JP7508073B2 - COMMUNICATION DEVICE, COMMUNICATION METHOD, PROGRAM, AND COMMUNICATION SYSTEM - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a communication device, a communication method, a program, and a communication system.

Conventionally, when a group including multiple customers dine at a restaurant or the like, each customer may order their preferred drinks and food from the restaurant staff. In addition, after the entire group has ordered, each customer may place additional orders at their own timing. In addition, in such a meal, it may happen that some customers in the group join the meal late or go home in the middle of the meal.

In these types of dining parties, the group may include customers who order only the amount they will eat and drink, customers who order including the amount others will eat and drink, and customers who order at different times than others, so the total order for the group may exceed the amount that all customers want to eat and drink. Also, customers may choose the same dish, making it difficult to determine the appropriate order for the whole group.

The present invention was made in consideration of these points, and aims to enable each customer in a group to select dishes, etc. according to their preferences while efficiently deciding on orders for the entire group.

In a first aspect of the present invention, a communication device that communicates with a plurality of terminals used by a plurality of users is provided, the communication device including a group management unit that groups the plurality of terminals, a receiving unit that receives information on order candidates selected from a preregistered product list from each of the plurality of grouped terminals, and a transmitting unit that transmits the information on the order candidates from one of the plurality of grouped terminals to the other terminals of the plurality of grouped terminals.

The communication device may further include an order confirmation unit that confirms the order of the group, and the transmission unit may be capable of transmitting information indicating that the order of the group has been confirmed to a store terminal installed in the store when the order confirmation unit confirms the order of the group.

The communication device may further include a state management unit that, among the plurality of grouped terminals, (1) sets the terminal from which the receiving unit has not received the information on the order candidates to an unselected state, (2) sets the terminal that is the source of the information on the order candidates to a selected state in response to the receiving unit receiving the information on the order candidates, and (3) sets the terminal in the selected state to a confirmed state in response to the receiving unit receiving an instruction to confirm the order candidates from the terminal in the selected state, and further sets each of the plurality of grouped terminals to either an offline state or an online state in response to a predetermined condition.

The order confirmation unit may not confirm the order of the group when at least one of the grouped terminals is in a selected state and an online state. The transmission unit may transmit a notification to the selected and offline terminal to prompt the user to confirm the order when at least one of the grouped terminals is in a selected state and an offline state and all other terminals included in the group are in either an unselected state or a confirmed state.

The order confirmation unit may confirm the order for the group when at least one of the grouped terminals is in a selected state and an offline state, and all other terminals included in the group are in either an unselected state or a confirmed state.

When at least one of the grouped terminals is in a selected state and an offline state, and all other terminals included in the group are in either an unselected state or a confirmed state, the transmission unit may transmit a notification to at least one of the other terminals prompting the confirmation of the order of the group, and the order confirmation unit may confirm the order of the group in response to receiving an instruction to confirm the order of the group from the other terminal.

The state management unit may change the terminal that is in a selected state and an offline state to an unselected state in response to the order confirmation unit confirming the order for the group, and delete the order candidate information received from the terminal. When a first terminal of the plurality of grouped terminals is in a selected state and an offline state and a second terminal is in an online state, the state management unit may be capable of changing the first terminal to a confirmed state or an unselected state based on an instruction from the second terminal.

The group management unit may be capable of excluding one of the grouped terminals from the group based on an instruction from the other terminal. The status management unit may stop accepting input or confirmation of the order candidates from the multiple terminals in response to the lapse of a predetermined time.

The communication device may further include an accounting management unit that calculates and manages both accounting information for the group and accounting information for each terminal based on the information on the order candidates received by the receiving unit from the multiple terminals, and the transmitting unit may transmit at least one of the accounting information for the group or the accounting information for the terminal to a terminal included in the group in response to a request from the terminal.

In a second aspect of the present invention, a communication method for communicating with a plurality of terminals used by a plurality of users is provided, the communication method comprising the steps of: grouping the plurality of terminals; receiving information on order candidates selected from a preregistered product list from each of the plurality of grouped terminals; and transmitting the information on the order candidates from one of the plurality of grouped terminals to the other terminals of the plurality of grouped terminals.

In a third aspect of the present invention, a program is provided that, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to function as the communication device of the first aspect.

In a fourth aspect of the present invention, a communication system is provided that includes the communication device of the first aspect and a plurality of terminals used by a plurality of users who communicate with the communication device, each of the plurality of terminals having a display unit that displays information about the product list, an input unit that accepts a selection of the order candidate from among the products included in the product list from the user of the terminal, and a communication unit that transmits information about the order candidate selected from the product list to the communication device.

The present invention has the effect of allowing each customer in a group to select dishes, etc. according to their preferences while efficiently determining the orders for the entire group.

1 shows an example of the configuration of a communication system 10 according to the present embodiment. 1 shows an example of an operation flow of the communication system 10 according to the present embodiment. 1 shows a first display example of a display unit 22 of a terminal 20 according to the present embodiment. 11 shows a second display example of the display unit 22 of the terminal 20 according to the present embodiment. 13 shows a third display example of the display unit 22 of the terminal 20 according to the present embodiment. 1 shows an example of a portion of the operation flow of the communication system 10 according to the present embodiment. 1 shows a modified example of the communication system 10 according to the present embodiment.

<Configuration example of communication system 10>
Fig. 1 shows an example of the configuration of a communication system 10 according to the present embodiment. Fig. 1 shows an example in which the communication system 10 is configured in a store such as a restaurant and accepts orders for drinks, food, etc. from mobile terminals used by multiple customers. In this embodiment, it is assumed that customers who visit the store are users of the terminals. The communication system 10 includes multiple terminals 20, a store terminal 30, and a communication device 100.

The multiple terminals 20 are terminals used by multiple users who communicate with the communication device 100. The terminals 20 may be terminals owned by the users, or terminals prepared and lent by the store. Each of the terminals 20 is a communication-capable device such as a mobile phone, smartphone, game console, tablet PC, small PC, or notebook PC. For example, a customer enters a store and accesses the communication device 100 using his or her terminal 20, thereby forming the communication system 10. Each of the terminals 20 has a display unit 22 and an input unit 24.

