JP6647363B2 - Information terminal and its control program - Google Patents

Description

An embodiment of the present invention relates to a portable information terminal and a control program therefor .

  An electronic tag is attached to a product, and a device for reading the information of the electronic tag in a non-contact manner is attached to a cart for transporting the product. 2. Description of the Related Art There is known a system in which a payment is sent to a terminal for payment of a product.

  If this system is introduced into a store, product information is automatically registered when a product is put into a cart, so that there is no need to read product information such as a barcode with a scanner.

  In the case of the above system, it is necessary to attach one device for reading and transmitting the information of the electronic tag to the cart one by one. For this reason, there is a problem that a large cost is required to introduce the system in a store having a large number of carts.

  On the other hand, portable information terminals capable of inputting information by a finger's touch operation on a display screen, for example, tablet type information terminals, have been remarkably popularized and reduced in price.

JP-A-2003-256520

  By utilizing a portable information terminal as a POS terminal, it is considered that not only can the cost be reduced, but also the product sales form can be diversified and the customer service can be greatly improved.

In one embodiment, the portable information terminal includes a docking connector detachably connectable to a connector of the docking station, a reading unit, a registration unit, a first display unit, a second display unit , And third display means . The reading means reads the product identification data attached to the product. The registration unit registers the product sales data based on the product identification data read by the reading unit. The first display means displays the list of the merchandise sales data registered by the registration means together with the operator for displaying an input screen for merchandise search before the docking connector is connected to the docking station connector. To display. The second display means displays, on the display unit, an image indicating the display place of the product input through the input screen for product search. The third display means displays information relating to accounting based on the read data registered by the registration means when the docking connector is not connected to the connector, on condition that the docking connector is connected to the connector. Is displayed together with the closing key for calculating the total amount.

The figure which shows the whole image of the store including the structure of one Embodiment schematically. FIG. 1 is an exemplary view showing the appearance of a docking station and a tablet terminal according to an embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the tablet terminal according to the embodiment has been detached from the docking station. The figure which shows the external appearance of the cart which can attach the tablet terminal of one Embodiment. The figure which shows the cart to which the tablet terminal of one embodiment was attached. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a POS system including one embodiment. FIG. 2 is an exemplary block diagram illustrating a main part of the docking station and the tablet terminal according to the embodiment; 9 is a flowchart illustrating control executed by the CPU of the tablet terminal according to the embodiment. The figure which shows the registration screen of a tablet terminal when the tablet terminal of one Embodiment is attached to a cart. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing sales promotion information pop-up displayed on the registration screen in FIG. 9. The figure which shows the goods search screen of the tablet terminal of one Embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a search result display screen displayed after FIG. 11. The figure which shows the stock confirmation screen of the tablet terminal of one Embodiment. The figure which shows the confirmation result display screen displayed following FIG. The figure which shows the checkout screen of the tablet terminal of one Embodiment. The figure which shows the accounting unnecessary notification screen of the tablet terminal of one embodiment.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a product sales data processing device will be described with reference to the drawings. This embodiment exemplifies a merchandise sales data processing device that realizes a function as a POS terminal using a tablet-type information terminal.

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a store which sells commodities, which is provided with an entrance 2 and an exit 3 for a visitor, and a cart storage 4 provided near the entrance 2 and the exit 3. In the cart storage area 4, a large number of carts 5, which are merchandise carriers, are housed so as to be freely taken in and out.

  Inside the store 1, a number of product shelves 6 are distributed and arranged, and a plurality of product shelves 7 and a plurality of refrigerated showcases 8 are arranged along the inner wall. Further, inside the store 1, at least one terminal lending counter 9 is arranged adjacent to the entrance 2, and a plurality of cashier counters 10 are arranged on the exit 3 side.

  In such a store 1, a stationary docking station 11 is arranged on each cashier counter 10. Further, a plurality of information terminals, for example, tablet information terminals (hereinafter, abbreviated as tablet terminals) 20 constituting each docking station 11 and the merchandise sales data processing device are placed on the terminal lending counter 9. The number of tablet terminals 20 to be placed is preferably as large as possible so that it can be lent to many visitors.

