JP6780393B2 - Terminals, methods and programs - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to terminals, methods and programs.

Conventionally, when the ink remaining amount of the ink cartridge becomes less than the threshold value, the sales site is displayed on the display by performing a predetermined operation, and the terminal that can purchase the ink cartridge online through the sales site is available. It is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-093968

However, according to the terminal described in Patent Document 1, although it is possible to encourage the user to purchase the ink cartridge online, the ink cartridge is used for the user who actually visits the store such as a home electronics mass retailer. There is a problem that it is not possible to encourage purchase.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and can encourage a user who actually visits a store such as a home electric appliance mass retailer to purchase a product to be purchased (for example, a consumable such as an ink cartridge). The purpose is to provide terminals and the like.

In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of the present invention is a product information storage unit that stores product information indicating a product to be purchased, and a beacon that receives a beacon transmitted by short-range wireless communication from a beacon transmitter. The receiving unit, the determination unit for determining whether or not the product information stored in the product information storage unit is included in the beacon, and the determination unit determine that the product information is included in the beacon. In this case, the terminal is provided with an execution unit that executes a process corresponding to the product to be purchased.

According to this aspect, it is possible to provide a terminal capable of encouraging a user who actually visits a store such as a home appliance mass retailer to purchase a product to be purchased (for example, a consumable item such as an ink cartridge).

This is, for example, as a process in which the beacon receiving unit receives a beacon transmitted by short-range wireless communication from a beacon transmitter installed in a store such as a home electronics mass retailer, and the executing unit corresponds to the product to be purchased. This is due to the execution of a process of notifying that the product to be purchased is sold at the store.

Further, in the above invention, a preferred embodiment further includes a product information acquisition unit that acquires the product information from the device, and the product information storage unit stores the product information acquired by the product information acquisition unit. It is characterized by that.

According to this aspect, it is possible to provide a terminal capable of encouraging a user who actually visits a store such as a home appliance mass retailer to purchase a product to be purchased (for example, a consumable item such as an ink cartridge).

Further, in the above invention, a preferred embodiment is characterized in that the process corresponding to the purchase target product is a process for notifying that the purchase target product is being sold.

According to this aspect, it is possible to provide a terminal capable of encouraging a user who actually visits a store such as a home appliance mass retailer to purchase a product to be purchased (for example, a consumable item such as an ink cartridge).

Further, in the above invention, a preferred embodiment is that the process corresponding to the purchase target product is a process of notifying that the purchase target product is being sold, and the own terminal and the above based on the reception intensity of the beacon. It is characterized in that it is a process of obtaining a distance from a beacon transmitter and notifying the location of the product to be purchased based on the obtained distance.

According to this aspect, it is possible to provide a terminal capable of notifying a user who actually visits a store such as a home appliance mass retailer of the location of a product to be purchased.

This is because the execution unit executes a process of notifying the location of the purchase target product as a process corresponding to the purchase target product.

Further, in the above invention, a preferred embodiment is that the process of notifying that the product to be purchased is on sale uses at least one of screen display, voice output, vibration, and light emission by the light emitting unit to purchase the product. It is characterized in that it is a process of notifying that the target product is being sold.

According to this aspect, it is possible to provide a terminal capable of notifying a user who actually visits a store such as a home appliance mass retailer of the location of a product to be purchased.

Further, in the above invention, a preferred embodiment is characterized in that the distance between the own terminal and the beacon transmitter is determined by comparing the reference reception strength with the reception strength of the received beacon.

According to this aspect, it is possible to provide a terminal capable of notifying a user who actually visits a store such as a home appliance mass retailer of the location of a product to be purchased.

Further, in the above invention, a preferred embodiment is characterized in that the device is a printing device.

According to this aspect, it is possible to provide a terminal capable of encouraging a user who actually visits a store such as a home appliance mass retailer to purchase a product to be purchased (for example, a consumable item such as an ink cartridge).

Further, in the above invention, a preferred embodiment is characterized in that the short-range wireless communication is communication by BlueTooth Low Energy.

