JP7502107B2 - Server device, program and ordering system - Google Patents

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a server device, a program, and an ordering system.

Conventionally, facilities such as supermarkets have a food court, which is a district of restaurants. In such food courts, users select the products (food and drink) they want from among products sold by multiple stores, and place their order by paying for the products in advance. In addition, in food courts, when the ordered products are ready to be prepared at a store, the user is notified via a call bell or the like that is distributed in advance, and the user who receives the notification can go to the store where the order was placed to pick up the ordered products.

After ordering an item, a user using a food court will wait at a shared seat or the like provided in the food court until they are notified that their order is ready. After receiving their ordered item, the user will move to the shared seat and eat and drink. In this way, users will stay in the food court for a relatively long time.

For this reason, it may be possible to reduce the burden of waiting time and promote sales by providing content data such as commercials to users while they are in the food court, but providing content data carelessly may actually be a burden to users.

The problem that this invention aims to solve is to provide a server device, a program, and an ordering system that can change the content data provided depending on the processing status of an ordered product.

The server device of the embodiment comprises a reception means for receiving an order for a product from a user terminal operated by a user, a notification means for notifying a store terminal of a store selling the product of the order contents received by the reception means, an acquisition means for acquiring a processing status for the order from the store terminal, a management means for managing the order received by the reception means in association with the store's processing status for the order acquired by the acquisition means, a notification means for notifying the user terminal of notification information including a message corresponding to the processing status, and a provision means for providing the user terminal with content data corresponding to the processing status from among content data whose contents differ at least in part for each processing status and whose data format is different from that of the notification information.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an order system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a storage device according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a store terminal according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a server device according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a data configuration of the order management table (settlement table) shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a data configuration of the order management table (store table) shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a data configuration of the content management table shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of functional configurations of a user terminal, a store terminal, and a server device according to the embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of content data provided by the content providing unit according to the embodiment in accordance with the status of an order. FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation of the ordering system according to the embodiment.

Below, a server device, a program, and an ordering system according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the embodiment described below, an example will be described in which the system is applied to a food court located in a facility such as a supermarket. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described below.

Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an ordering system according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, the ordering system 1 has a user terminal 10, a store terminal 20, and a server device 30. The user terminal 10, the store terminal 20, and the server device 30 are communicatively connected via a network N1 such as a wired LAN (Local Area Network), a wireless LAN, or a public line.

The user terminal 10 is a terminal device operated by a user who uses the food court. For example, the user terminal 10 may be a terminal device such as a smartphone owned by the user, or may be a dedicated terminal device installed at a shared seat or the like provided in the food court.

The user terminal 10 accepts operations related to ordering food and beverages (hereinafter simply referred to as products) sold at stores in the food court, and transmits order information including information indicating the products to be ordered to the server device 30. The user terminal 10 also performs processing such as screen display in response to various types of information transmitted from the server device 30.

Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the user terminal 10. As shown in Figure 2, the user terminal 10 has a computer configuration including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13.

The CPU 11 is an example of a processor, and controls each part of the user terminal 10 in an integrated manner. The ROM 12 stores various programs. The RAM 13 is a workspace in which programs and various data are deployed. The CPU 11 executes various processes by operating according to programs stored in the ROM 12 or the storage unit 18 described below and deployed in the RAM 13.

The user terminal 10 also includes a display unit 14, an operation unit 15, an audio output unit 16, a communication unit 17, and a memory unit 18.

The display unit 14 is a display device such as an LCD, and displays various information and screens according to the control of the CPU 11. The operation unit 15 has various operation keys, and outputs operation contents according to user operations to the CPU 11. The operation unit 15 may be a touch panel provided on the surface of the display unit 14. The audio output unit 16 is an audio output device such as a speaker, and outputs audio such as a buzzer sound according to the control of the CPU 11.

The communication unit 17 is a communication interface that can be connected to the network N1. The communication unit 17 communicates with external devices such as the store terminal 20 and the server device 30 via the network N1.

The storage unit 18 is composed of a HDD, flash memory, etc., and maintains the stored contents even when the power is cut off. The storage unit 18 stores programs that can be executed by the CPU 11, and various setting information such as a terminal ID. The terminal ID is identification information that can identify the user terminal 10. The terminal ID may be, for example, an identifier on the network N1, such as an IP address or a telephone number.

Returning to FIG. 1, the store terminal 20 is a terminal device provided in each store in the food court. The store terminal 20 receives the order details from the user notified via the server device 30, for example, and notifies the store staff of the details of the ordered items by displaying the order details. In addition, the store terminal 20 transmits status information indicating the processing status of the order to the server device 30 in response to operations by the staff.

Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the store terminal 20. As shown in Figure 3, the store terminal 20 has a computer configuration including a CPU 21, a ROM 22, and a RAM 23.

The CPU 21 is an example of a processor, and controls each part of the store terminal 20 in an integrated manner. The ROM 22 stores various programs. The RAM 23 is a workspace in which programs and various data are deployed. The CPU 21 executes various processes by operating according to programs stored in the ROM 22 or the storage unit 27 described below and deployed in the RAM 23.

The store terminal 20 also includes a display unit 24, an operation unit 25, a communication unit 26, and a memory unit 27.

