JP6116729B1 - Coupon delivery system - Google Patents

Abstract

An attractive coupon that can be used is provided to a customer who is waiting in a specific area. When registration for waiting for a turn is made using the turn management terminal 100 of any store in the mall, the management server 500 includes a coupon including the identification ID of the access point 300 passed through at that time. A coupon issue request is sent to the distribution server 600. The coupon distribution server 600 searches the coupon DB 610 using the identification ID of the access point 300 included in the request as a search key, and preferentially uses the coupon data associated with the identification ID of the same access point 300 as coupon data to be distributed. Select [Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a coupon distribution system.

  In stores such as restaurants, various electronic coupons (hereinafter referred to as coupons) such as discounts on merchandise and special services are issued in order to promote store use. The customer registers customer information including an e-mail address in advance on the store website, receives the coupon distribution, and shows the coupon to the employee etc. when visiting the store. (See, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2003-208535 A

According to the coupon distribution method disclosed in Patent Document 1 above, unless registration is canceled, coupons will be distributed to all registered customers, but at that time, there is no plan to go to the store yet, Many customers do not require coupons. In such a case, there is a problem that even if a large amount of money is spent on the distribution of coupons, most of them are wasted and do not lead to store sales.
In this regard, for example, if a coupon can be distributed to a customer near the store or waiting in the store, the use of the coupon can be directly promoted, and sales of products and services of the store can be promoted. Although there is a high possibility that it will lead to a system, a system that realizes this type of service is not yet known.

  The present invention has been made in view of the circumstances described above, and provides a coupon distribution technology capable of providing attractive coupons that can be used to customers who are waiting in turn in a specific area. One of the purposes.

  The coupon distribution system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention is a system provided with the coupon distribution server which distributes a coupon with respect to the customer who waits in order in the shop located in a specific area, Comprising: From the terminal located in a specific area A wireless access point that receives a connection request and mediates wireless communication with a connection destination, a terminal located in a specific area, an order management terminal that accepts new registration waiting for a store order, and a terminal located in the specific area A store terminal that generates coupon data based on the input coupon content of the store and transmits the coupon data to the coupon distribution server via a wireless access point, and the coupon distribution server is a coupon transmitted from the store terminal. A coupon database for storing data and wireless access point identification information in association with each other, and a specific area When a new registration waiting for a store order is accepted by the order management terminal that is located, distribution is performed by searching the coupon database using the identification information of the wireless access point that mediates the wireless communication of the order management terminal as a search key. The gist is to include a selection unit that selects coupon data to be transmitted and a transmission unit that transmits the selected coupon data to the order management terminal.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it becomes possible to provide the attractive coupon which can be utilized with respect to the customer who waits in turn in a specific area.

It is a figure showing a schematic structure of coupon distribution system 1000 concerning a 1st embodiment. It is the figure which illustrated the registration content of coupon DB610. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the new registration reception process of waiting in order. It is the figure which illustrated the reception screen for performing reception waiting in order. It is a flowchart which shows a coupon issue process. It is a sequence diagram in the case where order management is performed using three order management terminals 100A to 100C.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, although this embodiment demonstrates the case where a coupon is delivered to the customer who waits for a turn in the store located in a specific area (a shopping mall is assumed), it is applicable also when delivering an advertisement etc. not only in a coupon. It is. In the following description, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

A. First Embodiment FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a coupon distribution system 1000 according to the present embodiment. A coupon distribution system 1000 shown in FIG. 1 preferentially distributes a coupon issued by a store in the mall to a customer who visits a store in a shopping mall (hereinafter, mall) A.

  Stores of various industries including the restaurant A enter the mall A, and each store submits an order management terminal 100 that manages the waiting order of customers and coupon data (hereinafter referred to as coupon data). A store terminal 200 is provided.

The order management terminal 100 provided in each store is comprehensively managed by a management server 500 connected to the communication network N.
The mall A is provided with one or more access points (wireless access points) 300. Due to the presence of the access point 300, wireless communication (for example, wireless communication based on the WiFi standard) between nodes (terminals) in the mall and also with external nodes is possible. That is, the access point 300 plays a role of receiving a connection request from a terminal existing in the mall A and mediating wireless communication with the connection destination. Coupon data submitted using the store terminal 200 is uploaded to the coupon distribution server 600 from the access point 300 via the communication network N. Coupon distribution server 600 distributes coupons to customers who are waiting in turn at each store in response to a coupon issuance request from management server 500.

