing procedure)
Next, a specific processing procedure of the required time difference calculation processing in step S2611 shown in FIG. 26 will be described. FIG. 27 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a specific processing procedure of the required time difference calculation processing. In the flowchart of FIG. 27, first, the selection unit 803 selects the delivery destination R (j−1) and the delivery destination R (j + 1) from the delivery destinations R (1) to R (n) (step S2701). .

  Next, the first calculation unit 804 refers to the delivery destination table 1000 and takes the time t (j−1) required to deliver the package from the delivery destination R (j−1) to the delivery destination R (j). , J) is specified (step S2702). Further, the first calculation unit 804 identifies the required time t (j, j + 1) required for delivering the package from the delivery destination R (j) to the delivery destination R (j + 1) by referring to the delivery destination table 1000. (Step S2703).

  After that, the second calculation unit 805 refers to the road table 700 and specifies the distance d (j−1, j + 1) from the delivery destination R (j−1) to the delivery destination R (j + 1) (Step 1). S2704). Then, the second calculation unit 805 substitutes the specified distance d (j−1, j + 1) into the above formula (1), and the package is delivered from the delivery destination R (j−1) to the delivery destination R (j + 1). The required time t (j−1, j + 1) required for delivering the message is calculated (step S2705).

  Then, the second calculation unit 805 substitutes the required time t (j−1, j), the required time t (j, j + 1) and the required time t (j−1, j + 1) into the above equation (8). Then, the required time difference ΔTj is calculated (step S2706), and the process returns to step S2609 shown in FIG.

  As a result, it is possible to calculate the required time difference ΔTi between when the delivery destination R (j−1) is routed from the delivery destination R (j−1) and when the delivery destination R (i) is routed. The required time difference ΔTj calculated in step S2706 is stored in the required time difference table 2800 shown in FIG.

  FIG. 28 is an explanatory diagram (part 2) of an example of the contents stored in the required time difference table. In FIG. 28, the required time difference table 2800 has fields of delivery destination ID and required time difference, and by setting information in each field, the required time difference ΔTj of the delivery destination R (j) is stored as a record.

  Here, taking the case of “j = 2” as an example, R (2) is set in the delivery destination ID field in the required time difference table 2800, and ΔT2 is set in the required time difference field. The required time difference table 2800 stores the required time difference ΔTj for each delivery destination R (j) selected in step S2609 shown in FIG.

(Third decision processing procedure)
Next, a specific processing procedure of the third determination processing in step S2612 shown in FIG. 26 will be described. FIG. 29 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a specific processing procedure of the third determination process.

  In the flowchart of FIG. 29, first, the determining unit 806 specifies the maximum required time difference ΔTj with reference to the required time difference table 2800 shown in FIG. 28 (step S2901). Thereafter, the second calculation unit 805 calculates a new total required time T by subtracting the required time difference ΔTj from the total required time T (step S2902).

  Then, the determination unit 806 determines not to deliver the package to the delivery destination R (j) in the delivery time zone Zk (step S2903). Next, the determination unit 806 deletes the jth record from the delivery destination table 1000 (step S2904), updates the storage contents of the delivery destination table 1000 (step S2905), and the steps shown in FIG. The process returns to S2608.

  Thereby, the delivery destination R (i) having the maximum required time difference ΔTi can be determined as a delivery destination to be excluded from the plurality of delivery destinations R (1) to R (n).

  According to the business support apparatus 201 according to the third embodiment described above, the delivery destination R (j) having the maximum required time difference ΔTj is excluded from the plurality of delivery destinations R (1) to R (n). can do. Accordingly, it is possible to present to the delivery person a delivery order that allows efficient delivery to a delivery destination not designated for delivery time while delivering a package designated for delivery time on time.

(Embodiment 4)
Next, the business support apparatus 201 according to the fourth embodiment will be described. In the fourth embodiment, a delivery destination to be excluded from a plurality of delivery destinations is determined based on the delivery cost. Hereinafter, specific processing contents of each functional unit will be described. In addition, illustration and description are abbreviate | omitted about the location same as the location demonstrated in Embodiment 1-3.