The display unit 24 is a display device such as an LCD, and displays various information and screens according to the control of the CPU 21. The operation unit 25 has various operation keys, and outputs operation contents according to user operations to the CPU 21. The operation unit 25 may be a touch panel provided on the surface of the display unit 24.

The communication unit 26 is a communication interface that can be connected to the network N1. The communication unit 26 communicates with external devices such as the user terminal 10 and the server device 30 via the network N1.

The memory unit 27 is composed of a HDD, flash memory, etc., and maintains the stored contents even when the power is cut off. The memory unit 27 stores programs that can be executed by the CPU 21, and various setting information such as a store ID. The store ID is identification information that can identify the store in which the store terminal 20 is installed. The store ID may be an identifier on the network N1, such as the IP address or telephone number of the store terminal 20. The memory unit 27 may also store a product master that associates each product sold in its own store with a product ID, menu name, price, etc., as described below.

Returning to FIG. 1, the server device 30 is an example of a server device. The server device 30 executes various processes to mediate commercial transactions between the user (user terminal 10) and each store (store terminal 20) in the food court.

For example, the server device 30 provides the user terminal 10 with menu information showing the menu of items sold at each store in the food court. The server device 30 also receives order information from the user terminal 10, and executes payment processing for the ordered items based on information related to the payment processing included in the order information. The server device 30 also transmits the order details included in the order information to the store terminal 20 of the store to which the order is to be placed. The server device 30 also manages the processing status of the order based on status information and the like notified from the store terminal 20, and notifies the user terminal 10 according to the processing status.

Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the server device 30. As shown in Figure 4, the server device 30 has a computer configuration including a CPU 31, a ROM 32, and a RAM 33.

The CPU 31 is an example of a processor, and controls each part of the server device 30 in an integrated manner. The ROM 32 stores various programs. The RAM 33 is a workspace in which programs and various data are deployed. The CPU 31 executes various processes by operating according to programs stored in the ROM 32 or the storage unit 35 described below and deployed in the RAM 33.

The server device 30 also includes a communication unit 34, a storage unit 35, and the like. The communication unit 34 is a communication interface that can be connected to the network N1. The communication unit 34 communicates with external devices such as the user terminal 10 and the store terminal 20 via the network N1.

The storage unit 35 is composed of a HDD, flash memory, etc., and maintains the stored contents even when the power is cut off. The storage unit 35 stores programs that the CPU 21 can execute and various setting information.

The memory unit 35 also stores a store master 351 and a menu master 352. The store master 351 is information that associates the store ID and store name of each store operating in the food court. The store ID is identification information for identifying a store in the food court.

The menu master 352 is information that associates the store ID, product ID, menu name, price, etc., for each product sold by each store in the food court. The product ID is identification information for identifying the product sold at each store. The menu master 352 may also store an image or description representing the product in association with the product ID.

The memory unit 35 also stores an order management table 353 for managing order information transmitted from the store terminal 20. The order management table 353 is an example of a storage means. The order management table 353 has, for example, a payment table 3531 shown in FIG. 5 and a store table 3532 shown in FIG. 6.

Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the payment table 3531. The payment table 3531 stores information such as an order ID, reception date and time, terminal ID, store ID, amount, and status in association with the order ID. The order ID allows an order to be identified, and is issued for each group of orders. The reception date and time is a numeric string indicating the date and time the order was received. The terminal ID stores the terminal ID of the user terminal 10 that placed the order. The store ID stores the store ID of the store to which the order was placed. The amount is the total amount of the order for each store. For example, if products from multiple stores are ordered in a single order, multiple store IDs will be stored in association with the same order ID and terminal ID (see order ID "Order 02").

The status is information that indicates the processing status of the ordered item. For example, the status may store information such as "Order Completed" that indicates that the order and payment have been completed, "Cooking" that indicates that cooking of the item has started, "Cooking Complete" that indicates that cooking of the item has been completed, and "Receipt Complete" that indicates that receipt of the item has been completed. The terminal ID, store ID, and amount are information included in the order information.

Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of store table 3532. Store table 3532 stores information such as the order ID, reception date and time, store ID, product ID, unit price, quantity, subtotal, and status in association with the order ID. Here, the subtotal is the amount obtained by multiplying the unit price of the product identified by the product ID by the quantity. The store ID, product ID, unit price, quantity, and subtotal are information included in the order information.

The memory unit 35 also stores a content management table 354 for managing various content data.

Figure 7 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of content management table 354. Content management table 354 stores content data for each of the above-mentioned statuses. Specifically, content management table 354 stores first to fourth content data in association with each of the above-mentioned statuses of "order completed," "cooking," "cooking completed," and "receipt completed." Below, the first to fourth content data are collectively referred to simply as content data.

The content data is, for example, video data or still image data, and represents various types of content such as commercials (CMs). The content data may relate to facilities in which a food court is located, or to stores other than the food court. The content data may also relate to each store in a food court, or to products sold at the stores. The data format of the content data may be access destination information that indicates an access destination such as a URL, in addition to video and still images. In this case, by accessing the specified access destination, actual data such as live video can be obtained from the access destination.