  The tablet terminal 20 can be freely attached to and detached from the docking station 11 on the cashier counter 10. FIG. 2 shows a state where the tablet terminal 20 is attached to the docking station 11, and FIG. 3 shows a state where the tablet terminal 20 is detached from the docking station 11.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the docking station 11 has a box-shaped casing on which the tablet terminal 20 is mounted (placed) on the upper part, and includes a reading window 12 for a scanner on the front of the casing. A receipt issuing port 13 is provided on the left side surface of the housing. When the tablet terminal 20 is lifted and detached from the docking station 11, as shown in FIG. 3, an inclined terminal mounting portion 14 appears at an upper portion of a housing of the docking station 11, and an extension disposed on the terminal mounting portion 14. Connector 15 is exposed.

  The tablet terminal 20 has a rectangular housing that can be held by one hand, and has a touch panel display unit 21 that can be touched by a finger on an upper surface of the housing, and a rear surface of the housing described later. Docking connector 69 is provided. By inserting the docking connector 69 into the extension connector 15 while placing the back side of the tablet terminal 20 on the terminal mounting portion 14 of the docking station 11, the electrical connection between the tablet terminal 20 and the docking station 11 is completed. I do. This connection can be easily released by lifting the tablet terminal 20 and pulling it away from the terminal mounting section 14.

  As shown in FIG. 4, each cart 5 of the cart storage 4 has a basket-shaped accommodation portion 5a, and has a base plate 5b for mounting a tablet terminal at a front portion of the accommodation portion 5a. The shopper who has visited the store 1 takes out one cart 5 from the cart storage 4, enters the entrance 2 with the cart 5, and puts one tablet terminal 20 lent by a staff member of the terminal lending counter 9 into the cart 5. It is fitted into the base plate 5b and attached as shown in FIG. This attachment can be easily released by lifting the tablet terminal 20 and pulling it away from the base plate 5b. The tablet terminal 20 mechanically or magnetically detects the attachment and detachment of the cart 5 to and from the base plate 5b by a cart attachment sensor 71 described later.

  One docking station 11 and one tablet terminal 20 constitute a product sales data processing device.

  As an operation of the store, when a tablet terminal 20 on the terminal rental counter 9 is lent to a shopper by an attendant and the rented shopper puts the desired product into the cart 5 and visits the cashier counter 10, the shopping is performed. The customer returns the tablet terminal 20 to the attendant. The clerk receiving the tablet terminal 20 attaches the received tablet terminal 20 to the docking station 11 and performs the same accounting as a normal POS terminal according to the display on the touch panel display unit 21 of the tablet terminal 20. The clerk who has completed the accounting removes the tablet terminal 20 from the docking station 11 and returns the removed tablet terminal 20 to the terminal lending counter 9.

  FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram of a POS system using the product sales data processing device including the docking station 11 and the tablet terminal 20. The POS system includes a plurality of merchandise sales data processing devices and a store server 30 that centrally manages these merchandise sales data processing devices. The docking station 11 of each merchandise sales data processing apparatus and the store server 30 are connected to each other via a network 31 such as a LAN (Local Area Network) so as to be freely communicable. Further, the tablet terminal 20 of each merchandise sales data processing device and the store server 30 are connected to each other via a network 31 and one or more wireless relay devices 32 connected to the network 31 so as to be freely bidirectionally communicable. The tablet terminal 20 can realize a function as a POS terminal both when the tablet terminal 20 is attached to the docking station 11 and when the tablet terminal 20 is detached from the docking station 11.

  The store server 30 is provided with a store information storage unit 33 in which various information of the store 1 is stored in an updatable manner. The various information of the store 1 includes information indicating where the product exists in the store 1 for each product, information indicating the presence or absence and the number of the products in the store 1, and the like.

