JP7424910B2 - information processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to technology for promoting sales of foodstuffs.

As a mechanism for promoting sales of foodstuffs, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses that when foodstuffs are taken out by a purchaser from an automatic retail device, a video or media presentation containing advertising information and recommendation information corresponding to the taken out foodstuffs is displayed. A system for presentation on a display is disclosed.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2016-99833

An object of the present invention is to promote sales of other ingredients necessary for making a dish containing ingredients that a user is interested in.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a benefit information storage unit that stores a combination of two or more ingredients in association with benefit information regarding a benefit given to a user when the two or more ingredients are purchased in combination. and a food information storage section that stores food information regarding food materials that each user has purchased in the past or food materials that the user plans to purchase; a search unit that searches for cooking information regarding a dish that uses at least one of the ingredients listed in item No. 1 and an ingredient indicated by the ingredients information stored in the ingredients information storage unit; Then, out of the group of ingredients used in the dish indicated by the searched cooking information, ingredient information regarding a second ingredient that is given a benefit when purchased in combination with the first ingredient is retrieved from the ingredients information storage unit. an extraction unit for extracting, the benefit information given when the first food ingredient and the second food ingredient are purchased in combination, and the above-mentioned information regarding a dish using at least the first food ingredient and the second food ingredient. An information processing apparatus is provided, comprising: a presentation unit that presents cooking information and ingredient information regarding the extracted second ingredient on a user terminal of the user.

If there is a plurality of second ingredients that give a benefit when purchased in combination with the first ingredient picked up by the user, the presentation unit may select a dish using the second ingredient with a larger benefit. The priority of presentation may be set high for the cooking information related to the above-mentioned cooking information.

When there is a plurality of second foodstuffs to which a benefit is given when purchased in combination with the first foodstuff picked up by the user, the presentation unit selects the second foodstuffs that have a high priority set by the seller. The presentation priority may be set high for the cooking information regarding the cooking using the following ingredients.

The search unit compares one of the ingredients information stored in the ingredients information storage unit, the ingredients information that the user has purchased in the past, or the ingredients information about the ingredients that the user plans to purchase. The search may be performed by weighting the search results.

The foodstuff information storage unit may estimate and store the remaining amount of foodstuffs that the user has purchased in the past at the current time.

The search unit may estimate the number or amount of first ingredients picked up by the user, and search for cooking information according to the estimated number or amount of first ingredients.

When the user picks up the first food item and then returns it to the display location, the search unit may search for the first food product that was returned to the display location after the user took the action. The search priority may be set lower for cooking information related to a dish than for cooking information related to a dish that does not use the first ingredient.

The validity period of the benefit information is determined, and the presentation unit is configured to determine at least one of the timing when the user picks up the first food ingredient or the timing when the user picks up the second food ingredient. When the timing of is within the validity period, benefit information regarding a benefit given when the first food ingredient and the second food ingredient are purchased in combination may be presented.

The search unit includes a preference estimating unit that analyzes cooking information specified by a user from among the cooking information presented in the past to estimate the user's cooking preferences; The search may be performed using information regarding preferences.

The search unit includes an analysis unit that analyzes the cooking information specified by the user from among the cooking information presented in the past to analyze the nutritional balance of the user's meal, and the search unit The search may be performed using the results.

According to the present invention, it is possible to promote sales of other ingredients necessary for making a dish containing ingredients that a user is interested in.

1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a user terminal 10. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a server device 20. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a sales device 30. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a server device 20. FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating purchased ingredients information stored in the server device 20. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a cooking database stored in the server device 20. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a privilege database stored in a server device 20. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating information presented to a user on the user terminal 10. FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation of the information processing system 1. FIG.

[composition]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of an information processing system 1 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the information processing system 1 includes a plurality of user terminals 10 that are used by a plurality of users, a server device 20 that provides information on ingredients and cooking to these users, and a server device 20 that is connected to a convenience store, a supermarket, etc. The network 2 includes a plurality of vending devices 30 installed in a facility, and a network 2 including a wireless communication network or a wired communication network that communicably connects these devices. The user terminal 10 is a computer that can be connected to the network 2 via wireless, such as a smartphone, a wearable terminal, or a tablet. The server device 20 may be realized by a single computer, or may be realized by a collection of multiple computers. The vending device 30 includes a storage space for storing foodstuffs, and a plurality of foodstuffs are displayed at a display place provided in the storage space. The user can purchase this food material through a predetermined procedure.

