JPWO2007148560A1 - Price card and product management system - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention is a price card 2 provided in the vicinity of a commodity displayed on a commodity shelf, and a price display means 8 having an electronically rewritable screen provided with a viewing angle limiting means for limiting the viewing angle. , A sensing means 9 for sensing a person who touches or approaches the price card 2 and a head located within the viewing angle from the price display means 8 limited by the viewing angle limiting means, and touched or approached the sensing means 9 IC information reading means 10 for reading information stored in an IC chip held by the person when the person detects that the person is within a predetermined readable range is provided.

Description

  The present invention relates to a price card provided near a product displayed at a storefront and a product management system including the price card.

Conventional technology

Conventionally, in stores such as supermarkets and convenience stores, a liquid crystal display unit has been provided on the price card installed in the vicinity of the product, and it is easy to change the price of the product displayed on the liquid crystal display unit when replacing the product. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1 or 2).
JP-A-5-264950 However, this type of conventional price card requires a clerk to re-enter the price at the time of product replacement or the like. There was a problem of fear.

  In recent years, as a means for providing product information to a customer in a store, a ubiquitous technology has been proposed in which product information is transmitted to a mobile terminal when the customer approaches a mobile terminal equipped with an IC chip function. However, with this type of technology, it is difficult to confirm the customer's intention to acquire information, so there is a problem that it may give customers more complicated information than necessary, and from the viewpoint of protecting personal information and privacy, There was a problem such as not knowing whether to give the degree of information.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and it is easy to input information such as the price of a product, can prevent an input error, and reliably confirms the customer's intention to acquire information. It is an object of the present invention to provide a price card and a merchandise management system.

The present invention relates to a price card provided in the vicinity of a product displayed on a product shelf, a price display means having an electronically rewritable screen provided with a viewing angle limiting means for limiting a viewing angle, and a price Sensing means for sensing a person who touches or approaches the card, and a person who contacts or approaches the sensing means with the head positioned within the viewing angle from the price display means limited by the viewing angle limiting means And IC information reading means for reading information stored in an IC chip held by the person when it is detected that the user is within the readable range.

  The readable range of the IC information reading means is a distance of at least an elbow length or an arm length on the front and left and right sides of the person facing the sensing means in order to contact or approach the sensing means. It may be set to include a range.

  Further, a plurality of IC information reading means provided across the upper and lower product shelves may be operated simultaneously.

  Furthermore, when the sensing means senses a customer, the sensing means further comprises display means for performing a display requesting permission to obtain information stored in the customer's IC chip, and after the display on the display means, the sensing means again When the customer is sensed, the IC information reading means may read information stored in the customer's IC chip.

  Furthermore, when the IC information reading unit reads the information of the IC chip held by the customer, a price display unit that displays price information corresponding to the information read by the IC information reading unit may be provided. .

  Further, when the IC information reading unit reads the information of the IC chip held by the salesperson, the registration mode is set. In the registration mode, the information of the IC chip attached to the product read by the IC information reading unit. There may be provided price display means for displaying price information corresponding to.

  Further, the present invention is a product management system provided with the above price card, wherein the price information of the product to be presented is obtained from the attribute-specific presentation information database according to the attribute data of the customer and the attribute data of the price card. A management server for searching and transmitting to the price card is provided.

  And the product information display provided with the IC information receiving means which acquires the information of the IC chip which the customer holds, and the display means which displays the information associated with the customer based on the information acquired by the IC information receiving means May be provided.

  In addition, when the IC information reading unit reads the information of the IC chip held by the salesperson, the price card enters the registration mode. In the registration mode, the IC attached to the product read by the IC information reading unit. Based on the chip information, the management server may update the registration information of the product. According to the present invention, it is easy to input information such as the price of a product, input errors can be prevented, and the customer's information acquisition intention can be confirmed with certainty.

  In addition, a price card management database for storing data of correspondence between the price card and the IC information reading unit is provided, and the IC information reading unit can be read by a person who contacts or approaches the sensing unit. When it is detected that it is within a certain range, another IC information reading means having a corresponding relationship may be operated simultaneously based on the data stored in the price card management database.