FIG. 7 shows the main parts of the docking station 11 and the tablet terminal 20.
The docking station 11 has at least a communication interface 41, an auxiliary storage device 42, a power supply unit 43, a scanner 44, a printer 45, and I / O controllers 46 and 47, in addition to the expansion connector 15. The communication interface 41, the auxiliary storage device 42, the power supply unit 43, the scanner 44, the printer 45, and the I / O controllers 46 and 47 are interconnected by a bus line 40 such as an address bus and a data bus.

  The communication interface 41 is connected to the network 31. The communication interface 41 controls transmission and reception of data between the tablet terminal 20 and the store server 30 via the network 31.

  The auxiliary storage device 42 corresponds to an auxiliary storage part of the computer. The auxiliary storage device 42 is, for example, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a hard disk drive (HDD), or a solid state drive (SSD). The auxiliary storage device 42 stores data used when the CPU 61 of the tablet terminal 20 performs various processes, and data generated by the processes performed by the CPU 61. The auxiliary storage device 42 may store an application program.

  The power supply unit 43 converts the voltage of the commercial AC power supply 50 into a voltage for operating the docking station 11 and outputs the voltage, and also outputs a voltage for charging the tablet terminal 20. This charging voltage is supplied to the tablet terminal 20 via the extension connector 15.

  The scanner 44 optically reads a bar code or the like held over the reading window 12. The scanner 44 may be of a type that reads a barcode or the like attached to a product from a product image captured by a camera.

  The printer 45 prints on the conveyed roll paper by, for example, a thermal method. The printed roll paper is discharged from the receipt issuing port 13, cut, and issued as a receipt. The printer 45 can issue labels by using label paper as roll paper. Further, the printer 45 may adopt a printing method other than the thermal method.

  The I / O controllers 46 and 47 are connected to, for example, a USB connector that is exposed on the back or side of the housing of the docking station 11. The I / O controller 46 controls a device externally connected to the USB connector, for example, the drawer 51. The I / O controller 47 controls a device externally connected to the USB port, for example, a card reader / writer 52. The card reader / writer 52 can read and write data from and to an electronic money card.

  On the other hand, the tablet terminal 20 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 61, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 62, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 63, a touch panel controller 64, a reading unit such as a wireless tag reader 65, a wireless communication unit 66, and a clock unit 67. , A USB (Universal Serial Bus) connector 68, a docking connector 69, a battery 70, a cart mounting sensor 71, and the like. The CPU 61, the ROM 62, the RAM 63, the touch panel controller 64, the wireless tag reader 65, the wireless communication unit 66, the clock unit 67, the USB connector 68, the docking connector 69, and the cart mounting sensor 71 are bus lines 72 such as an address bus and a data bus. Connected by

  The CPU 61 corresponds to a central part of the computer. The CPU 61 controls each unit in accordance with an operating system and an application program to realize various functions as a POS terminal.

  The ROM 62 corresponds to a main storage portion of the computer. The ROM 62 stores the above-described operating system and application programs. The ROM 62 may store data necessary for the CPU 61 to execute various processes.

  The RAM 63 corresponds to a main storage part of the computer. The RAM 63 stores data necessary for the CPU 61 to execute various processes as necessary. The RAM 63 is also used as a work area when the CPU 61 performs various processes.

  The touch panel display unit 21 is configured by arranging a touch sensor 21t as an input unit on a display portion of a display 21d. The touch panel controller 64 to which the touch panel display unit 21 is connected controls a screen display of the display 21d and monitors a signal of the touch sensor 21t. Then, the touch panel controller 64 detects the input data from the position coordinate information of the touch operation and the screen information of the display 21d at the time of the touch operation.

  The wireless tag reader 65 reads a product identification code in a wireless tag (IC chip) attached to a product in the store 1 in advance in a non-contact manner by transmitting and receiving radio waves to and from the wireless tag. The section 5a has a space of a size three-dimensionally included as a maximum readable area.