In the information processing system 1, when a user becomes interested in a certain food ingredient sold by the sales device 30 and takes it out of the sales device 30 and picks it up, the information processing system 1 displays information regarding recipes for dishes containing the food ingredient. Furthermore, other ingredients necessary for making the dish are presented to the user along with information regarding benefits such as discounts and point provision. This allows users to learn about dishes that can be made with the ingredients they have on hand, as well as what other ingredients are needed to make that dish and how to purchase them. Then, you will be able to know what kind of benefits you can get. This makes it possible for a seller of foodstuffs to promote sales of the foodstuffs picked up by the user and other ingredients necessary to make the dish presented to the user.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of the user terminal 10. The user terminal 10 is physically configured as a computer including a processor 1001, a memory 1002, a storage 1003, a communication device 1004, an input device 1005, an output device 1006, a bus connecting these devices, and the like. Each of these devices is operated by power supplied from a power source (not shown). In addition, in the following description, the word "apparatus" can be read as a circuit, a device, a unit, etc. The hardware configuration of the user terminal 10 may be configured to include one or more of the devices shown in FIG. 2, or may be configured to not include some of the devices. Further, the user terminal 10 may be configured by communicatively connecting a plurality of devices each having a different housing.

Each function in the user terminal 10 is performed by loading predetermined software (programs) onto hardware such as the processor 1001 and memory 1002, so that the processor 1001 performs calculations, controls communication by the communication device 1004, and controls communication by the communication device 1004. This is realized by controlling at least one of data reading and writing in the storage 1003.

The processor 1001, for example, operates an operating system to control the entire computer. The processor 1001 may be configured by a central processing unit (CPU) including an interface with a peripheral device, a control device, an arithmetic device, a register, and the like. Further, for example, a baseband signal processing unit, a call processing unit, etc. may be realized by the processor 1001.

The processor 1001 reads programs (program codes), software modules, data, etc. from at least one of the storage 1003 and the communication device 1004 to the memory 1002, and executes various processes in accordance with the programs. As the program, a program that causes a computer to execute at least a part of the operations described below is used. Functional blocks of the user terminal 10 may be realized by a control program stored in the memory 1002 and operated on the processor 1001. Various types of processing may be executed by one processor 1001, or may be executed simultaneously or sequentially by two or more processors 1001. Processor 1001 may be implemented by one or more chips. Note that the program may be transmitted to the user terminal 10 via the network 2.

The memory 1002 is a computer-readable recording medium, and includes at least one of ROM (Read Only Memory), EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM), RAM (Random Access Memory), and the like. may be done. Memory 1002 may be called a register, cache, main memory, or the like. The memory 1002 can store executable programs (program codes), software modules, etc. for implementing the method according to the present embodiment.

The storage 1003 is a computer-readable recording medium, such as an optical disk such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc ROM), a hard disk drive, a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk (such as a compact disk, a digital versatile disk, or a Blu-ray disk). (registered trademark disk), smart card, flash memory (eg, card, stick, key drive), floppy disk, magnetic strip, etc. Storage 1003 may also be called an auxiliary storage device.

The communication device 1004 is hardware (transmission/reception device) for communicating between computers via the network 2, and is also referred to as, for example, a network device, a network controller, a network card, a communication module, or the like. The communication device 1004 is hardware (transmission/reception device) for communicating between computers via the network 2 in accordance with a communication standard such as LTE (Long Time Evolution), for example, when realizing wireless communication. The communication device 1004 includes, for example, a high frequency switch, a duplexer, a filter, a frequency synthesizer, etc. to realize at least one of frequency division duplex (FDD) and time division duplex (TDD). It may be composed of. Further, a transmitting/receiving antenna, an amplifier section, a transmitting/receiving section, a transmission line interface, etc. may be realized by this communication device 1004. The transmitting and receiving unit may be physically or logically separated into a transmitting unit and a receiving unit.

The input device 1005 is an input device (for example, a key, a microphone, a switch, a button, a camera, a sensor, a two-dimensional code reader, a GPS unit, various input interfaces, etc.) that accepts input from the outside. The output device 1006 is an output device (for example, a display, a speaker, an LED lamp, various output interfaces, etc.) that performs output to the outside. Note that the input device 1005 and the output device 1006 may have an integrated configuration (for example, a touch panel).

Each device, such as the processor 1001 and the memory 1002, is connected by a bus for communicating information. The bus may be configured using a single bus, or may be configured using different buses for each device.

The user terminal 10 includes hardware such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), and a field programmable gate array (FPGA). Alternatively, part or all of each functional block may be realized by the hardware. For example, processor 1001 may be implemented using at least one of these hardwares.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of the server device 20. The server device 20 is physically configured as a computer including a processor 2001, a memory 2002, a storage 2003, a communication device 2004, a bus connecting these, and the like. Each of these devices is operated by power supplied from a power source (not shown). The hardware configuration of the server device 20 may be configured to include one or more of each device shown in FIG. 3, or may be configured not to include some of the devices. Further, the server device 20 may be configured by communicatively connecting a plurality of devices each having a different housing.