It is a network diagram which shows the structure of the goods management system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the price card of the goods management system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the management server of the merchandise management system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the data stored in the customer information database of a management server in the merchandise management system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the data stored in the price card management database of a management server in the merchandise management system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the data stored in the presentation information database classified by attribute of a management server in the merchandise management system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the data stored in the log | history corresponding | compatible presentation information database of a management server in the merchandise management system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the merchandise information display of the merchandise management system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement at the time of performing the presentation process to the price card of the price information of goods in the goods management system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement at the time of performing the presentation process to the merchandise information display of the information linked | related with the customer in the merchandise management system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement when performing the registration process of goods in the goods management system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. In embodiment of this invention, it is a side view which shows the reading range of IC information reading means. In embodiment of this invention, it is a front view which shows the reading range of IC information reading means. In embodiment of this invention, it is a figure which shows the communication area of an IC information reading means. In embodiment of this invention, it is a figure which shows the communication area of another IC information reading means. In embodiment of this invention, it is a top view which shows the example of arrangement | positioning of IC information reading means. In embodiment of this invention, it is a side view which shows the example of arrangement | positioning of IC information reading means. In embodiment of this invention, it is a front view which shows the example of arrangement | positioning of IC information reading means. In embodiment of this invention, it is a top view which shows another example of arrangement | positioning of an IC information reading means. In embodiment of this invention, it is a side view which shows another example of arrangement | positioning of an IC information reading means. In embodiment of this invention, it is a front view which shows another example of arrangement | positioning of an IC information reading means. In embodiment of this invention, it is a figure which shows the example of the data stored in a price card management database. In embodiment of this invention, it is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement at the time of performing a privacy protection process to a customer. In embodiment of this invention, it is a figure which shows the result of the verification experiment of the price card which affixed the visibility control film.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
(Overall configuration of product management system)
As shown in FIG. 1, the merchandise management system according to the present embodiment includes a price card 2, a management server 3, and a merchandise information display connected to each other via a communication network such as an in-store LAN line 1. 4 and a wireless terminal 5, and an IC card 6 and a portable terminal 7 held by a customer.
(Price card configuration)
The price card 2 is provided in the vicinity of each product on the product shelf, and as shown in FIG. 2, a price display unit 8 having a liquid crystal panel or other electronically rewritable screen, It includes a pressure-sensitive unit 9 such as a button, an IC information reading unit 10 composed of an active IC chip or an IC chip reading device, a communication unit 11 for exchanging information with the outside wirelessly or by wire, and a power source unit 12. . The price card 2 holds a code for identifying each card, such as an ID or a product code, in a storage device. Further, the price display unit 8 and the pressure sensitive unit 9 may be integrated using a pressure sensitive liquid crystal panel (touch panel) or the like.

  The price display unit 8 includes a small electronically rewritable screen such as a liquid crystal panel, and usually displays price information presented to general customers. When the member ID is read by the IC information reading unit 10, the price information is rewritten by the information from the management server 3 so that the price dedicated to the member is presented. Further, additional information such as a customer name can be displayed on the price display unit 8, and in order to reduce the cost, this function can be replaced with a portable terminal or the like by a linked system, and a normal fixed type can be used. It can also be a price tag. Furthermore, a viewing angle limiting means such as attaching a visibility control film or a polarizing film to the price display unit 8 or using a polarizing liquid crystal panel or the like for the price display unit 8 may be provided. This viewing angle limiting means limits the viewing angle that can be seen by changing the light transmittance according to the viewing angle with respect to the surface of the film or by applying smoke depending on the shape of the surface. Then, by providing this viewing angle limiting means, the head position of the person in contact with the pressure sensitive unit 9 can be limited to a range (about 30 to 40 cm on the left and right) that is calculated backward from the extended position of the hand. 9 can reliably detect that the person who has contacted 9 is within the range that can be read by the IC information reading unit 10 and can prevent the special price of the member from being read by another customer in the vicinity. Can do.

  As the viewing angle limiting means, for example, the price display units 8 are partitioned by protrusions, the price display unit 8 is raised around, and the price display unit 8 is partitioned by slate. It is also possible to apply means for partitioning.

