JP5486564B2 - Product information processing apparatus and program thereof - Google Patents

Description

  Embodiments described herein relate generally to a merchandise information processing apparatus including an IC card reader / writer compatible with electronic money, and a program thereof.

  Amount of money information (electronic money information) is stored in a non-contact IC (Integrated Circuit) chip, and payment is settled electronically without a cash exchange using a card or a mobile phone equipped with the IC chip. Things are known. There are a plurality of electronic money services (types) such as transportation and distribution. Such an electronic money service can also be used with a mobile phone, and electronic money for a plurality of services can be stored in an IC chip of the mobile phone.

  By the way, to check the balance of electronic money information stored in such an IC chip, for example, a dedicated terminal is used. However, the dedicated terminal can know information such as the balance of electronic money of a specific service, but cannot know electronic money information of other services.

  Thus, when making a payment, there is a terminal that can read and display electronic money information provided by a plurality of services from an IC chip and select the displayed service to make payment with the service.

JP 2008-310457 A

  In such a terminal, the user knows the balance of the electronic money for each service for the first time when making a payment, or because the clerk needs to check the balance by checking the electronic money balance. It is very annoying.

In this embodiment, input means for inputting product information, display means for displaying the amount of product information input by the input means, an IC reader / writer for reading electronic money information from an IC chip, and the input means In the merchandise information processing apparatus having a settlement means that settles the merchandise information input by the electronic money information read by the IC reader / writer, the mode of the merchandise information processing apparatus is changed by a mode change by a predetermined operation . The IC reader / writer includes electronic money information in a state where the registration mode for selling the product is changed to a setting mode for setting the product processing apparatus or a suspension mode in which the input of the product information is prohibited . If the IC chip is recognized, the electronic money information contained in the IC chip is acquired and the electronic chip Natick of balance and the commodity information processing apparatus having an electronic money balance display means for displaying on said display device.

The perspective view which looked at the POS terminal of this embodiment from the store clerk side. The perspective view which looked at this POS terminal from the customer side. The block diagram which shows the electrical connection of a POS terminal. The flowchart which shows the process which a POS terminal performs. The figure which shows the example of a display of a POS terminal.

  Hereinafter, a POS terminal 1 as a product information processing apparatus according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a POS (Point of Sales) terminal 1 as seen from the store clerk side, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the POS terminal as seen from the customer side, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing electrical connection of the POS terminal. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing processing executed by the POS terminal. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a display example of the POS terminal.

  The POS terminal 1 is placed on a counter between a store clerk and a customer used in a convenience store. The POS terminal 1 is a bar code reader placed in the vicinity of a receipt discharge port 6, a keyboard 5 having a store side display device 2, a key switch 3 and a large number of keys 4 on the clerk side, and a receipt discharge port 6. 7 is provided. In addition, a drawer 8 that stores cash or the like is provided at the bottom of the POS terminal 1. The customer side of the POS terminal 1 is provided with a customer side display device 9 and an IC card reader / writer (in the figure, indicated as IC card R / W) 10 for reading information on the IC card.

  Although detailed description of the key switch 3 is omitted, a key inserted into the key switch 3 is rotated in a registration mode in which the product is sold, a setting mode in which various settings are performed, and a pause mode in which no data is input even when the key is pressed. So you can easily change the mode. By the way, the hibernation mode is different from the hibernation or standby state of the personal computer, so it is necessary to use the registration mode and setting mode as soon as the key switch 3 is turned. However, the circuit described later is in an operating state. For this reason, it is possible to display campaign information, recommended products, etc. on the customer side display device 9 in the resting state.

  Next, electrical connection of the POS terminal 1 will be described. A CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, a display controller 14, a printer controller 15, a drawer controller 16, a hard disk controller (in the figure, an HDD controller) 17, a code reader controller 18, a key controller 19, and a card reader controller 20 are connected by a bus line 21. Also, a communication interface (indicated as communication I / F in the figure) 25 is connected via the bus line 21 for communication via the communication line 24 with the server 23 in which the POS terminal 1 inquires about the price of goods. Has been.

  The ROM 12 stores software used when the POS terminal 1 is activated. The RAM 13 is used as various work areas. The display control unit 14 controls the store side display device 2 provided on the store clerk side and the customer side display device 9 provided on the customer side. The printer control unit 15 prints a sales receipt of the product with the printer 26. The drawer control unit 16 opens the drawer 8 according to the input of the key 4 when the customer finishes shopping and cash is exchanged. The hard disk control unit 17 reads and writes data in a hard disk device (indicated as HDD in the figure) 27 that stores the OS and applications.

