JP7482844B2 - Delivery management system, delivery management method, and program - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a delivery management system, a delivery management method, and a program.

Patent document 1 discloses an example of a delivery system. In the delivery system, the estimated delivery time of the product is presented to the user who has ordered the product.

JP 2004-179742 A

However, in the delivery system of Patent Document 1, the estimated delivery time is input by the store that provides the product after the user places an order for the product. Therefore, the user cannot know how long it will take for the product to be delivered before placing an order.

The present disclosure is directed to solving such problems. The present disclosure provides a delivery management system, delivery management method, and program that can calculate an estimated delivery time for a product before a user places an order for the product.

The delivery management system according to the present disclosure includes a resource management unit that manages delivery resource information including information on multiple delivery resources, a receiving unit that receives information identifying a product supply base and information on a delivery destination area that is an area including the delivery destination from a sales system that has received a request for an estimated delivery time for a product to a delivery destination from a user's user terminal, and an estimate calculation unit that calculates an estimated delivery time before the sales system receives an order for the product from the user terminal based on the information identifying the supply base and the information on the delivery destination area received by the receiving unit from the sales system, as well as the delivery resource information managed by the resource management unit.

The delivery management method according to the present disclosure is a delivery management method in which a computer calculates an estimated delivery time for a product to a delivery destination, and includes receiving, from a sales system that has received a request for an estimated delivery time from a user's user terminal, information identifying a product supply base and information on a delivery destination area that is an area that includes the delivery destination, and calculating, before the sales system receives an order for the product from the user terminal, the estimated delivery time based on the information identifying the supply base and the information on the delivery destination area received from the sales system, as well as delivery resource information that includes information on a plurality of delivery resources.

The program disclosed herein causes a computer to receive, from a sales system that has received a request from a user's user terminal for an estimated delivery time for a product to a delivery destination, information identifying a product supply base and information on a delivery destination area that is an area that includes the delivery destination, and calculate an estimated delivery time before the sales system receives an order for the product from the user terminal based on the information identifying the supply base and the information on the delivery destination area received from the sales system, as well as delivery resource information that includes information on multiple delivery resources.

A delivery management system, delivery management method, or program according to the present disclosure can calculate an estimated delivery time for a product before the user places an order for the product.

1 is a configuration diagram of a product delivery system according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a terminal device according to the first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a delivery management system according to a first embodiment. A figure showing an example of a situation in which delivery is made in the product delivery system of embodiment 1. A sequence diagram showing an example of the operation of the product delivery system related to embodiment 1. A sequence diagram showing an example of the operation of the product delivery system related to embodiment 1.

Embodiment 1.
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a product delivery system 1 according to the first embodiment.

The product delivery system 1 is a system that provides a service of delivering products ordered by a user to a delivery destination designated by the user. Here, the products to be delivered include, but are not limited to, food and beverages such as dishes or ingredients, consumables such as food containers, office supplies, daily necessities, or medicines. In the product delivery system 1, an information processing system such as a sales system 3 or a delivery management system 4 is connected to terminal devices such as a user terminal 5, a delivery terminal 6, or a base terminal 7 via a network 2. Note that there is no limit to the number of sales systems 3 connected to the network 2. Furthermore, there is no limit to the number of terminal devices connected to the network 2.

Network 2 plays a role in connecting one or more information processing systems to one or more terminal devices. In other words, network 2 refers to a communication network that provides a connection path so that a terminal device can transmit and receive data after connecting to an information processing system.

One or more portions of network 2 may or may not be a wired or wireless network. Network 2 may be, for example and without limitation, an ad hoc network, an intranet, an extranet, a virtual private network (VPN), a local area network (LAN), a wireless LAN (WLAN), a wide area network (WAN), a wireless WAN (WWAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a portion of the Internet, a portion of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), a mobile phone network, an Integrated Service Digital Network (ISDN), or the like. Networks), wireless LAN, LTE (Long Term Evolution), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), Bluetooth (registered trademark), satellite communication, etc., or a combination of two or more of these. Network 2 can include one or more networks.

The terminal devices such as the user terminal 5, the delivery terminal 6, and the base terminal 7 may be any terminal device capable of implementing the functions described in the embodiments of the present disclosure. Examples of the terminal devices include, but are not limited to, smartphones, mobile phones (feature phones), computers (such as, but not limited to, desktops, laptops, tablets, etc.), media computer platforms (such as, but not limited to, cable and satellite set-top boxes, digital video recorders, etc.), handheld computing devices (such as, but not limited to, PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), email clients, etc.), wearable devices (such as glasses-type devices, watch-type devices, etc.), or other types of computers or communication platforms.

Information processing systems such as the sales system 3 and the delivery management system 4 have a function of providing a predetermined service to a terminal device. Each information processing system may be any information processing device that can realize the functions described in the embodiments of the present disclosure. Each information processing system may include, but is not limited to, one or more server devices, computers (for example, but not limited to, desktops, laptops, tablets, etc.), media computer platforms (for example, but not limited to, cable and satellite set-top boxes, digital video recorders, etc.), handheld computer devices (for example, but not limited to, PDAs, email clients, etc.), or other types of computers or communication platforms. In addition, some or all of the functions of each information processing system may or may not be realized by, for example, a virtual machine on a cloud service, or resources such as processing or storage.

In this example, the delivery management system 4 includes a delivery management server 8 and a user management server 9. Alternatively, the delivery management system 4 may or may not be a system configured by a single server device or other computer device. Each of the delivery management server 8 and the user management server 9 is configured by, for example, one or more server devices or other computer devices. Alternatively, some or all of the functions of each of the delivery management server 8 and the user management server 9 may or may not be realized by, for example, a virtual machine on a cloud service, or resources such as processing or storage.

The delivery management server 8 is equipped with a function for managing delivery resource information. The delivery resource information includes information on multiple delivery resources. Each delivery resource is responsible for delivering goods to the user's delivery destination. The delivery resource is, for example, an individual delivery person who is responsible for delivery to the user's delivery destination. Each delivery person is, for example, a person who delivers goods by walking, bicycle, motorcycle, or automobile. Alternatively, some or all of the multiple delivery resources may be an autonomous mobile body 10 that is an autonomously moving device such as a drone or an autonomous driving car, or may not be. In this example, the delivery resource information includes location information of each delivery resource. In this example, the delivery management server 8 manages, as delivery resource information, information on the movement speed, information on the size or weight of deliverable goods, or information on delivery rank for each delivery resource. Here, the delivery rank is set, for example, based on the delivery experience, delivery skills, or user evaluation of the delivery resource such as the delivery person. In addition, the delivery resource information may be, for example, information on whether or not multiple delivery resources are available. This information may include, for example, information on whether each autonomous moving body 10 is not operating and is waiting.

The user management server 9 is equipped with a function for managing user information. In the user management server 9, user information is managed in association with specific information for identifying the user. The information for identifying the user is, for example, a user ID (IDentifier). The user ID may or may not be a user ID corresponding to an account such as a messaging application or an SNS (Social Networking Service). The user information managed in the user management server 9 includes information such as user attributes. The user attributes include information such as the user's age, the user's gender, or the user's hobbies and preferences. In addition, the user information managed in the user management server 9 may or may not include information such as the user's name, the user's icon image, or the user's address.