  The pressure-sensitive unit 9 is installed on the surface of the price card 2 such as a button or a pressure-sensitive liquid crystal panel, and has a function of sending an electrical signal to the IC information reading unit 10 when a customer contacts. This feature will electronically record in the system the fact that the customer's interest has indeed turned to this product (high-level touch log), and if there is a fact that the member special price is offered The fact is clearly recognized by the customer. Therefore, it is possible to surely confirm the customer's intention to acquire information, and to solve problems concerning personal information protection and privacy protection. In addition, when a customer takes out a product attached with an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) associated with the price card 2 (when a touch log is generated), a display requesting permission for ID transmission is displayed on the display unit 8 of the price card 2. It may be configured to send a warning sound or the like and then send the customer's ID information to the management server 3 when the customer contacts the pressure sensing unit 9.

  The pressure sensing unit 9 is not only one that senses direct contact of the human body using a pressure sensor, electrical resistance, etc. For example, a temperature infrared sensor such as a thermal pyroelectric sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a light shielding sensor, etc. It may be a non-contact type sensor that senses the proximity of a human body such as a finger to the price card 2 at a very short distance. And by using such a non-contact type sensor, for example, when a customer removes clothes on one side, the clothes touch each other, and some of the clothes in that direction react. In addition to preventing malfunction, damage to the price card due to physical contact can be prevented.

  The IC information reading unit 10 is an active IC chip or IC chip reading device housed in the price card 2, and works in conjunction with the pressure sensing unit 9 and transmits an IC reading signal when the pressure sensing unit 9 reacts. If there is an IC chip having a customer ID in the range, it has a function of reading the data and transmitting it to the management server 3. At this time, the unique manufacturing number of the IC on the IC information reading unit 10 side or the ID of the price card 2 is also transmitted to the management server 3 at the same time.

  Further, the IC information reading unit 10 is an IC chip having a customer ID owned by a person who is in contact with or close to the pressure sensing unit 9 with the head positioned within the viewing angle from the price display unit 8 limited by the viewing angle limiting unit. It is installed so that the reading range includes a range that can be held without holding it. Cards are usually stored in a pocket of clothes or a baggage compartment or bag. Accordingly, as indicated by hatching in FIGS. 12 and 13, the reading area assumed to hold a bag or the like within the range that can be taken by the elbow tip holding the human body and the luggage on the price card 2, or placing the valuables in the cart Since there are cases where a bag containing an ID card is put in, it is preferable to take a range with some margin at the site where it is assumed. By covering this range, the customer can obtain the merchandise information without the trouble of putting the ID card in the vicinity of the information terminal and without closing the hand.

  Also, some RFID readers are of a type that can read only one IC in order to prevent erroneous reading. This type usually reduces the reading range by converging the reading electromagnetic field. , Set to leave the chip closest to the center. Therefore, if this type of reading device is used for the IC information reading unit 10, the ID that remains in the convergence of the reading range can be obtained by positioning the target customer in contact with the pressure sensitive unit 9 in front of the price card 2 as described above. The possibility of being a corresponding customer can be further increased.

  Usually, the retail store where the price card 2 is installed has a brightness of about 500 to 1500 lux. Therefore, under fluorescent lamps of around 500 lux and around 1000 lux, visibility control means for restricting the visibility of 25 degrees or more on the left and right, such as “Lumisty MFZ-2555” manufactured by Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd. The film was attached to the surface of a liquid crystal (for example, CASIO DQ-735-8JF liquid crystal), and a verification experiment was conducted as to how much the field of view was limited. In this verification experiment, when the visibility control film is not attached to the surface of the liquid crystal, when the one piece is attached, and when the two pieces are attached, the distance of the target customer is 65 cm away from the liquid crystal in the forward direction. The distance from the liquid crystal surface to the left when the characters on the surface of the liquid crystal were rubbed and it became difficult to read was confirmed in units of 5 cm.

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 24, the position of the head of the target customer in contact with the pressure sensitive unit 9 can be restricted to 30 to 40 cm on the left side of the price display unit 8 by applying the visibility control film. It can be reliably detected that the customer is within the readable range. Also, change the number and thickness of the view control films, or install the view control films so as to be in contact with the left and right sides of the liquid crystal, or install them slightly apart to increase the viewing angle on the opposite side. This can further limit the field of view.

  Instead of providing the IC information reading unit 10 for each price card 2, the IC reader 31 may be installed for each product shelf by setting the reading range for each product shelf. In this case, in order to secure the physical proximity relationship between the price card 2 and the member IC chip, RFID is attached to the price card 2 and only when the IC chip of both the customer and the price card 2 is read simultaneously. The customer member information is transmitted to the management server 3.