The display unit 22 displays information associated with the operation of the terminal 20. For example, when the terminal 20 receives information of a pre-registered product list from the communication system 10, the display unit 22 displays the information of the product list. The display unit 22 is, for example, a display having a liquid crystal display or the like.

The input unit 24 accepts input of numerical values, characters, etc., and operation instructions to the terminal 20. For example, the input unit 24 accepts a selection of order candidates from among products included in a product list from a user of the terminal 20. For example, the display unit 22 is a touch panel display. In this case, the input unit 24 is at least a part of such a display unit 22. While viewing the product list displayed on the display unit 22, the user touches the display unit 22 to select the product to order.

The terminal 20 further includes a communication unit that communicates with the outside. The communication unit is provided, for example, inside the terminal 20, and communicates with the communication device 100. As described below, the communication unit transmits information on order candidates selected from the product list to the communication device 100. The communication unit is capable of wireless communication. The communication unit communicates with the communication device 100, for example, via the Internet, a LAN, etc.

The store terminal 30 is a terminal used within a store. The store terminal 30 is, for example, a terminal used by a store clerk. The store terminal 30 may also be a terminal installed in the store. Multiple store terminals 30 may be used within a store. For example, each store clerk who serves customers may carry a store terminal 30, or a store clerk who cooks in the kitchen may carry one. The store manager may also carry one.

The store terminal 30 is a terminal capable of communication, such as a mobile phone, a smartphone, a tablet PC, a small PC, or a notebook PC. The store terminal 30 communicates with the communication device 100 to send and receive information about the customer's order. For example, information about the food ordered by the customer (hereinafter, the explanation will be mainly given using "food" as an example, but the present invention is similarly applicable to orders of drinks, in-store services, and other items. It is also similarly applicable to orders of products other than food and beverages in groups) is sent to the store terminal 30 installed in the kitchen. In addition, information such as the completion of the food, the number of dishes that can be served, and the time until the food can be served may be input to the store terminal 30 installed in the kitchen, and the information may be sent to the communication device 100. The store terminal 30 may be capable of communication by wire and/or wirelessly. The store terminal 30 communicates with the communication device 100, for example, via the Internet, LAN, etc.

The communication device 100 communicates with multiple terminals 20 used by multiple users. The communication device 100 also communicates with a store terminal 30. The communication device 100 receives, for example, information on a dish selected from a menu prepared by the store. The communication device 100 transmits the information on the selected dish to the store terminal 30. In this way, the communication device 100 has a function of accepting orders from customers of the store. The communication device 100 is, for example, a computer such as a server. As an example, the communication device 100 is a cloud server.

In such a communication device 100, multiple customers input orders for drinks, food, etc. according to their respective preferences. In this case, some customers may input orders including orders for other customers who will be dining with them. In addition, after all members of the group, including the customer, have placed their orders, each customer may input additional orders at their own timing. In addition, in such a dining party, it may happen that customers in the group join the dining party late from the start time, or go home in the middle of the dining party.

In such cases, the order for the entire group may exceed the amount that each customer wants to eat and drink. Also, customers may select the same dish, making it difficult to determine an appropriate order for the entire group. Therefore, the communication device 100 according to this embodiment allows each customer in the group to select dishes according to their preferences while efficiently determining the order for the entire group. The communication device 100 includes a receiving unit 110, a group management unit 120, a memory unit 130, a status management unit 140, an order confirmation unit 150, and a transmitting unit 160.

The receiving unit 110 receives information transmitted from the multiple terminals 20. For example, the receiving unit 110 receives access requests transmitted from each of the multiple terminals 20. The receiving unit 110 also receives information on order candidates selected from a preregistered product list from each of the multiple terminals 20.

The group management unit 120 groups multiple terminals 20. For example, depending on the address of the access destination of the terminal 20, the group management unit 120 includes the terminal 20 in an existing group, or generates a new group and includes the terminal 20 in the new group. Alternatively, the group management unit 120 may group a terminal 20 based on information included in an access request transmitted from the terminal 20. As an example, the group management unit 120 includes multiple terminals 20 that have accessed a common address in one group. The group management unit 120 may also include multiple terminals 20 that have transmitted an access request including a common code in one group. As a means for realizing access to a common address or an access request including a common code, for example, a QR code (registered trademark) can be used, as described below.

The storage unit 130 stores information on the multiple terminals 20 that have been accessed. When the terminals 20 are grouped, the storage unit 130 stores the information on the terminals 20 in association with the information on the group. The storage unit 130 also stores the information on order candidates received from each terminal 20 in association with the information on the terminal 20 that transmitted the information on the order candidates. It is desirable that the storage unit 130 updates and stores the information on the order candidates each time the receiving unit 110 receives the information on the order candidates from each terminal 20. The storage unit 130 may also update and store the information on the order candidates for each group.

The memory unit 130 may also store information about the OS (Operating System) and application software that allow a server or the like to function as the communication device 100. The memory unit 130 may also store various information including a database that is referenced when the application software is executed. For example, a computer such as a server executes a program stored in the memory unit 130 to function as at least a part of the receiving unit 110, group management unit 120, memory unit 130, status management unit 140, order confirmation unit 150, and transmission unit 160.

The storage unit 130 includes, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores a BIOS (Basic Input Output System) of a computer or the like, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) that serves as a working area. The storage unit 130 may also include a large-capacity storage device such as a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) and/or an SSD (Solid State Drive). The computer may further include a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) or the like.

The storage unit 130 may also store information such as setting values used by the communication device 100. The storage unit 130 may also store intermediate data, calculation results, thresholds, parameters, etc. that are generated (or used) during the operation of the communication device 100. The storage unit 130 may also supply the stored data to a request source in response to a request from each section in the communication device 100. The storage unit 130 may also supply the stored data to a request source in response to a request from each section in the communication system 10.