The sales system 3 is a system equipped with a function of selling products to users. In this example, the sales system 3 is an external system of the delivery management system 4. The sales system 3 is, for example, an EC system (Electronic Commerce System). The sales system 3 provides users with an opportunity to purchase products, for example, as a web service. An interface such as a request button for an estimated delivery time is implemented in the sales system 3. The estimated delivery time is the time required to deliver the product to the delivery destination, which is calculated before receiving an order for the product from the user. The request button is an example of an interface that accepts a request for an estimated delivery time by a user. The request button is implemented for each product, for example, on a page for selecting products in the sales system 3. The estimated delivery time requested at this time is, for example, the time required to deliver the product. Alternatively, the request button may be implemented on a page where the products added to the cart can be confirmed. The estimated delivery time requested at this time may be, for example, the time required to deliver all the products added to the cart together, or the time required to deliver each of the products added to the cart individually. The request button may be implemented on both of these pages, or on these other pages.

The sales system 3 manages information about supply bases for the products being sold. A supply base is, for example, a store that sells the products or a warehouse that stores the products. The information about the supply base includes, for example, information such as the address of the supply base or the delivery area of the base.

In this example, the sales system 3 manages information on the delivery destination of the user. When the sales system 3 manages user information individually, the user information is managed in association with a user ID that identifies the user as a user of the sales system 3. In this case, the user ID in the sales system 3 may be different from the user ID managed by the user management server 9. The user information managed in the sales system 3 is, for example, the address of the user's delivery destination and information on the delivery destination area that includes the delivery destination. The delivery destination area is an area that includes one or more locations that can be delivery destinations. In the product delivery system 1, a representative point corresponding to the delivery destination area is set in advance. The representative point represents any location included in the delivery destination area. The representative point of the delivery destination area is set in advance, for example, as a location near the center of the delivery destination area. The delivery destination area may be set from any of a plurality of areas that are set in advance by the sales system 3 according to the delivery destination of the user or the supply base of the product, or the user may select from any of a plurality of areas that are set in advance in the sales system 3. In addition, if the user gives permission, the sales system 3 may or may not link with a user ID managed in an external system, such as a user ID managed by the user management server 9.

In this example of the sales system 3, delivery attributes are preset for each product. The delivery attributes of a product are attributes that affect the delivery of that product. Delivery attributes include, for example, the size of the product, the weight of the product, or the difficulty of delivering the product. The delivery difficulty of a product is set higher, for example, when the product is a food or drink containing soup that requires special care in transport. When the sales system 3 is capable of delivering multiple products together, it sets delivery attributes for all of these products. In this case, the delivery attributes include the quantity of products, the size of the entire product, the weight of the entire product, and the difficulty of delivering the entire product. Here, the size or weight of the entire product is, for example, the sum of the sizes or weights of the individual products. The difficulty of delivering the entire product is, for example, the maximum value of the delivery difficulty of the individual products.

In this example, the sales system 3 preregisters information on targeted user attributes as target attributes in the delivery management system 4. Here, the target attributes may be registered corresponding to the sales system 3 itself, or may be registered corresponding to each supply base such as a branch office in the sales system 3, or may be registered corresponding to each product handled in the sales system 3, or may be registered corresponding to a combination of these.

Figure 2 is a configuration diagram of a terminal device according to embodiment 1.

The user terminal 5 is a terminal device handled by a user of the product delivery system 1. The delivery terminal 6 is a terminal device handled by a delivery resource that is responsible for delivering the products. When the delivery resource is a person such as a delivery person, the delivery terminal 6 is, for example, a portable terminal device carried by the delivery person. When the delivery resource is an autonomous mobile body 10, the delivery terminal 6 is, for example, mounted on the autonomous mobile body 10. Alternatively, the autonomous mobile body 10 itself may or may not be equipped with the functions of the delivery terminal 6. The base terminal 7 is a terminal device handled by staff at a product supply base.

Each terminal device includes a terminal communication unit 11, a terminal input unit 12, a terminal output unit 13, a terminal control unit 14, and a terminal storage unit 15. By way of example and not limitation, the hardware components of the terminal device are connected to each other via a bus. It is not essential that the hardware configuration of the terminal device includes all of the components. By way of example and not limitation, the terminal device may or may not be configured such that individual components or multiple components can be removed.

The terminal communication unit 11 transmits and receives various data via the network 2. The communication may be performed either wired or wirelessly, and any communication protocol may be used as long as mutual communication is possible. The terminal communication unit 11 has a function of communicating with an information processing system such as the sales system 3 or the delivery management system 4 via the network 2. The terminal communication unit 11 transmits various data to the information processing system according to instructions from the terminal control unit 14. The terminal communication unit 11 also receives various data transmitted from the information processing system and transmits it to the terminal control unit 14. The terminal communication unit 11 may also be referred to as a terminal communication I/F (Interface). When the terminal communication unit 11 is configured with a physically structured circuit, it may also be referred to as a communication circuit.

The terminal input unit 12 has a function of accepting various operation inputs to the terminal device. The terminal input unit 12 is realized by any of all types of devices, or a combination thereof, that can accept operation inputs from an operator and transmit information related to the operation to the terminal control unit 14. Examples of the terminal input unit 12 include, but are not limited to, a touch panel, a touch display, hardware keys such as a keyboard, a pointing device such as a mouse, a camera (operation input via video images), and a microphone (operation input by voice). The terminal input unit 12 may also accept input of control signals from other devices connected to the terminal device.

The terminal output unit 13 has a function of outputting the processing results processed by the terminal device. The terminal output unit 13 is realized by any one of all types of devices or a combination thereof that can output the processing results processed by the terminal control unit 14. Examples of the terminal output unit 13 include, but are not limited to, a touch panel, a touch display, a speaker (audio output), a lens (for example, but not limited to, 3D (Three Dimensions) output or hologram output), or a printer.

When the terminal output unit 13 outputs the processing result by display, the terminal output unit 13 is realized by any one of all types of devices capable of displaying according to the display data written to the frame buffer, or a combination thereof. Examples of the terminal output unit 13 include, but are not limited to, a touch panel, a touch display, a monitor (for example, but not limited to, a liquid crystal display or an OELD (Organic Electroluminescence Display)), a head mounted display (HMD), a projection mapping, a hologram, or a device capable of displaying images or text information in air (which may or may not be a vacuum). Note that these terminal output units 13 may or may not be capable of displaying display data in 3D.

The terminal input unit 12 and the terminal output unit 13 may be integrated or separated from each other. When the terminal input unit 12 and the terminal output unit 13 are touch panels, the terminal input unit 12 and the terminal output unit 13 are arranged facing each other with approximately the same size and shape, for example.

The terminal control unit 14 has one or more circuits that are physically structured to execute functions realized by the code or instructions contained in the program, and is realized by, for example and without limitation, a data processing device built into the hardware. As such, the terminal control unit 14 may or may not be expressed as a control circuit. For example and without limitation, the terminal control unit 14 includes a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a processor core, a multiprocessor, an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit), or an FPGA (field programmable gate array).

