JPH04257970A - Terminal equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To easily prepare and process the information required for forwarding loads from a load forwarding person to a central load reception side. CONSTITUTION:As a terminal equipment 1 on the load forwarding person side, an external storage part 6 such as a floppy disk or the like stores load forwarding person information and forwarding destination information, an input means such as a touch panel or the like inputs forwarding object information such as the quantity of merchandise, etc., a load code generating means such as a bar code seal or the like generates the load code of the forwarding object, the selection and connection of the load reception side is obtained by selecting the forwarding destination information, the load forwarding person information and the forwarding object information is transmitted in advance, and a notice attached to the forwarding object is printed.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a terminal device that connects a computer system at a center and a package sender through a public line.

0002

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The distribution of products such as foodstuffs and fresh flowers between producers and wholesale markets is structured in such a way that the producers ship the products to wholesale markets through cooperatives such as agricultural cooperatives. This system uses a wide area computer network, such as a VAN, to exchange shipping information in real time.

On the other hand, there are many products that are shipped directly from the producer to the wholesale market, and in this case, since the scale of the producer's shipment is generally small, the correspondence with the product is done through the exchange of shipping slips. There is.

0004

[Problem to be solved by the invention] As mentioned above, the shipping slip is used as the information medium for direct shipment from the producer to the wholesale market, so the shipping slip and the product are distributed as one. In wholesale markets, the content and quantity of products cannot be determined until the products arrive, impairing distribution efficiency.

[0005] For example, on the wholesale market side, it is necessary to input product arrival information into a computer system, but it is possible to input a large amount of slips in a short time during a specific time period when arrivals are concentrated (usually at night when the roads are empty). This imposes a heavy workload on the computer operator.

[0006] A producer with a facsimile machine can transmit shipping information by facsimile to the target wholesale market in advance at the time of shipping. In this case, the time needed to input facsimile information into a computer can be distributed, but the troublesome task of inputting facsimile information into a computer is the same as in the case of a slip.

[0007] Such a problem exists in the shipment of small packages between the sender and the central package receiving side.

An object of the present invention is to provide a terminal device that facilitates the creation and processing of information necessary for shipping a package from a package sender to a central package receiving side.

[0009]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a terminal device for sending parcel shipping information from a parcel sender to a computer system on the parcel receiving side of a center through a public line, external storage means for storing information and shipping destination information; input means for inputting shipping information; baggage code generating means for obtaining a baggage code for each shipment; comprising a terminal control means for transmitting the package sender information and shipment information to the package receiving side after obtaining connection with the side computer system, and printing the respective information and a code on an invoice to be attached to the shipped package; The external storage means is a floppy disk or an IC card, and the input means is a shipment name selection key using a touch switch and a quantity/quantity selection key using a numeric keypad.
The baggage code generation means is a touch panel with a numeric keypad for grades, and the baggage code generating means reads the baggage code stored in the external storage unit or by a barcode reader that reads from a barcode sticker received from the baggage receiving side through a public line or stored in advance. shall be.

0010

[Operation] According to the present invention configured as described above, various information related to the shipment from the package sender to the package receiving side is obtained by selecting from the external storage means and the package code generation means, and only the quantity of the package etc. By inputting on the numeric keypad, shipping information can be obtained and a shipping label to be attached to the package can also be printed.

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention. The one-dot chain line block indicates the producer terminal device 1,
It is connected through a public line 2 to a computer system 3 on the wholesale market side.

The terminal control unit 4 of the terminal device 1 is composed of a microprocessor, and its program is written in a ROM provided in an internal storage unit 5.

The external storage section 6 is a small storage medium such as an IC card or a floppy disk that is removable from the terminal device 1, so that the stored contents can be easily changed. The storage contents of this external storage section 6 are divided into the following three.

(1) Producer information...producer code, name,
address, password, etc.

(2) Shipping destination information: code, name, address, etc. of the shipping destination wholesale market.

(3) Shipping information: Name of the product to be shipped (names of all products in circulation or names of products produced by the producer).

The external storage unit 6 that stores such information is made removable from the terminal device 1, so that it can be used, for example, when a wholesale market is added to the shipping destination information in (2), or in (3). ) When the name of a product in shipping information is changed, the producer only needs to replace the IC card or floppy disk.

In this case, the external storage unit 6 to be changed is changed using the computer system 3 on the wholesale market side or in a separately installed system-sharing calculation center, and the change is made by mail etc., so that it can be changed by each producer. To simplify a terminal device and reduce the labor of a producer. Furthermore, in the case of changes made by the computer system 3, it is also possible to transmit the updated information from the computer to the terminal device 1 side through the public line 2 and write it directly into the external storage section 6.

Next, the display section 7 is configured as a thin display device using liquid crystal or the like, and displays input and dialogue information from the producer, as well as various information transmitted from the computer system 3 side.

The input operation section 8 is a touch panel attached to the surface of the display section 7, and information is input by selecting display items through touch operations. For example, selecting items to be shipped or selecting quantities using a numeric keypad eliminates the need for complicated operations using a keyboard or the like.