The state management unit 140 manages the states of multiple terminals 20. The state management unit 140 determines the state of each terminal 20 as one of the "unselected state," "selected state," and "confirmed state" according to predetermined conditions. Here, the "unselected state" refers to a state in which the terminal 20 has not accepted any food order candidates from the user. The "selected state" refers to a state in which the terminal 20 has accepted at least one food order candidate from the user. The "confirmed state" refers to a state in which the terminal 20 has accepted and completed the confirmation of a food order candidate from the user.

For example, the state management unit 140 sets, among the multiple grouped terminals 20, a terminal 20 from which the receiving unit 110 has not received information on order candidates to an unselected state. Furthermore, in response to the receiving unit 110 receiving information on at least one order candidate from among the multiple grouped terminals 20, the state management unit 140 sets, to a selected state, a terminal 20 that is the sender of the information on the order candidates. Furthermore, in response to the receiving unit 110 receiving an instruction to confirm the order candidate from a terminal 20 in the selected state from among the multiple grouped terminals 20, the state management unit 140 sets, to a confirmed state, a terminal 20 in the selected state.

The state management unit 140 may further set each of the grouped multiple terminals 20 to either an "offline state" or an "online state" according to a predetermined condition. Here, the "offline state" is, for example, a state in which the terminal 20 is not connected to the communication device 100 due to being in a hibernation state, a sleep state, a power-off state, or a dead battery state. Also, the "online state" is, for example, a state in which the terminal 20 is connected to the communication device 100. The state management unit 140 may determine whether the state is online or offline depending on, for example, whether a connection with the terminal 20 has been established. The state management unit 140 may store and manage the state of the terminal 20 in the storage unit 130 in association with information about the terminal 20.

The order confirmation unit 150 confirms the orders of the group. For example, the order confirmation unit 150 confirms the orders of the group in response to receiving an instruction to confirm the order of the group from one of the terminals 20 included in the group. The order confirmation unit 150 may also confirm the orders of the group in response to the status of the multiple terminals 20 included in the group. The order confirmation unit 150 may also decide not to confirm the orders of the group in response to the status of the multiple terminals 20 included in the group.

The transmission unit 160 transmits information about orders within the group to each of the multiple grouped terminals 20. For example, the transmission unit 160 transmits information about a pre-registered product list to each of the multiple terminals 20. Here, the product list is, for example, a store menu. Furthermore, the transmission unit 160 transmits, for example, information about order candidates of one terminal 20 among the multiple grouped terminals 20 to the other terminals 20 among the multiple grouped terminals 20. Furthermore, the transmission unit 160 may transmit a notification to the terminals 20 in the group to prompt them to confirm the group's orders.

Furthermore, when the order confirmation unit 150 confirms the group's order, the transmission unit 160 can transmit information indicating that the group's order has been confirmed to the store terminal 30 installed in the store. For example, the transmission unit 160 transmits information on whether the group's order has been confirmed in response to a request from the store terminal 30. The transmission unit 160 may also transmit information on the contents of the group's confirmed order in response to a request from the store terminal 30. Alternatively, the transmission unit 160 may transmit information indicating that the group's order has been confirmed to the store terminal 30 in response to the confirmation of the group's order. In this case, the transmission unit 160 may transmit information on the contents of the group's confirmed order to the store terminal 30.

The communication device 100 according to the present embodiment groups a plurality of terminals 20, accepts information on order candidates from the terminals 20 in the group, and transmits the accepted information on order candidates to the terminals 20 in the group for sharing. This allows users of terminals 20 included in the group to use the terminal 20 they use to check the information on order candidates entered by other users in the group.

In other words, each user can easily check the order candidate information entered by the entire group without discussing it with the other users, and can input their own preferred order candidates while checking the order candidates of the entire group. Therefore, according to the communication system 10 of this embodiment, users can input an appropriate amount of order candidates corresponding to the group, and can confirm them as an order for the entire group. The operation of such a communication system 10 will be described next.

<Operation flow of communication system 10>
Fig. 2 shows an example of an operation flow of the communication system 10 according to this embodiment. The operation flow shown in Fig. 2 is an example of a flow in which the communication system 10 is configured by the terminals 20 used by multiple users who have visited the store and the communication device 100 on the store side, and an operation is performed to confirm appropriate orders for the entire group in the store. Note that in this embodiment, the users of the terminals 20 grouped into one group will be described as members of that one group. The flow also includes an example of a flow in which the communication device 100 communicates with multiple terminals 20 used by multiple users.

First, a user who visits the store accesses the communication device 100 using the terminal 20 used by that user (S310: Yes). Here, it is desirable for the store staff to guide the multiple users who visit the store to access the communication device 100 from the terminal 20 used by each of the users. For example, the staff may show the multiple users who make up a group a code indicating a common address or the like, and have them access the common address from their respective terminals 20. When the terminals 20 access the common address, the receiving unit 110 receives an access request from the terminals 20.

In this case, it is desirable that the code shown to the user is a code that can be easily read by the terminal 20, such as a QR code (registered trademark). It is also desirable that the common address, etc. is an access destination that can be updated. The common address, etc. may be updated every time a predetermined time period has elapsed, such as half a day or a day, or each time the settlement of the group's accounts is completed. In this way, for example, even if the address read by the terminal 20 is stored and re-accessed after the settlement of the group's accounts is completed, access to the communication device 100 is not established, and it is possible to prevent spoofing, the transmission and reception of unnecessary information, etc.

The store clerk, for example, may present a piece of paper with a code or the like printed on it to the user, encouraging them to access it from the terminal 20. The store clerk may also display the code or the like on the display unit of the store terminal 30 and present it to the user. The store clerk may also display the code or the like on a display device provided on a table or the like in the store. In this case, the display device or the like may be the store terminal 30. In this case, the communication device 100 may generate a code indicated as the user's access destination and supply it to the store terminal 30. Note that, for example, even if a customer arrives at a different time from other customers, if they are members of the same group, the store clerk will present a code indicating a common address corresponding to the group.