According to this aspect, it is possible to receive the beacon transmitted by the communication by Bluetooth Low Energy from the beacon transmitter.

Further, in order to achieve the above object, yet another aspect of the present invention is a beacon receiving process for receiving a beacon transmitted from a beacon transmitter by short-range wireless communication, and a purchase target stored in a product information storage unit. A determination step of determining whether or not the product information indicating the product is included in the beacon, and when the determination step determines that the product information is included in the beacon, the product corresponds to the purchase target product. It is characterized in that it is a method including an execution process for executing a process.

According to this aspect, it is possible to provide a method capable of encouraging a user who actually visits a store such as a home appliance mass retailer to purchase a product to be purchased (for example, a consumable item such as an ink cartridge).

This is, for example, as a process in which the beacon receiving process receives a beacon transmitted by short-range wireless communication from a beacon transmitter installed in a store such as a home electronics mass retailer, and the execution process corresponds to the product to be purchased. This is due to the execution of a process of notifying that the product to be purchased is sold at the store.

Further, in order to achieve the above object, another aspect of the present invention is that the terminal is stored in a beacon receiving unit and a product information storage unit that receive a beacon transmitted from a beacon transmitter by short-range wireless communication. A determination unit that determines whether or not product information indicating a purchase target product is included in the beacon, and when the determination unit determines that the product information is included in the beacon, it corresponds to the purchase target product. It is characterized in that it is a program for functioning as an execution unit that executes a process to be performed.

According to this aspect, it is possible to provide a program that can encourage a user who actually visits a store such as a home electronics mass retailer to purchase a product to be purchased (for example, a consumable item such as an ink cartridge).

This is, for example, as a process in which the beacon receiving unit receives a beacon transmitted by short-range wireless communication from a beacon transmitter installed in a store such as a home electronics mass retailer, and the executing unit corresponds to the product to be purchased. This is due to the execution of a process of notifying that the product to be purchased is sold at the store.

It is a figure which shows an example of the system configuration of the consumables purchase system 10 to which a terminal, a method and a program of this invention are applied. It is a schematic block diagram of a printing apparatus 20 and a terminal 40. It is a flowchart for demonstrating operation of printing apparatus 20. It is a flowchart for demonstrating operation (purchase process of an ink cartridge 26) of a terminal 40 at home. This is a display example indicating that the ink cartridge 26 displayed on the touch screen display 46 has disappeared. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the operation of the terminal 40 (the process of notifying that the ink cartridge 26 is sold, etc.) in a store such as a home appliance mass retailer. This is an example of a screen display indicating that the ink cartridge 26 displayed on the touch screen display 46 is on sale, and an example of a screen display notifying the location of the ink cartridge 26 to be purchased.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Corresponding components in each figure are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicate description is omitted.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration of a consumables purchasing system 10 to which the terminal, method and program of the present invention are applied.

As shown in FIG. 1, the consumables purchasing system 10 of the present embodiment includes a printing device 20, a terminal 40, and a beacon transmitter 50. Hereinafter, an example in which the purchase target (purchase target product) is the ink cartridge 26 (consumables) used by the printing apparatus 20 will be described.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of the printing device 20 and the terminal 40.

The printing device 20 is an inkjet printer, but is not limited to this, and may be, for example, a multi-function printer (MFP) including at least one of a scanner, a copier, and a facsimile machine and a printer. Good. Further, the printing device 20 may be a portable printer (mobile printer) that operates on the electric power supplied from the built-in battery, or may be a stationary printer that operates on the electric power supplied from the commercial power source. Good. The printing device 20 corresponds to the device of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 2, the printing device 20 mainly includes a first control unit 22, an ink remaining amount monitoring unit 24, an ink cartridge 26, an NFC tag reader 28, a first wireless communication unit 30, a printing mechanism 32, and the like. ..

The first control unit 22 includes a CPU 22a, a RAM 22b, a ROM 22c, and the like.