  In FIG. 1, a restaurant A is illustrated as an example of a store in which the order management terminal 100 is provided. Further, the shopping mall is only an example, and can be applied to any facility where one or more stores enter, such as a complex amusement system, a hospital, and an arena.

  The order management terminal 100 is a terminal device that is installed near the entrance of a store or the like and manages waiting for customers' orders. As the order management terminal 100, in addition to a tablet terminal, a personal computer (PC), a notebook PC, a smartphone, a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), and the like can exchange data with the management server 500 via the communication network N. Any terminal device can be used. A printer (not shown) is connected to the order management terminal 100 by a wired cable or wirelessly. In accordance with a print instruction transmitted from the order management terminal 100 or the like, the printer issues a turn ticket indicating the number of waiting for a turn or the like and coupons for giving various privileges.

  The communication network N includes a communication network capable of transmitting and receiving information to and from the order management terminal 100, the management server 500, and the coupon distribution server 600. The communication network N may be, for example, the Internet, a LAN, a dedicated line, a telephone line, a corporate network, a mobile communication network, Bluetooth, WiFi (Wireless Fidelity), other communication lines, a combination thereof, or the like. Regardless of whether it is wired or wireless.

  The management server 500 is configured by, for example, a computer having high arithmetic processing capability, and a server function is realized by a predetermined server program running on the computer. Here, the number of computers constituting the management server 500 is not necessarily one, and may be composed of a plurality of computers distributed on the communication network N. The management server 500 includes a management database 510 for managing the order management terminal 100 for each store, and a processor 520. The management database 510 includes a client management table TA1, a status management table TA2, and a waiting item management table TA3.

  In the client management table TA1, in addition to the unique ID and passcode (account) set for each store, the identification ID (so-called SSID) of the access point 300 through which the store passes and the order management terminal 100 installed in each store Identification information (such as an IP address) is registered in association with each other. Here, “ID: A1...” And “passcode: AA2...” Are set for the order management terminal 100 used in “Restaurant A”. SSID: w1 ”is set. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that one access point 300 is installed in the shopping mall A (specific area), but a plurality of access points 300 may be installed in the same mall. In such a case, an identification ID indicating the same group (for example, “SSID: w-a1 to w-aN (N ≧ 2)” etc.) so that the access points can be identified in the same mall. May be given.

  On the other hand, the ID and passcode for each store are set by, for example, an administrator (for example, a store owner) who performs management waiting for each store when introducing the system. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that one order management terminal 100 is used at one store, but a plurality of order management terminals 100 may be used at one store. When a plurality of order management terminals 100 are used in one store, the same ID and passcode may be used. For example, a plurality of IDs and passcodes may be used according to a predetermined condition.

  The waiting list for each store is registered in the status management table TA2. The order waiting list includes a list of persons waiting for the order and information (status information) representing each order waiting status (status). For example, for restaurant A, the reservation group waiting for the turn is “1 set”, “1 adult, 1 child”, “2 people reserved”, and the reception time is “AM 11:11”. The designated seat type is “table” or the like. The registration contents of the status management table TA2 are changed based on new registration information in the order waiting list transmitted from the order management terminal 100 or status update information (details will be described later). Note that what information is used as status information can be appropriately set and changed by an administrator of each facility.

  In the waiting item management table TA3, a waiting item that is set for each store and can be selected at the time of reservation, and a reference waiting time for each waiting item are registered. For example, the waiting item set for the order management terminal 100 used in “Restaurant A” is the type of seat. Here, “table”, “counter”, and “terrace seat” are set. The reference waiting time is an average waiting time until one turn waiting group that is waiting for a turn is guided, and may be changed between the first set and the second set. For example, here, the first set waiting time (15 minutes) for the “table”, the second waiting time (10 minutes) after the second set, the first waiting time (5 minutes) for the “counter”, the second set Thereafter, the first waiting time (20 minutes) and the second waiting time (25 minutes) are set for the “terrace seat”. These waiting items and reference waiting times for each store are set by, for example, an administrator (for example, a store owner) who manages the waiting at each facility when the system is introduced. Further, the waiting item and the reference waiting time can be changed as needed.