In FIG. 7, the first content data is content data provided when the status is "order completed." The second content data is content data provided when the status is "cooking in progress." The third content data is content data provided when the status is "cooking completed." The fourth content data is content data provided when the status is "receipt completed."

The content data provided for each status may be the same, but in this embodiment, as described below, the content data provided for each status is different depending on the user's state at the time of that status. Here, difference includes not only the concept that the stored content data is completely different, but also the concept that the main content data is different. In the latter case, it means that each status may include common content data, but the proportion and frequency of provision of the main content data (first to fourth content data) are different.

Note that while FIG. 7 shows an example in which content data is associated with all statuses, this is not limiting, and statuses that do not associate content data, i.e., statuses that do not provide content data, may be provided. Also, there is no particular restriction on the number of content data items associated with each status. For example, when multiple content data items are associated with the same status, the content management table 354 may also store schedule information that specifies the order in which the content data items are provided.

Next, the functional configuration of the ordering system 1 will be described. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the user terminal 10, the store terminal 20, and the server device 30. In FIG. 8, arrows connect the functional units related to each other between the devices.

As shown in FIG. 8, the user terminal 10 has, as functional units, a menu display unit 111, an order information transmission unit 112, an alarm operation unit 113, and a content display unit 114. Some or all of the functional units of the user terminal 10 may be realized by cooperation between the processor (CPU 11) of the user terminal 10 and various programs stored in memory (ROM 12, storage unit 18, etc.), or may be realized by a dedicated circuit or the like provided in the processor, etc.

Furthermore, the store terminal 20 has an order reception unit 211 and a status notification unit 212 as functional units. Some or all of the functional units of the store terminal 20 may be realized by cooperation between the processor (CPU 21) of the store terminal 20 and various programs stored in the memory (ROM 22, storage unit 27, etc.), or may be realized by a dedicated circuit or the like provided in the processor, etc.

Furthermore, the server device 30 includes, as functional units, a menu providing unit 311, an order information receiving unit 312, a payment processing unit 313, an order processing unit 314, a status management unit 315, a notification processing unit 316, and a content providing unit 317. Some or all of the functional units included in the server device 30 may be realized by cooperation between the processor (CPU 31) of the server device 30 and various programs stored in memory (ROM 32, storage unit 35, etc.), or may be realized by a dedicated circuit included in the processor, etc.

The menu display unit 111 of the user terminal 10 accesses the server device 30 to obtain menu information provided by the server device 30. Based on the obtained menu information, the menu display unit 111 displays on the display unit 14 a screen (hereinafter also referred to as a menu screen) on which products to be ordered can be selected. The user of the user terminal 10 can select products to order based on the menu screen.

The menu providing unit 311 of the server device 30 is an example of a menu providing means. The menu providing unit 311 provides the user terminal 10 with menu information showing each of the products sold by each store in the food court.

Specifically, the menu providing unit 311 provides menu information in response to access from the user terminal 10 (menu display unit 111). More specifically, the menu providing unit 311 generates menu information indicating the products sold at each store in the food court based on the information stored in the store master 351 and the menu master 352, and transmits the menu information to the server device 30 from which the access originates. Note that the menu providing unit 311 may provide a menu screen as the menu information to the user terminal 10.

The order information transmission unit 112 of the user terminal 10 transmits order information including the product ID of the ordered product and information related to the payment process to the server device 30 based on the operation on the menu screen.

Specifically, when the order information sending unit 112 receives a selection of an item to be ordered from the menu screen, it generates order information including the terminal ID of the user terminal 10, along with the store ID, item ID, unit price, quantity, subtotal, total order amount by store, etc., related to the item. The order information sending unit 112 also generates order information including information related to the payment process of the total amount. Here, the information related to the payment process is, for example, information related to cashless payment such as electronic money or credit card information, and is input via the operation unit 15 or a reader device (not shown). The order information sending unit 112 then transmits the generated order information to the server device 30.

The order information receiving unit 312 of the server device 30 is an example of a receiving means and a management means. The order information receiving unit 312 accepts product orders from the user terminal 10.

Specifically, the order information receiving unit 312 receives order information transmitted from each of the user terminals 10. In addition, the order information receiving unit 312 issues an order ID each time it receives order information, and registers various information included in the received order information in the settlement table 3531 and the store table 3532.

In more detail, the order information receiving unit 312 associates the issued order ID and the date and time when the order information was received with the terminal ID, store ID, amount (total amount) and other information included in the order information in the settlement table 3531. The order information receiving unit 312 also registers the store ID, product ID, unit price, quantity, subtotal and other information included in the order information in the store table 3532 with the issued order ID and the date and time when the order information was received.

The payment processing unit 313 of the server device 30 is an example of a payment processing means. The payment processing unit 313 executes the payment processing of the ordered product based on the information related to the payment processing transmitted from the user terminal 10.

Specifically, when the order information receiving unit 312 receives the order information, the payment processing unit 313 executes the payment processing based on the information related to the payment processing included in the order information. The payment processing unit 313 also accesses an external payment server or the like, and executes the payment processing for the total amount using the information related to the payment processing included in the order information.