The terminal storage unit 15 has a function of storing various programs and various data required for the terminal device to operate. The terminal storage unit 15 includes, by way of example and not limitation, various storage media such as a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), a flash memory, a random access memory (RAM), and a read only memory (ROM). The terminal storage unit 15 may or may not be expressed as a memory.

In the terminal device, a program is stored in the terminal storage unit 15, and the terminal control unit 14 executes this program to perform the processing of each unit included in the terminal control unit 14. In other words, the program stored in the terminal storage unit 15 causes the terminal device to realize each function executed by the terminal control unit 14. Furthermore, this program may or may not be expressed as a program module. The program that causes the terminal control unit 14 to perform the processing of each unit included in the terminal control unit 14 may be a single program or a combination of multiple programs.

In the delivery terminal 6, the terminal control unit 14 includes a position acquisition unit 16. The position acquisition unit 16 has a function of acquiring position information of the terminal device. The position acquisition unit 16 acquires the position information of the terminal device by, for example and without limitation, a satellite positioning system, an indoor positioning system, or autonomous navigation, or a combination of these. Note that in the user terminal 5 and the base terminal 7, the terminal control unit 14 may or may not include the position acquisition unit 16.

Figure 3 is a configuration diagram of the delivery management system 4 relating to embodiment 1.

The delivery management server 8 includes a first communication unit 17, a first control unit 18, and a first memory unit 19. The user management server 9 includes a second communication unit 20, a second control unit 21, and a second memory unit 22. The components of the servers such as the delivery management server 8 and the user management server 9 are connected to each other via a bus, for example and not by way of limitation.

The communication units such as the first communication unit 17 and the second communication unit 20 transmit and receive various data via the network 2. The communication may be performed either wired or wirelessly, and any communication protocol may be used as long as the communication between them can be performed. The communication units have the function of communicating with terminal devices such as the user terminal 5, the base terminal 7, or the delivery terminal 6 via the network 2. The communication units transmit various data to the terminal devices according to instructions from control units such as the first control unit 18 and the second control unit 21. The communication units also receive various data transmitted from the terminal devices and transmit them to the control units. The communication units may also be referred to as communication I/Fs. When the communication units are configured with physically structured circuits, they may also be referred to as communication circuits.

Controllers such as the first controller 18 and the second controller 21 have one or more circuits that are physically structured to execute functions realized by the code or instructions contained in the program, and are realized by, for example and without limitation, a data processing device built into hardware. Controllers include, for example and without limitation, a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a processor core, a multiprocessor, an ASIC, or an FPGA.

Memory units such as the first memory unit 19 and the second memory unit 22 have the function of storing various programs and various data required for the operation of servers such as the delivery management server 8 and the user management server 9. The memory units are realized by various storage media such as, but not limited to, HDD, SSD, or flash memory. In addition, the memory units may or may not be expressed as memories.

In the embodiment of the present disclosure, this is described as being realized by the CPU of the terminal device and/or the server of the information processing system executing a program.

The terminal control unit 14 and/or the server control unit may or may not realize each process by a CPU having a control circuit, or by a logic circuit (hardware) or dedicated circuit formed in an integrated circuit (IC (Integrated Circuit) chip, LSI (Large Scale Integration)), etc. Furthermore, these circuits may be realized by one or more integrated circuits, and the multiple processes shown in the embodiment may or may not be realized by one integrated circuit. Furthermore, LSIs are sometimes called VLSIs, super LSIs, ultra LSIs, etc. depending on the degree of integration. Therefore, the terminal control unit 14 and/or the server control unit may or may not be expressed as a control circuit.

In addition, the program of the embodiment of the present disclosure (for example, but not limited to, a software program, computer program, or program module) may or may not be provided in a state stored in a computer-readable storage medium. The storage medium is a "non-transitory tangible medium" capable of storing a program. In addition, the program of the embodiment of the present disclosure may or may not be for realizing part of the functions of the embodiment of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the program of the embodiment of the present disclosure may or may not be a so-called difference file (difference program) that can realize the functions of the embodiment of the present disclosure in combination with a program already recorded in the storage medium.

The storage medium may include one or more semiconductor-based or other integrated circuits (ICs) (such as, by way of example and not limitation, an FPGA or ASIC), HDD, HHD (Hybrid Hard Drive), optical disk, optical disk drive (ODD), magneto-optical disk, magneto-optical drive, floppy diskette, floppy disk drive (FDD), magnetic tape, SSD, RAM drive, secure digital card, or other suitable storage medium, or any suitable combination of two or more thereof. The storage medium may be volatile, non-volatile, or a combination of volatile and non-volatile, as appropriate. Note that the storage medium is not limited to these examples and may be any device or medium capable of storing a program. Also, the storage medium may or may not be referred to as a memory.

The server and/or terminal device can realize the functions of the multiple functional units shown in the embodiments of the present disclosure by reading a program stored in a storage medium and executing the read program.

In addition, the program of the present disclosure may or may not be provided to the server and/or terminal device via any transmission medium capable of transmitting the program (such as a communication network or broadcast waves). The server and/or terminal device executes a program downloaded via the Internet or the like, for example and not by way of limitation, to realize the functions of the multiple functional units shown in the embodiment of the present disclosure.

The programs of the present disclosure may be implemented using, for example and without limitation, scripting languages such as ActionScript and JavaScript (registered trademark), object-oriented programming languages such as Objective-C and Java (registered trademark), markup languages such as HTML5, or programming languages based on other paradigms such as functional programming. The programs of the present disclosure may or may not be in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave embodied by electronic transmission.

As shown in FIG. 3, the first control unit 18 of the delivery management server 8 includes a resource management unit 23, an estimate calculation unit 24, a schedule calculation unit 25, a generation unit 26, and an issue unit 27.

The resource management unit 23 has the function of managing delivery resource information. The resource management unit 23 manages the delivery resource information while updating it. For example, the resource management unit 23 manages the delivery resource information while updating it to reflect the current situation by acquiring, from each delivery terminal 6, location information acquired by the location acquisition unit 16 of the delivery terminal 6 at any time.

The estimate calculation unit 24 is a part that has a function of calculating an estimated delivery time. The estimated delivery time is calculated when the user requests an estimated delivery time in the sales system 3. In this example, the estimate calculation unit 24 has a function of calculating an estimated collection time. The estimated collection time is the time required for the product to be collected at the supply base, which is calculated before receiving an order for the product from the user. The schedule calculation unit 25 is a part that has a function of calculating a scheduled delivery time. The scheduled delivery time is the scheduled time required for the product ordered by the user to be delivered to the delivery destination. In this example, the schedule calculation unit 25 has a function of calculating a scheduled collection time. The scheduled collection time is the scheduled time required for the product ordered by the user to be collected at the supply base.

The generation unit 26 has a function of generating request generation information. The request generation information is information that is presented to the delivery resource that a user in the sales system 3 has requested an estimated delivery time.