  The price card 2 may be attached directly to a product such as clothes, when the card installation unit is set up directly from a floor such as a product shelf or an interior corner, or may be attached directly to the product. In addition, the communication area of the IC reader 31 is up to about 1 m in the electromagnetic induction method (see FIG. 14), and about 9 m in the radio wave method. It becomes a body (see FIG. 15). In this case, since the communication area is proportional to the square root of the output, the reading distance decreases proportionally when the output drops.

  Therefore, in the case of a shelf or fixed start-up, as shown in FIG. 12, the estimated position of the customer is the distance (80 to 90 cm) where the elbow length or arm is extended from the front display information viewing position of the shelf or price card 9 ) Is a range that covers the space where the human body and luggage may exist. In the case of the IC reader 31 that can cover the human body alone, such as a UHF band, the ID of another customer behind such as a passenger who is likely to enter is prevented from being read, and the ID is identified when the scanning range is reduced for ID identification. In order to reduce the possibility of spilling over, as shown in FIGS. 16 to 18, it is installed so as to irradiate the estimated position of the customer from above or below the shelf.

  Further, when using the IC information reading unit 10 that is difficult to cover the human body of the customer alone, for example, directly attached to the price card, as shown in FIGS. The IC information reading unit 10 of another price card whose positional relationship is known is operated at the same time. For example, two or more IC information reading units 10 are installed to irradiate the passage side. In this case, since the communication distance is short and the possibility of reflection is small, it can take the form of facing directly. Even in other price tag installation methods that do not use shelves, the contact range of the human body is estimated from the position of the price card 2 of the product and the direction in which it can face and the installation position of the IC information reading unit 10 and the device to be irradiated are determined.

  Furthermore, in order to reduce the load on the capability of the IC reader 31, it is desirable to install the inside of the shelf where a large number of IC tags are expected to be out of the reading range. The IC reader 31 preferably has a collision avoidance function for reading a single ID such as a binary tree in order to detect a plurality of customer IDs. The position of the customer's human body that is looking at the surface of the product tag and reaching out is located in the center of the reading range of the RFID reader from the position where other IDs are read, so browsing when narrowing the range The customer's ID will remain. At this time, it is desirable to distinguish between the data format of the customer ID and the ID format of products, shelves, etc. that may be read so that ID exclusion is performed only in the ID space of the customer's ID card.

  The communication unit 11 has a function of connecting to a management server via a wired or wireless in-store LAN. When contact information is input to the active IC chip in the price card 2, the information may be transmitted via an IC chip reader installed on the product shelf.

The power supply unit 12 has a function of supplying power to each unit of the price card 2 using a weak cable of the LAN cable or another wiring, and the power supply to the IC is made to contact the pressure-sensitive unit 9 It may be performed only at times. In this case, power saving can be achieved. Moreover, it is good also as a structure which incorporates a piezoelectric material in a panel and a button, and supplies electric power to an active IC chip temporarily using a piezoelectric effect.
(Management server configuration)
As shown in FIG. 3, the management server 3 includes a customer information database 13, a price card management database 14, an attribute-specific presentation information database 15, a system management unit 16, and a communication unit 17. In the case of a system having a contact history as in the form, a history corresponding presentation information database 18 is also provided. The management server 3 is connected to the price card 2 and the product information display 4 via the in-store LAN line 1 as described above, and is further connected to the customer's mobile phone via the public line or the in-store wireless LAN line. It is also possible to connect to the terminal 7. The contents of each database are synchronized with database information on a point-of-sale (POS) that is referred to when a customer pays a fee in the sales register.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the customer information database 13 stores customer ID, personal information, and customer attribute data. The customer attribute data includes a class according to sex, age, residential area, and purchase history analysis. Data is included. The contents of this customer information database may all be stored in the memory on the IC chip of the customer's IC card 6. When there is a function of presenting information across price cards 2 of a plurality of products, an area for storing the contact history of price cards 2 is provided in this database 13. The information in the database 13 is retained at least until the payment at the cash register of the customer is completed.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the price card management database 14 includes price card ID (or manufacturing number), product code, price, and customer management attribute data. Further, when the IC reader 31 is outside the price card 2, as shown in FIG. 22, data indicating the correspondence between the price card 2 and the IC reader 31 is provided. There may be a plurality of cases. This attribute data includes special sales items, time service, discount products targeted for customers, discount products for specific attributes, products with the special points, products with prizes, etc., and product classification. The function of the price card management database 14 may be stored on the IC chip of the price card 2. Also, the contents of this database must match the product information on the POS.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the attribute-specific presentation information database 15 stores information presented in accordance with the attributes of the price card 2 and the customer. Each item includes special price information and a screen file to be displayed. It is tied up. In addition, the database 15 is connected to a storefront terminal (not shown) to the in-store LAN line 1, and the hyperlinked product information selected by the customer from the storefront terminal and registered, the recommended screen information of the affiliate, Notification information indicating that the product is a corresponding product may be stored. Instead of storing all the information in the database 15, an Internet communication function may be added, and only the URL information for the corresponding page may be stored in the attribute-specific presentation information database 15. In this case, the management server 3 includes a network search unit, and the network search unit needs to periodically crawl a site or the like connected to the network.