The first control unit 22 (CPU 22a) controls the operation of the entire printing device 20 by executing a predetermined program (control program or the like) read from the ROM 22c. The RAM 22b is used as a work area when the CPU 22a performs various arithmetic processes. The ROM 22c is, for example, a rewritable non-volatile memory such as a flash ROM, and stores firmware such as a control program.

The ink remaining amount monitoring unit 24 monitors the ink remaining amount in the ink cartridge 26 mounted on the printing device 20. The ink cartridge 26 may have one case (for example, black ink) or a plurality of ink cartridges 26 (for example, color ink).

The first control unit 22 (CPU 22a) functions as the ink remaining amount determination unit 22a1 by executing a predetermined program (control program or the like) read from the ROM 22c.

The ink remaining amount determination unit 22a1 determines whether or not the ink remaining amount monitored by the ink remaining amount monitoring unit 24 is equal to or less than the threshold value.

The ink cartridge 26 is provided with an NFC (Near Field Communication) tag 26a as a non-contact wireless IC tag such as an RFID (Radio Frequency-IDentification) tag. The NFC tag 26a includes a memory (not shown).

The NFC tag 26a (memory) stores identification information and the like of the ink cartridge 26.

The identification information of the ink cartridge 26 is, for example, the model number of the ink cartridge 26. The identification information of the ink cartridge 26 corresponds to the product information indicating the product to be purchased of the present invention.

The identification information of the ink cartridge 26 is written in the NFC tag 26a (memory) by a clerk at a store such as a home electronics mass retailer before the ink cartridge 26 is sold. The clerk writes the identification information of the ink cartridge 26 into the NFC tag 26a (memory) using the NFC tag writer.

The identification information of the ink cartridge 26 may be written in the NFC tag 26a (memory) at the manufacturing factory of the ink cartridge 26, for example, before the ink cartridge 26 is shipped to a store such as a home electronics mass retailer.

The NFC tag reader 28 reads the identification information of the ink cartridge 26 from the NFC tag 26a (memory) in a non-contact manner. The NFC tag reader 28 is provided in the vicinity of the ink cartridge 26 (NFC tag 26a) mounted on the printing apparatus 20.

The identification information of the ink cartridge 26 read by the NFC tag reader 28 is transmitted to the terminal 40 by the first wireless communication unit 30 in the form of a packet including the identification information of the ink cartridge 26.

The first wireless communication unit 30 is a communication unit that performs wireless communication (hereinafter referred to as BLE communication) according to BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy). BLE communication corresponds to the short-range wireless communication of the present invention.

When the ink remaining amount determination unit 22a1 determines that the ink remaining amount in the ink cartridge 26 is equal to or less than the threshold value, the first wireless communication unit 30 sets an advertisement packet (ADV_IND) for the purpose of establishing a connection toward the terminal 40. Send (broadcast) at intervals. The first wireless communication unit 30 establishes a connection with the terminal 40 that has received the advertisement packet.

Then, the first wireless communication unit 30 uses this connection to send a packet containing the identification information of the ink cartridge 26 read by the NFC tag reader 28 to the terminal 40 by BLE communication (near field communication). Send to.

Although not shown, the printing mechanism 32 includes an inkjet head (printing head) for ejecting ink droplets supplied from the ink cartridge 26, a paper feeding mechanism, and the like.

The terminal 40 is typically a smartphone, but is not limited to this, and may be, for example, a personal computer (PC), a tablet terminal, a mobile phone, or the like other than the smartphone.

As shown in FIG. 2, the terminal 40 mainly includes a second control unit 42, a second wireless communication unit 44, a touch screen display 46, a third wireless communication unit 48, and the like.

The second control unit 42 includes a CPU 42a, a RAM 42b, a ROM 42c, and the like.

The second control unit 42 (CPU 42a) controls the operation of the entire terminal 40 by executing a predetermined program (dedicated application program or the like) read from the ROM 42c. The RAM 42b is used as a work area when the CPU 42a performs various arithmetic processes. The ROM 42c is, for example, a rewritable non-volatile memory such as a flash ROM, and stores an OS (operating system; the same applies hereinafter) and a dedicated application program executed on the OS. Further, the ROM 42c includes a purchase processing execution date storage unit 42c1, a set value storage unit 42c2, and an ink cartridge identification information storage unit 42c3.