Each function in the server device 20 is performed by loading predetermined software (programs) onto hardware such as the processor 2001 and the memory 2002, so that the processor 2001 performs calculations, controls communication by the communication device 2004, and controls the communication by the communication device 2004. This is realized by controlling at least one of data reading and writing in the storage 2003. The processor 2001, memory 2002, storage 2003, communication device 2004, and the bus that connects them are the same as the processor 1001, memory 1002, storage 1003, communication device 1004, and the bus that connects these described for the user terminal 10, and the hardware. Since they are the same, their explanation will be omitted. Note that the server device 20 may or may not include hardware equivalent to the input device 1005 or output device 1006 of the user terminal 10.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of the sales device 30. The sales device 30 is physically configured as a computer including a processor 3001, a memory 3002, a storage 3003, a communication device 3004, an input device 3005, an output device 3006, a drive mechanism 3007, a bus connecting these, and the like. The vending device 30 is provided with a storage space for storing foodstuffs, such as a refrigerating room, a freezing room, an insulating room, or a room temperature room. A drive mechanism 3007 drives a lock mechanism of an opening/closing door that separates this housing space from an outside space. The input device 3005 includes a camera as an imaging unit. Each of these devices is operated by power supplied from a power source (not shown). The hardware configuration of the vending device 30 may be configured to include one or more of each device shown in FIG. 4, or may be configured not to include some of the devices. Further, the sales device 30 may be configured by communicatively connecting a plurality of devices each having a different housing.

Each function in the vending device 30 is performed by loading predetermined software (programs) onto hardware such as a processor 3001 and a memory 3002, so that the processor 3001 performs calculations, controls communication by a communication device 3004, and controls communication by a communication device 3004. This is realized by controlling at least one of data reading and writing in the storage 3003. The processor 3001, memory 3002, storage 3003, communication device 3004, input device 3005, output device 3006, and the bus connecting these devices are the same as the processor 1001, memory 1002, storage 1003, communication device 1004, and input device 1005 described for the user terminal 10. , the output device 1006, and the bus that connects them are the same in terms of hardware, so a description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the information processing system 1. As shown in FIG. By cooperating with the above hardware in the server device 20, the acquisition section 21, the discrimination section 22, the ingredients information storage section 23, the cooking information storage section 24, the search section 25, the bonus information storage section 26, the extraction section 27, and the presentation section. 28 functions are realized.

The acquisition unit 21 acquires various types of information from the user terminal 10 or the sales device 30 via the network 2. For example, the acquisition unit 21 acquires image data captured by a camera of the vending device 30 from the vending device 30 via the network 2 .

The determining unit 22 analyzes the image data acquired from the vending device 30 by the acquiring unit 21, and determines which food item was held in the user's hand, and whether the food item was placed in a shopping basket held by the user. It is determined whether the food material has been returned to the display location of the vending device 30. Specifically, the discrimination unit 22 analyzes the image data using image analysis techniques such as feature extraction and pattern matching, and determines the positions of the user's hand, the food, and the basket based on their respective external appearances. Based on these positional relationships, food items held in the user's hand, food items placed in a shopping basket, and food items returned to the display area are determined.

The foodstuff information storage unit 23 stores foodstuffs information about foodstuffs that each user has purchased in the past or foodstuffs that the user plans to purchase. The foodstuffs that the user has purchased in the past are the foodstuffs that the user has paid for and purchased in the past using the sales device 30. The foodstuffs that the user plans to purchase are the foodstuffs that are currently being taken out of the vending device 30 and placed in the shopping basket by the user. As illustrated in FIG. 6, the ingredients information storage unit 23 stores each user's user identification information, ingredients identification information (in this case, the name of the ingredients), and information about ingredients purchased in the past or those to be purchased. It is stored as food information in association with discrimination information that means something different. In the example of FIG. 6, for example, the user with the user identification information “UID001” has purchased “cabbage” and “onions” in the past, and is currently taking out “carrots” and “minced beef and pork” from the vending device 30. It is shown that the item is placed in a shopping basket.

The cooking information storage unit 24 stores a cooking database including cooking information as illustrated in FIG. This cooking database includes cooking information in which cooking identification information (in this case, cooking name) of each dish is associated with a recipe including ingredients, cooking procedures, etc. of the dish. The ingredients for a dish include the ingredient identification information (name of the ingredient) of the ingredients necessary to make the dish, and the number or amount of ingredients necessary to make the dish for a predetermined number of people (for example, for one person). Contains. For example, the recipe for curry rice illustrated in FIG. 7 includes information regarding ingredients such as onions, potatoes, beef, and curry roux, and their cooking procedures.