  The processor 520 includes an arithmetic logic unit (CPU or the like) that processes arithmetic operations, logic operations, bit operations, and the like and various registers, and executes various programs stored in storage means such as a ROM, thereby managing the server. Each part of 500 is controlled centrally. In addition, the processor 520 also executes a computer program for managing turn waiting in cooperation with the turn management terminal 100.

  The store terminal 200 is a personal computer (PC) or the like having a wireless communication function, and is operated by a specific authority (for example, owner) of each store. The store terminal 200 is provided for each store, for example, and is used for submitting coupon data in addition to grasping product sales. By appropriately operating the operation buttons and the like of the store terminal 200, the authorized person submits coupon data such as “20% discount for all products only for customers visiting the store from 17:00 to 19:00”. Coupon data submitted at the store terminal 200 is transmitted to the coupon distribution server 600 via the communication network N via the access point 300. When passing through the access point 300, the coupon data is added with an identification ID (“SSID: w1” here) of the access point through. When coupon distribution server 600 receives coupon data, coupon distribution server 600 stores the received coupon data in coupon database (DB) 610.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the registered contents of the coupon DB 610.
As shown in FIG. 2, in the coupon DB 610, coupon data representing the contents of each coupon and the identification ID of the access point 300 passed through are registered in association with each other. In addition to the coupon data and the identification ID of the access point 300, the name of the store where the coupon data was created, the type of business, the time zone when the coupon is desired to be distributed, the attributes of the person to be distributed (gender, age, place of residence) Etc.) and preferences (sports, theater appreciation, etc.) may be registered in association with each other. These information may be input by the authorized person using the store terminal 200 when submitting the coupon data. In addition, when registering the attributes and preferences of the person to be distributed, on the order waiting reception screen using the order management terminal 100, such as attribute information such as gender, age, residence, sports, theater appreciation, etc. What is necessary is just to make a customer input preference information.

The coupon distribution server 600 is composed of a server computer or the like, and selects coupon data to be distributed in response to a coupon issue request from the management server 500.
In the present embodiment, when a new registration waiting for a turn is made using the turn management terminal 100 of one of the stores in the mall (for example, restaurant A), the management server 500 causes the access point 300 to pass through at that time. The coupon issuance request is sent to the coupon distribution server 600. The coupon distribution server (selection unit) 600 searches the coupon DB 610 using the identification ID of the access point 300 included in the request as a search key, and is associated with the identification ID of the same access point 300 (for example, “SSID: w1”). Coupon data is preferentially selected as coupon data to be distributed. Then, the coupon distribution server (transmission unit) 600 transmits the selected coupon data to the order management terminal 100 that has a new registration waiting for the turn. As described above, according to the system according to the present embodiment, the customer can receive attractive coupons that can be used in the mall simply by receiving an order waiting in any store in the mall.

Next, operation | movement of the coupon delivery system 1000 in this embodiment is demonstrated.
<New registration process waiting in turn>
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a new registration process waiting for a turn.
When the customer arrives at the mall A and enters a store (such as restaurant A in FIG. 1), the customer first operates the order management terminal 100 to accept a new registration in the waiting list. Specifically, a touch panel (not shown) of the order management terminal 100 is appropriately operated to input the number of reservation persons, a desired waiting item (for example, the type of seat such as a table or a counter), and the like. What items should be input at the time of reception may be determined according to the intention of the manager of each store.

  In addition, instead of the customer directly operating the touch panel, an employee or the like may perform an input for accepting the waiting order. At this time, the employee or the like may operate the order management terminal 100 installed near the entrance of the store, or may operate the order management terminal 100 used individually by the employee or the like.