The purchase processing execution date storage unit 42c1 stores the execution date of the purchase processing executed last time.

The purchase processing execution interval (for example, 30 days) is stored as a set value in the set value storage unit 42c2. This set value is input by the user by operating the setting screen (not shown) displayed on the touch screen display 46 via the touch screen display 46, and is stored in the set value storage unit 42c2. Note that these setting values can be changed as appropriate. The ink cartridge identification information storage unit 42c3 stores the ink cartridge identification information included in the packet received by the second wireless communication unit 44. The ink cartridge identification information storage unit 42c3 corresponds to the product information storage unit of the present invention.

The second control unit 42 (CPU 42a) executes a predetermined program (dedicated application program or the like) read from the ROM 42c to execute the elapsed days determination unit 42a1, the purchase processing execution date update unit 42a2, the determination unit 42a3, and the execution unit 42a4. , Functions as a distance calculation unit 42a5.

In the elapsed days determination unit 42a1, the number of days elapsed from the execution date of the previously executed purchase processing stored in the purchase processing execution date storage unit 42c1 to the present is equal to or greater than the purchase processing execution interval stored in the set value storage unit 42c2. Determine if it has been done. The number of days elapsed from the date of the previous automatic purchase process to the present is specifically that the terminal 40 has purchased the same product as the purchase target product from the consumables sales site. Is the number of days elapsed until the date when the access information and the identification information are received from the printing device 20. However, it should be noted that the method of counting the number of elapsed days is appropriately changed by those skilled in the art according to the service form.

The purchase processing execution date update unit 42a2 updates the execution date of the previously executed purchase processing stored in the purchase processing execution date storage unit 42c1 to the execution date of the purchase processing executed this time (that is, today).

The determination unit 42a3 determines whether or not the ink cartridge identification information stored in the ink cartridge identification information storage unit 42c3 is included in the beacon to be described later received by the second wireless communication unit 44.

When the execution unit 42a4 determines that the ink cartridge identification information stored in the ink cartridge identification information storage unit 42c3 by the determination unit 42a3 is included in the beacon to be described later received by the second wireless communication unit 44, Execute the process corresponding to the product to be purchased.

The process corresponding to the product to be purchased is, for example, a process of notifying a user who actually visits a store such as a home electronics mass retailer that the ink cartridge 26 to be purchased is being sold, or a process to be purchased. This is a process for notifying the location of the ink cartridge 26. These notification processes will be described later.

The distance calculation unit 42a5 obtains the distance between the own terminal 40 and the beacon transmitter 50 based on the reception intensity of the beacon described later.

The second wireless communication unit 44 is a communication unit that performs BLE communication (short-range wireless communication), and receives a packet transmitted by BLE communication from the printing device 20. In this case, the second wireless communication unit 44 corresponds to the product information acquisition unit of the present invention. In addition, the second wireless communication unit 44 receives a beacon transmitted by BLE communication from the beacon transmitter 50. In this case, the second wireless communication unit 44 corresponds to the beacon receiving unit of the present invention.

The touch screen display 46 is a display with a touch panel, and also serves as an input unit and a display unit.

The third wireless communication unit 48 is a communication unit that performs wireless communication according to Wi-Fi (hereinafter referred to as Wi-Fi communication).

As shown in FIG. 1, the beacon transmitter 50 is installed near the ink cartridge section (consumables section) of a store such as a home electronics mass retailer.

As shown in FIG. 1, the beacon transmitter 50 includes a storage unit 52 such as a memory, a wireless communication unit 54, and the like. The beacon transmitter 50 may be operated by the electric power supplied from the built-in battery (for example, a button battery), or may be operated by the electric power supplied from the commercial power source.

The storage unit 52 stores identification information of at least one ink cartridge that can be sold by a store such as a consumer electronics mass retailer (for example, a model number; hereinafter, simply referred to as identification information of at least one ink cartridge).