When a terminal 20 accesses the communication device 100 (S310: Yes), the group management unit 120 groups the multiple terminals 20 (S320). When multiple terminals 20 access the first address, the group management unit 120 groups the multiple terminals 20 into a first group. For example, when the first group of customers comes to the store, when a customer comes to the store alone, or when a group of customers rents out the entire store, the group management unit 120 generates a first group and includes the terminals 20 used by the customers in the first group. As an example, the group management unit 120 stores information of the multiple terminals 20 in the memory unit 130 in association with the first group.

The information on the multiple terminals 20 desirably includes identification information for identifying each terminal 20. For example, when multiple terminals 20 access the first address, the group management unit 120 adds identification names such as "Terminal A", "Terminal B", "Terminal C", ... in the order in which the first address was accessed. The group management unit 120 may also add nicknames, or alternatively, may have the users of the terminals 20 input their own nicknames, etc.

Here, for example, when the next group of customers arrives at the store, the store clerk presents the user with a second address that is different from the first address. When the next customer accesses the second address using their own terminal 20, the group management unit 120 groups the multiple terminals 20 that accessed the second address into a second group. In this way, the group management unit 120 groups the terminals 20 based on common information such as the access destination. Thereby, for example, even if a customer of the first group arrives at the store later than the other members, the store clerk presents the first address, and the group management unit 120 can include the customer's terminal 20 in the first group.

The state management unit 140 sets the state of the grouped terminals 20 to "unselected state". The state management unit 140 further sets the state of such terminals 20 to "online state". As described above, the communication device 100 groups the terminals 20 when access from the terminals 20 occurs. Furthermore, the communication device 100 continues to wait for access when there is no access from the terminals 20 at all (S310: No, S312: No).

Next, the transmitting unit 160 transmits the restaurant's menu information to the multiple terminals 20 (S330). For example, the transmitting unit 160 transmits the menu information to the terminals 20 in response to a request from the terminals 20 to view the restaurant's menu information (however, the transmitting unit 160 may transmit the menu information without waiting for the request, for example, when the terminals 20 access the first address). The restaurant's menu information may include additional information, such as a detailed description of the dishes, related information, and access to the related information. The additional information may also include information such as today's recommendations, information on ingredients, information on the number of dishes that can be served, and an estimate of the time it will take to serve the dishes.

The transmitting unit 160 preferably transmits the restaurant's menu information to the multiple terminals 20 as part of the website information. In this case, the multiple terminals 20 access a common address to browse a food ordering site prepared by the restaurant in a browser. The website is, for example, a site that displays the restaurant's menu information and allows a user to select a dish from the menu and make it an ordering candidate. Such website information is, for example, stored in the memory unit 130.

Next, the terminal 20 displays the menu information of the store via such a website and accepts order candidates from the user (S340). Furthermore, if the communication device 100 has already been accessed from one terminal 20 (S310: No, S312: Yes), it accepts order candidates from the already accessed terminal 20 (S340). The user selects dishes included in the menu information as order candidates, for example, by touching the display screen of the input unit 24.

Figure 3 shows a first display example of the display unit 22 of the terminal 20 according to this embodiment. Figure 3 is an example in which the display unit 22 displays part of the menu information. The display example of Figure 3 shows, for example, the result of a user operating the terminal 20 to select one dish included in the menu information. In this way, the website of this example is configured so that a user can select a dish displayed in the menu and thereby view a web page corresponding to the selected dish. As an example, the display unit 22 has a selected dish name 42, an explanation area 44, a submenu display 46, a settings area 48, and an icon area 52.

The dish name 42 is a dish included in the menu. The description area 44 displays a detailed description of the dish. The description area 44 includes, for example, text, pictograms, illustrations, images, etc. The submenu display 46 displays options associated with the dish. For example, the submenu display 46 includes options such as sauce, dressing, and garnish. The submenu display 46 may further include an input field for inputting requests such as omitting a disliked ingredient, increasing the amount of a favorite ingredient, cooking method, boiling doneness, etc.

The setting area 48 is provided so that the number of dishes to order can be input. In the example of FIG. 3, the number "1" indicates the number of orders, and the setting area 48 is provided so that tapping the "+" display area increases the number of orders, and tapping the "-" display area decreases the number of orders.

The icon area 52 is provided with icons for instructing operations. For example, the menu icon 54 is an icon for returning to the menu display. That is, the user taps the menu icon 54 to return to the menu display. The order history icon 56 is an icon for viewing the order history. That is, the user taps the order history icon 56 to display the order history up to that point. The order input icon 58 is an icon for inputting the selected dish as an order candidate. That is, the user taps the order input icon 58 to input the selected dish as an order candidate, and information on the order candidate is transmitted from the terminal 20 to the communication device 100.

As a result, the receiving unit 110 receives information on order candidates selected from the menu from each of the grouped multiple terminals 20 (S350). The receiving unit 110 stores the received information on the order candidates in the storage unit 130 in association with the information on the terminal 20 that transmitted the information on the order candidates. In response to the receiving unit 110 receiving the information on the order candidates, the state management unit 140 sets the state of the terminal 20 that transmitted the information on the order candidates to a "selected state." In addition, when the receiving unit 110 receives information on the cancellation of an order candidate and all order candidates of the terminal 20 that transmitted the cancellation information are gone, the state management unit 140 changes the state of the terminal 20 from the "selected state" to an "unselected state."

Next, the transmitting unit 160 transmits information on order candidates of one of the grouped terminals 20 to the other terminals 20 of the grouped terminals 20 (S360). For example, in response to a first user of a first group performing an operation to check the order status of another user in the first group, the transmitting unit 160 transmits information on order candidates of the other user to the terminal 20 of the first user. In addition, in response to the receiving unit 110 receiving information on order candidates from the terminal 20 of one user in the first group, the transmitting unit 160 may transmit information on the order candidates to the terminal 20 of a user in the group.

Figure 4 shows a second display example of the display unit 22 of the terminal 20 according to this embodiment. Figure 4 is an example in which the display unit 22 displays information on order candidates that have already been entered. The display example in Figure 4 shows, for example, the result of a user operating the terminal 20 to tap the order input icon 58 in the icon area 52 described in Figure 3. As an example, the display unit 22 has an input information area 62, a member information area 64, a decision button 66, and an icon area 68.