The payment processing unit 313 may cooperate with the notification processing unit 316 to notify the user terminal 10 that sent the order information of a message notifying the result (success or failure) of the payment processing. If the payment processing fails, the payment processing unit 313 deletes or invalidates the orders registered in the payment table 3531 and the store table 3532, thereby preventing the order details from being notified to the store.

The order processing unit 314 of the server device 30 is an example of a notification means. The order processing unit 314 notifies the store terminal 20 of the store to which the order is placed of the order contents of the order accepted by the order information receiving unit 312.

Specifically, the order processing unit 314 transmits the order details of the product included in the order information received by the order information receiving unit 312 to the store (store terminal 20) of the order recipient. More specifically, the order processing unit 314 transmits the order details including the order ID issued by the order information receiving unit 312, the product ID associated with the store ID, the unit price, the quantity, the subtotal, etc., to the store terminal 20 corresponding to the store ID included in the order information. Then, when the order processing unit 314 successfully completes the transmission of the order details, it sets the status corresponding to the conditions of the order ID and store ID related to the order details stored in the settlement table 3531 to "order completed". The order processing unit 314 may cooperate with the notification processing unit 316 to notify the user terminal 10 that transmitted the order information of a message notifying that the order has been completed.

The order reception unit 211 of the store terminal 20 receives the order details addressed to its own store, which are notified from the server device 30. Specifically, when the order reception unit 211 receives the order details from the server device 30, it displays information included in the order details, such as the product ID and quantity, on the display unit 24 for each order ID. In other words, the order reception unit 211 outputs a list of ordered products (hereinafter also referred to as an order list) by order ID.

As a result, in a store where the store terminal 20 is located, the overall order status, etc. can be understood by checking the order list displayed on the display unit 24. The order receiving unit 211 may convert the product ID into a menu name and output it. The order receiving unit 211 may also be configured to output the order list by order ID using a printing device (not shown).

The status notification unit 212 of the store terminal 20 notifies the server device 30 of status information indicating the processing status of an order based on the operation content input via the operation unit 25. Specifically, the status notification unit 212 notifies the server device 30 of status information corresponding to the operation content based on the operation content performed on the order list.

For example, when the status notification unit 212 receives an operation to start cooking for a specific order list, it generates status information including the order ID corresponding to the operated order list, the store ID, and information indicating that cooking is in progress, and sends it to the server device 30. Also, for example, when the status notification unit 212 receives an operation to complete cooking for a specific order list, it generates status information including the order ID corresponding to the operated order list, the store ID, and information indicating that cooking is complete, and sends it to the server device 30. Also, for example, when the status notification unit 212 receives an operation to complete receipt (delivery) for a specific order list, it generates status information including the order ID corresponding to the operated order list, the store ID, and information indicating that receipt is complete, and sends it to the server device 30.

For example, in a configuration in which a predicted time until cooking is completed is input when starting cooking, the status notification unit 212 may transmit the input predicted time together with the status information.

The status management unit 315 of the server device 30 is an example of an acquisition means and a management means. The status management unit 315 manages the orders accepted by the order information receiving unit 312 by associating them with the store's processing status for the orders.

Specifically, the status management unit 315 obtains status information notified from the store terminal 20, and updates the status of the corresponding order stored in the payment table 3531 based on the status information. More specifically, when the status management unit 315 obtains status information from the store terminal 20, it searches the payment table 3531 for an entry that matches the conditions of the order ID and store ID included in the status information. The status management unit 315 then stores (overwrites) information indicating cooking, cooking completed, receipt completed, etc., as indicated in the status information, in the status included in the searched entry.

As a result, the status in the settlement table 3531 stores information indicating the series of processing steps that are carried out before the ordered product is delivered at the store, in other words, "Order completed" → "Cooking in progress" → "Cooking completed" → "Received" in that order.

The notification processing unit 316 of the server device 30 is an example of a notification means. When the status management unit 315 acquires status information indicating that cooking is complete, the notification processing unit 316 notifies the user terminal 10 that the ordered product is available for collection.

Specifically, the notification processor 316 issues various notifications to the user terminal 10 depending on the status of the settlement table 3531. More specifically, when the status is changed to "cooking complete", the notification processor 316 identifies the terminal ID associated with that status. The status manager 315 then transmits notification information to the user terminal 10 of the identified terminal ID, including the store ID (or store name) and product ID (or menu name) for which the status has changed to "cooking complete", a message instructing the user to pick up the product, and the like. There is no particular limit to the method of transmitting the notification information, and it may be transmitted, for example, using SMS (Short Message Service) or the like.

The notification processor 316 may also notify the user terminal 10 of events other than the above-mentioned "cooking started." For example, when the status is changed to "cooking in progress," the notification processor 316 may send notification information including a message indicating that cooking is in progress. In this case, if the status information from the store terminal 20 includes a predicted time until cooking is complete, the notification processor 316 may send the notification information including the predicted time until cooking is complete.

When notification information is sent from the server device 30, the notification operation unit 113 of the user terminal 10 issues a notification using the display unit 14 and the audio output unit 16. Specifically, the notification operation unit 113 notifies the user that cooking has been completed or started by displaying the content of the notification information on the display unit 14. The notification operation unit 113 also notifies the user that notification information has been received by outputting a sound such as a buzzer sound from the audio output unit 16. This allows the user operating the user terminal 10 to know the timing to collect the product at the store and the cooking status of the product through the notification from the notification operation unit 113.