The identification information of at least one ink cartridge stored in the storage unit 52 is notified to the terminal 40 in the form of an advertisement packet including the identification information of the at least one ink cartridge. This notification is given by the wireless communication unit 54.

The wireless communication unit 54 is a communication unit that performs BLE communication (short-range wireless communication), and transmits (broadcasts) advertisement packets containing identification information of at least one ink cartridge to the terminal 40 by BLE communication at regular intervals. To do. The type of this advertisement packet is an advertisement packet (ADV_NONCONN_IND) that is not intended to establish a connection. This advertisement packet corresponds to the beacon of the present invention.

Since one advertisement packet can contain about several tens of bytes, when the storage unit 52 stores the identification information of a plurality of ink cartridges, the identification information of the plurality of ink cartridges is stored in one. Cannot be sent as an advertisement packet. In this case, the identification information of the plurality of ink cartridges is divided into the identification information (group) of the plurality of ink cartridges, and the identification information (group) of each of the divided ink cartridges is sequentially transmitted in one advertisement packet.

Next, an example of the operation of the consumables purchasing system 10 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the printing device 20.

The process shown in FIG. 3 is executed, for example, at the home where the printing device 20 is installed, as shown in FIG.

First, when the user turns on the power switch (not shown) of the printing device 20 (step S10), the ink remaining amount monitoring unit 24 monitors the ink remaining amount in the ink cartridge 26 mounted on the printing device 20. Start (step S12).

Next, the ink remaining amount determination unit 22a1 determines whether or not the ink remaining amount monitored by the ink remaining amount monitoring unit 24 is equal to or less than the threshold value (step S13).

When it is determined that the ink remaining amount exceeds the threshold value (step S13: No), the ink remaining amount monitoring unit 24 transmits (broadcasts) an advertisement packet (ADV_IND) for the purpose of establishing a connection by the first wireless communication unit 30. It is determined whether or not this is done (step S14). Then, when it is determined that the advertisement packet is being transmitted (step S14: Yes), the first wireless communication unit 30 is controlled to stop the transmission of the advertisement packet (step S15). On the other hand, if it is determined in step S14 that the advertisement packet has not been transmitted (step S14: No), the process of step S15 is skipped. The ink remaining amount monitoring unit 24 restarts the ink remaining amount monitoring when the process of step S15 is completed or when it is determined that the advertisement packet has not been transmitted (step S14: No) (step S12). ).

On the other hand, when it is determined that the remaining amount of ink is equal to or less than the threshold value (step S13: Yes), the NFC tag reader 28 reads the identification information of the ink cartridge 26 from the NFC tag 26a (memory) provided in the ink cartridge 26 (step). S16).

Next, the first wireless communication unit 30 transmits (broadcasts) an advertisement packet (ADV_IND) for the purpose of establishing a connection to the terminal 40 at regular intervals (step S18). Then, the printing device 20 (first wireless communication unit 30) establishes a connection with the terminal 40 that has received the advertisement packet by executing a known process (step S20).

Then, the first wireless communication unit 30 uses this connection to transmit a packet including the identification information of the ink cartridge 26 read by the NFC tag reader 28 to the terminal 40 (step S22).

Next, the first wireless communication unit 30 disconnects the connection (step S24).

When the connection is disconnected, the processing of the flowchart of FIG. 3 ends.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the terminal 40 (purchase process of the ink cartridge 26) at home.

The process shown in FIG. 4 is executed, for example, at the home where the printing device 20 is installed, as shown in FIG.

First, the user turns on the power switch (not shown) of the terminal 40 (step S30) and starts the dedicated application program (step S32).

The terminal 40 (second wireless communication unit 44) determines whether or not the advertisement packet (ADV_IND) has been received from the printing device 20 (step S34). Then, when the advertisement is not received from the printing device 20, it is determined that the advertisement packet is not received (step S34: No), and the determination process of step S34 is executed again. The determination process in step S34 is repeatedly executed until the terminal 40 receives the advertisement packet transmitted from the printing device 20.