The issuing unit 27 is a part that has a function of issuing an incentive to a user to encourage the purchase of a product. The incentive is, for example, a coupon. The issuing unit 27 issues an incentive based on, for example, user attributes. At this time, the issuing unit 27 issues an incentive to the user when, for example, the user attributes of the user match the target attributes registered in the delivery management system 4 by the sales system 3. Alternatively, the issuing unit 27 may issue an incentive based on, for example, delivery resource information managed by the resource management unit 23. The issuing unit 27 issues an incentive when, for example, multiple delivery resources are available. This allows the available delivery resources to be used more actively when the user decides to purchase a product, thereby improving the delivery work efficiency of the delivery resources. Alternatively, the issuing unit 27 may issue an incentive when, for example, multiple delivery resources are not available. In general, when there is no available delivery resource, the time required for delivery becomes longer. For this reason, by issuing an incentive to encourage the purchase of a product when there is a possibility that the time required for delivery will be long, the rationality for the user is increased. Note that the incentive is not limited to one that the user can choose whether or not to use. The incentive may be, for example, a discount on the price of a product or a delivery charge, or may be a point award, regardless of whether the user chooses to use it. In this case, the user is notified of the details of the incentive, such as the discount or point award.

The second control unit 21 of the user management server 9 also includes a user management unit 28 and a determination unit 29. The user management unit 28 is a part that has a function of performing information processing related to the management of user information. The user management unit 28 manages user information, for example, by performing operations such as adding, updating, or deleting information in the database stored in the second storage unit 22. The determination unit 29 is a part that has a function of determining whether or not the user attributes match the target attributes.

Next, an example of a situation in which a product is delivered will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a situation in which delivery is performed in the product delivery system 1 according to the first embodiment.

In this example, a user is considering purchasing a product through a user terminal 5 connected to the sales system 3. When purchasing a product, the user requests that the product be delivered from a supply base to a delivery destination. The user will purchase the product if the product can be delivered by the desired time, and will postpone purchasing the product if delivery is not completed by the desired time. At this time, the user requests an estimated delivery time for the product from the sales system 3 through the user terminal 5. The user refers to the estimated delivery time presented in response to the request and decides to purchase the product. When the user purchases a product in the sales system 3, the product is delivered to the delivery destination by a delivery resource that has collected the product at the supply base.

In this example, the resource management unit 23 of the delivery management server 8 manages the location information of delivery resource A, delivery resource B, delivery resource C, and delivery resource D as delivery resource information. The delivery resource closest to the supply base is delivery resource B.

Next, an example of the operation of the product delivery system 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.
5 and 6 are sequence diagrams showing an example of the operation of the product delivery system 1 according to the first embodiment.

Figure 5 shows an example of the operations before a user places an order for a product.

In step S801, the resource management unit 23 of the delivery management server 8 collects the location information of each delivery resource through the first communication unit 17. The resource management unit 23 updates the delivery resource information it manages based on the collected information. In this example, the resource management unit 23 updates the delivery resource information in parallel with the processing in other steps. In addition, the resource management unit 23 continues to update the delivery resource information, for example, while the delivery management server 8 is operating. Here, the resource management unit 23 may collect the location information by individually receiving the location information of the delivery resource from the delivery terminal 6 of the delivery resource, for example, or may collect the location information of each delivery resource through a relay server that mediates communication of messages including the location information. In addition, the location information may be transmitted to the resource management unit 23 from each delivery terminal 6 as a starting point, or may be transmitted from each delivery terminal 6 to the resource management unit 23 as a response to an inquiry originating from the resource management unit 23.

In step S501, the terminal input unit 12 of the user terminal 5 accepts a user operation to request an estimated delivery time from the sales system 3. The operation is, for example, tapping or clicking a request button on the sales system 3. The terminal communication unit 11 of the user terminal 5 requests an estimated delivery time from the sales system 3 based on the operation.

In step S301, the sales system 3 generates quotation condition information based on a request for a delivery estimate time received from the user terminal 5. The quotation condition information is information including conditions necessary for calculating the delivery estimate time. The quotation condition information includes, for example, information on the delivery destination area including the user's delivery destination and information identifying the product supply base. The information identifying the supply base is, for example, information such as the address of the supply base. Alternatively, for example, when information such as the address of the supply base is managed in the delivery management server 8, the information identifying the supply base may be information such as an ID for identifying the supply base. In this example, the quotation condition information includes information on the delivery attributes of the product. For example, when the user has given permission to link IDs, the quotation condition information includes information on the user ID managed by the user management server 9. The sales system 3 transmits the generated quotation condition information to the delivery management server 8. At this time, the sales system 3 may individually transmit part or all of the information included in the quotation condition information, such as information on the delivery destination area, information identifying the supply base, information on delivery attributes, and information on the user ID.

In step S802, the first communication unit 17 of the delivery management server 8 receives the quotation condition information from the sales system 3. The first communication unit 17 is an example of a receiving unit in the delivery management system 4. The quotation condition information received by the first communication unit 17 is accumulated and stored in the first memory unit 19. The first memory unit 19 stores the quotation condition information, for example, by storing it in a database. The first memory unit 19 is an example of a memory unit in the delivery management system 4.

In step S803, the estimate calculation unit 24 of the delivery management server 8 calculates the estimated collection time and the estimated delivery time, for example, as follows, based on the estimate condition information received by the first communication unit 17 and the delivery resource information updated and managed by the resource management unit 23. Note that the estimate calculation unit 24 may calculate the estimated collection time and the estimated delivery time using other algorithms.

The estimate calculation unit 24 selects one of the delivery resources based on the delivery resource information. At this time, the estimate calculation unit 24, for example, gives priority to selecting a delivery resource that can shorten the delivery estimate time. The estimate calculation unit 24, for example, selects a delivery resource that is closest to the supply base specified in the estimate condition information. Here, the estimate calculation unit 24 may select a delivery resource according to the delivery attributes of the product. At this time, for example, when the delivery difficulty of the product is higher than a preset threshold, the estimate calculation unit 24 selects from among delivery resources whose delivery rank is higher than a preset threshold. Alternatively, the estimate calculation unit 24, for example, selects from among delivery resources that can deliver a weight greater than the weight of the product specified in the estimate condition information.

The estimate calculation unit 24 calculates an estimated collection time for the selected delivery resource based on the movement speed based on the delivery resource information and the route from the current location of the delivery resource to the supply base. The estimate calculation unit 24 also calculates an estimated delivery time for the selected delivery resource based on the movement speed based on the delivery resource information and the route from the current location of the delivery resource via the supply base to any location in the delivery destination area. The route is, for example, a route to a representative point in the delivery destination area, a route to the farthest point in the deliverable area, or a route to a point set based on the delivery history.

In step S804, the first communication unit 17 of the delivery management server 8 notifies the base terminal 7 of the estimated collection time calculated by the estimate calculation unit 24. Here, the notification by the first communication unit 17 is performed, for example, by sending a message to an SNS account viewable from the base terminal 7, a push notification of an application installed on the base terminal 7, email, SMS (Short Message Service), or other method. The notification includes information about the product for which the delivery estimate time was requested.

In step S701, the base terminal 7 presents information such as the estimated collection time notified by the delivery management server 8 to the staff at the supply base, for example by displaying it. The staff at the supply base who have received the information from the base terminal 7 then make the preparations necessary for providing the product, for example.

In step S805, the first communication unit 17 of the delivery management server 8 transmits the estimated delivery time calculated by the estimate calculation unit 24 to the sales system 3.