The input information area 62 displays information on order candidates entered by the user of the terminal 20. It is desirable for the input information area 62 to display information such as the name and quantity of the order candidates, the total number of entered order candidates, and the price. In the input information area 62, it may be possible to cancel the input of the order candidate and/or change the quantity of the order candidate, for example, by tapping on the order candidate.

The member information area 64 shows the status of the terminals 20 in the group. FIG. 4 shows an example where the group contains four terminals 20. FIG. 4 also shows an example where the four terminals 20 are identified using the letters "A", "B", "C", and "D". Note that in FIG. 4, a check mark is added to the part marked "A", showing an example where terminal A has confirmed an order. Note that, as a variation, the member information area 64 may not display information about the terminal 20 (A-D) in the group that the member uses (for example, if the member uses terminal C, only A, B, and D are displayed), allowing the necessary information to be displayed efficiently.

The member information area 64 may also be capable of displaying whether each of the terminals 20 in the group is online or not. For example, the state of the terminals 20 may be displayed in a distinguishable manner by varying the color of the characters identifying the terminals 20, the decoration of the characters, etc. FIG. 4 shows an example in which terminals B and D are online and terminal C is offline.

The decision button 66 is a button for confirming the input of order candidates from the terminal 20. The user of the terminal 20 confirms the input of their own order candidates by tapping the decision button 66.

The icon area 68 is provided with icons for instructing operations, similar to the icon area 52 described in FIG. 3. The menu icon 54 and the order history icon 56 are icons for executing operations substantially similar to those described in FIG. 3. The order input icon 58 may function as an icon for updating information on order candidates. The icon area 68 may also display the number of order candidates input by the user and/or the number of order candidates input by the group. FIG. 4 shows an example in which the order input icon 58 displays the number of order candidates input by the user (5 as an example) and the number of order candidates input by the group (11 as an example).

Each user of terminal 20 operates a display screen such as the examples shown in Figures 3 and 4 to input their own order candidates. For example, a dish is selected from the menu screen to display the screen shown in Figure 3, a sub-menu item and quantity are input, and the screen in Figure 4 is displayed. Then, the user taps menu icon 54 to return to the menu screen and select the next dish. During this process, it is desirable for each user to be able to check the order status of members of the group name. Therefore, the input information area 62 shown in Figure 4 is configured to be able to display, in addition to the order candidate information input by the user of terminal 20, the order candidate information input by other users in the group.

Figure 4 shows an example in which the input information area 62 has tabs labeled "You" and "Other Members." That is, Figure 4 shows an example in which the "You" tab for displaying information on order candidates input by the user is in an active state. Here, for example, in response to the user tapping the "Other Members" tab, the "Other Members" tab becomes active, and the transmission unit 160 transmits information on order candidates for other members to the terminal 20. This enables the terminal 20 to display information on order candidates for other members.

Figure 5 shows a third display example of the display unit 22 of the terminal 20 according to this embodiment. Figure 5 is an example in which the display unit 22 displays information on order candidates for other members. The display example in Figure 5 shows the result of, for example, the user operating the terminal 20 to tap the "Other Members" tab in the input information area 62 described in Figure 4. As an example, the display unit 22 displays the input information area 62 and the icon area 68. The icon area 68 has been described in Figures 3 and 4, so a description thereof will be omitted here.

The input information area 62 displays information on order candidates entered by users of terminals 20 in the group that are different from the terminal 20 in question. The input information area 62 preferably displays information such as the name and quantity of the order candidates, the total number of input order candidates, and the price. This allows users in the group to input their own order candidates while checking the ordering trends of other members by switching between the "You" tab and the "Other members" tab.

As described above, each user in the group operates their own terminal 20 to input order candidates and confirms their input of their order candidates by tapping the decision button 66. In response to the receiving unit 110 receiving an instruction to confirm the order candidates from the selected terminal 20, the state management unit 140 sets the selected terminal 20 to a confirmed state. Here, the transmitting unit 160 may notify the other terminals 20 in the group that one terminal 20 has entered a confirmed state. This allows the user of each terminal 20 to know how many orders have been completed within the group.

The order confirmation unit 150, for example, confirms the orders of the group in response to the state of all terminals 20 in the group being in the confirmed state (S370: Yes). Here, the transmission unit 160 may send a notification to the terminal 20 in the group that is online and is the last to tap the decision button 66, to confirm whether or not to confirm the order of the group. In this case, the order confirmation unit 150 confirms the order of the group in response to receiving an instruction to confirm the order of the group from the terminal 20 that sent the confirmation notification.

On the other hand, if at least one of the grouped terminals 20 is in a selected state and online state, the order confirmation unit 150 does not confirm the order for the group (S370: No). In other words, if there is even one terminal 20 in the group that has only transmitted one or more order candidates, the order confirmation unit 150 does not confirm the order for the group. In this case, the communication system 10 repeats the process of accepting order candidates from a user by one or more terminals 20 (S340), receiving information on the order candidates by the receiving unit 110 (S350), and transmitting information on the order candidates by the transmitting unit 160 (S360) until the order for the group is determined.

When the order confirmation unit 150 confirms the group's order (S370: Yes), the transmission unit 160 transmits information indicating that the group's order has been confirmed to the store terminal 30 installed in the store (S380). The transmission unit 160 may transmit information indicating that the group's order has been confirmed and information on the confirmed order content, in response to a request from the store terminal 30, etc., so that store staff etc. can understand the order content. For example, kitchen staff etc. can start cooking promptly based on the order information. Also, customer service staff can promptly prepare tableware etc. according to the dishes.

As described above, each member of the group can confirm the order of the group while checking the order contents of the other members using his/her own terminal 20. Furthermore, if a member of the group continues to eat and drink even after confirming the order (S390: No), the communication system 10 can accept additional orders from the group by returning to accepting order candidates in S340. In this case, each member of the group can input an additional order while checking the past order history of the group, in addition to the order candidates of the other members, by tapping the order history icon 56. In other words, the communication system 10 repeats the operations of S340 to S380 until the group finishes eating and drinking.