  The wireless communication unit 66 transmits and receives data to and from the wireless relay device 32 using wireless communication. The clock 67 measures the current date and time.

  The USB connector 68 is a connector for detachably connecting various USB devices having a communication system conforming to the USB standard. The drawer 51 and the card reader / writer 52 can be connected to the USB connector 68.

  The docking connector 69 is a connector for connecting the tablet terminal 20 to the docking station 11. The docking connector 69 is arranged on the back of the housing of the tablet terminal 20.

  The battery 70 outputs the operating voltage of the tablet terminal 20, and is supplied from the docking station 11 via the extension connector 15 and the docking connector 69 when the tablet terminal 20 is attached to the docking station 11. Is charged by the charging voltage.

  The cart attachment sensor 71 is arranged on the back side of the housing of the tablet terminal 20 and mechanically or magnetically detects attachment of the cart 5 to the base plate 5b and removal thereof. For example, as a mechanical detection method, an open / close switch that closes upon receiving contact with the base plate 5b and opens when separated from the base plate 5b is used. As a magnetic detection method, a magnet is attached to the base plate 5b, and the magnetic field of the magnet is detected by a Hall element.

The CPU 61 has the following means (1) to (5) as main functions based on the application program in the ROM 62.
(1) Input means for receiving a touch operation of a finger or the like on the touch panel display unit 21 as input of data relating to sale of a product.

  (2) A registration unit that processes the input data received by the input unit and the read data of the wireless tag reader 65 as product sales data, and registers the processed product sales data in the RAM 63.

  (3) Display means for displaying the registered contents of the registration means on the touch panel display unit 21.

  (4) determining means for determining whether or not the tablet terminal 20 is attached to the docking station 11. Specifically, the determination means sends a confirmation signal via the docking connector 69, and when the confirmation signal returns to the docking connector 69, it is determined that the camera is mounted, and the confirmation signal is transmitted to the docking connector 69. If it does not return to, it is determined that it is not mounted.

  (5) Processing means for executing an accounting process for calculating an accounting amount based on the registered contents of the registration means when the determination means determines that the docking station 11 is attached.

Next, control executed by the CPU 61 of the tablet terminal 20 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
The CPU 61 determines whether or not the tablet terminal 20 is attached to the cart 5 based on the output of the cart attachment sensor 71 (Act 1), and determines whether or not the tablet terminal 20 is attached to the docking station 11 for docking. The determination is made by transmitting a confirmation signal via the connector 69 (Act 2).

  When the tablet terminal 20 is placed on the terminal lending counter 9, that is, the tablet terminal 20 is not attached to the cart 5 (No in Act 1), and the tablet terminal 20 is attached to the docking station 11. If not (Act 2: NO), the CPU 61 sets a standby mode, for example, a suspend state for power saving (Act 3).

  When the shopper enters the entrance 2 together with the cart 5, the staff member of the terminal rental counter 9 lends one tablet terminal 20 prepared on the terminal rental counter 9 to the shopper. This lending may be any operation, such as free operation, charging a fee as a fee, or deducting a predetermined use point from a service point held by the shopper.

  The shopper who has received the rental of the tablet terminal 20 attaches the received tablet terminal 20 to the base plate 5b of the cart 5.

  When the tablet terminal 20 is mounted on the base plate 5b (YES in Act 1), the CPU 61 displays a registration screen for product registration shown in FIG. 9 on the touch panel display unit 21 (Act 4). The registration screen includes a guide character 101 "Please put the product in the cart", a product information display field 102, a total price display field 103, a product search button 104, a stock confirmation button 105, a call button 106, an end button 107, and the like. including.

  When the shopper puts the desired product into the storage section 5a of the cart 5, the wireless tag reader 65 reads the product identification code of the wireless tag attached to the product.

  When the wireless tag reader 65 reads the identification data (Act 5: YES), the CPU 61 transmits, via the wireless communication unit 66, related information such as a unit price of the product corresponding to the read product identification code and a discount related to the product. Then, the data is fetched from the store server 30 and processed as the product sales data, and the processed product sales data is registered in the RAM 63 (Act 6). At the time of this registration, the CPU 61 displays the registered contents in the product information display column 102.