The determination unit 806 delivers the package to the delivery destination R (j) in the delivery time zone Zk based on the delivery cost C (j-1, j) of the delivery destination R (j) for which the delivery time of the package is not specified. Decide whether or not to do. Specifically, for example, when the delivery cost C (j−1, j) is equal to or greater than the threshold value C ₀ , the determination unit 806 determines that the package is not delivered to the delivery destination R (j) in the delivery time zone Zk. Also good.

  Further, the determination unit 806 delivers the delivery destination in the delivery time zone Zk based on the delivery cost difference ΔCj representing the difference between the delivery cost C (j−1, j, j + 1) and the delivery cost C (j−1, j + 1). Whether or not to deliver the package to R (j) may be determined.

Specifically, for example, first, the third calculation unit 807 uses the following equation (9) to calculate the delivery cost C (j−1, j, j + 1) and the delivery cost C (j−1, j + 1). A delivery cost difference ΔCj representing the difference is calculated. Then, when the delivery cost difference ΔCj is equal to or larger than the threshold value ΔC ₀ , the determination unit 806 may determine that the package is not delivered to the delivery destination R (j) in the delivery time zone Zk.

ΔCj = {H (j) −H (j + 1)} × t (j−1, j) + H (j + 1) × ΔTj
However, if j> n, H (j) = 0.
... (9)

  In addition, when there are a plurality of delivery destinations for which the delivery time of the package is not specified among the delivery destinations R (1) to R (n), the determination unit 806 delivers the delivery cost difference ΔC (j) that is maximum. It may be determined that the package is not delivered to the destination R (j).

(Business support procedure)
Next, a work support processing procedure of the work support apparatus 201 according to the fourth embodiment will be described. However, of the business support processing of the business support apparatus 201, a delivery cost difference calculation process and a fourth determination process different from the part described in the third embodiment will be described. The delivery cost difference calculation process corresponds to step S2611 shown in FIG. 26, and the fourth determination process corresponds to the third determination process of step S2612 shown in FIG.

(Delivery cost difference calculation procedure)
FIG. 30 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a specific processing procedure of a delivery cost difference calculation process. In the flowchart of FIG. 30, first, the selection unit 803 selects a delivery destination R (j−1) and a delivery destination R (j + 1) from the delivery destinations R (1) to R (n) (step S3001).

  Next, the first calculation unit 804 refers to the delivery destination table 1000 and takes the time t (j−1) required to deliver the package from the delivery destination R (j−1) to the delivery destination R (j). , J) is specified (step S3002). Further, the first calculation unit 804 identifies the required time t (j, j + 1) required for delivering the package from the delivery destination R (j) to the delivery destination R (j + 1) by referring to the delivery destination table 1000. (Step S3003).

  After that, the second calculation unit 805 refers to the road table 700 and specifies the distance d (j−1, j + 1) from the delivery destination R (j−1) to the delivery destination R (j + 1) (Step 1). S3004). Then, the second calculation unit 805 substitutes the specified distance d (j−1, j + 1) into the above formula (1), and the package is delivered from the delivery destination R (j−1) to the delivery destination R (j + 1). The required time t (j−1, j + 1) required for delivering the message is calculated (step S3005).

  Next, the second calculation unit 805 substitutes the required time t (j−1, j), the required time t (j, j + 1), and the required time t (j−1, j + 1) into the above equation (8). The required time difference ΔTj is calculated (step S3006).

  Then, the third calculation unit 807 uses the above equation (9) to express the difference between the delivery cost C (j−1, j, j + 1) and the delivery cost C (j−1, j + 1). ΔCj is calculated (step S3007), and the process returns to step S2609 shown in FIG.

  This makes it possible to calculate the delivery cost difference ΔCj between when the delivery destination R (j) is routed and when it is not routed. The required time difference ΔTj and delivery cost difference ΔCj calculated in steps S3006 and S3007 are stored in the delivery cost difference table 3100 shown in FIG.

  FIG. 31 is an explanatory diagram (part 2) of an example of the contents stored in the delivery cost difference table. In FIG. 31, the delivery cost difference table 3100 has fields of delivery destination ID, required time difference, and delivery cost difference. By setting information in each field, the required time difference ΔTj of the delivery destination R (j) and the delivery cost. The difference ΔCj is stored as a record.