In step S302, the sales system 3 presents the estimated delivery time received from the delivery management server 8 to the user terminal 5.

In step S502, the user terminal 5 presents the estimated delivery time presented by the sales system 3 to the user, for example by displaying it. The user who has received the estimated delivery time of the product from the user terminal 5 considers whether or not to purchase the product.

In step S806, the first control unit 18 of the delivery management server 8 determines whether the quotation condition information received by the first communication unit 17 includes information on a user ID managed by the user management server 9 as information on a user ID that can be linked. If the information on the user ID is included in the quotation condition information, the first communication unit 17 requests the user management server 9 to confirm whether the user attributes of the user match the target attributes registered in advance. The request includes, for example, information on the target attributes registered in correspondence with the sales system 3, the product, or its supply base, etc. for which the delivery estimate time was requested, and information on the user ID included in the quotation condition information. Note that the information on the target attributes registered by the sales system 3 is stored, for example, in a database stored in the first storage unit 19.

In step S901, the second communication unit 20 of the user management server 9 receives information on the user ID and information on the target attribute from the delivery management server 8. The determination unit 29 refers to the user attributes managed by the user management unit 28 in association with the user ID received by the second communication unit 20. The determination unit 29 determines whether the referenced user attributes match the target attributes received from the delivery management server 8. The second communication unit 20 transmits the determination result by the determination unit 29 to the delivery management server 8. Note that some or all of the functions of the determination unit 29 may be installed in the delivery management server 8. At this time, for example, the user management server 9 transmits information on the user attributes to the delivery management server 8, and the delivery management server 8 determines whether the target attributes and the user attributes match.

In step S807, the first communication unit 17 of the delivery management server 8 receives from the user management server 9 a determination result as to whether or not the user attribute matches the target attribute. If the user attribute matches the target attribute, the issuing unit 27 issues an incentive to the user to encourage the purchase of the product. At this time, the issuing unit 27 may set an expiration date for the incentive according to the timing of the request for the delivery estimate time. The expiration date of the incentive is, for example, until a preset time has elapsed from the timing of the request for the delivery estimate time. Here, the expiration date of the incentive is, for example, until the delivery estimate time calculated by the estimate calculation unit 24 is valid. At this time, the expiration date of the incentive is set, for example, with the timing of the request for the delivery estimate time as a starting point. The expiration date of the incentive is, for example, until one hour has elapsed from the timing of the request for the delivery estimate time, without being limited thereto. The first communication unit 17 transmits information on the incentive issued by the issuing unit 27 to the user terminal 5. In this example, a coupon is issued as the incentive. The coupon information transmitted here may be information that allows the user to use the coupon, and may be, for example, a coupon code, or other information. The first communication unit 17 may also transmit coupon information to the user terminal 5 through the sales system 3.

In step S503, the user terminal 5 presents the issued coupon information to the user, for example, by displaying it. The user who receives the coupon information from the user terminal 5 encouraging the purchase of a product considers whether or not to purchase the product.

In step S808, the generation unit 26 of the delivery management server 8 generates request generation information based on the quotation condition information received by the first communication unit 17. The request generation information includes, for example, information such as the delivery attributes of the product, the supply base of the product, and the delivery destination area.

In step S809, the first communication unit 17 of the delivery management server 8 notifies the delivery terminal 6 of the request generation information generated by the generation unit 26. Here, the notification by the first communication unit 17 is performed, for example, by sending a message to an SNS account viewable from the delivery terminal 6, a push notification of an application installed in the delivery terminal 6, email, SMS, or other method.

In step S601, the delivery terminal 6 presents the request generation information notified by the delivery management server 8 to the delivery resource, for example, by displaying it. The delivery resource that has received the information from the delivery terminal 6 moves, for example, to the vicinity of a supply base and waits for an order.

Figure 6 shows an example of the operation when a user places an order for a product.

In step S851, the resource management unit 23 of the delivery management server 8 collects the location information of each delivery resource in the same manner as in step S801. If the delivery resource for which the request generation information has been confirmed is moving near the supply base, the delivery resource information managed by the resource management unit 23 is updated to reflect the movement.

In step S551, the terminal input unit 12 of the user terminal 5 accepts a user operation to place an order for a product in the sales system 3. The operation is, for example, a tap or click on a purchase button implemented on the sales system 3. The terminal communication unit 11 of the user terminal 5 notifies the sales system 3 of the order for the product based on the operation.

In step S351, the sales system 3 generates delivery condition information based on the order notification received from the user terminal 5. The delivery condition information is information that includes conditions necessary for the delivery of the product. The delivery condition information includes, for example, information on the user's delivery destination and information identifying the product's supply base. In this example, the delivery condition information includes information on the delivery attributes of the product. The sales system 3 transmits the generated delivery condition information to the delivery management server 8. At this time, the sales system 3 may individually transmit some or all of the information included in the delivery condition information, such as, for example, information on the delivery destination, information identifying the supply base, and information on the delivery attributes.

In step S852, the first communication unit 17 of the delivery management server 8 receives delivery condition information from the sales system 3.

In step S853, the generation unit 26 of the delivery management server 8 generates delivery request information based on the delivery condition information received by the first communication unit 17. The delivery request information includes, for example, information such as the delivery attributes of the product, the supply base of the product, and the delivery destination.

In step S854, the first communication unit 17 of the delivery management server 8 notifies the delivery terminal 6 of the delivery request information generated by the generation unit 26. Here, the notification by the first communication unit 17 is performed, for example, by sending a message to an SNS account viewable from the delivery terminal 6, by push notification of an application installed in the delivery terminal 6, by email, SMS, or by other method.

In step S651, the delivery terminal 6 presents the delivery request information notified by the delivery management server 8 to the delivery resource, for example by displaying it. The delivery resource that has received the information from the delivery terminal 6 considers whether or not to accept the delivery.

In step S652, the terminal input unit 12 of one of the delivery terminals 6 accepts input such as an operation of the delivery resource that accepts the delivery. The terminal communication unit 11 of the delivery terminal 6 notifies the delivery management server 8 of the acceptance of the delivery based on the input such as the operation.

In step S855, the schedule calculation unit 25 of the delivery management server 8 calculates the scheduled collection time and scheduled delivery time, for example, as follows, based on the delivery condition information received by the first communication unit 17 and the delivery resource information updated and managed by the resource management unit 23. Note that the schedule calculation unit 25 may calculate the scheduled collection time and scheduled delivery time using other algorithms.

The schedule calculation unit 25 calculates the planned collection time for the delivery resource that has been assigned to the delivery, based on the travel speed based on the delivery resource information, and the route from the current location of the delivery resource to the supply base. The schedule calculation unit 25 also calculates the planned delivery time for the selected delivery resource, based on the travel speed based on the delivery resource information, and the route from the current location of the delivery resource to the delivery destination via the supply base.

In step S856, the first communication unit 17 of the delivery management server 8 notifies the base terminal 7 of the scheduled collection time calculated by the schedule calculation unit 25. Here, the notification by the first communication unit 17 is performed, for example, by sending a message to an SNS account viewable from the base terminal 7, a push notification of an application installed on the base terminal 7, email, SMS, or other method. The notification includes information about the ordered product.