  In the example of the product information display column 102 in FIG. 9, one bag of “carrot” with a unit price of 110 yen is registered and its subtotal is 110 yen, and one “tofu” with a unit price of 98 yen is registered and This indicates that the subtotal is 98 yen, and that the unit price of “tofu” is applied with one discount. The example of the total price display column 103 indicates that the current total price is 208 yen.

  When another bag of "carrots" is put into the storage section 5a of the cart 5, the display relating to "carrots" in the product information display column 102 becomes two bags, and the subtotal changes to 220 yen.

  When one “tofu” in the storage section 5a is taken out of the storage section 5a and returned to the product display shelf, the wireless tag reader 65 reads the product identification code of the wireless tag attached to the “tofu”. The CPU 61 removes the product sales data relating to the extracted “tofu” from the registered product sales data in the RAM 63 and erases the display relating to “natto” in the product information display field 102.

  When the shopper puts another product, for example, one "natto" into the storage part 5a of the cart 5, the display relating to one "natto" is newly displayed in the product information display column 102 as shown in FIG. Join. That is, the display example of the product information display column 102 in FIG. 10 indicates that one “natto” with a unit price of 120 yen is registered and its subtotal is 120 yen. If there is sales promotion information on “Natto” which has been registered, the CPU 61 pops up the sales promotion information, for example, a guide character 108 “Purchase three natto and get 2 discounts” on the product information display field 102. indicate. This pop-up disappears after a certain time.

  On the other hand, when the shopper touches the product search button 104 on the registration screen (Act7: YES), the CPU 61 displays an input screen for product search shown in FIG. 11 on the touch panel display unit 21 (Act8). This input screen includes a guide character 111 "Please enter the product name you want to search", an input character confirmation window 112, shift keys 113 and 114, a character erase key 115, a handwritten character input field 116, a character conversion key 117, and an input confirmation. The display includes a key 118, a search cancel key 119, a search execution key 120, and the like. Characters input by a touch and slide operation on the handwritten character input field 116 are displayed on the input character confirmation window 112.

  When the search cancel key 119 has been touch-operated (YES in Act 9), the CPU 61 returns to the Act 4 registration screen display.

  When the search execution key 120 is touched without touching the search cancel key 119 (Act9: NO, Act10: YES), the CPU 61 recognizes the product displayed on the input character confirmation window 112 and recognizes the recognized product. A request is made to the store server 30 via the wireless communication unit 66 to search for where in the store 1 exists (Act 11). Based on this request, the store server 30 searches for a display place of the product by referring to the store information storage unit 33, and returns the search result to the CPU 61. Based on the return, the CPU 61 displays the search result display screen shown in FIG. 12 on the touch panel display unit 21 (Act 12).

  The search result display screen includes a planar image pattern 131, a return button 132, and an OK button 133. The plane image pattern 131 is displayed together with the positions of the merchandise display shelves 6 and 7 and the refrigerated showcase 8 so that the shopper can see at a glance where the merchandise to be searched exists in the store 1. Is indicated by a ★ mark. The shopper can easily find a desired product by looking at the search result display screen.

  When the OK button 133 on the search result display screen is touch-operated (YES in Act 13), the CPU 61 returns to the display of the registration screen of Act4. When the return button 132 is touched without touching the OK button 133 on the search result display screen (NO in Act 13 and YES in Act 14), the CPU 61 returns to the display of the input screen of Act8.

  When the shopper touches the stock confirmation button 105 on the registration screen (Act7: YES), the CPU 61 displays an input screen shown in FIG. 13 for stock confirmation on the touch panel display unit 21 (Act8). The input screen includes a guide character 141 "Enter the product name you want to check", an input character confirmation window 142, shift keys 143, 144, a character erase key 145, a handwritten character input field 146, a character conversion key 147, and an input confirmation. The display includes a key 148, a confirmation cancel key 149, a confirmation execution key 150, and the like. Characters input by a touch and slide operation on the handwritten character input field 146 are displayed on the input character confirmation window 142.