  Here, taking the case of “j = 2” as an example, R (2) is set in the delivery destination ID field in the delivery cost difference table 3100, ΔT2 is set in the required time difference field, and in the delivery cost difference field. ΔC2 is set. This delivery cost difference table 3100 stores the required time difference ΔTj for each delivery destination R (j) selected in step S2609 shown in FIG.

(Fourth decision processing procedure)
FIG. 32 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a specific processing procedure of the fourth determination process. 32, first, the determination unit 806 refers to the delivery cost difference table 3100 shown in FIG. 31 to identify the maximum delivery cost difference ΔCj (step S3201).

  Then, the determining unit 806 identifies the required time difference ΔTj corresponding to the identified delivery cost difference ΔCj with reference to the delivery cost difference table 3100 (step S3202). Thereafter, the second calculation unit 805 calculates a new total required time T by subtracting the specified required time difference ΔTj from the total required time T (step S3203).

  Then, the determination unit 806 determines not to deliver the package to the delivery destination R (j) in the delivery time zone Zk (step S3204). Next, the determination unit 806 deletes the j-th record from the delivery destination table 1000 (step S3205), updates the storage contents of the delivery destination table 1000 (step S3206), and the steps shown in FIG. The process returns to S2608.

  As a result, the delivery destination R (i) having the largest delivery cost difference ΔCj between the case where the delivery is made via the delivery destination R (i) and the case where the delivery is not made is determined as the delivery destination R (1) to R (n). You can decide on delivery destinations to be excluded from.

  As described above, according to the business support apparatus 201 according to the fourth embodiment, the delivery destination R (j having the largest delivery cost difference ΔCj among the plurality of delivery destinations R (1) to R (n). ) Can be eliminated. As a result, it is possible to eliminate the delivery destination R (j), which requires a lot of time for re-delivery, and to improve the efficiency of delivery work.

  The business support method described in the present embodiment can be realized by executing a program prepared in advance on a computer such as a personal computer or a workstation. The business support program is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a hard disk, a flexible disk, a CD-ROM, an MO, and a DVD, and is executed by being read from the recording medium by the computer. The business support program may be distributed through a network such as the Internet.

  The following additional notes are disclosed with respect to the embodiment described above.

(Supplementary Note 1) The time required for delivering the package from the first delivery destination selected from a plurality of delivery destinations including the delivery destination designated for a predetermined period to the second delivery destination First calculating means for calculating one required time;
A second required time for delivering the package to the second delivery destination is calculated from the first delivery destination via a third delivery destination for which the delivery time of the package is not specified. Second calculating means for
Determining means for deciding whether or not to deliver the package to the third delivery destination during the period based on the first and second required times calculated by the first and second calculating means;
Output means for outputting the determination result determined by the determination means;
A business support apparatus comprising:

(Supplementary Note 2) The first calculation means includes:
Calculating the first required time based on the distance from the first delivery destination to the second delivery destination and the required time for delivery of the package at the second delivery destination;
The second calculation means includes:
The distance from the first delivery destination to the third delivery destination, the time required for delivery work of the package at the third delivery destination, and the second delivery destination from the third delivery destination 2. The business support apparatus according to appendix 1, wherein the second required time is calculated based on the distance to the second delivery time and the required time for the delivery work of the package at the second delivery destination.

(Supplementary note 3)
Whether to deliver the package to the third delivery destination during the period based on the first and second required times and the cumulative time required to deliver the package to the plurality of delivery destinations The business support apparatus according to appendix 1 or 2, characterized in that:

(Supplementary Note 4) Acquisition means for acquiring delivery orders of the plurality of delivery destinations;
Selecting means for selecting first and second delivery destinations in which the delivery order acquired by the acquisition means continues from the plurality of delivery destinations;
The first calculation means includes
Calculating a first time required for delivering the package from the first delivery destination selected by the selection means to the second delivery destination;
The second calculation means includes:
Calculating a second time required for delivering the package from the first delivery destination to the second delivery destination via the third delivery destination;
The determining means includes
Any one of appendices 1 to 3, wherein a delivery order of the third delivery destination is determined based on the first and second required times calculated by the first and second calculation means. Business support device described in one.