When the determining unit 22 determines that the user has taken out a certain food ingredient (referred to as a first food ingredient) from the vending device 30 and picked it up, the search unit 25 retrieves the first food ingredient and cooking information. Search for cooking information regarding dishes that use at least other ingredients indicated by the cooking information stored in the storage unit 24 (that is, ingredients that each user has purchased in the past or ingredients that the user plans to purchase) do. In other words, the search unit 25 searches the cooking information stored in the cooking information storage unit 24 for cooking information in which the first ingredient and the other ingredients are used as ingredients. Note that the server device 20 does not need to store the cooking database itself as illustrated in FIG. 7, and the search unit 25 may search an external database that stores such cooking information. That is, for example, the search unit 25 uses the first ingredient discriminated by the discriminator 22 and other ingredients stored in the cooking information storage unit 24 as a search key, and uses a storage device on the Internet or a Alternatively, a storage device may be searched.

As illustrated in FIG. 8, the benefit information storage unit 26 stores a combination of two or more ingredients in association with benefit information regarding a benefit given to the user when the combination of the two or more ingredients is purchased. . The benefit information has a fixed validity period, which is the period during which the benefit is granted. In the example of FIG. 8, if the user purchases a combination of "potatoes" and "curry roux" between 10:00 and 12:00 on October 1st, the purchase price of these "potatoes" and "curry roux" It is shown that the user will be given a benefit of 5% off from. Two or more ingredients that, when purchased in combination in this way, give the user a benefit are hereinafter referred to as foods with benefits. Note that in this embodiment, the privilege is given to the user only when two or more food items with privileges are purchased in one payment.

The extraction unit 27 extracts ingredient information regarding a second ingredient that is given a benefit when purchased in combination with the first ingredient, from among the ingredient groups used in the dish indicated by the cooking information searched by the search unit 25. . In other words, the first food material and the second food material are food materials with special benefits that are given to the user when purchased in combination. For example, in the examples of FIGS. 6 to 8, when the user picks up the first ingredient (potato), the first ingredient (potato) and the cooking information stored in the cooking information storage unit 24 indicate The search unit 25 searches for dishes (curry and rice) that use at least other ingredients (cabbage, onions, carrots, ground beef, pork, etc.), and further searches for dishes (curry and rice) that use at least other ingredients (cabbage, onions, carrots, ground beef, pork, etc.) The extracting unit 27 extracts a second ingredient (curry roux) that is given a benefit when purchased in combination with the first ingredient (potato). Here, if the timing at which the user first picks up at least one of the two or more special food ingredients is within the validity period explained in FIG. 8, the timing at which the user picks up other food ingredients Even if it is not within its validity period, the benefit will be granted to the user. For example, if the timing when the user first picks up one of the food ingredients A and B with special benefits is within the validity period, even if the timing when the user picks up the food ingredient B is not within the validity period, Users are given benefits. In addition, even if the timing when the user first picks up one of the food ingredients A and B with benefits is not within the validity period, the timing when the user picks up the other food ingredient B is within the validity period. If so, the user will be given a benefit. Also, of course, even if the timing when the user picks up Ingredient A and the timing when he picks up Ingredient B among the ingredients A and B with benefits are both within the validity period, the user will of course receive the benefits. be done.

The presentation unit 28 provides benefit information regarding benefits provided when the first ingredient and the second ingredient are purchased in combination, and the dish searched by the search unit 25 (here, after all, the first ingredient and the second ingredient). The cooking information regarding the second food ingredient extracted by the extraction unit 27 is transmitted to the user terminal 10 via the network 2. Thereby, the user terminal 10 presents the benefit information, cooking information, and ingredients information to the user by displaying or other methods. Here, FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating this information presented at the user terminal 10. In Figure 9, the benefit information regarding the benefits that are given when purchasing a combination of the first ingredient (potatoes) and the second ingredient (curry roux) is shown as ``If you buy potatoes and curry roux, you can get it now.'' To display the message "Let's make curry and rice using these" and its recipe as cooking information about a dish that uses at least the first ingredient and the second ingredient. A soft button "Recipe" which is a hyperlink and the food name "Curry Roux" are displayed as food information regarding the second food material. In addition to this information, the presentation unit 28 also displays information regarding other ingredients necessary to make curry and rice (that is, ingredients that the user has purchased in the past or ingredients that the user plans to purchase). (For example, a message such as "We already have the onions and carrots needed to make curry and rice") may be presented.