As described above, the ordering system 1 allows users to order and pay for products via the user terminal 10. This allows users to easily order products.

After operating the user terminal 10 to order an item, a user using a food court will wait at a shared seat or the like provided in the food court until they are notified (contacted) that the food has been prepared. In response to the notification that the food has been prepared, the user will move to a store, receive the ordered item, and then return to the shared seat to eat and drink. In this way, users will stay in the food court for a relatively long time.

For this reason, it may be possible to reduce the burden of waiting time and promote sales by providing content data such as commercials to users while they are in the food court, but providing content data carelessly may actually be a burden to users.

The ordering system 1 of this embodiment is configured to be able to switch the content data provided depending on the processing status of the product ordered by each user. Specifically, the server device 30 is equipped with a content providing unit 317 as a functional unit related to the provision of content data.

The content providing unit 317 is an example of a content providing means. Based on the status of each order stored in the settlement table 3531, the content providing unit 317 provides the content data corresponding to the status to the user terminal 10 that has placed the order.

Specifically, for each order ID stored in the settlement table 3531, the content providing unit 317 identifies the status associated with that order ID. Next, the content providing unit 317 reads out content data corresponding to the identified status from the content management table 354. For example, when the status is "cooking", the content providing unit 317 reads out the second content data from the content management table 354.

For example, if products are ordered from multiple stores in a single order and the processing status differs for each store, different statuses will be stored in association with the same order ID (see the status for order ID "Order 02" in Figure 5). In such a case, the content providing unit 317 may read out content data corresponding to each status, or may read out content data corresponding to any one status. In the latter case, for example, the content providing unit 317 may read out content data corresponding to a chronologically earlier or later status in the series of processing steps described above.

Next, the content providing unit 317 identifies the terminal ID corresponding to the order ID from the payment table 3531. Then, the content providing unit 317 provides the content data read from the content management table 354 to the user terminal 10 corresponding to the identified terminal ID.

On the other hand, when the content display unit 114 of the user terminal 10 acquires content data provided from the server device 30, it displays a screen based on the content data on the display unit 14. For example, when the content display unit 114 acquires content data of a moving image or a still image, it displays the moving image or still image represented by the content data on the display unit 14. When the content display unit 114 acquires content data indicating an access destination such as a URL, it accesses the access destination and displays data provided from the access destination (for example, a live video) on the display unit 14.

The content display unit 114 may display the content data automatically, or may display the content data when instructed to do so by the user. For example, in the latter case, the notification information may be provided in a push format, while the content data may be provided in a pull format.

Figure 9 is a diagram showing an example of content data provided by the content provider 317 depending on the order status. Note that in Figure 9, the processing steps including the four statuses described above are shown in chronological order, with the processing progressing from left to right in the figure.

First, when the order status is "Order Completed," it is considered that the user has just finished ordering the product. In such a situation, there is a possibility that an additional product will be ordered due to forgetting to order, or a request from a user who joins after ordering. Therefore, for example, by storing commercials for various products sold in the food court as first content data in the content management table 354 in association with the status "Order Completed," it is possible to provide the user terminal 10 with commercials for products that are candidates for additional orders.

Specifically, when the status of the order ID being processed is "Order Completed", the content providing unit 317 reads out the first content data (such as a product commercial) stored in association with this status from the content management table 354 as shown in FIG. 9, and provides it to the user terminal 10. As a result, the user terminal 10 displays a product commercial while the status is "Order Completed", making it possible to efficiently promote the product and increase opportunities to purchase the product.

The product to be advertised in the first content data is not particularly limited, and may be a predetermined product such as a new product, or may be automatically determined based on the contents of the ordered product. In the latter case, for example, the content providing unit 317 may be configured to determine candidate products that are candidates for additional orders from the contents of the ordered product, and to read out commercials for the candidate products from commercials for multiple products pre-stored as the first content data. In this case, the candidate products may be products that are likely (frequently) to be purchased together with the ordered product, for example.

Furthermore, when the status is "cooking", the user can know that cooking has started and the estimated time until cooking is completed by the notification from the notification operation unit 113 described above. However, since it is unclear in what environment cooking is taking place, the user may feel uneasy.

Therefore, for example, by storing the distribution destination (URL, etc.) of the live video of the kitchen of each store as the second content data in the content management table 354 in association with the status "cooking started", content data representing the cooking environment can be provided to the user terminal 10.

Specifically, when the status of the order ID to be processed is "cooking", the content providing unit 317 identifies the store ID corresponding to that order ID from the payment table 3531. Then, as shown in FIG. 9, the content providing unit 317 reads the second content data (live video) for the identified store ID from the content management table 354 and delivers it to the user terminal 10. As a result, the user terminal 10 can display the cooking environment for the product ordered by the user while the status is "cooking", thereby reducing the user's anxiety while waiting for the cooking to be completed.

Furthermore, when the status is "cooking complete," the user is notified by the notification operation unit 113 described above, which allows the user to know that they need to go to a store to pick up the ordered items. However, since there are multiple stores in the food court and the order is placed via the user terminal 10, the user may not know the location of the store where they will pick up the items.