The printout unit 9 transfers necessary information from the information input by the input operation unit 8 and various information held in the external storage unit 6, and prints the information on a slip to be attached to the product to be shipped. Print out the shipping ledger on the side. The printed slip contains standard information stored in the external storage unit 6, such as the name, address, and telephone number of the shipping destination and shipping origin, as well as input information such as the contents and quantity of the shipment. In addition to this, information that is entered on regular slips,
Furthermore, a code number unique to the parcel determined by the wholesale market is printed in letters and a bar code. This code number is set for each parcel at the wholesale market, and is sent from the wholesale market to the producer in advance via public line 2. Sent. Such an output unit 9 certainly facilitates the production of slips by producers, facilitates the production of shipping ledgers, and further facilitates computer processing on the wholesale market side.

The communication control section 10 is configured as a modem or a terminal adapter for coupling between the terminal control section 4 and the public line 2 side, and exchanges information between the terminal device 4 and the computer system.

[0023] The computer system 3 of the wholesale market receives shipping information sent from each producer and producer association through a public line or a private line, stores the information, and assigns a unique code to each package sent. and sends this code to the terminal device 1 on the producer side. In addition, when changing the contents of various information stored in the external storage device 6 as described above, the contents are transmitted through the public line 2 and the contents are changed.

In the system configured as described above, the processing of the terminal device 1 is performed by the terminal control section 4 as shown in the flowchart shown in FIG. Hereinafter, the process for shipping products will be explained.

After powering on the terminal device 1 and connecting it to the public line 2, the terminal control section 4 reads the shipping destination information and displays it on the display section 7.
A list of shipping (shipping) destinations is displayed (step S1). When this display cannot be displayed all at once on the display section 7, the desired shipping destination can be selected by scroll control.

[0026] The producer selects the shipping destination from the display on the display section 7 through an input operation on the input operation section 8 (step S2). In response to this selection, the terminal control unit 4 calls the destination computer system by automatic dialing or the like, connects to the computer (step S3), and after confirming this connection, reads out the above-mentioned producer information from the external storage unit 6. The information is then transmitted to the computer system 3 (step S4), and the shipping information is read out and displayed as a list of shipping product names on the display unit 7 (step S5).

[0027] The producer selects the name of the product to be shipped from the list of product names to be shipped (step S6).
), and further inputs the quantity of the product using a numeric keypad or the like (step S7), and also inputs the grade of the product if necessary (step S8).

After the above shipping product information (product name, quantity, etc.) is input, the terminal control unit 4 transmits it as shipping information to the computer system 3 side (step S9), and the computer system 3 side responds to this transmission. Waits for the baggage code to be received (step S10). This baggage code is a unique code added by the computer system 3 to each baggage handled in the entire wholesale market, and is converted into a bar code in place of the baggage number. By using a barcode as a cargo code, cargo handling processes such as receiving and sorting cargo and information management at the wholesale market are facilitated. That is, it facilitates reading and input operations on conventional slips, and also facilitates comparison with packages.

Upon receiving the baggage code from the wholesale market, the terminal control section 4 performs printing control to include the baggage code on a sticker affixed to the baggage (step S11). Therefore, in addition to the above-mentioned producer information, shipping destination information, and shipping information printed on the sticker, a package code is also printed on the sticker, and distribution management and bookkeeping are performed in the wholesale market based on these pieces of information. The printed sticker is affixed to the package at the time of shipment.

After the processing described above, the terminal control unit 4 displays on the display unit 7 a message indicating whether or not the input of shipments to the wholesale market, which is the current shipping destination, has been completed (step S12). When there are shipments, the process returns to step S5 and input operations for the remaining shipments are performed using the product name list display. Also, when all shipments for the shipping destination have been entered, the connection with the shipping destination computer is cut off (step S13), and the inquiry is made as to whether there is another shipping destination (step S14), and if there is, the process returns to step S1. Then, the process returns to selecting a new shipping destination from the list of shipping destinations, and if there is no new shipping destination, the shipping process ends.

[0031] Therefore, at the time of shipping or before shipping, the producer can select the shipping destination, select shipping product information (name, quantity, etc.), and input the numeric keypad to send shipping information and print a sticker to be attached to the package. To reduce errors and extremely simplify shipping processing by eliminating the need for creating slips. On the wholesale market side, on the other hand, shipping information can be obtained before the product arrives, and when the package arrives, the barcode is read with a barcode reader and the incoming shipment is inspected by simply comparing it with the shipping information received in advance. This eliminates the need for key input on the wholesale market side, greatly reducing the workload.

[0032]Furthermore, in the wholesale market, goods are stored in warehouses,
To facilitate the movement and management of cargo using barcodes for all tasks such as auctions and handing over cargo to intermediate wholesalers.

Furthermore, the terminal device configuration is realized by a microprocessor, a liquid crystal display, a touch panel, a printer, a modem, and one floppy disk, resulting in an inexpensive and compact device.

FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of the invention. The difference between this figure and FIG. 1 is that a barcode reader 11 is provided. The barcode reader 11 reads the barcode corresponding to the shipment from a barcode sheet for each product prepared in advance by the producer, and the terminal control unit 4 uses this barcode as information for printing an invoice label by the print output unit 9. Make use of it.