[motion]
Next, the operation of the information processing system 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 10. In the following description, when the server device 20 is described as the main body of processing, specifically, by loading predetermined software (program) onto hardware such as the processor 2001 and the memory 2002, the processor 2001 This means that processing is executed by performing calculations and controlling communication by the communication device 2004 and reading and/or writing of data in the memory 2002 and the storage 2003. The same applies to the user terminal 10 and the sales device 30.

First, the user goes to the vending machine 30 and operates the user terminal 10 to start a predetermined program. A two-dimensional code in which device identification information, which is identification information of the vending device 30, is encoded is written on the front of the vending device 30 or the like. When the user reads this two-dimensional code by capturing an image with the camera of the user terminal 10 (step S1), the user terminal 10 transfers the read device identification information and the user identification information stored in the own terminal to the network 2. via the server device 20 (step S10).

After the server device verifies the validity of these identification information by comparing it with those registered in advance, etc., the server device issues an unlocking command that instructs the vending device 30 identified by the device identification information to unlock the door. The instruction is transmitted via the network 2 (step S11). In response to this, the vending device 30 unlocks the door. This allows the user to access the ingredients in the vending device 30.

When the user opens the door of the vending device 30 and picks up the food of interest, the camera of the vending device 30 captures an image of the situation (step S12), and image data (here, video data) representing the captured image is generated. are sequentially transmitted to the server device 20 (step S13). The acquisition unit 21 in the server device 20 acquires this image data from the sales device 30 via the network 2.

The determining unit 22 in the server device 20 analyzes the image data acquired from the vending device 30 and determines which food item was held in the user's hand, and whether the food item was placed in a shopping basket held by the user. It is determined whether the food material has been returned to the display location (step S14). Here, the information regarding the foodstuffs placed in the shopping basket is stored in the foodstuff information storage unit 23 as information regarding the foodstuffs to be purchased.

Next, in the server device 20, when the determination unit 22 determines that the user has picked up a certain food ingredient (referred to as the first food ingredient), the search unit 25 searches for the first food ingredient and the dish. Cooking information regarding a dish using at least other ingredients indicated by the cooking information stored in the information storage unit 24 is searched (step S15).

Next, in the server device 20, the extracting unit 27 selects a second ingredient from among the ingredient group used in the dish indicated by the cooking information searched by the searching unit 25, which provides a benefit when purchased in combination with the first ingredient. Food information regarding the food is extracted (step S16).

Then, in the server device 20, the presentation unit 28 provides bonus information that is given when the first ingredient and the second ingredient are purchased in combination, dishes related to dishes using at least the first ingredient and the second ingredient. The information and food information regarding the extracted second food material are transmitted as presentation information to the user terminal 10 via the network 2 (step S17). The user terminal 10 presents this presentation information to the user by a method such as display (step S18).

Note that payments for ingredients are made using a predetermined method. For example, when the door of the vending device 30 is closed by the user, the server device 20 may make a payment regarding the ingredients placed in the shopping basket, or the user may go to a manned cash register and make the payment. . The ingredients for which the price has been paid are stored in the ingredients information storage unit 23 as information regarding the purchased ingredients. Information regarding purchased ingredients is deleted from the ingredients information storage unit 23, for example, when a predetermined period of time for each ingredient has elapsed or when the user terminal 10 or the like notifies that the ingredient has been consumed by the user.

According to the embodiment described above, it is possible to promote sales of other ingredients necessary for making a dish containing the ingredient that the user is interested in.

[Modified example]
The invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. The embodiment described above may be modified as follows. Furthermore, two or more of the following modifications may be implemented in combination.
[Modification 1]
If there is a plurality of second ingredients for which a benefit is given when purchased in combination with the first ingredient picked up by the user, the presentation unit 28 selects a dish using the second ingredient for which the value of the benefit is greater. The presentation priority may be set higher for the cooking information related to. Regarding the presentation priority here, when the presentation is by display, the display area that is considered to be the most conspicuous (for example, the top display area when the screen scroll of the user terminal 10 is up and down) is set as the highest. It is conceivable to set the priority to a display area that is considered to be the least conspicuous (for example, the bottom display area when the screen of the user terminal 10 scrolls up and down) to the lowest priority.

[Modification 2]
The above-mentioned presentation priority may be arbitrarily set by the food seller. In other words, if there is a plurality of second ingredients that are given a benefit when purchased in combination with the first ingredient picked up by the user, the presentation unit 28 displays the second ingredient with a higher priority set by the seller. The priority of presentation may be set higher for cooking information regarding dishes using these ingredients. The priorities set by the seller are stored in the ingredients information storage section 23.