(Supplementary Note 5) Acquisition means for acquiring delivery orders of the plurality of delivery destinations;
A first selection means for selecting a third delivery destination for which the delivery time of the package is not designated from the plurality of delivery destinations;
The first delivery destination immediately before the third delivery destination selected by the first selection means and the third delivery destination are selected from the plurality of delivery destinations by the obtaining means. And a second selection means for selecting a second delivery destination immediately after
The first calculation means includes
Calculating a first time required for delivering the package from the first delivery destination selected by the second selection means to the second delivery destination;
The second calculation means includes:
Calculating a second time required for delivering the package from the first delivery destination to the second delivery destination via the third delivery destination selected by the first selection means;
The determining means includes
Determining whether to deliver the parcel to the third delivery destination during the period based on the first and second required times calculated by the first and second calculating means; The business support apparatus according to any one of appendices 1 to 3.

(Supplementary Note 6) Time required for delivering the package from the first delivery destination to the third delivery destination, and an absent rate indicating the proportion of the third delivery destination absent when delivering the package And a third calculating means for calculating a cost for delivering the package to the third delivery destination,
The determining means includes
Any one of appendices 1-5, wherein, based on the cost calculated by the third calculating means, the third delivery destination is determined as a contact for urging to stay home before delivery of the package. The business support device described in 1.

(Supplementary note 7)
The business support apparatus according to appendix 6, wherein whether to deliver the package to the third delivery destination during the period is determined based on the cost calculated by the third calculation unit.

(Supplementary Note 8) The third calculation means includes:
Further, the cost required for delivering the package to the second delivery destination based on the first required time and the absence rate indicating the percentage of the second delivery destination absent at the time of delivery of the package. To calculate
The determining means includes
Based on the cost of delivering the package to the third delivery destination calculated by the third calculating means and the cost of delivering the package to the second delivery destination, The business support apparatus according to appendix 6 or 7, wherein the third delivery destination is determined as a contact for urging to stay home before delivery of the package.

(Supplementary note 9)
Based on the cost of delivering the package to the third delivery destination and the cost of delivering the package to the second delivery destination, the third delivery destination is sent to the third delivery destination during the period. Item 9. The business support apparatus according to appendix 8, wherein it is determined whether or not the package is delivered.

(Appendix 10)
A first required time required for delivering the package from a first delivery destination selected from a plurality of delivery destinations including a delivery destination designated for a predetermined period to the delivery destination. First calculating means for calculating
A second required time for delivering the package to the second delivery destination is calculated from the first delivery destination via a third delivery destination for which the delivery time of the package is not specified. Second calculating means for
Determining means for deciding whether or not to deliver the package to the third delivery destination during the period, based on the first and second required times calculated by the first and second calculating means;
Output means for outputting the determination result determined by the determination means;
Business support program characterized by functioning as

200 Business Support System 201 Business Support Device 202 Mobile Terminal 203, 204 Telephone 400 Invoice DB
500 customer table 600 partition table 700 road table 801 acquisition unit 802 extraction unit 803 selection unit 804 first calculation unit 805 second calculation unit 806 determination unit 807 third calculation unit 808 creation unit 809 output unit

Claims (7)