When the group has finished eating and drinking (S390: Yes), for example, the waiter settles the bill for the group's meal, and the members pay for it. At this point, the members of the group may input the end of eating and drinking from the terminal 20, or alternatively, the waiter may input the end of eating and drinking from the store terminal 30. In response to the reception unit 110 inputting the information that the group has finished eating and drinking, the state management unit 140 stops accepting input or confirmation of order candidates from the multiple terminals 20 (S400). This makes it possible to prevent erroneous input from the terminals 20 after the payment, nuisance behavior, and the like. Note that the state management unit 140 stopping acceptance is one example, and is not limited to this. For example, the reception unit 110 may discard the information received at the common address corresponding to the group after the payment.

As described above, according to the communication system 10 of this embodiment, when a group including multiple members dine together at a restaurant or the like, each member can order their preferred drinks, food, etc. using their own terminal 20. Then, each member of the group can decide on the group's order while checking the ordering status and past order details of other members.

Therefore, by using the communication system 10, it is possible to prevent the same food from being selected within a group, and the group's total order from exceeding the amount each member desires, and to determine the appropriate order for the entire group. Furthermore, since the communication system 10 repeats this order acceptance operation until the group finishes eating and drinking, even if each member places an additional order at their own timing after the group's order, the order can be appropriately accepted and transmitted to the store. Furthermore, the store can efficiently prepare food, tableware, etc. by accepting orders from within the group as a relatively consolidated order, rather than accepting orders from within the group separately. Note that, although an example of ordering food at a restaurant has been described in this embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this. The group's order can also be determined in a similar manner when selecting food as a group in karaoke, hotels, food delivery, etc.

In addition, in such a dinner party, a member of the group may join the dinner party late from the start time. Even in such a case, the late member can access the address corresponding to the group of that member using the terminal 20 that he or she is using, and the communication device 100 can process the late member as a member of the same group.

In addition, in such a dining party, it is possible that a member of the group may go home in the middle of the meal. In this case, for example, the group management unit 120 can remove one of the multiple grouped terminals 20 from the group based on an instruction from that terminal 20. This allows the remaining members to update the group even if some members of the group go home, and the next ordering action can be performed promptly. It is also possible to prevent erroneous input by members who have returned home.

The group management unit 120 may be able to remove a terminal 20 from the group whether the terminal 20 is online or offline, or alternatively, may be able to remove only terminals 20 that are offline. Instead of or in addition to being able to remove other terminals 20 from the group, the group management unit 120 may be able to remove one terminal 20 from the group based on an instruction from one of the multiple grouped terminals 20. This allows the group management unit 120 to quickly update the group when a member makes a declaration.

Furthermore, removal of a member from a group does not necessarily have to be based on execution from the member's side. For example, a store clerk may notify the communication device 100 from the store terminal 30 that a member is going home. When the receiving unit 110 provides such a notification to the group management unit 120, the group management unit 120 can remove information about the terminal 20 corresponding to that member from the group. This allows the group management unit 120 to change the group to one containing only the remaining members, so that further orders can be confirmed in the changed group.

The communication system 10 according to the present embodiment has been described above as an example in which, in S370 of FIG. 2, the order for the group is not confirmed until the states of all terminals 20 in the group are confirmed. Here, the communication device 100 may execute an operation to promptly change the state of all terminals 20 to the confirmed state using an automatic determination process, a message transmission process, or the like. The operation of such a communication system 10 will be described next.

<Details of the flow to confirm a group order>
FIG. 6 shows an example of a part of the operation flow of the communication system 10 according to this embodiment. FIG. 6 shows an example of a more detailed operation of the communication system 10 in S370 in FIG. 2. If there is no terminal in the confirmed state among the multiple terminals 20 in the group (S500: No), the order confirmation unit 150 does not confirm the order of the group (S370: No). In addition, the order confirmation unit 150 confirms the order of the group in response to the state of all the terminals 20 in the group being in the confirmed state (S500: Yes, S510: Yes). On the other hand, if some of the terminals 20 in the group are in the confirmed state (S500: Yes) and the remaining part are not in the confirmed state (S510: No), the order confirmation unit 150 checks the selection state (whether it is in the unselected state or the selected state) of the terminals 20 that are not in the confirmed state (S520).

For example, when all terminals 20 that are not in a confirmed state are in an unselected state, i.e., when there are no terminals 20 in a selected state (S520: Yes), the order confirmation unit 150 confirms the order for the group (S540). That is, the order confirmation unit 150 may confirm the order assuming that some members have no intention of inputting an order at this time. In this case, the order confirmation unit 150 may confirm the order for the group on the condition that the terminals 20 remain in a selected state for more than a predetermined time.

On the other hand, if some of the terminals 20 that are not in a confirmed state are in a selected state (S520: No), the order confirmation unit 150 checks whether the selected terminals 20 are in an offline state (S530). Then, if at least one of the grouped multiple terminals 20 is in a selected state and an offline state, and all other terminals 20 included in the group are in either an unselected state or a confirmed state (S530: Yes), the order confirmation unit 150 may confirm the order for the group (S540). As described above, the communication system 10 may automatically confirm the order for the group depending on the state of the terminals 20 in the group.

Alternatively, the communication device 100 may send a message to confirm the order to the terminals 20 that are not in the confirmed state, and confirm the group's order once. For example, when at least one of the grouped multiple terminals 20 is in a selected state and an offline state, and all other terminals 20 included in the group are in either an unselected state or a confirmed state, the transmission unit 160 sends a notification to at least one of the other terminals 20 prompting them to confirm the group's order.

Alternatively or in addition, when at least one of the grouped multiple terminals 20 is in a selected state and an offline state, and all other terminals 20 included in the group are in either an unselected state or a confirmed state, the transmission unit 160 may transmit a notification to the terminal 20 that is in a selected state and an offline state, prompting the confirmation of the group's order.