In step S751, the base terminal 7 presents information such as the scheduled collection time notified by the delivery management server 8 to the staff at the supply base, for example by displaying it. The staff at the supply base who have received the information from the base terminal 7 then prepare to provide the product, for example.

In step S857, the first communication unit 17 of the delivery management server 8 transmits the scheduled delivery time calculated by the schedule calculation unit 25 to the sales system 3.

In step S352, the sales system 3 presents the estimated delivery time received from the delivery management server 8 to the user terminal 5.

In step S552, the user terminal 5 presents the estimated delivery time presented by the sales system 3 to the user, for example, by displaying it. The user who has received the estimated delivery time of the product from the user terminal 5 waits, for example, at the delivery destination for the arrival of the product.

As described above, the delivery management system 4 according to the first embodiment includes a resource management unit 23, a first communication unit 17, and an estimate calculation unit 24. The resource management unit 23 manages delivery resource information. The delivery resource information includes information on a plurality of delivery resources. The first communication unit 17 receives information identifying a product supply base and information on a delivery destination area from the sales system 3 that has received a request for an estimated delivery time of a product to a delivery destination from the user terminal 5 of a user. The delivery destination area is an area that includes the delivery destination. The estimate calculation unit 24 calculates an estimated delivery time before the sales system 3 receives an order for a product from the user terminal 5, based on the information identifying the supply base and the information on the delivery destination area received by the first communication unit 17 from the sales system 3, as well as the delivery resource information managed by the resource management unit 23.
Moreover, the delivery management method according to the first embodiment is a method in which a computer calculates an estimated delivery time for a product to a delivery destination. The delivery management method includes receiving information identifying a supply base for the product and information on a delivery destination area from a sales system 3 that has received a request for the delivery estimate time from a user terminal 5. The delivery management method also includes calculating an estimated delivery time before the sales system 3 receives an order for the product from the user terminal 5, based on the information identifying the supply base and the information on the delivery destination area received from the sales system 3, as well as delivery resource information.
Moreover, the program according to the first embodiment causes a computer to execute the delivery management method.

With this configuration, the delivery management system 4 or delivery management method according to the first embodiment can use delivery resource information including information on a plurality of delivery resources, as well as supply base information and delivery destination area information, so that it is possible to calculate a more accurate estimated delivery time for a product before the user actually places an order for the product. It is possible to determine whether or not to place an order after checking the more accurate estimated delivery time, which further enhances user convenience.
In addition, in systems where the accuracy of calculating the estimated delivery time is low, the estimated delivery time may be evaluated to be slow on the safe side. In such cases, the user may refrain from placing an order due to the slow estimated delivery time. However, the delivery management system 4 can present a more accurate estimated delivery time to the user before placing an order, thereby reducing the occurrence of such opportunity losses in the sales system 3.
Furthermore, the delivery management system 4 allows the sales system 3 to obtain a delivery estimate time in response to the information that identifies the supply base and the delivery destination area that is transmitted. Here, the information transmitted by the sales system 3 does not require delivery resource information. Therefore, even a sales system 3 that does not have delivery resources can present a more accurate delivery estimate time to the user.
Also, in this example, the delivery management system 4 requests information on the delivery destination area from the sales system 3 as a condition necessary for calculating the estimated delivery time, but does not request information on the delivery destination itself. For this reason, for example, when the sales system 3 manages personal information such as the delivery destination address that requires the user's permission for use, the personal information does not need to be disclosed to the delivery management system 4 before the user places an order. Also, for example, when the user specifies the delivery destination area before placing an order, the sales system 3 does not need to collect the personal information before the user places an order. In this way, since the user does not need to input personal information such as the delivery destination address or give permission for the disclosure of the personal information when requesting an estimated delivery time, the user's resistance when requesting an estimated delivery time can be reduced. Note that, in cases where the user has given the sales system 3 permission in advance to disclose personal information such as the delivery destination address to the delivery management system 4 or to share the personal information with the delivery management system 4, the sales system 3 may or may not provide the personal information to the delivery management system 4 when requesting an estimated delivery time.

The delivery management system 4 according to the first embodiment also includes a schedule calculation unit 25. The schedule calculation unit 25 calculates a scheduled delivery time for the product based on the supply base information and delivery destination information received by the first communication unit 17 from the sales system 3 when an order for the product is received from the user terminal 5, and the delivery resource information managed by the resource management unit 23.

With this configuration, the delivery management system 4 can use delivery resource information that is updated and managed, as well as supply base information and delivery destination information, making it possible to more accurately calculate the scheduled delivery time for a product. This further enhances user convenience. Furthermore, even a sales system 3 that does not have delivery resources can present a more accurate scheduled delivery time to the user.

In addition, in the delivery management system 4 relating to embodiment 1, the estimate calculation unit 24 calculates an estimated time for collection of the product to the supply base by at least one of the delivery resources based on the information identifying the supply base and delivery destination area information received from the sales system 3 by the first communication unit 17, as well as the delivery resource information managed by the resource management unit 23, before the sales system 3 receives an order for the product from the user terminal 5.
In addition, in the delivery management system 4 relating to embodiment 1, the schedule calculation unit 25 calculates the scheduled collection time of the product at the supply base by at least one of the delivery resources based on the supply base information and delivery destination information received by the first communication unit 17 from the sales system 3 when an order for the product is received from the user terminal 5, and the delivery resource information managed by the resource management unit 23.

With this configuration, the delivery management system 4 can use delivery resource information and supply base information that are updated and managed, and can therefore calculate the estimated and scheduled collection times of products with greater accuracy. Even if the sales system 3 does not have delivery resources, it can present the estimated or scheduled collection times with greater accuracy to the base terminal 7 of the supply base.
Since the supply base can know in advance that a delivery estimate has been received from the user and a more accurate estimated collection time in that case, the supply base can make advance preparations in preparation for when the user actually places an order. Advance preparations may include, for example, adjusting the placement of personnel, products, materials, or equipment, or adjusting the work process for providing the products. This allows the supply base to provide the products more efficiently when the user actually places an order.
In addition, since the supply base can know the scheduled collection time with a higher accuracy when an order is placed by the user, the work of providing the product can be started according to the scheduled collection time. This shortens the time it takes for the product to be delivered to the user. This improves both the convenience for the user and the efficiency of the delivery work of delivery resources. Furthermore, the efficiency of the delivery work reduces the energy consumption required for delivery.

The delivery management system 4 according to the first embodiment also includes a generation unit 26. When the first communication unit 17 receives information identifying a supply base and information on a delivery destination area, the generation unit 26 generates request generation information based on the information received by the first communication unit 17. The request generation information is information that notifies at least one of the delivery resources that a request for an estimated delivery time has been made.

With this configuration, the delivery management system 4 generates request occurrence information so that the delivery resource can know through the delivery terminal 6 that a request for a delivery estimate has been made from the user at that time. A request for a delivery estimate is information indicating that the user may subsequently place an order, so a delivery resource considering accepting a delivery can move to the vicinity of the supply base to wait for the order. This shortens the time it takes to collect the goods, and therefore the time it takes for the goods to be delivered to the user. This improves both user convenience and the efficiency of the delivery work of the delivery resources. Furthermore, the more efficient the delivery work, the less energy is consumed during delivery.