  The code reader control unit 18 controls the bar code reader 8 and takes in bar code information attached to the product read by the bar code reader 8 into the POS terminal 1. The key control unit 19 controls input of the keyboard 5 including a plurality of keys 4 arranged with the key switch 3. The card reader control unit 20 controls the IC card reader / writer 10 to read, for example, data of an IC chip 29 (represented by an alternate long and short dash line in the figure) built in the mobile phone 28, or data is read from the IC chip 29. Is written in a non-contact manner. Here, non-contact means that it is not in electrical contact, and does not mean that the mobile phone 28 does not actually contact the IC card reader. The communication interface 25 communicates with the server 23 via the communication line 24 when, for example, the server 23 is inquired about the unit price of the product.

  In the POS terminal 1, services that can be settled by the POS terminal 1 are determined in advance and stored in the hard disk device 27. In order to increase the number of services that can be used, it is necessary to receive a communication protocol for communicating with information contained in the IC chip 29 from a provider providing the services. Further, in this POS terminal 1, a service that is particularly desired to be used at the store where the POS terminal 1 is placed is stored in addition to a usable service stored in the hard disk device as a recommended service. Yes.

  Next, software executed by the POS terminal 1 will be described. First, it is determined whether or not the key switch 3 is in the sleep mode (Act 1). If the mode is not the pause mode, the process of each mode is executed according to the position of the key switch 3 (Act 2). These modes are the setting mode and the registration mode as described above. In the sleep mode, the fact that the electronic money balance can be confirmed is displayed on the customer display device 9 (Act 4), and the IC card reader / writer 10 is operated (Act 5). Next, if the IC card reader / writer 10 recognizes the IC chip 29 built in the mobile phone 28 held by the customer, the electronic money list in the IC chip 29 is acquired (Act 6), and which service can be used. As well as an unused service (Act 7). Then, the balance of electronic money is acquired from the IC chip 29 using a communication protocol corresponding to the service (Act 8), and the acquired balance is displayed on the customer display 9 (Act 9). At this time, even if it is an unused service, the display indicating that the service is not used may be displayed on the display device, or the electronic money that the store where the POS terminal is placed does not want to use is not used. However, the electronic money may be displayed unused. If it is a predetermined time after the balance is displayed (Act 10), the process returns to the process of confirming the mode of the key switch 3 in Act 1.

  A display example of the electronic money of the read service is shown in FIG. The balance of each service stored in the IC chip 29 is displayed on the screen together with the store name. The card number is also displayed at the same time according to the balance. In this example, the balance of three services is displayed.

  The store clerk sets the key switch 3 to the registration mode so that the product can be sold. In the registration mode, when the barcode attached to the product brought to the sales counter by the customer is read by the barcode reader 7, the server 23 is inquired about the unit price, and the store side display device 2 and the customer side display device 9 Display unit price. After reading the barcodes of all the products, the store clerk presses the total key of the keyboard 5 to display the total price of the products on the store side display device 2 and the customer side display device 9. The customer pays the total amount in cash or electronic money. When paying with electronic money, the customer designates the service that the customer wants to pay among the services displayed on the customer display 9, and the IC chip 29 portion of the mobile phone or the like owned by the customer is a card reader. The writer 10 is brought into contact with or approached to about 1 cm. The IC card reader / writer 10 reads the electronic money balance of the specified service from the IC chip 29. The POS terminal 1 performs payment by electronically sending and receiving money from the read amount, and rewrites balance information in the IC chip 29. When payment is made, the POS terminal 1 prints information on sales on a receipt. The clerk hands the receipt discharged from the receipt discharge port 6 to the customer.

  When the store clerk leaves the POS terminal 1 for replenishment of goods in the store, the store clerk takes the key switch 3 out of the key switch 3 with the key switch 3 set to a pause mode. In the sleep mode, the POS terminal 1 ignores this input even if the key 4 is input. Even when the barcode is read, the server 23 is not inquired about the unit price of the read data. When the sleep mode is set, the customer-side display 9 displays that the balance of the electronic money service that can be used with the mobile phone can be confirmed. This display may be, for example, one screen of display content that switches every 10 seconds, or may be displayed prominently at the same time as the campaign or sale information notification screen.

  In this sleep mode, when a customer brings an electronic money-compatible mobile phone into contact with or close to the IC card reader / writer 10, the POS terminal 1 checks the IC chip 29 for which service electronic money can be used. Get a list of available services from. The balance of the acquired electronic money is read from the IC chip 29 and displayed on the customer display device 9. For example, if it is displayed for about 10 seconds or 20 seconds after this display is made, it returns to the determination of whether or not it is in the suspension mode, and if it is still in the suspension mode, it is in another mode to display the balance of electronic money. Then, the screen is switched to the initial screen of another mode, and the displayed balance information disappears from the screen.