For example, by storing operation data, map data, etc., which guides the user to the location of each store in the food court as third content data in the content management table 354 in association with the status "cooking complete," content data that provides directions to the store can be provided to the user terminal 10.

Specifically, when the status of the order ID being processed is "cooking complete", the content providing unit 317 identifies the store ID corresponding to that order ID from the payment table 3531. Then, as shown in FIG. 9, the content providing unit 317 reads the third content data (map data) for the identified store ID from the content management table 354 and delivers it to the user terminal 10. As a result, while the status is "cooking complete", the user terminal 10 can display content data that indicates the location of the store where the product will be picked up, thereby improving convenience.

The content providing unit 317 may provide code information (one-dimensional code or two-dimensional code) to be presented to a store clerk when receiving the cooked product together with the third content data. The code information may be transmitted from the store terminal 20 together with the status information, or may be generated by the content providing unit 317 or the like. For example, the code information may be an encoded version of the order ID of the product ordered by the customer or the ID of the product that has been cooked.

The customer follows the displayed map to the store and shows the code information to a store clerk. The store clerk reads the code information with a device such as a scanner connected to the store terminal 20 and determines which product the customer has come to pick up. Note that the status notification unit 212 of the store terminal 20 may be configured to send status information indicating that receipt has been completed to the server device 30 when triggered by reading the code information.

The content display unit 114 of the user terminal 10 may automatically display the code information when the customer reaches the target store by linking with a GPS function or the like of the user terminal 10. The content display unit 114 may also display a button on the touch panel of the user terminal so that the code information can be displayed manually regardless of the content information being displayed.

The provision of the code information to the user terminal 10 described above may be performed by the notification processing unit 316 of the server device 30. In this case, the notification operation unit 113 of the user terminal 10 causes the display unit 14 to display the code information transmitted as notification information.

When the status is "Pickup Completed," it is predicted that the user will carry the received items to the shared seat and begin eating and drinking. In this case, for example, by storing commercials for other stores other than the food court or commercials for events held at the facility as the fourth content data in the content management table 354 in association with the status "Pickup Completed," content data that will motivate the user to act after eating and drinking can be provided to the user terminal 10.

Specifically, when the status of the order ID being processed is "Received", the content providing unit 317 reads out the fourth content data corresponding to this status (e.g., commercials for other stores in the shopping center, screening information for the movie theater in the shopping center, event information for the event hall, etc.) from the content management table 354 as shown in FIG. 9, and provides it to the user terminal 10. As a result, while the status is "Received", commercials for other stores and facilities other than the food court are displayed on the user terminal 10, making it possible to suggest actions to the user after eating and drinking, and to efficiently promote and advertise things other than the food court.

In addition, when the status is "Received", a commercial for a candidate product that is a candidate for an additional order may be stored as the fourth content data, similar to the above-mentioned "Order Completed". For example, when the content providing unit 317 determines that a meal has been eaten based on the contents of the ordered product, it may select and read out a commercial for a product such as a dessert that is often eaten after a meal. In this way, while the status is "Received", the user terminal 10 displays a commercial for a product that is often eaten after a meal, thereby improving the user's convenience regarding additional orders and increasing the opportunities to purchase products.

Note that the timing at which the content providing unit 317 starts providing content data during each of the above-mentioned status periods is not particularly important and can be set arbitrarily. For example, the content providing unit 317 may start providing content data when the status changes. Also, the content providing unit 317 may start providing content data when a predetermined time has elapsed since the status changed.

Below, an example of the operation of the above-mentioned ordering system 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 10. FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation of the ordering system 1.

First, the menu display unit 111 of the user terminal 10 accesses the server device 30 and requests menu information (step S11). In response to the access from the user terminal 10, the menu providing unit 311 of the server device 30 provides the menu information to the user terminal 10 (step S12).

Based on the menu information provided by the server device 30, the menu display unit 111 of the user terminal 10 causes the display unit 14 to display a menu screen from which the product to be ordered can be selected (step S13). When the user inputs information related to the product to be ordered and the payment process, the order information transmission unit 112 of the user terminal 10 generates order information including the product ID of the product to be ordered and information related to the payment process, and transmits the order information to the server device 30 (step S14).

When the order information receiving unit 312 of the server device 30 receives a product order (order information) from the server device 30, it associates the contents of this order information with the order ID and registers it in the payment table 3531 and the store table 3532.

Then, the payment processing unit 313 of the server device 30 executes the payment processing based on the information related to the payment processing included in the order information (step S15). When the payment processing in step S15 is successfully completed, the order processing unit 314 of the server device 30 notifies the store terminal 20 of the store where the order was placed of the order details included in the order information (step S16). Then, the order processing unit 314 of the server device 30 sets the status of the order for which the order details were notified in step S16 to "order completed" (step S17). Note that the processing in step S17 may be performed by the status management unit 315.

Then, the content providing unit 317 of the server device 30 reads the first content data corresponding to the status (order completed) set in step S17 from the content management table 354 and provides it to the user terminal 10 (step S18). Then, the content display unit 114 of the user terminal 10 causes the display unit 14 to display a screen based on the first content data provided from the server device 30 (step S19).