In addition, in the delivery management system 4 according to the first embodiment, the first communication unit 17 receives information on the delivery attributes of the product from the sales system 3 in addition to information identifying the supply base and information on the delivery destination area. The generation unit 26 generates request generation information including the information on the delivery attributes.

With this configuration, the delivery management system 4 generates request generation information so that the delivery resource can grasp the delivery attributes of the product. This allows the delivery resource to determine in advance whether or not to accept an order for delivery of the product. This allows the product to be delivered by a delivery resource that can deliver the product more reliably. This reduces the possibility of delivery non-conformities, including delivery delays, product soiling, or product breakage.

The delivery management system 4 according to the first embodiment also includes a user management unit 28 and an issuing unit 27. The user management unit 28 manages the user attributes of the user in association with specific information that identifies the user. When the first communication unit 17 receives the specific information of the user in addition to the information that identifies the supply base and the information on the delivery destination area from the sales system 3, the issuing unit 27 issues an incentive to the user to purchase a product if the user attributes managed by the user management unit 28 in association with the specific information match the pre-registered target attributes.

With this configuration, the delivery management system 4 issues an incentive to encourage a user who matches the target attributes of the sales system 3 to purchase a product when the user is considering purchasing the product in response to a request for a delivery estimate time. The incentive issued in this way more effectively encourages users to purchase the product.

The delivery management system 4 may or may not include the schedule calculation unit 25. The estimate calculation unit 24 may or may not calculate the estimated collection time as a result that can be output. The schedule calculation unit 25 may or may not calculate the scheduled collection time as a result that can be output. The delivery management system 4 may or may not include the generation unit 26. The generation unit 26 may or may not generate request generation information. The estimate condition information may or may not include information on the delivery attributes of the product. The generation unit 26 may or may not include information on the delivery attributes when generating the request generation information. The delivery management system 4 may or may not include some or all of the issuing unit 27, the user management unit 28, and the determination unit 29.

In addition, in the delivery management system 4, the first storage unit 19 may accumulate and store information received by the first communication unit 17. At this time, the generation unit 26 may generate the request tendency information based on the information stored in the first storage unit 19. The request tendency information is information that presents the tendency of requests for delivery estimate times from users in the sales system 3 to at least one of the delivery resources. The request tendency information is, for example, information that represents the distribution of the number of occurrences of requests for delivery estimate times. The generation unit 26 may generate, as the request tendency information, the distribution of the number of occurrences of requests for, for example, each delivery attribute, each product, each delivery destination area, each supply base, or each sales system 3. The generation unit 26 may also generate, as the request tendency information, the distribution of the number of occurrences of requests for, for example, each day of the week or each time period. The generation unit 26 generates the request tendency information, for example, by aggregating requests for delivery estimate times that have occurred in the past for each delivery destination area. The request tendency information may be presented to the delivery terminal 6 by the delivery management server 8 as a response to a request from the delivery terminal 6, for example, or may be presented to the delivery terminal 6 by the delivery management server 8 on a preset schedule. The delivery terminal 6 presents the request tendency information presented by the delivery management server 8 to the delivery resources, for example by displaying it, in the same way as the request generation information.

With this configuration, the delivery management system 4 generates request tendency information so that delivery resources can grasp, through the delivery terminal 6, conditions such as locations or times under which requests for estimated delivery times are likely to occur before the request is made by a user. Conditions under which requests for estimated delivery times are likely to occur are also conditions under which users are likely to subsequently place orders, so delivery resources considering accepting a delivery can consider in advance waiting locations, etc., to make it easier to deliver under those conditions. This improves the efficiency of delivery work by delivery resources. Furthermore, the increased efficiency of delivery work reduces energy consumption and other aspects involved in delivery.

Furthermore, the estimate calculation unit 24 may select multiple delivery resources when calculating the estimated delivery time. In this case, the estimate calculation unit 24 estimates the delivery time of the product to the delivery destination for each delivery resource, for example. The estimate calculation unit 24 calculates a statistic such as an arithmetic mean value, a minimum value, or a maximum value of the estimated delivery time so as to be outputtable as the estimated delivery time.
Furthermore, the estimate calculation unit 24 may select multiple delivery resources when calculating the estimated collection time. In this case, the estimate calculation unit 24 estimates the time for each delivery resource to collect the product from the supply base. The estimate calculation unit 24 calculates a statistic such as an arithmetic mean value, a minimum value, or a maximum value of the estimated collection time so that the statistic can be output as the estimated collection time.

Because the order has not yet been confirmed at the time of the request for the estimated delivery time, the delivery resource selected by the estimate calculation unit 24 when calculating the estimated delivery time may differ from the delivery resource that will actually undertake the delivery. Even in such cases, the estimated delivery time or estimated collection time is calculated as a statistical quantity, so the deviation from the actual delivery time is reduced. For example, when the arithmetic mean value is used as the statistical quantity, the error between the estimated delivery time and the actual delivery time due to different delivery resources is reduced. Alternatively, when the minimum value is used as the statistical quantity, the estimated delivery time using the delivery resource that can deliver the fastest is presented to the user, so that the user can be more effectively encouraged to purchase the product. Alternatively, when the maximum value is used as the statistical quantity, the estimated delivery time is evaluated on the more conservative side, so the actual delivery time is less likely to be later than the estimated delivery time. This reduces the possibility of delivery delays, etc.

In addition, the user's operation to request the estimated delivery time in the sales system 3 may be an operation that can trigger the calculation of the estimated delivery time by the delivery management system 4, and is not limited to an explicit request operation such as tapping or clicking a request button for the estimated delivery time. For example, the user's operation to request the estimated delivery time of a product may be an operation to indirectly request the estimated delivery time, or any operation performed by the user in the process of considering purchasing the product. More specifically, the user's operation to request the estimated delivery time may be, for example, an operation to view a list of products in a cart on the sales system 3 in which the product is placed. In addition, the user's operation to request the estimated delivery time of a product may be, for example, an operation to add the product to the cart on the sales system 3. In this case, the estimate calculation unit 24 may calculate the estimated delivery time for the product in advance when an operation to add the product to the cart is performed. The estimated delivery time calculated in advance is displayed together with the list, for example, when an operation to view a list of products in a cart on the sales system 3 is performed. Alternatively, for example, when the sales system 3 handles a small variety of products, the user's operation to request the estimated delivery time may be an operation to visit the sales system 3. At this time, the estimate calculation unit 24 may calculate in advance the estimated delivery time for each product handled by the sales system 3.