  If there is an electronic money service that can be used in this store and there is a service that is not installed in the IC chip 29 in the balance inquiry, it can be displayed that the service that is not installed can be used in this store. For example, by displaying such as “△△△ can be used at our store”, it is possible to appeal the electronic money service recommended by the store. In this case, the owner of the mobile phone can easily promote the use by displaying or printing the URL of the access destination on the display device or the receipt paper using a two-dimensional code or the like that can be recognized by the mobile phone. The service becomes available.

  Convenience stores have several POS terminals 1 in the store, but use about 2 to 3 POS terminals without using all POS terminals 1 except during busy hours such as lunch. Just doing. For this reason, in the POS terminal 1 that is not used for other sales, the customer-side display device 9 displays the campaign information unique to the convenience store or the store, or displays bargain product information. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the POS terminal 1 is in the sleep mode, the balance of electronic money that can be used with the chip from the IC chip 29 of the mobile phone that supports a plurality of electronic money and that can be handled at the store. All the information is read and the balance of all the electronic money is displayed on the customer display 9 simultaneously. For this reason, since all the balances of electronic money are known at the same time, it is possible to easily determine which electronic money the user pays.

  Also, since the electronic money service has different stored information formats, a service that does not store a protocol in the POS terminal 1 cannot be read even if the IC chip 29 has electronic money information. For this reason, the balance is displayed only for the electronic money service that can be used in the POS terminal 1.

  In this embodiment, the card number is displayed at the same time when the balance of electronic money is displayed on the customer display device 9, but the card number may not be displayed. Further, the mobile phone 28 is not limited as long as the IC chip 29 in which a plurality of services are stored is used. In addition to displaying on a display device, the balance of electronic money may be printed on a receipt sheet.

  As described above, the embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.

1. Product information processing equipment (POS terminal)
2. ・ Store side display 3 ・ ・ Key switch 9 ・ ・ Customer side display 10 ・ ・ IC card reader / writer

Claims (6)

Input means for inputting product information;
Display means for displaying the amount of product information input by the input means;
An IC reader / writer that reads electronic money information from an IC chip;
In a product information processing apparatus having a settlement unit that settles with information of electronic money read by the IC reader / writer about the product information input by the input unit,
The mode of the product information processing device changes from a registration mode in which products are sold to a setting mode in which settings are made for the product processing device or a pause mode in which input of the product information is prohibited by a mode change by a predetermined operation. When the IC reader including the electronic money information is recognized by the IC reader / writer in the changed state, the electronic money information included in the IC chip is acquired, and the balance of the electronic money is stored in the display device. A product information processing apparatus comprising electronic money balance display means for displaying. A merchandise information processing apparatus for settlement of merchandise, an IC reader / writer capable of reading electronic money information of an IC chip without contact;
A display,
An input means for inputting product information;
Mode switching for switching the mode of the product information processing device to any one of a registration mode for selling products, a setting mode for setting the product processing device, and a pause mode in which input of the product information is prohibited Means,
In the registration mode, payment means for making a payment with electronic money information read by the IC reader / writer on the product information input by the input means;
Recognizing means for recognizing electronic money stored in the IC chip by the IC reader / writer when the mode of the commodity information processing apparatus is switched to the setting mode or the sleep mode by the mode switching means;
Inquiry means for inquiring the balance stored in the IC chip of the electronic money recognized by the recognition means when the mode of the product information processing apparatus is switched to the setting mode or the suspension mode;
Product information mode of the product information processing apparatus, which when switched to the setting mode or the idle mode, and a balance display means for displaying the electronic money balance of the IC chip to query on the query unit on the display unit Processing equipment. 3. If there is service information of electronic money that can be used and there is a service that is not used in the IC chip, the display unit displays that the service that is not used is not used. 2. The product information processing apparatus according to 2. 2. The electronic money service information that promotes use is provided, and if the IC chip does not have information on the promoted service, the display device displays that the service that promotes use is available. The product information processing apparatus according to claim 2. The product information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the information processing unit outputs information indicating whether or not the service that promotes the use is available. And a and IC reader-writer capable of reading information in the IC chip indicators without contact, in the program of the product information processing apparatus that performs settlement of goods by electronic money,
In a state where the mode of the product treatment device is changed from a registration mode for selling products to a setting mode for setting the product processing device or a pause mode in which input of the product information is prohibited,
Computer
Recognition means for recognizing electronic money information stored in the IC chip via the IC reader / writer;
Obtaining means for obtaining balance information of electronic money recognized by the recognizing means;
Display means for displaying all balance information of the electronic money acquired by the acquisition means on the display;
Program to function as.

Images