  When the confirmation cancel key 149 is touch-operated (Act9: YES), the CPU 61 returns to the display of the registration screen of Act4.

  When the confirmation execution key 150 is touched without touching the confirmation cancel key 149 (NO in Act 9 and YES in Act 10), the CPU 61 recognizes the product displayed on the input character confirmation window 142 and recognizes the recognized product. A request is made to the store server 30 via the wireless communication unit 66 to check how much stock is in the store 1 (Act 11). Based on this request, the store server 30 checks the stock of the product by referring to the store information storage unit 33, and returns the result of the check to the CPU 61. Based on this return, the CPU 61 displays a confirmation result display screen shown in FIG. 14 on the touch panel display unit 21 (Act 12).

  The confirmation result display screen includes a guide character 151 "ABC cheese is in stock 5", a plane image pattern 152, a return button 153, and an OK button 154. “ABC cheese” in the guide letter 151 is an example of a product to be confirmed. The plane image pattern 152 is displayed together with the positions of the merchandise display shelves 6 and 7 and the refrigerated showcase 8 so that the shopper can see at a glance where the merchandise to be checked exists in the store 1. Is indicated by a star. By looking at the confirmation result display screen, the shopper can accurately grasp the presence / absence and quantity of the desired product together with the display position of the product.

  When the OK button 154 on the search result display screen is touch-operated (YES in Act 13), the CPU 61 returns to the Act4 registration screen display. When the return button 153 is touched without touching the OK button 154 on the search result display screen (NO in Act13, YES in Act14), the CPU 61 returns to the display of the input screen of Act8.

  When the shopper who puts the desired product into the cart 5 moves to the cashier counter 10, the staff at the cashier counter 10 informs the shopper that he wants the tablet terminal 20 to be returned. In accordance with the guidance, the shopper removes the tablet terminal 20 from the base plate 5b of the cart 5 and passes it to the person in charge of the cashier counter 10. The attendant receiving the tablet terminal 20 attaches the received tablet terminal 20 to the docking station 11.

  When the tablet terminal 20 is attached to the docking station 11 (NO in Act 1 and YES in Act 2), the CPU 61 determines whether or not merchandise sales data is registered in the RAM 63 (Act 15). When the merchandise sales data is registered (YES in Act 15), the CPU 61 causes the touch panel display unit 21 to display a checkout screen of FIG. 15 representing the registered contents (Act 16). The checkout screen includes displays such as a registered product list display field 161, a count display field 162, a count key 163, a total price display field 164, a deposit amount display field 165, a fishing amount display field 166, a closing key 167, and the like.

  The registered product list display column 161 displays products, pieces, subtotals, related information, and the like registered by the shopper. The numerical display field 162 displays a numerical value input by a touch operation of the numerical key 163. The total price display column 164 displays the total price of the registered products in the registered product list display column 161. The deposit amount display field 165 displays a numerical value input by a touch operation of the numeric key 163 as a deposit amount from the shopper.

  The clerk of the cashier counter 10 surely registers the products stored in the cart 5 while comparing the products stored in the cart 5 with the registered products displayed in the registered product list display field 161 one by one. Check if it is. When all commodities are securely registered, the clerk touches the closing key 167 on the checkout screen.

  When the closing key 167 is touch-operated (YES in Act 17), the CPU 61 executes a closing process of calculating a transaction amount (total amount) based on the registered contents (Act 18). In the closing process, the CPU 61 displays the calculated transaction amount (total amount) in the total amount display column 164, the deposit amount in the deposit amount display column 165, the change amount in the change amount display column 166, and displays the product sales data. The receipt is printed by the printer 45 and the receipt is discharged from the receipt issuing port 13 (Act 19).