On the other hand, when the terminal 40 (second wireless communication unit 44) receives the advertisement packet from the printing device 20, it determines that the advertisement packet has been received (step S34: Yes), and executes a known process. A connection is established with the printing device 20 that is the source of the advertisement packet (step S35).

Next, the terminal 40 (second wireless communication unit 44) receives the packet including the identification information of the ink cartridge 26 transmitted from the printing device 20 (step S36). The identification information of the ink cartridge 26 included in the received packet is stored in the ink cartridge identification information storage unit 42c3.

Next, the elapsed days determination unit 42a1 stores the elapsed days from the last executed purchase process execution date stored in the purchase process execution date storage unit 42c1 to the present, and the purchase processing execution is stored in the set value storage unit 42c2. It is determined whether or not the interval or more has elapsed (step S38).

As a result, if it is determined that the elapse has not occurred (step S38: No), the determination process of step S34 is executed again.

On the other hand, when it is determined that the lapse has passed (step S38: Yes), the purchase processing execution date update unit 42a2 sets the execution date of the previously executed purchase processing stored in the purchase processing execution date storage unit 42c1 this time. It is updated on the execution date (that is, today) of the purchase processing to be executed (step S40).

Next, as shown in FIG. 1, the user and stores such as home appliance mass retailers are notified that the ink cartridge 26, which is a consumable item, has run out (to be exact, the ink in the ink cartridge 26 has run out). (Step S44).

The notification to the user is, for example, by the vibration function or the LED lighting function of the terminal 40, or by displaying the identification information of the consumable ink cartridge 26 and the fact that the ink cartridge 26 is exhausted on the touch screen display 46. , Will be realized. FIG. 5 is a display example indicating that the ink cartridge 26 displayed on the touch screen display 46 has disappeared.

In addition, the notification to the store such as the home appliance mass retailer informs the store such as the home appliance mass retailer that the identification information of the ink cartridge 26 and the fact that the ink cartridge 26 has disappeared by the telephone function of the third wireless communication unit 48 or the terminal 40. It is realized by.

The identification information of the ink cartridge 26 notified to the store of the home appliance mass retailer or the like is stored in the storage unit 52 of the beacon transmitter 50 by, for example, a clerk in the store of the home appliance mass retailer or the like. The identification information of the ink cartridge 26 is stored in the storage unit 52 of the beacon transmitter 50 when the ink cartridge 26 can be sold (for example, the ink cartridge 26 is in stock and the ink cartridge 26 is set aside. If you keep it). When the ink cartridge 26 cannot be sold (for example, when it is out of stock), the identification information of the ink cartridge 26 is not stored in the storage unit 52 of the beacon transmitter 50.

When the purchase process of the ink cartridge 26 is completed, the printing device 20 (first) is notified until the printing device 20 is notified and the currently installed ink cartridge 26 is replaced with the ink cartridge 26 purchased this time. It is desirable to stop the transmission of the advertisement packet by the wireless communication unit 30).

In this way, it is possible to prevent the purchase process of the ink cartridge 26 from being executed again by another terminal even though the purchase process of the ink cartridge 26 is executed by one terminal 40.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the terminal 40 (processing for notifying that the ink cartridge 26 is being sold, etc.) in a store such as a home electronics mass retailer.

The process shown in FIG. 6 is executed, for example, in a store such as a home appliance mass retailer in which the beacon transmitter 50 is installed, as shown in FIG.

In the following description, it is assumed that the beacon transmitter 50 (wireless communication unit 54) transmits (broadcasts) the beacon to the terminal 40 by BLE communication at regular intervals. The beacon is an advertisement packet containing identification information of at least one ink cartridge stored in the storage unit 52.

First, the user turns on the power switch (not shown) of the terminal 40 (step S50) and starts the dedicated application program (step S52).

The terminal 40 (second wireless communication unit 44) determines whether or not the beacon transmitted (transmitted) by the beacon transmitter 50 has been received (step S54). Then, when the beacon is not received from the beacon transmitter 50, it is determined that the beacon is not received (step S54: No), and the determination process of step S54 is executed again. The determination process in step S54 is repeatedly executed until the terminal 40 receives the beacon from the beacon transmitter 50.