  Thereafter, the order management terminal 100 receives information included in the waiting list registered in the status management table TA2 from the management server 500 via the communication network N and the access point 300 (step S11). Furthermore, the order management terminal 100 receives from the management server 500 information on the waiting items registered in the waiting item management table TA3 and the current waiting time of each waiting item (step S12). The management server 500 calculates the current waiting time (reference waiting time) of each waiting item based on the reference waiting time of each waiting item registered in the waiting item management table TA3. For example, in the case of the order management terminal 100 used in “Restaurant A”, when two sets of reservations are entered in the “table” seat, the approximate waiting time for the “table” seat is 15 (waiting for the first set). Time) +10 (second set waiting time) +10 (third set waiting time) = 35 minutes.

  Next, the order management terminal 100 displays on the touch panel an acceptance screen for accepting an order waiting as illustrated in FIG. 4 (step S13).

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a reception screen displayed on the touch panel of the order management terminal 100. As shown in FIG. 4, on the reception screen, at least a part of the waiting list registered in the status management table TA2 of the management server 500, for example, the receiving number and the number of persons waiting for the turn are specified. A list in which rows including the type of seat (waiting item) and the like are arranged in time series in the order of reception is displayed. In addition, the total number of waiting groups currently waiting for the turn (the total number of waiting sets for all seat types) is also displayed. Further, a reference waiting time, a reception time (not shown), a message for prompting a reception operation to the waiting list, a reception button, and the like are displayed on the touch panel.

  The reference waiting time may be calculated by the management server 500 and transmitted to the order management terminal 100, or may be directly calculated by the order management terminal 100. In this case, the order management terminal 100 can obtain the reference waiting time of each waiting item and the current number of waiting sets of each waiting item from the management server 500, and calculate the reference waiting time.

  The order management terminal 100 detects whether an operation input via a touch panel by a customer, an employee, or the like has been performed on the displayed reception screen (step S14). For example, when an operation on the touch panel is detected and an input is accepted (step S14: YES), a number designation screen for designating the number of people waiting for the turn is displayed on the touch panel (step S15). On the number of people designation screen, a message for prompting the number of people input operation, a number of people designation button, and the like are displayed.

  The order management terminal 100 detects whether or not an operation input via the touch panel by a customer, an employee, or the like has been made on the displayed number of people designation screen (step S16). When an operation on the touch panel is detected and an input of the number of people is accepted (step S16: YES), a seat designation screen for designating the type of seat is displayed on the touch panel (step S17).

  The order management terminal 100 detects whether or not an operation input via a touch panel by a customer, an employee, or the like has been performed on the displayed seat designation screen (step S18). When an operation on the touch panel is detected and a seat type designation input is accepted (step S18: YES), a reservation content confirmation screen is displayed on the touch panel (step S19). The reservation content confirmation screen displays the number of people accepted and the type of seat, and displays a message prompting confirmation of the reservation content, a message prompting a reservation confirmation operation, a reservation confirmation button, and the like. If “not specified” is selected as the seat type in step S18, all seat types, that is, “table”, “counter” and “terrace seat” in FIG. Will be included.

  The order management terminal 100 detects whether or not a reservation completion operation has been performed (step S20). When the reservation completion operation is accepted (step S20: YES), an acceptance completion screen is displayed (step S21). On the reception completion screen, a reception number (waiting number), an approximate waiting time, and the like are displayed. In addition, on the reception completion screen, a message prompting receipt of a coupon suitable for the customer is displayed together with the turn ticket. The customer can receive turn tickets and coupons printed from a printer connected to the order management terminal 100.

  When the reservation is confirmed as described above, the order management terminal 100 generates new registration information including the number of people, the type of seat, the reference waiting time, and the like based on the reservation content. Then, the order management terminal 100 transmits the generated new registration information to the management server 500 via the access point 300 of the mall A (Step S22). When passing through the access point 300, the identification ID of the access point 300 (ie, “SSID: w1”) is added to the new registration information.

  When the management server 500 receives the new registration information of the restaurant A to which the identification ID of the access point 300 is added, the management server 500 performs a process of adding one set of waiting queues to the waiting list based on the received new registration information. The status management table TA2 is updated (step S23). Further, the management server 500 transmits a coupon issue request to the coupon distribution server 600 including the identification ID of the access point 300 (step S24), and ends the process.