Meanwhile, when the order reception unit 211 of the store terminal 20 receives notification of the order details from the server device 30, it displays the order details on the display unit 24 and notifies the store staff that the order has been received (step S20). Then, when the status notification unit 212 receives an operation to start cooking for a specific order (order ID) (step S21), it sends status information instructing the start of cooking for that order to the server device 30 (step S22).

When the status management unit 315 of the server device 30 receives status information from the store terminal 20 instructing the start of cooking for a specific order, it changes the status of the corresponding order to "cooking" (step S23).

In response to this, the content providing unit 317 of the server device 30 reads out the second content data corresponding to the status (cooking) set in step S23 from the content management table 354 and provides it to the user terminal 10 (step S24). Then, the content display unit 114 of the user terminal 10 causes the display unit 14 to display a screen based on the second content data provided from the server device 30 (step S25).

When the status notification unit 212 of the store terminal 20 receives an operation to complete cooking for a specific order (order ID) as an operation following the start of cooking (step S26), it transmits status information indicating that cooking of the order is complete to the server device 30 (step S27).

When the status management unit 315 of the server device 30 receives status information from the store terminal 20 indicating that cooking has been completed for a specific order, it changes the status of the corresponding order to "cooking completed" (step S28).

In response to this, the notification processing unit 316 of the server device 30 transmits notification information to the user terminal 10 that placed the order (step S29). The notification operation unit 113 of the user terminal 10 issues a notification using the display unit 14 and the audio output unit 16 based on the notification information transmitted from the server device 30 (step S30).

The content providing unit 317 of the server device 30 also reads out the third content data corresponding to the status (cooking complete) set in step S28 from the content management table 354 and provides it to the user terminal 10 (step S31). Then, the content display unit 114 of the user terminal 10 causes the display unit 14 to display a screen based on the third content data provided from the server device 30 (step S32).

The user operating the user terminal 10 recognizes that the ordered product is available for pickup through the processing of steps S29 and S31. The user then travels to the store to pick up the ordered product.

Then, when the status notification unit 212 of the store terminal 20 receives an operation to complete receipt for a specific order (order ID) as an operation following completion of cooking (step S33), it transmits status information indicating completion of receipt of the order to the server device 30 (step S34). Note that the order ID input when completing receipt in step S33 may be input by reading the code information described above.

When the status management unit 315 of the server device 30 receives status information indicating completion of receipt of a specific order from the store terminal 20, it changes the status of the corresponding order to "receipt completed" (step S35).

In response to this, the content providing unit 317 of the server device 30 reads out the fourth content data corresponding to the status (cooking) set in step S35 from the content management table 354 and provides it to the user terminal 10 (step S36). Then, the content display unit 114 of the user terminal 10 causes the display unit 14 to display a screen based on the fourth content data provided from the server device 30 (step S37).

As described above, when the server device 30 accepts an order for a product from the user terminal 10, it notifies the store terminal 20 of the store selling the ordered product of the contents of the accepted order, and manages the accepted order in association with the store's processing status for the order. The server device 30 then provides content data corresponding to the processing status to the user terminal 10 that placed the order.

This allows the server device 30 to provide the user with content data that corresponds to the processing status of the order, and therefore allows the content data to be changed depending on the processing status of the ordered product. This also allows the server device 30 to provide content data that is appropriate for the user's state under each processing status, and therefore allows for product promotion, user support, etc., to be carried out at the appropriate time.

The server device 30 also acquires the processing status of the order from the store terminal 20, and updates the status of the settlement table 3531 each time the acquired result changes. This allows the server device 30 to reflect the processing status of the order carried out at the store in real time, and therefore allows content data that reflects the actual processing status to be provided to the user terminal 10.

The server device 30 also acquires at least the processing status indicating the start of cooking (or start of production) and completion of cooking (or completion of production) of the ordered product from the store terminal 20 as the processing status, and provides different content data for the start of cooking and the completion of cooking. This allows the server device 30 to provide content data appropriate to the user's condition under the processing status of the start of cooking and the completion of cooking, thereby enabling product promotion and user support, etc., to be carried out at an appropriate time.

When the server device 30 acquires a processing status indicating that cooking is complete, the server device 30 notifies the user terminal 10 that the ordered item is available for collection. This allows the server device 30 to prompt the user to collect the ordered item, thereby improving user convenience and improving the efficiency of food court usage.

The server device 30 also reads out content data corresponding to the processing status of the order from a content management table 354, which stores the types of processing status divided into multiple stages in association with content data prepared for each type of processing status, and provides the content data to the user terminal 10 that placed the order. This allows the server device 30 to provide various contents to the user terminal 10 by changing the content data stored in the content management table 354. Therefore, the server device 30 can easily manage content data.

The server device 30 also provides the user terminal 10 with menu information indicating each of the products sold by each store in the food court, and accepts orders for products selected based on the menu information. This allows the server device 30 to centrally accept orders for products sold throughout the food court, and therefore accept products sold at multiple stores in a single order. Therefore, the server device 30 can improve the convenience of users in ordering products, and can increase the opportunities to purchase products sold at each store.