On the other hand, when the terminal 40 (determination unit 42a3) receives the beacon from the beacon transmitter 50, it determines that the beacon has been received from the beacon transmitter 50 (step S54: Yes). Then, it is determined whether or not the ink cartridge identification information stored in the ink cartridge identification information storage unit 42c3 is included in the beacon received by the second wireless communication unit 44 (step S56). The reception of the beacon by the second wireless communication unit 44 corresponds to the beacon reception process of the present invention. Further, the determination by the determination unit 42a3 corresponds to the determination step of the present invention.

As a result, when it is determined that the ink cartridge identification information stored in the ink cartridge identification information storage unit 42c3 is not included in the beacon (step S56: No), that is, when the ink cartridge 26 cannot be sold. , End the process.

On the other hand, when it is determined that the ink cartridge identification information stored in the ink cartridge identification information storage unit 42c3 is included in the beacon (step S56: Yes), that is, when the ink cartridge 26 can be sold, the execution is executed. As a process for the product to be purchased, the unit 42a4 executes a process for notifying the user that the ink cartridge 26 to be purchased is sold (step S58). This corresponds to the execution step of the present invention.

The process of notifying that the ink cartridge 26 to be purchased is on sale uses, for example, at least one of screen display, audio output, vibration due to vibration, and light emission (lighting and blinking) by the light emitting unit. This is a process of notifying a user who actually visits a store such as a home appliance mass retailer that the ink cartridge 26 to be purchased is being sold.

The screen display is, for example, a screen display indicating that the ink cartridge 26 displayed on the touch screen display 46 of the terminal 40 is on sale. Reference numeral G1 in FIG. 7 indicates an example of screen display indicating that the ink cartridge 26 displayed on the touch screen display 46 is on sale.

The audio output is, for example, an audio output to the effect that the ink cartridge 26 is sold, which is output from an audio output device (not shown) such as a speaker included in the terminal 40.

The vibration due to vibration is, for example, vibration due to the vibration function of the terminal 40.

The lighting or blinking by the light emitting unit is, for example, lighting or blinking by a light emitting unit such as an LED included in the terminal 40.

Next, the execution unit 42a4 executes a process of guiding the sales floor of the ink cartridge 26 as a process for the product to be purchased (step S60).

In the process of guiding the sales floor of the ink cartridge 26, for example, the distance calculation unit 42a5 is the distance between the own terminal 40 and the beacon transmitter 50 based on the reception strength of the beacon received by the second wireless communication unit 44. Is a process for notifying the location of the ink cartridge 26 to be purchased based on the obtained distance.

The distance between the own terminal 40 and the beacon transmitter 50 is determined, for example, by comparing the reference reception strength (RSSI: Received Signal Strength Indication) with the reception strength of the received beacon. Reference numeral G2 in FIG. 7 indicates an example of a screen display for notifying the location of the ink cartridge 26 to be purchased.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide a terminal 40, a method, and a program capable of encouraging a user who actually visits a store such as a home appliance mass retailer to purchase an ink cartridge 26. ..

For example, the second wireless communication unit 44 receives a beacon transmitted by BLE communication from the beacon transmitter 50 installed in a store such as a home electronics mass retailer, and the execution unit 42a4 processes the product to be purchased. This is due to the execution of the process (step S58) of notifying that the ink cartridge 26 to be purchased is sold at the store.

Further, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to guide the user who actually visits the store such as a home appliance mass retailer to the sales floor of the ink cartridge 26, that is, to notify the location of the ink cartridge 26 to be purchased. It is possible to provide terminals 40, methods and programs that can be used.

This is because the execution unit 42a4 executes a process (step S60) of notifying the location of the ink cartridge 26 to be purchased as a process for the product to be purchased.

Next, a modified example will be described.