[Modification 3]
When searching for cooking information, purchased ingredients may be searched with priority over ingredients to be purchased, or ingredients to be purchased may be searched with priority over purchased ingredients. The former is suitable for searching for dishes that mainly contain ingredients that the user has already purchased, i.e. ingredients that the user must consume quickly, while the latter is suitable for searching for dishes that mainly contain ingredients that the user has placed in the shopping basket, i.e. that the user has to consume quickly. This is suitable for searching for dishes that mainly contain the ingredients that you would like to eat. Here, to search with priority means to give weight when searching. For example, searching by giving more weight to ingredient Y than ingredient X means searching for dishes in which the number or amount of ingredient Y is greater than the number or amount of ingredient It is. In addition, for example, searching by giving more weight to ingredient Y than ingredient It may also be possible to output the dishes that are more popular as search results as higher-ranking dishes. In this way, the search unit 25 searches for either one of the ingredients information stored in the ingredients information storage unit 23, the ingredients information that the user has purchased in the past, or the ingredients information that the user is planning to purchase. The search may be performed by weighting one of the two compared to the other.

[Modification 4]
The food information storage unit 23 may estimate and store the remaining amount of food items that the user has purchased in the past at the current time. Then, the search unit 25 may search for cooking information regarding dishes that can be made within the remaining amount of the ingredients at the current time. Estimation of the remaining amount of food ingredients at the current time can be realized, for example, by inputting the number or amount of food ingredients remaining at the current time out of the food items purchased by the user into the user terminal 10 and notifying the server device 20. Further, from the time when the food information is stored in the food information storage unit 23 as having been purchased, the remaining amount of the food may be gradually reduced over time at a pace depending on the food. Then, the search unit 25 searches for cooking information in consideration of the remaining amount of the first ingredient picked up by the user and other ingredients stored in the cooking information storage unit 24.

[Modification 5]
Cooking information may be searched taking into account the amount of ingredients the user has in hand. That is, the search unit 25 may estimate the number or amount of first ingredients picked up by the user, and search for cooking information according to the estimated number or amount of first ingredients. The amount of food in a user's hand can be estimated from the appearance of the food (especially the size of the food when compared to the size of the user's hand) using image analysis techniques such as feature extraction and pattern matching. be.

[Modification 6]
If there is a food ingredient Z that the user takes out from the vending device 30, once picks up, and then returns to the display area of the vending device 30, the above-mentioned items will be displayed when the user picks up other food items from then on. Dishes that include ingredient Z may be excluded from the search for dish information. This is because it is presumed that the user has decided that the foodstuffs that the user has returned to the display area of the vending device 30 are foodstuffs that the user does not want to eat. In other words, when the user picks up the first food ingredient and then returns it to the display location, the search unit 25 retrieves the first food product that was returned to the display location after the user takes the action. The search priority may be set lower for cooking information related to the dish used, compared to cooking information related to a dish that does not use the first ingredient. Here, lowering the priority of the search means that cooking information about dishes using the first ingredient is excluded from search targets, or cooking information about dishes in which the usage amount of the first ingredient is more than a threshold value is excluded from search targets. A possible example is to do so.

[Modification 7]
In the case where the server device 20 includes a setting section for setting the number of people eating food, the search section 25, when searching for information on dishes corresponding to the number of people eating the food, searches for information on dishes corresponding to the number of people eating the food. If there is no information, information regarding the amount of food that can be prepared within the estimated number or amount may be searched. For example, if it is set to make a dish for 4 people, and cooking information for 4 people cannot be retrieved because the estimated number or amount of ingredients is small, for example, cooking information for 2 people will be retrieved. If possible, cooking information for those two people may be output as a search result.

[Modification 8]
Preferences regarding cooking may be analyzed from the user's past cooking history, and cooking information that matches such preferences may be searched. Preferences regarding cooking include, for example, liking hot dishes, liking nutritionally balanced dishes, and liking dishes with few calories. For this reason, the dish database illustrated in FIG. 7 includes attribute information for each dish, such as hot/cold, information regarding nutrients, and low/high calorie content. In this way, the server device 20 includes a preference estimating unit that analyzes cooking information specified by a user from among cooking information presented in the past and estimates the user's cooking preferences, and the search unit 25 The search may be performed using information regarding estimated preferences.

[Modification 9]
The server device 20 includes an analysis unit that analyzes the cooking information specified by the user from among the cooking information presented in the past to analyze the nutritional balance of the user's meal, and the search unit 25 uses the analysis unit to analyze the nutritional balance of the user's meal. A search may be performed using the analyzed results. Specifically, if the analysis results indicate that the nutritional balance of the dishes the user has taken in the past indicates that they lack vitamins or are high in carbohydrates, the search unit 25 searches for dishes that are high in vitamins or low in carbohydrates. Find information. Therefore, the dish database illustrated in FIG. 7 includes information regarding the nutrients of each dish.