The above-described embodiment can be modified as appropriate by changing a portion of the configuration or function of each of the above-described devices. Therefore, some modified examples of the above-described embodiment will be described below as other embodiments. Note that the following will mainly describe the differences from the above-described embodiment, and detailed descriptions of the points in common with the contents already described will be omitted. The modified examples described below may be implemented individually or in appropriate combination.

(Variation 1)
In the above embodiment, the ordering system 1 (server device 30) is applied to a food court, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the ordering system may be applied to a sales system in which products (food and drink) are ordered from home via the Internet and the cooked products are picked up at the store.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the products that can be ordered are food and beverages, but this is not limited to this, and the type of product can be anything that is manufactured, processed, or otherwise processed in the store.

(Variation 2)
In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which a series of processing steps from ordering a product to receiving it are represented by four statuses: "order complete", "cooking", "cooking complete", and "received complete". However, the number of divisions and types of processing steps are not limited to this. It is preferable that the number of divisions and types of processing steps are determined depending on the product to be ordered and the state of the user under each status.

(Variation 3)
In the above embodiment, the receipt of the product is managed for each order ID, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the receipt may be managed for each product ID. In this case, it is preferable that the code information provided as the third content data includes the product ID together with the order ID.

The programs executed by each device in the above-described embodiments are provided in advance in a ROM or the like. The programs executed by each device in the above-described embodiments may be provided by being recorded in an installable or executable format on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, a flexible disk (FD), a CD-R, or a digital versatile disk (DVD).

Furthermore, the programs executed by each device in the above-mentioned embodiments may be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by downloading via the network. Also, the programs executed by each device in the above-mentioned embodiments may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, modifications, and combinations can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Order system 10 User terminal 20 Store terminal 30 Server device 111 Menu display unit 112 Order information transmission unit 113 Notification unit 114 Content display unit 211 Order reception unit 212 Status notification unit 311 Menu provision unit 312 Order information reception unit 313 Payment processing unit 314 Order processing unit 315 Status management unit 316 Notification processing unit 317 Content provision unit

JP 2016-131041 A

Claims (10)

A receiving means for receiving an order for a product from a user terminal operated by a user;
a notification means for notifying a store terminal of a store selling the product of the order content received by the reception means;
An acquisition means for acquiring a processing status of the order from the store terminal;
a management means for managing the order received by the receiving means in association with a processing status of the order at the store acquired by the acquisition means ;
a notification means for notifying the user terminal of notification information including a message corresponding to the processing status;
a providing means for providing, to the user terminal, content data corresponding to the processing status from among content data having at least a part of contents different for each processing status and having a data format different from that of the notification information;
A server device comprising: The acquiring means acquires at least a processing status indicating a start and a completion of production of the ordered product from the store terminal as the processing status,
2. The server device according to claim 1 , wherein said providing means provides different content data at the start of production and at the completion of production. The server device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the providing means provides as the content data at least one of advertising data advertising a store or product, live video data showing the cooking status of a product, and map data showing the location of a store. 4. The server device according to claim 3, wherein the providing means provides the advertisement data, the live video data, and the map data while switching between them in response to a change in the processing status. The server device according to claim 2 , wherein the notification means notifies the user terminal that the ordered product is available for collection when the acquisition means acquires a processing status indicating completion of the production. The server device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the providing means reads out content data corresponding to the processing status of the order managed by the management means from a storage means that stores the types of the processing status, which are divided into multiple stages, in association with content data prepared for each type of the processing status, and provides the content data to the user terminal. a payment processing unit that executes a payment process for the ordered product based on information related to the payment process transmitted from the user terminal;
the notification means notifies the store of the order details of the order accepted by the acceptance means on condition that the payment process is successful;
The server device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein the management means manages the order by associating a processing status indicating completion of the order with the order, on condition that the notification means has notified the store of the order contents. A menu providing means for providing menu information indicating each of the products manufactured or sold by the store to the user terminal,
2. The server device according to claim 1, wherein the reception means receives an order for a product selected based on the menu information. The computer of the server device,
A receiving means for receiving an order for a product from a user terminal operated by a user;
a notification means for notifying a store terminal of a store selling the product of the order content received by the reception means;
An acquisition means for acquiring a processing status of the order from the store terminal;
a management means for managing the order received by the receiving means in association with a processing status of the order at the store acquired by the acquisition means ;
a notification means for notifying the user terminal of notification information including a message corresponding to the processing status;
a providing means for providing, to the user terminal, content data corresponding to the processing status from among content data having at least a part of contents different for each processing status and having a data format different from that of the notification information;
A program to make it function as such. An ordering system having a user terminal operated by a user, a store terminal provided in a store, and a server device,
The server device includes:
A receiving means for receiving an order for a product from the user terminal;
a notification means for notifying the store terminal of the store selling the product of the order content received by the reception means;
An acquisition means for acquiring a processing status of the order from the store terminal;
a management means for managing the order received by the receiving means in association with a processing status of the order at the store acquired by the acquisition means ;
a notification means for notifying the user terminal of notification information including a message corresponding to the processing status;
a providing means for providing, to the user terminal, content data corresponding to the processing status from among content data having at least a part of contents different for each processing status and having a data format different from that of the notification information;
An ordering system comprising:

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