  When a product that is not displayed in the registered product list display field 161 is stored in the cart 5, the staff of the cashier counter 10 moves the barcode attached to the product over the reading window 12 of the docking station 11. . At this time, the CPU 61 performs a process of reading the barcode of the product held over the reading window 12 by the scanner 44 and adding the product corresponding to the read barcode to the registered content.

  Further, when the tablet terminal 20 is attached to the docking station 11 (Act2: YES), if no merchandise sales data is registered in the RAM 63 (Act15: NO), the accounting unnecessary screen shown in FIG. It is displayed on the display unit 21 (Act 20). The checkout unnecessary screen includes a display of a guide character 171 indicating "No registered merchandise" and a display of a guide character 172 indicating "this customer does not need checkout". The clerk who sees this display only receives the tablet terminal 20 from the shopper, but does not make a payment.

  The clerk at the cashier counter 10 removes the tablet terminal 20 for which accounting has been completed or the tablet terminal 20 for which accounting is not required from the docking station 11. Then, the clerk returns the detached docking station 11 to the terminal rental counter 9 by himself or by requesting another clerk.

  When the tablet terminal 20 is removed from the docking station 11 (No in Act 1 and No in Act 2), the CPU 61 of the tablet terminal 20 resets the registered contents up to that point and enters a standby mode (suspend state) (Act 3). .

  As described above, the tablet terminal 20 that can be freely attached to and detached from the docking station 11 is detached from the docking station 11 and lent to the shopper, and the merchandise registration by the tablet terminal 20 is performed by the shopper. The work of reading product information such as a barcode with a scanner is unnecessary or reduced. For the store clerk, the work load can be reduced because the clerk can perform the transaction simply by receiving the rented tablet terminal 20 from the shopper and attaching it to the docking station 11. For the store, the multifunctional tablet terminal 20 can be used, so that the product sales form can be diversified. For shoppers, the waiting time is reduced. This leads to improved customer service.

  When the tablet terminal 20 is placed on the terminal lending counter 9, the tablet terminal 20 is in a suspend state for power saving, so that the consumption of the battery 70 of the tablet terminal 20 can be suppressed as much as possible. Operating time can be extended.

  In the above-described embodiment, the cart 5 is described as an example of the product carrier, but the product carrier is not limited to the cart 5 but may be a hand-held shopping basket. The tablet terminal 20 may be attached to the shopping basket.

  Generally, the sale of the merchandise sales data processing device is performed in a state where programs such as a control program are stored in the ROM. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a control program or the like separately transferred from the computer device may be written in a writable storage device included in the computer device in accordance with an operation of a user or the like. The transfer of the control program or the like can be performed by recording on a removable recording medium or by communication via a network. The recording medium may be in any form as long as it can store a program such as a CD-ROM or a memory card and can be read by an apparatus. Further, the function obtained by installing or downloading the program may be one that realizes the function in cooperation with an OS (Operating System) inside the apparatus.