[Modification 10]
The method of selling foodstuffs according to the present invention is not limited to one using the vending device 30 that performs so-called automatic vending as exemplified in the embodiment, but can also be a normal selling method at a supermarket, convenience store, etc. good. In this case, a camera like the one included in the sales device 30 according to the embodiment is installed in a supermarket or convenience store. In addition, the identification of food held in the user's hand, food placed in a shopping basket, and food returned to the display area is not limited to image data; for example, non-contact IC or short-range wireless communication can be used. This can be realized using any technique such as.

[Other variations]
It should be noted that the block diagram used to explain the above embodiment shows blocks in functional units. These functional blocks (components) are realized by any combination of at least one of hardware and software. Furthermore, the method for realizing each functional block is not particularly limited. That is, each functional block may be realized using one physically or logically coupled device, or may be realized using two or more physically or logically separated devices directly or indirectly (e.g. , wired, wireless, etc.) and may be realized using a plurality of these devices. The functional block may be realized by combining software with the one device or the plurality of devices.

Functions include judgment, decision, judgment, calculation, calculation, processing, derivation, investigation, exploration, confirmation, reception, transmission, output, access, resolution, selection, selection, establishment, comparison, assumption, expectation, consideration, These include, but are not limited to, broadcasting, notifying, communicating, forwarding, configuring, reconfiguring, allocating, mapping, and assigning. I can't. For example, a functional block (configuration unit) that performs transmission is called a transmitting unit or a transmitter. In either case, as described above, the implementation method is not particularly limited.

For example, the server device 20 in an embodiment of the present disclosure may function as a computer that performs processing of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the user terminal 10 may implement the functions of the server device 20 in an embodiment of the present disclosure. In other words, the user terminal 10 has a receipt data acquisition unit that acquires receipt data including identification information and price of each food ingredient purchased by the user, and a receipt data acquisition unit that acquires receipt data including identification information and price of each food ingredient purchased by the user, and a receipt data acquisition unit that acquires receipt data including identification information and price of each food ingredient purchased by the user, and A purchase quantity estimating unit that estimates the number or amount of each ingredient based on the above and one or more ingredients included in the acquired receipt data is used to make the product within the estimated number or amount of the ingredient. The information processing device may function as an information processing device that includes a search unit that searches for cooking information regarding possible dishes, and an output unit that outputs the searched cooking information.

Each aspect/embodiment described in this disclosure applies to LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE-A (LTE-Advanced), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4G (4th generation mobile communication system), and 5G (5th generation mobile communication system). system), FRA (Future Radio Access), NR (new Radio), W-CDMA (registered trademark), GSM (registered trademark), CDMA2000, UMB (Ultra Mobile Broadband), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi (registered trademark) )), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.20, UWB (Ultra-WideBand), Bluetooth (registered trademark), and systems that utilize and are extended based on these. It may be applied to at least one next generation system. Furthermore, a combination of a plurality of systems may be applied (for example, a combination of at least one of LTE and LTE-A and 5G).

The order of the processing procedures, sequences, flowcharts, etc. of each aspect/embodiment described in this disclosure may be changed as long as there is no contradiction. For example, the methods described in this disclosure use an example order to present elements of the various steps and are not limited to the particular order presented.

The input/output information may be stored in a specific location (eg, memory) or may be managed using a management table. Information etc. to be input/output may be overwritten, updated, or additionally written. The output information etc. may be deleted. The input information etc. may be transmitted to other devices.

Judgment may be made using a value expressed by 1 bit (0 or 1), a truth value (Boolean: true or false), or a comparison of numerical values (for example, a predetermined value). (comparison with a value).

Although the present disclosure has been described in detail above, it is clear to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described in the present disclosure. The present disclosure can be implemented as modifications and variations without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as determined by the claims. Therefore, the description of the present disclosure is for the purpose of illustrative explanation and is not intended to have any limiting meaning on the present disclosure.

Software refers to instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software, whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or by any other identifier. Should be interpreted broadly to mean a module, application, software application, software package, routine, subroutine, object, executable, thread of execution, procedure, functionality, etc. Additionally, software, instructions, information, etc. may be sent and received via a transmission medium. For example, if the software uses wired technology (coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), etc.) and/or wireless technology (infrared, microwave, etc.) to When transmitted from a server or other remote source, these wired and/or wireless technologies are included within the definition of transmission medium.

The information, signals, etc. described in this disclosure may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, chips, etc., which may be referred to throughout the above description, may refer to voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, light fields or photons, or any of these. It may also be represented by a combination of
Note that terms explained in this disclosure and terms necessary for understanding this disclosure may be replaced with terms having the same or similar meanings.