  The system management unit 16 has a function of synchronizing each part of the management server 3, matching information, and distributing information to the price card 2, the product information display 4, the portable terminal 7, and the like.

  The communication unit 17 has a function of transmitting and receiving data to and from the price card 2 and the product information display 4 via the in-store LAN line 2 and can be connected to the portable terminal 7 using a wireless or public line. It also has a function of communicating with the POS in the store.

The history-corresponding presentation information database 18 is a database that contains comparison and coordination information between products corresponding to the contact history of products, and each item has a plurality of product codes as search keys as shown in FIG. It can also store screen information such as characters, images, and HTML. Instead of storing all the information in the database 18, an Internet communication function may be added, and only the URL information for the corresponding page may be stored in the history corresponding presentation information database 18. In this case, the management server 3 includes a network search unit, and the network search unit needs to periodically crawl a site or the like connected to the network.
(Composition of product information display)
The merchandise information display 4 corresponds to a large stand type or a display installed above the merchandise shelf, or a desktop type merchandise information terminal provided with a normal browsing screen, as shown in FIG. The input unit 20, the IC information receiving unit 21, and the communication unit 22 have a function of communicating with the management server 3 via the in-store LAN line 1.

  The display unit 19 has a function of displaying corresponding contents of the attribute-specific presentation information database 15 of the management server 3 such as liquid crystal or plasma.

  The input unit 20 controls a function of browsing information on the screen, and corresponds to a touch panel, an operation pad, a keyboard, or the like.

  The IC information receiving unit 21 includes an IC reader, and has a function of sending information to the management server 3 when an IC chip held by a member approaches the reception range, and performs scanning periodically. .

The communication unit 22 corresponds to a LAN terminal for exchanging information with the management server 3, and may have a function such as a wireless LAN.
(Other configurations)
The IC card 6 is an IC card having customer identification information. In addition to a normal store customer card, the IC card 6 is included in the specifications of PCT international applications (PCT / JP2006 / 311793, PCT / JP2006 / 311794) related to this application. It includes a card corresponding to the disclosed information management system and affiliate management system, an IC card of the portable terminal 7, and the like.

If the mobile terminal 7 is equipped with an IC chip function, the mobile terminal 7 can be used instead of an IC card, and can also be used as a screen for the price card 2 that protects privacy. Furthermore, since the mobile terminal 7 has the configuration of the price card 2 completely, when an active RFID is installed at the place where the price card 2 of the product shelf is installed, or the IC of the mobile terminal 7 is activated. When there is an RFID attached to a product, the mobile price card 2 is obtained. In addition, even when products such as outdoors and events are mixed and the correspondence between the price card 2 and the product is unclear, by displaying a barcode etc. indicating the URL of the corresponding application at the entrance of the bazaar venue, etc. By making the application function and exactly the same information as in the store, the portable terminal 7 can be obtained just by approaching the RFID.
(Process of presenting product price information to the price card)
Next, with reference to FIG. 9 and FIG. 23, an operation when performing the process of presenting the price information of the product on the price card in the product management system according to this embodiment will be described.

  The customer touches the pressure sensitive part 9 of the price card 2 or the pressure sensitive part 9 senses the approach of the customer to the price card 2 at a very short distance, and the contact signal or sense signal is transmitted from the pressure sensitive part 9 to the communication part. 11 (S101), in the price card system where the privacy protection process exists, first, as shown in FIG. 23, the privacy protection process is performed as a subroutine.