In the above embodiment, an example in which the purchase target is the ink cartridge 26 (consumable) used by the printing apparatus 20 has been described, but the purchase target is not limited to the consumables. For example, the purchase target may be a replacement part (finisher or paper feed unit) of the printing apparatus 20.

The processing executed in FIGS. 4 and 5 is not limited to the example executed by the CPU, and may be executed by another electronic component [for example, ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit)]. Further, the processes executed in FIGS. 4 and 5 may be distributed in a plurality of electronic devices (for example, a plurality of CPUs), or may be executed by the CPU and the ASIC operating in cooperation with each other. Good.

Further, in the above embodiment, the example in which the printing device 20 is used as the device has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a device other than the printing device 20 may be used.

All of the numerical values shown in the above embodiments are examples, and it goes without saying that an appropriate numerical value different from this can be used.

The above embodiments are merely exemplary in all respects. The description of the above embodiment does not limit the present invention. The present invention can be practiced in various other forms without departing from its spirit or key features.

10 ... Consumables purchase system, 20 ... Printing device, 22 ... First control unit, 22a ... CPU, 22a1 ... Ink remaining amount determination unit, 22b ... RAM, 22c ... ROM, 24 ... Ink remaining amount monitoring unit, 26 ... Ink Cartridge, 26a ... NFC tag, 28 ... NFC tag reader, 30 ... 1st wireless communication unit, 32 ... printing mechanism, 40 ... terminal, 42 ... 2nd control unit, 42a ... CPU, 42a1 ... elapsed days determination unit, 42a2 ... Purchase processing execution date update unit, 42a3 ... Judgment unit, 42a4 ... Execution unit, 42a5 ... Distance calculation unit, 42b ... RAM, 42c ... ROM, 42c1 ... Purchase processing execution date storage unit, 42c2 ... Set value storage unit, 42c3 ... Ink Cartridge identification information storage unit, 44 ... second wireless communication unit, 46 ... touch screen display, 48 ... third wireless communication unit, 50 ... beacon transmitter, 52 ... storage unit, 54 ... wireless communication unit.

Claims (10)

A product information storage unit that stores product information indicating products to be purchased,
Beacon receiver that receives beacons transmitted by short-range wireless communication from beacon transmitters,
A determination unit that determines whether or not the product information stored in the product information storage unit is included in the beacon, and
A terminal including an execution unit that executes a process corresponding to the purchase target product when the determination unit determines that the product information is included in the beacon. It also has a product information acquisition unit that acquires the product information from the device.
The terminal according to claim 1, wherein the product information storage unit stores the product information acquired by the product information acquisition unit. The terminal according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the process corresponding to the purchase target product is a process for notifying that the purchase target product is being sold. The process corresponding to the purchase target product is a process of notifying that the purchase target product is being sold, and obtaining the distance between the own terminal and the beacon transmitter based on the reception strength of the beacon. The terminal according to claim 1 or 2, which is a process of notifying the location of the product to be purchased based on the obtained distance. The process of notifying that the product to be purchased is being sold uses at least one of screen display, voice output, vibration, and light emission by the light emitting unit to notify that the product to be purchased is being sold. The terminal according to claim 3 or 4, which is a process to be performed. The terminal according to claim 4, wherein the distance between the own terminal and the beacon transmitter is determined by comparing the reference reception strength with the reception strength of the received beacon. The terminal according to claim 2, wherein the device is a printing device. The terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the short-range wireless communication is a communication by Bluetooth Low Energy. Beacon reception process that receives beacons transmitted by short-range wireless communication from beacon transmitters,
A determination process for determining whether or not the beacon contains product information indicating a product to be purchased stored in the product information storage unit, and
A method including an execution step of executing a process corresponding to the purchase target product when it is determined by the determination step that the product information is included in the beacon. Terminal,
Beacon receiver that receives beacons transmitted by short-range wireless communication from the beacon transmitter,
A determination unit for determining whether or not the beacon contains product information indicating a product to be purchased stored in the product information storage unit.
A program for functioning as an execution unit that executes a process corresponding to the purchase target product when the determination unit determines that the product information is included in the beacon.

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