  In addition to accepting new registrations, any of the “Cancel”, “Change”, “Call”, and “Guidance” operations can be used to update the waiting list for each facility, in addition to accepting new registrations. It also occurs when. “Cancel” means canceling the waiting order, and “change” means changing the waiting order details (such as the number of reservations) once entered. “Call” means that the reservation has been verbally called to the reservation person or that the reservation has been notified by telephone or e-mail. This means that the waiting line is erased when the person is actually guided.

  For example, when a person or group waiting for the turn is guided to the store, the employee or the like performs a “guide” operation. When the “guidance” operation is performed, the corresponding first rank person is deleted from the waiting list, and the subsequent person is displayed on the order management terminal 100 as being the first rank in the waiting list. Similarly, when “cancel”, “change”, and “call” operations are performed, processing corresponding to each update operation is performed.

<Coupon delivery process>
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a coupon distribution process executed by the coupon distribution server 600.
When the coupon distribution server 600 receives a coupon distribution request (hereinafter referred to as a coupon request) including the identification ID of the access point 300 from the management server 500 (step Sa1), the coupon distribution server 600 uses the identification ID of the access point 300 as a search key. Search is performed (step Sa2).

  For example, when the identification ID of the access point 300 received from the management server 500 is the identification ID indicating the access point 300 of the mall A (that is, “SSID: w1”), the coupon distribution server 600 displays “SSID: Coupon data registered in association with “w1” is preferentially selected from the coupon DB 610 (step Sa3). Although all coupon data registered in association with “SSID: w1” may be selected, any number M (M ≧ 2) may be selected. Moreover, the priority etc. of the coupon data to select can be arbitrarily set and changed according to the system design or the like. Furthermore, it goes without saying that coupon data other than coupon data registered in association with “SSID: w1” may be selected.

  When the coupon distribution server 600 selects coupon data to be distributed from the coupon DB 610, the selected coupon data is used as coupon information, and the corresponding order management terminal 100 (here, the order management terminal 100 installed in the restaurant A of the mall A). ) Addressed to and finish the process. The information on the distribution destination of the selected coupon data can be acquired as follows. For example, when making a coupon request, the management server 500 acquires the identification information (such as an IP address) of the order management terminal 100 that has been registered in the client management table TA1 and has accepted the new registration, and uses this as a coupon request. To be included and sent. Of course, the present invention is not limited to this. When the coupon distribution server 600 receives coupon information from the management server 500, the identification information of the order management terminal 100 that is the distribution target of the coupon information is sent back to the management server 500. 500 may be queried.

  When receiving the coupon information from the coupon distribution server 600 via the communication network N, the order management terminal 100 transfers the coupon information to the printer. As a result, coupon information that can be used at various stores in the mall A including the store (here, the restaurant A) is output from the printer.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, a customer in the mall can receive an attractive coupon that can be used in the mall simply by accepting a waiting order at any store in the mall. Become.

B. Second Embodiment In the first embodiment described above, the case where one order management terminal 100 is used in one store has been described. However, in the second embodiment, a plurality of order management terminals 100 are used in one store. The case will be described.

The use of a plurality of order management terminals 100 at one store is different from the case of using only one order management terminal 100 in that data is shared among the order management terminals 100.
FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram when the order management is performed using the three order management terminals 100A to 100C. For example, when a specific order management terminal 100 (order management terminal 100A shown in FIG. 6) is operated in restaurant A (C1), the operation content (here, assuming status update information) is uploaded to the management server 500. (C2). The management server 500 updates the status information of the restaurant A registered in the status management table TA2 based on the received status update information (C3). Then, the management server 500 refers to the client management table TA1 and identifies the order management terminal 100 used in the restaurant A (C4). Here, since the three order management terminals 100A to 100C for the restaurant A are registered in the client management table TA1, the management server 500 is a terminal other than the order management terminal 100A, that is, the order management terminals 100B and 100C. The latest status information updated is transmitted to (C5), and the process is terminated.

  As a result, the latest information is always reflected in the respective order management terminals 100 in a synchronized state. As a result, even when a plurality of order management terminals 100 are used in one store, the update information waiting for the order is updated. Optimal turn waiting management can be performed without causing problems such as not being reflected in some of the turn management terminals 100.