The processing of this embodiment is shown in FIG. 4, and the same processing as in FIG. 2 is indicated by the same reference numerals. In this embodiment, since the barcode sheet is prepared in advance on the producer side, it is not necessary to receive the package code from the shipping destination, and the input processing while maintaining the communication status with the shipping destination in the embodiment of Fig. 1 is no longer necessary. This reduces the amount of time the destination computer has to wait for free time. Furthermore, it eliminates the need to print barcodes.

In FIG. 4, inputting the shipping information (steps S6 to S8) is performed without connecting the destination computer, and after inputting the shipping information, the product is selected from the barcode sticker prepared in advance. The barcode is removed and affixed to the product, and this barcode is read by the barcode reader 11 (step S21).

By inputting this barcode, the terminal control section 4
prints information such as the invoice and sender (producer, package) on the label (step S22), and stores it in the external storage unit 6 together with the shipping information as a shipping list (step S22).
23).

The operations described above are performed for each shipment to the destination (step S12), and if there is another destination, input operations are performed for each destination (step S1).
4). Therefore, when shipping, barcodes are entered, barcode stickers are pasted, and labels are printed on all shipments without connecting to the shipping destination, and this information is stored in the external storage as a shipping list. be done.

After that, one piece of information for each shipment stored in the external storage unit 6 is read (step S24), and a connection is made to the destination computer of the shipment based on the destination information of this information (step S3). ), and after confirming this connection, send the producer information and all shipment information to the destination (
Step S25), when the transmission of information on all shipments to the destination is completed, the connection with the destination computer is disconnected (Step S13). After that, it is checked whether there is a shipment with another destination stored in the external storage unit 6 (step S14), and if there is, the process returns to step S24 and the information of the shipment is read from the external storage unit 6. Connections and information transmission to new destination computers are repeated, and the transmission ends when all destinations are exhausted.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, by using a baggage code instead of a bar code as the code for the shipment, a simple structure can be achieved that eliminates the need for a bar code reader. That is, the terminal device 1 on the producer side generates, for example, a producer code and a package code that is a series of package numbers for each producer. This baggage code is 12345-001, the producer code 12345 is predetermined for each manufacturer and stored in the external storage unit 6, and the baggage number 001 is stored in the external storage unit 6 as a daily serial number. The serial number is incremented by one each time a baggage code is generated.

Such a baggage code has the same effect as the baggage code determined by the wholesale market in the case of FIG. Similarly to case 3, the producer side can connect with the shipping destination after adding shipping information to all the shipments, and further eliminates the need for a barcode reader and the reading operation.

The process according to this embodiment differs from the process shown in FIG. 4 in steps S21 and S22. Step S in Figure 4
Instead of the process in step 21, the baggage code stored in the external storage section 6 is read into the terminal control section 4 and stored in a predetermined location in the internal memory 5. Furthermore, the baggage code in the external storage section is updated with the value obtained by adding 1 to the serial number part of the baggage code. Instead of the process in step S22, the baggage code is converted into a barcode and the barcode is printed together with the baggage code on the invoice label.

[0043]Although the above-mentioned embodiments are applied to shipping products between food producers and wholesale markets, the present invention is not limited to this, and is applicable to collection of small parcels. The same effect can be achieved when applied to shipping systems and industrial products.

[0044]

As described above, according to the present invention, various information related to the shipment from the package sender to the package receiving side can be obtained by selecting from the external storage means and the package code generation means, such as the quantity of the package, etc. By inputting the information on the numeric keypad, you can obtain shipping information and also print the invoice to be attached to the package, so the information related to the package is received in advance and the barcode affixed to the package is read at the receiving side. Incoming arrival information can be obtained by using the system, eliminating the need for conventional slip reading and keyboard input. In addition, barcodes can be used to move and manage incoming packages. Furthermore, instead of creating a slip, the package sender only needs to perform a simple selection operation and enter numerical values, and can print out shipping information and various shipping information for use in shipping management, etc.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of FIG. 3.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Terminal device, 2... Public line, 3... Wholesale market computer system, 4... Terminal control unit, 6... External storage unit, 7...
Display unit, 8...touch panel, 9...print output unit, 11...barcode reader.

Claims (1)

[Claims] [Claim 1] A terminal device for sending package shipping information from a package sender to a package receiving computer system at a center via a public line, the terminal device comprising an external storage means for storing package sender information and shipping destination information; an input means for inputting shipping information, a baggage code generation means for obtaining a baggage code for each shipment, and a baggage sender information after being connected to the baggage receiving computer system by selecting the shipping destination information. and shipping information to the receiving side,
It is equipped with a terminal control means for printing each piece of information and a code on an invoice to be attached to the shipment, the external storage means is a floppy disk or an IC card, and the input means includes a shipment name selection key using a touch switch and a quantity/quantity selection key using a numeric keypad. The baggage code generation means is a touch panel with a numeric keypad for grades, and the baggage code generating means reads the baggage code stored in the external storage unit or by a barcode reader that reads from a barcode sticker received from the baggage receiving side through a public line or stored in advance. terminal device.