In addition, the information, parameters, etc. described in this disclosure may be expressed using absolute values, relative values from a predetermined value, or using other corresponding information. may be expressed.

As used in this disclosure, the phrase "based on" does not mean "based solely on" unless explicitly stated otherwise. In other words, the phrase "based on" means both "based only on" and "based at least on."

As used in this disclosure, any reference to elements using the designations "first," "second," etc. does not generally limit the amount or order of those elements. These designations may be used in this disclosure as a convenient way to distinguish between two or more elements. Thus, reference to a first and second element does not imply that only two elements may be employed or that the first element must precede the second element in any way.

The "unit" in the configuration of each device described above may be replaced with "means", "circuit", "device", etc.

Where "include", "including" and variations thereof are used in this disclosure, these terms, like the term "comprising," are inclusive. It is intended that Furthermore, the term "or" as used in this disclosure is not intended to be exclusive or.

In this disclosure, when articles are added by translation, such as a, an, and the in English, the present disclosure may include that the nouns following these articles are plural.

In the present disclosure, the term "A and B are different" may mean "A and B are different from each other." Note that the term may also mean that "A and B are each different from C". Terms such as "separate" and "coupled" may also be interpreted similarly to "different."

1: Information processing system, 2: Network, 10: User terminal, 20: Server device, 21: Acquisition unit, 22: Discrimination unit, 23: Foodstuff information storage unit, 24: Cooking information storage unit, 25: Search unit, 26 : Benefit information storage unit, 27: Extraction unit, 28: Presentation unit, 1001: Processor, 1002: Memory, 1003: Storage, 1004: Communication device, 1005: Input device, 1006: Output device, 2001: Processor, 2002: Memory , 2003: Storage, 2004: Communication device, 30: Sales device, 3001: Processor, 3002: Memory, 3003: Storage, 3004: Communication device, 3005: Input device, 3006: Output device, 3007: Drive mechanism.

Claims (10)

a benefit information storage unit that associates and stores a combination of two or more ingredients and benefit information regarding a benefit given to a user when the combination of the two or more ingredients is purchased;
a food information storage unit that stores food information regarding food materials that each user has purchased in the past or food materials that the user plans to purchase;
When a user picks up a first ingredient, a search unit that searches for cooking information regarding a dish that uses at least the first ingredient and the ingredient indicated by the ingredients information stored in the ingredient information storage unit. and,
With reference to the contents stored in the benefit information storage section, among the ingredients used in the dish indicated by the searched dish information, the first ingredient that will receive a benefit when purchased in combination with the first ingredient is selected. an extraction unit that extracts ingredient information regarding the ingredient 2;
The benefit information given when purchasing a combination of the first ingredient and the second ingredient, the cooking information regarding a dish using at least the first ingredient and the second ingredient, and extraction. and a presentation unit that causes a user terminal of the user to present ingredient information regarding the second ingredient that has been selected. The presentation unit includes:
If there is a plurality of second ingredients that are given a benefit when purchased in combination with the first ingredient picked up by the user, the cooking information regarding the dish using the second ingredient that provides a large benefit. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the priority of presentation is set high. The presentation unit includes:
If there is a plurality of second ingredients that are given benefits when purchased in combination with the first ingredient picked up by the user, the second ingredient with a higher priority set by the seller is used. The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cooking information related to cooking is given a high presentation priority. The search section includes:
Among the food information stored in the food information storage unit, one of food information about food products that the user has purchased in the past or food information about food products that the user plans to purchase is weighted compared to the other. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the search is performed using a search function. The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the ingredients information storage unit estimates and stores the remaining amount of ingredients at the present time among ingredients purchased by the user in the past. . The search unit estimates the number or amount of first ingredients picked up by the user, and searches for cooking information according to the estimated number or amount of first ingredients. 5. The information processing device according to any one of 5. When the user picks up the first food item and then returns it to the display location, the search unit may search for the first food product that was returned to the display location after the user took the action. The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the search priority for cooking information related to a dish is lower than that for cooking information related to a dish that does not use the first ingredient. . The above benefit information has a fixed validity period,
The presentation unit is configured to provide information when at least one of the timing when the user picks up the first food ingredient or the timing when the user picks up the second food ingredient is within the range of the validity period. The information according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the information regarding the benefit that is given when the first food ingredient and the second food ingredient are purchased in combination is presented to the customer. Processing equipment. comprising a preference estimating unit that analyzes cooking information specified by the user among the cooking information presented in the past and estimates the user's cooking preferences;
The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the search unit performs the search using information regarding preferences estimated by the preference estimation unit. an analysis unit that analyzes the cooking information specified by the user among the cooking information presented in the past to analyze the nutritional balance in the user's meal;
The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the search unit performs the search using a result analyzed by the analysis unit.

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