C. Others The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented in various other forms without departing from the gist of the present invention. For this reason, the said embodiment is only a mere illustration in all points, and is not interpreted limitedly. For example, the above-described processing steps can be arbitrarily changed in order as long as the processing contents do not contradict each other, or can be executed in parallel.

  In the above embodiment, the coupon information that can be used at various stores in the mall is output from the printer. However, only coupon information desired by the customer can be selected and output from the coupon information. You may do it. For example, the coupon information (candidate) selected by the coupon distribution server 600 is displayed on the touch panel (display device) of the order management terminal 100 to prompt the customer to select desired coupon information. The customer operates the touch panel to select desired coupon information from the displayed coupon information (candidates). According to this aspect, it is possible to efficiently output only coupon information suitable for the customer.

  Moreover, you may define conditions in each store about the kind (attribute) of the coupon issued by the coupon delivery server 600. FIG. For example, when there are multiple coupons issued, conditions such as avoiding overlapping of facilities of the same industry (for example, cafes) as coupon target facilities or combining facilities of the same industry (for example, event venues) May be set.

  In the above-described embodiment, the coupon distribution server 600 and the management server 500 are configured separately. For example, all (or part of) the functions of the management server 500 are mounted on the coupon distribution server 600. Also good.

  Moreover, in above-mentioned embodiment, you may distribute coupon information to the communication terminal (a smart phone, a tablet terminal, a wearable terminal, etc.) of the customer waiting for a turn instead of printing coupon information (or in addition). For example, when accepting an input waiting for an order, the order management terminal 100 also accepts an input including a mail address (identification information) of the communication terminal. The order management terminal 100 can distribute coupon information to the customer's communication terminal by using the input mail address or the like of the customer's communication terminal.

1000 ... Coupon delivery system 100, 100A, 100B, 100C ... Order management terminal 200 ... Store terminal 300 ... Access point 500 ... Management server 510 ... Management database 520 ... Processor TA1 ... Client management table TA2 ... Status management table TA3 ... Wait item management Table 600 ... Coupon delivery server 610 ... Coupon DB
N ... Communication network

Claims (5)

A system including a coupon distribution server that distributes coupons to customers waiting in turn at each store located in a specific area,
A wireless access point that receives a connection request from a terminal located in the specific area and mediates wireless communication with a connection destination;
A terminal located in the specific area, and an order management terminal for accepting new registrations waiting for the turn of each store;
A terminal located in the specific area, which is installed in each store, generates coupon data based on the input coupon content of each store, and transmits the coupon data to the coupon distribution server via the wireless access point. A store terminal,
The coupon distribution server is
A coupon database for storing the coupon data transmitted from each store terminal and the identification information of the wireless access point in association with each other;
When the order management terminal located in the specific area receives a new registration waiting for any of the stores, the search key is used to search for identification information of the wireless access point that mediates wireless communication of the order management terminal. A selection unit that selects coupon data to be distributed from the coupon data of each store registered in association with the identification information of the wireless access point by searching the coupon database as
A transmission unit for transmitting the selected coupon data to the order management terminal;
A coupon distribution system further comprising:   The selection unit selects any number of coupon data to be distributed from the coupon data of each store registered in association with the identification information of the wireless access point, and identifies the wireless access point. The coupon distribution system according to claim 1, wherein coupon data of other stores other than the coupon data of each store registered in association with information is selected as the coupon data to be distributed. The selection unit is a coupon data to be distributed for all the coupon data of each store registered in association with the identification information that matches the identification information of the wireless access point that mediates the wireless communication of the order management terminal. The coupon distribution system according to claim 1, which is selected as The order management terminal accepts input including identification information of a communication terminal of a customer waiting for order when receiving a new registration waiting for the order of the store, and receives the coupon data from the coupon distribution server. The coupon distribution system according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the coupon data is transmitted to the communication terminal based on identification information of the communication terminal of the customer waiting for the turn. The sequence management terminal comprises a display device for displaying the coupon data, from the coupon data to be displayed on the display device, prompting a user to select coupon data desired to output to the customer of the waiting, claim 1 The coupon distribution system according to any one of items 1 to 3 .

Images