The first control unit 18 of the delivery management server 8 may also include a fee setting unit. The fee setting unit is a unit equipped with a function for setting a delivery fee. The fee setting unit, for example, sets the delivery fee by dynamic pricing. The fee setting unit dynamically determines the delivery fee, for example, according to the time period during which the delivery is made or the weather at that time. Alternatively, the fee setting unit may dynamically determine the delivery fee based on the user attributes. At this time, the fee setting unit discounts the delivery fee, for example, when the user attributes of the user match the target attributes registered in the delivery management system 4 by the sales system 3. Alternatively, the fee setting unit may dynamically determine the delivery fee according to the delivery resource information managed by the resource management unit 23. At this time, the fee setting unit may set the delivery fee so as to discount the delivery fee when multiple delivery resources are available, or may set the delivery fee so that the more available delivery resources there are, the cheaper the delivery fee becomes. In this case, the available delivery resources are more actively utilized, improving the delivery work efficiency of the delivery resources. Alternatively, the fee setting unit may set the delivery fee so that a discount is applied when multiple delivery resources are full, or the delivery fee may be set so that the fewer the available delivery resources, the lower the delivery fee. In general, when there are no or few available delivery resources, delivery takes longer. For this reason, setting a lower delivery fee when delivery takes a long time increases rationality for the user.

The fee setting unit may, for example, set the delivery fee when the estimate calculation unit 24 calculates the estimated delivery time. Alternatively, the fee setting unit may, for example, set the delivery fee as an estimated fee when the estimate calculation unit 24 calculates the estimated delivery time, and set the official delivery fee when the schedule calculation unit 25 calculates the scheduled delivery time. Alternatively, the fee setting unit may set the delivery fee for the first time when the schedule calculation unit 25 calculates the scheduled delivery time. Alternatively, the fee setting unit may set the delivery fee at some other time.

The delivery fee set by the fee setting unit is presented to the user through the sales system 3, for example, together with the estimated delivery time calculated by the estimate calculation unit 24. Alternatively, the delivery fee set by the fee setting unit may be presented to the user through the sales system 3, for example, together with the planned delivery time calculated by the schedule calculation unit 25.

Unless otherwise explicitly stated, the judgment configuration in the embodiment of the present disclosure is not essential, and a specified process may or may not be executed when the judgment condition is satisfied, or when the judgment condition is not satisfied.

1 Product delivery system, 2 Network, 3 Sales system, 4 Delivery management system, 5 User terminal, 6 Delivery terminal, 7 Base terminal, 8 Delivery management server, 9 User management server, 10 Autonomous mobile body, 11 Terminal communication unit, 12 Terminal input unit, 13 Terminal output unit, 14 Terminal control unit, 15 Terminal memory unit, 16 Position acquisition unit, 17 First communication unit, 18 First control unit, 19 First memory unit, 20 Second communication unit, 21 Second control unit, 22 Second memory unit, 23 Resource management unit, 24 Estimate calculation unit, 25 Plan calculation unit, 26 Generation unit, 27 Issuance unit, 28 User management unit, 29 Determination unit

Claims (11)

a resource management unit that manages delivery resource information including information on a plurality of delivery resources, each of which is a delivery person or an autonomous mobile object that is responsible for delivery, while updating the delivery resource information to reflect a current situation;
a receiving unit that receives, from a sales system that has received a request for an estimated delivery time of a product to a delivery destination from a user terminal of a user, information that identifies a supply base of the product and information on a delivery destination area that is an area including the delivery destination;
an estimate calculation unit that calculates the estimated delivery time before the sales system receives an order for the product from the user terminal, based on the information identifying the supply base and the information on the delivery destination area received by the receiving unit from the sales system, and the delivery resource information managed by the resource management unit;
a schedule calculation unit that calculates a scheduled delivery time of the product based on the supply base information and the delivery destination information received by the receiving unit from the sales system when the sales system receives an order for the product from the user terminal, and based on the delivery resource information managed by the resource management unit;
A delivery management system comprising: The delivery management system according to claim 1 , wherein the estimate calculation unit estimates a delivery time of the product to the delivery destination for each of at least any delivery resource selected from the plurality of delivery resources, and calculates statistics of the estimated delivery times as the estimated delivery time. 3. The delivery management system according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the estimate calculation unit calculates an estimated time for collection of the product by at least one of the plurality of delivery resources to the supply base before the sales system receives an order for the product from the user terminal, based on the information identifying the supply base and the information on the delivery destination area received by the receiving unit from the sales system, and the delivery resource information managed by the resource management unit. The delivery management system according to claim 3 , wherein the estimate calculation unit estimates a collection time of the product to the supply base for each of at least any delivery resource selected from the plurality of delivery resources, and calculates a statistic of the estimated collection time as the estimated collection time. The schedule calculation unit calculates a scheduled collection time of the product at the supply base by at least one of the plurality of delivery resources based on the supply base information and the delivery destination information received by the receiving unit from the sales system when the sales system receives an order for the product from the user terminal, and the delivery resource information managed by the resource management unit.
The delivery management system according to any one of claims 1 to 4 . A delivery management system as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a generation unit that, when the receiving unit receives information identifying the supply base and information on the delivery destination area, generates request generation information based on the information received by the receiving unit , the request generation information being used to present to at least one of the plurality of delivery resources that a request for the delivery estimate time has been made. The receiving unit receives information on delivery attributes of the product in addition to information identifying the supply base and information on the delivery destination area from the sales system;
The generation unit generates the request generation information including the information of the delivery attributes.
The delivery management system according to claim 6 . a storage unit that accumulates and stores the information received by the receiving unit from the sales system;
a generating unit that generates request tendency information that presents a tendency of occurrence of requests for the delivery estimate time to at least one of the plurality of delivery resources based on the information stored in the storage unit;
The delivery management system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising: a user management unit that manages user attributes of the user in association with specific information that identifies the user;
an issuing unit that issues an incentive to the user to purchase the product when the receiving unit receives the specific information from the sales system in addition to the information identifying the supply base and the information on the delivery destination area and the specific information matches the user attributes managed by the user management unit in association with the specific information and a target attribute registered in advance;
The delivery management system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, comprising: A delivery management method in which a computer calculates an estimated delivery time of an item to a delivery destination by at least one of a plurality of delivery resources, each of which is a delivery person or an autonomous mobile object, each of which is responsible for delivery,
receiving information identifying a supply base of the product and information on a delivery destination area that is an area including the delivery destination from a sales system that has received the request for the delivery estimate time from the user terminal of the user;
calculating the estimated delivery time before the sales system receives an order for the product from the user terminal, based on information identifying the supply base, information on the delivery destination area, and delivery resource information including information on the plurality of delivery resources and managed while being updated to reflect a current situation, the delivery system receiving the estimated delivery time from the sales system;
calculating a scheduled delivery time of the product based on the supply base information, the delivery destination information, and the delivery resource information received from the sales system when the sales system receives an order for the product from the user terminal;
Delivery management methods including. On the computer,
receiving, from a sales system that has received from a user terminal of a user a request for an estimated delivery time of a product to a delivery destination by at least one of a plurality of delivery resources, each of which is a delivery person or an autonomous mobile body, each of which is responsible for delivery, information that identifies a supply base of the product and information on a delivery destination area that is an area including the delivery destination;
calculating the estimated delivery time before the sales system receives an order for the product from the user terminal, based on information identifying the supply base, information on the delivery destination area, and delivery resource information including information on the plurality of delivery resources and managed while being updated to reflect a current situation, the delivery system receiving the estimated delivery time from the sales system;
calculating a scheduled delivery time of the product based on the supply base information, the delivery destination information, and the delivery resource information received from the sales system when the sales system receives an order for the product from the user terminal;
A program that executes the following.

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