A first required time required for delivering the package from a first delivery destination selected from a plurality of delivery destinations including a delivery destination designated for a predetermined period to the delivery destination. First calculating means for calculating
A second required time for delivering the package to the second delivery destination is calculated from the first delivery destination via a third delivery destination for which the delivery time of the package is not specified. Second calculating means for
Based on the time required to deliver the package from the first delivery destination to the third delivery destination, and the absence rate indicating the percentage of the third delivery destination absent at the time of delivery of the package, Third calculating means for calculating a cost required to deliver the package from the first delivery destination to the third delivery destination;
Based on the first and second required times calculated by the first and second calculating means and the cost calculated by the third calculating means, the third delivery destination is sent to the third delivery destination during the period. A decision means for deciding whether or not to deliver the package;
Output means for outputting the determination result determined by the determination means;
A business support apparatus comprising: The first calculation means includes
Calculating the first required time based on the distance from the first delivery destination to the second delivery destination and the required time for delivery of the package at the second delivery destination;
The second calculation means includes:
The distance from the first delivery destination to the third delivery destination, the time required for delivery work of the package at the third delivery destination, and the second delivery destination from the third delivery destination 2. The business support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second required time is calculated on the basis of the distance to the second delivery time and the required time for delivery of the package at the second delivery destination. . The determining means includes
Based on the first and second required times, the cost calculated by the third calculating means, and the total required time required to deliver the package to the plurality of delivery destinations, 3. The business support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein it is determined whether or not to deliver the package to three delivery destinations. Obtaining means for obtaining a delivery order of the plurality of delivery destinations;
Selecting means for selecting first and second delivery destinations in which the delivery order acquired by the acquisition means continues from the plurality of delivery destinations;
The first calculation means includes
Calculating a first time required for delivering the package from the first delivery destination selected by the selection means to the second delivery destination;
The second calculation means includes:
Calculating a second time required for delivering the package from the first delivery destination to the second delivery destination via the third delivery destination;
The determining means includes
4. The delivery order of the third delivery destination is determined based on the first and second required times calculated by the first and second calculation means. The business support apparatus according to one.   A first required time required for delivering the package from a first delivery destination selected from a plurality of delivery destinations including a delivery destination designated for a predetermined period to the delivery destination. First calculating means for calculating
  A second required time for delivering the package to the second delivery destination is calculated from the first delivery destination via a third delivery destination for which the delivery time of the package is not specified. Second calculating means for
  First determination for determining whether or not to deliver the package to the third delivery destination during the period based on the first and second required times calculated by the first and second calculation means. Means,
  If it is determined by the first determining means to deliver the package to the third delivery destination, the time required to deliver the package from the first delivery destination to the third delivery destination; Based on the absence rate indicating the rate of absence of the third delivery destination at the time of delivery of the package, a cost required to deliver the package from the first delivery destination to the third delivery destination is calculated. A third calculating means;
  Based on the cost calculated by the third calculating means, a second determining means for determining the third delivery destination as a contact for urging to stay at home before delivering the package;
  Output means for outputting a determination result determined by the second determination means;
  A business support apparatus comprising: Computer
A first required time required for delivering the package from a first delivery destination selected from a plurality of delivery destinations including a delivery destination designated for a predetermined period to the delivery destination. First calculating means for calculating
A second required time for delivering the package to the second delivery destination is calculated from the first delivery destination via a third delivery destination for which the delivery time of the package is not specified. Second calculating means for
Based on the time required to deliver the package from the first delivery destination to the third delivery destination, and the absence rate indicating the percentage of the third delivery destination absent at the time of delivery of the package, Third calculating means for calculating a cost for delivering the package from the first delivery destination to the third delivery destination;
Based on the first and second required times calculated by the first and second calculating means and the cost calculated by the third calculating means, the third delivery destination is sent to the third delivery destination during the period. A decision means to decide whether or not to deliver the package;
Output means for outputting the determination result determined by the determination means;
Business support program characterized by functioning as   Computer
  A first required time required for delivering the package from a first delivery destination selected from a plurality of delivery destinations including a delivery destination designated for a predetermined period to the delivery destination. First calculating means for calculating
  A second required time for delivering the package to the second delivery destination is calculated from the first delivery destination via a third delivery destination for which the delivery time of the package is not specified. Second calculating means for
  First determination for determining whether or not to deliver the package to the third delivery destination during the period based on the first and second required times calculated by the first and second calculation means. means,
  If it is determined by the first determining means to deliver the package to the third delivery destination, the time required to deliver the package from the first delivery destination to the third delivery destination; Based on the absence rate indicating the rate of absence of the third delivery destination at the time of delivery of the package, a cost required to deliver the package from the first delivery destination to the third delivery destination is calculated. A third calculating means;
  Second determining means for determining, based on the cost calculated by the third calculating means, the third delivery destination as a contact for urging to stay at home before delivering the package;
  Output means for outputting the determination result determined by the second determination means;
  Business support program characterized by functioning as

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