In this case, the transmitting unit 160 sends messages such as, for example, "Your orders have not been confirmed. Please confirm your orders" or "There are customers who are offline and have not yet confirmed their orders" to the terminals 20 in a confirmed state. Then, the order confirming unit 150 confirms the group's orders in response to the receiving unit 110 receiving an instruction to confirm the group's orders from the terminal 20 that sent the notification. In this way, the communication device 100 can prompt customers who have not confirmed their orders to confirm their orders quickly, without the need for a store clerk or the like to speak to them.

Note that if the sending unit 160 sends a message and the receiving unit 110 does not receive an instruction to confirm the order from the terminal 20 that sent the notification, the order confirmation unit 150 does not need to confirm the group's order.

Next, in response to the order confirmation unit 150 confirming the group's order, the status management unit 140 may set the terminal 20 that is in a selected and offline state to an unselected state and delete the order candidate information received from that terminal 20 (S550). Then, S370 may be determined as Yes, and the process may proceed to the next operation in the flow of FIG. 2. As a result, even if an offline terminal 20 becomes online after the group's order is confirmed, the previously input order candidate information has been deleted, so that that terminal 20 can quickly accept input of additional order candidates without any inconsistencies.

The communication device 100 may also send a message to confirm the order to online terminals 20 that are not in a confirmed state, and confirm the group's orders after confirmation. For example, if at least one terminal of the grouped multiple terminals 20 is in a selected state and online state (S530: No), the transmission unit 160 sends a notification to the selected and online terminal 20 prompting the user to confirm the order (S560).

In this case, the sending unit 160 may, for example, send messages such as "Your orders have not been confirmed. Please confirm your orders" or "Your orders have not yet been confirmed" to the online terminals 20. Then, upon receiving an instruction to confirm the group's order from the terminal 20 that sent the message (S570: Yes), the order confirmation unit 150 confirms the group's order (S540). Here, if there is a terminal 20 that is in a selected state and offline state, the state management unit 140 may set the terminal 20 to an unselected state and delete the order candidate information received from the terminal 20 (S550).

On the other hand, if the sending unit 160 sends a message and the receiving unit 110 does not receive an instruction to confirm the order from the terminal 20 that sent the notification (S570: No), the order confirmation unit 150 does not need to confirm the group's order. In other words, S370 is No, and the process may proceed to the next operation in the flow of FIG. 2.

In the operation of S550 of the communication system 10 according to the present embodiment described above, an example has been described in which the state management unit 140 changes a terminal 20 that is in a selected state and offline state to an unselected state in response to the order confirmation unit 150 confirming the group's order, but this is not limiting. Alternatively or in addition, when a first terminal 20 of a plurality of grouped terminals 20 is in a selected state and offline state and a second terminal 20 is in an online state, the state management unit 140 may be able to change the first terminal 20 to a confirmed state or an unselected state based on an instruction from the second terminal 20. This allows the members of the group to quickly confirm the group's order.

In the operation of S560 of the communication system 10 according to the present embodiment described above, an example has been described in which the transmission unit 160 transmits a notification urging the confirmation of an order to a terminal 20 that is in a selected state and online state when at least one terminal of the grouped multiple terminals 20 is in a selected state and online state, but this is not limited to this. Instead, for example, the transmission unit 160 may transmit a notification urging the confirmation of an order to a terminal 20 that is online, regardless of the selection state of the terminal 20. For example, the transmission unit 160 transmits a notification urging the confirmation of an order to a terminal 20 that is online in response to a predetermined number of terminals 20 being in a confirmed state.

In the above communication system 10 according to the present embodiment, an example has been described in which each member of a group can input additional orders until the group has finished eating and drinking, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the state management unit 140 stops accepting input or confirmation of order candidates from the multiple terminals 20 when a predetermined time has passed. The receiving unit 110 may also stop accepting information transmitted from the multiple terminals 20. This allows the communication system 10 to restrict additional orders according to, for example, the closing time of a store, a deadline for accepting orders, and order types with time restrictions such as all-you-can-drink and all-you-can-eat.

In the above embodiment of the communication system 10, an example has been described in which the order confirmation unit 150 determines whether to confirm the order depending on the state of the terminal 20, but this is not limiting. For example, the transmission unit 160 may transmit the state of each terminal 20 to each terminal 20, and each terminal 20 may determine whether to confirm the order. Also, each terminal 20 may output a message prompting the user to confirm the order. That is, each terminal 20 may be able to execute some of the functions of the communication device 100 by executing a program transmitted from the transmission unit 160.

The above description has been given of an example of the communication system 10 according to the present embodiment, in which an order that has been efficiently confirmed by a customer is transmitted to a store, but the present invention is not limited to this example. The communication system 10 may be connected to other systems, other devices, etc. on the store side. The communication system 10 may also have a function for executing accounting processes, for example. Such an example will be described next.

<Modifications of the communication system 10>
7 shows a modified version of the communication system 10 according to the present embodiment. The modified communication system 10 further includes an accounting management unit 210. The accounting management unit 210 manages accounting information for the group based on information about order candidates received by the receiving unit 110 from multiple terminals 20. For example, in response to a request from a terminal 20 included in the group, the transmission unit 160 transmits the group's accounting information generated by the accounting management unit 210 to that terminal 20. In this case, the transmission unit 160 may transmit the group's accounting information to the store terminal 30.

This allows the user of terminal 20 to input their own order options while checking the order status and accounting status of the group. In addition, the user of terminal 20 and the store staff can quickly grasp the accounting information of the group, so that they can smoothly move on to the accounting process for the group once the meal is finished.

The accounting management unit 210 may also calculate and manage both the accounting information for the group and the accounting information for each terminal 20 based on the information of order candidates received by the receiving unit 110 from multiple terminals 20. In this case, the transmitting unit 160, for example, transmits at least one of the accounting information for the group or the accounting information for that terminal 20 to a terminal 20 included in the group in response to a request from that terminal 20. By having the accounting management unit 210 manage the accounting information for each terminal 20, settlement for each member of the group can be carried out quickly. Furthermore, because accounting information is transmitted to the terminal 20, the communication system 10 can easily complete payment by connecting to a payment system on the terminal 20 side.