In addition, although some embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These new embodiments can be implemented in other various forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are also included in the invention described in the claims and their equivalents.
Hereinafter, the inventions described in the claims of the present application will be additionally described.
[1] A stationary docking station, and a portable information terminal that can be attached to and detached from the docking station, and the information terminal reads data attached to a product. Reading means, registration means for registering read data of the reading means, display means for displaying the registered contents of the registration means, and registration information of the registration means when the information terminal is mounted on the docking station. Processing means for executing an accounting process for calculating an accounting amount based on the accounting data.
[2] The information terminal can be freely attached to and detached from a product carrier, and the information terminal displays a registration screen for product registration when the information terminal is attached to the product carrier. The merchandise sales data processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit.
[3] The merchandise sales data processing device according to [2], wherein the reading unit reads data attached to the merchandise in the merchandise carrier in a non-contact manner.
[4] An information terminal that is freely attachable to and detachable from the docking station, and is freely attachable to and detachable from a product carrier, and an input means for receiving input of data relating to sales of the product. A reading unit for reading data attached to a product in the product carrier; a registration unit for registering the input data received by the input unit and the read data of the reading unit; and a registration content of the registration unit. An information terminal comprising: a display unit; and a processing unit for executing an accounting process for calculating an accounting amount based on the registration content of the registration unit when the information terminal is attached to the docking station. .
[5] The information terminal according to appendix [4], further comprising: display means for displaying a registration screen for product registration when the information terminal is attached to the product carrier.
[6] An input unit that can be freely attached to and detached from a cart or basket for transporting goods, and that accepts input of data relating to sales of goods, and reads data attached to goods in the cart or the basket. In an information terminal including a reading unit and a computer, a registration unit that registers the computer with the input data received by the input unit and the read data of the reading unit, and a display unit that displays registered contents of the registration unit. A control program for functioning as processing means for executing an accounting process for calculating an accounting amount based on the registered content of the registration means.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... store, 2 ... entrance, 3 ... exit, 4 ... cart place, 5 ... cart, 5a ... accommodation part, 5b ... base plate, 11 ... docking station, 12 ... reading window, 13 ... receipt outlet, 14 ... terminal Attachment section, 15: expansion connector, 20: tablet terminal (information terminal), 21: touch panel display section, 61: CPU, 65: wireless tag reader, 69: docking connector, 71: cart mounting sensor.

Claims (7)

A portable information terminal,
A docking connector detachably connectable to a connector of the docking station,
Reading means for reading merchandise identification data attached to the merchandise;
Registration means for registering product sales data based on the product identification data read by the reading means,
Before the docking connector is connected to the connector of the docking station, a list of the product sales data registered by the registration unit is displayed on a display unit together with an operator for displaying an input screen for product search. First display means for performing
Second display means for displaying, on the display unit, an image indicating a display place of a product input through the input screen for product search,
On the condition that the docking connector is connected to the connector, information on accounting based on the read data registered by the registration means when the docking connector is not connected to the connector, Third display means for displaying together with a closing key for calculating the total amount;
An information terminal comprising:   The information terminal according to claim 1, wherein when the operator is operated, an input screen for searching for the product is displayed on a display unit instead of the list of the product sales data. A portable information terminal,
A docking connector detachably connectable to a connector of the docking station,
Reading means for reading merchandise identification data attached to the merchandise;
Registration means for registering product sales data based on the product identification data read by the reading means,
Before the docking connector is connected to the docking station connector, the list of the commodity sales data registered by the registration means is displayed on a display unit together with an operator for displaying an input screen for inventory confirmation. First display means for performing
Second display means for displaying, on the display unit, information on the stock of the product input through the input screen for checking stock,
On the condition that the docking connector is connected to the connector, information on accounting based on the read data registered by the registration means when the docking connector is not connected to the connector, Third display means for displaying together with a closing key for calculating the total amount;
An information terminal comprising:   4. The information terminal according to claim 3, wherein the second display unit displays, on the display unit, information related to stock of the product, together with an image indicating a display location of the product, which is input via the input screen for stock confirmation. 5.   5. The information terminal according to claim 3, wherein, when the operator is operated, the input screen for stock confirmation is displayed on a display unit instead of the product sales data list. Means for outputting the product sales data registered by the registration means to a device equipped with a receipt printer and issuing a receipt from the device;
The information terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising: A computer included in a portable information terminal including a docking connector detachably connectable to a connector included in the docking station, and reading means for reading product identification data attached to the product,
Registration means for registering product sales data based on the product identification data read by the reading means,
Before the docking connector is connected to the docking station connector, the list of the product sales data registered by the registration unit is displayed on a display unit together with an operator for displaying an input screen for product search. First display means for performing
Second display means for displaying, on the display unit, an image indicating a display place of a product input through the input screen for product search, and
On the condition that the docking connector is connected to the connector, information on accounting based on the read data registered by the registration means when the docking connector is not connected to the connector, Third display means for displaying together with a closing key for calculating the total amount,
Control program to function as

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