In the above communication system 10 according to the present embodiment, an example has been described in which the communication device 100 is accessed from multiple terminals 20, and each user of the terminal 20 inputs his or her own order candidates. In this case, the communication device 100 may operate as, for example, a web application, and the user may input order candidates on the web browser of his or her terminal 20. However, the communication system 10 is not limited to a system realized by a web application. For example, by accessing the communication device 100 from a terminal 20, an application may be installed on the terminal 20, and by installing and executing the application on the terminal 20, the user may be able to input order candidates.

In the above communication system 10 according to the present embodiment, an example has been described in which each user of the terminal 20 accesses the communication device 100 and inputs his or her own order candidates when eating or drinking, but the present invention is not limited to this. The communication system 10 can be applied not only to ordering food and drink, but also to cases where a group selects and purchases products other than food and drink.

Although the present invention has been described above using embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the invention. For example, all or part of the device can be configured by distributing or integrating functionally or physically in any unit. In addition, new embodiments resulting from any combination of multiple embodiments are also included in the embodiments of the present invention. The effect of the new embodiment resulting from the combination also has the effect of the original embodiment.

10 Communication system 20 Terminal 22 Display unit 24 Input unit 26 Communication unit 30 Store terminal 42 Food name 44 Description area 46 Submenu display 48 Setting area 52 Icon area 54 Menu icon 56 Order history icon 58 Order input icon 62 Input information area 64 Member information area 66 Confirm button 68 Icon area 100 Communication device 110 Receiving unit 120 Group management unit 130 Memory unit 140 Status management unit 150 Order confirmation unit 160 Transmission unit 210 Accounting management unit

Claims (15)

A communication device that communicates with a plurality of terminals respectively used by a plurality of users,
A group management unit that groups the plurality of terminals;
a receiving unit that receives information on order candidates selected from a preregistered product list from each of the plurality of grouped terminals;
a transmission unit that transmits the information on the order candidates to another terminal among the plurality of terminals in response to receiving the information on the order candidates from one terminal among the plurality of terminals in the group,
the receiving unit further receives an order confirmation instruction for the order candidates from the one terminal after the transmitting unit transmits the information on the order candidates received from the one terminal to another terminal;
Communication device. An order confirmation unit that confirms an order of the group is further provided,
The communication device according to claim 1 , wherein the transmission unit is capable of transmitting information indicating that the order for the group has been confirmed to a store terminal installed in the store when the order confirmation unit confirms the order for the group. Among the plurality of grouped terminals, (1) the receiving unit places a terminal from which the order candidate information has not been received in an unselected state, (2) in response to the receiving unit receiving the order candidate information, the terminal that is the sender of the order candidate information is placed in a selected state, and (3) in response to the receiving unit receiving an instruction to confirm the order candidate from the terminal in the selected state, the terminal in the selected state is placed in a confirmed state.
Furthermore, each of the plurality of grouped terminals is set to either an offline state or an online state according to a predetermined condition.
The communication device according to claim 2 , further comprising a state management unit. The communication device according to claim 3, wherein the order confirmation unit does not confirm the order of the group when at least one of the grouped terminals is in a selected state and an online state. the transmission unit, when at least one terminal among the plurality of grouped terminals is in a selected state and an offline state, and further, when all other terminals included in the group are in either an unselected state or a confirmed state, transmits a notification to the terminal in the selected state and the offline state to prompt the confirmation of an order.
The communication device according to claim 3. the order confirmation unit confirms the order of the group when at least one terminal among the plurality of grouped terminals is in a selected state and an offline state, and further, all other terminals included in the group are in either an unselected state or a confirmed state;
The communication device according to claim 3. the transmission unit, when at least one terminal among the plurality of grouped terminals is in a selected state and an offline state, and further, when all other terminals included in the group are in either an unselected state or a confirmed state, transmits a notification to at least one of the other terminals prompting confirmation of an order of the group;
the order confirmation unit confirms the order of the group in response to receiving an instruction to confirm the order of the group from the other terminal;
The communication device according to claim 3. the state management unit, in response to the order confirmation unit confirming the order for the group, sets the terminal that is in a selected state and an offline state to an unselected state, and deletes the order candidate information that has been received from the terminal.
A communication device according to claim 6 or 7. the state management unit, when a first terminal among the plurality of grouped terminals is in a selected state and an offline state and a second terminal is in an online state, is capable of changing the first terminal to a confirmed state or an unselected state based on an instruction from the second terminal;
A communication device according to any one of claims 6 to 8. The communication device according to any one of claims 3 to 9, wherein the state management unit stops accepting input or confirmation of the order candidates from the multiple terminals in response to the lapse of a predetermined time. further comprising an accounting management unit that calculates and manages both accounting information for the group and accounting information for each of the terminals based on the order candidate information received by the receiving unit from the plurality of terminals,
the transmission unit transmits at least one of the accounting information of the group or the accounting information of the terminal to the terminal in response to a request from the terminal included in the group.
A communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 10. A computer-implemented communication method for communicating with a plurality of terminals respectively used by a plurality of users, the method comprising:
grouping the plurality of terminals;
receiving information on order candidates selected from a preregistered product list from each of the plurality of grouped terminals;
In response to receiving the information on the order candidates from one terminal among the plurality of terminals grouped together, transmitting the information on the order candidates to another terminal among the plurality of terminals grouped together;
and a step of transmitting information about the order candidates received from the one terminal to another terminal, and then receiving an order confirmation instruction for the order candidates from the one terminal. A program that, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to function as the communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 11 . The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 11;
a plurality of terminals used by a plurality of users who communicate with the communication device;
Each of the plurality of terminals
A display unit that displays information on the product list;
an input unit that accepts a selection of the order candidate from among the products included in the product list from a user of the terminal;
a communication unit that transmits information on the order candidates selected from the product list to the communication device,
Communications system. One of the plurality of terminals is
the communication unit receives, from the communication device, information on the order candidates input by another user in the group, which is accepted by another terminal different from the one terminal among the plurality of terminals;
When the communication unit receives information on the order candidates input by the other user while the user of the one terminal is selecting the order candidates, the display unit displays the information on the order candidates input by the other user.
15. The communication system of claim 14.

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