  In this subroutine, when the human body is detected by the pressure-sensitive unit 9 (S401) or a touch log is generated on the corresponding shelf (S402), the management server 3 is connected to the corresponding price card 2 before the customer ID is read. Alternatively, a display requesting permission to obtain ID information stored in the IC chip is displayed on the display unit 8 (S403). This display includes a content for requesting the pressure sensing unit 9 to contact or approach again when the reading action is accepted.

  Then, it is determined whether or not the pressure-sensitive unit 9 has been contacted or approached again (S404). If it is determined that the pressure-sensitive unit 9 has been contacted or approached again, reading is performed assuming that ID acquisition has been approved. (S405), product search information, touch log information, and customer ID information are associated with each other, and their data is sent to the management server 3 (S406).

  Next, reading signal transmission instruction information is transmitted to the IC information reading unit 10, and a reading signal is issued to the customer from the IC reader 31 specified in the IC information reading unit 10 or the price card management database 14 (S102). ), It is determined whether or not the IC information having information suitable for the member ID is within a normally readable range (S103). As a result, when it is determined that the IC information is within a normally readable range, the customer's IC information is read, and the read IC information together with the ID information of the price card 2 is passed through the communication unit 11. To the management server 3 (S104). On the other hand, in step 103, if there is no IC to be read, or reading fails, or if a plurality of IDs are read, a message to that effect is displayed, and the system returns to the standby state.

  Next, the information sent to the management server 3 is sorted by the system management unit 16, and the customer information database 13 is referred to by the customer ID (S105), and the price card management database 14 is referred to by the price card ID (S106). ). At this time, history information is added to the customer information database 13 (S107). Then, by referring to the two databases 13 and 14, the corresponding attribute data is extracted (S 108) and sent to the attribute-specific presentation information database 15, and the attribute-specific presentation information database is sent by the sent attribute data. 15 is searched (S109), and it is determined whether or not the corresponding information exists (S110). As a result, when it is determined that the corresponding information exists, the information is sent to the price card 2 (S111) and displayed on the display unit 19 (S112). On the other hand, if the corresponding information does not exist, this process ends.

In this case, when data is extracted with a plurality of attributes, the information with the highest discount rate or the lowest price is displayed with priority. Further, the presentation of character information may be displayed in order, or attribute data with the lowest probability of matching may be displayed. This information is always synchronized with the database corresponding to the POS and processed so that the information does not differ, and when the presented information passes a certain period of time or the pressure-sensitive part 9 is contacted again. (S113) is erased, and general information is displayed on the display unit 19 (S114). When the pressure sensing unit 9 is contacted again, the IC information reading unit 10 reads the IC of the customer in order to identify whether the contact is made by the current customer or another customer.
(Presentation processing of information associated with customers on the product information display)
Next, with reference to FIG. 10, an operation when performing a process of presenting information associated with a customer on a product information display in the product management system according to the present embodiment will be described.

  When the ID information is acquired from the customer IC card 6 in the IC information receiving unit 21 of the product information display 4 (S201), the information is sent to the management server 3. The management server 3 refers to the history information in the customer information database 13 associated with the ID information (S202), and refers to the respective product code information in the price card management database 14 (S203), and presents the attribute-specific presentation information database. 15 attribute data are extracted (S204).

Next, history information is sent to the history corresponding presentation information database 18 (S205), and information associated with the customer of the corresponding item is sent to the product information display 4 and displayed (S206). At this time, it is possible to select on the screen whether the information presented on the product information display 4 is information including all or part of the history, or whether the information is ID information selected by the customer from the history on the display. Is preferred.
(Product registration process)
Next, with reference to FIG. 11, an operation when performing product registration processing in the product management system according to the present embodiment will be described.

  When a salesperson in the store contacts the pressure-sensitive portion 9 of the price card 2 and the IC card held by the salesperson is read (S301), the price card 2 enters the registration mode (S302). In this registration mode, when the RFID information holding the product code as content is read (S303), the information such as the product code, price, and attribute data in the price card management database 14 of the management server 3 is updated with the information. (S304) The ID of the price card 2 is linked and the update information of the corresponding product is transmitted to the price card (S305) and displayed (S306). At this time, if the price card 2 has position information, the RFID ID information of the product shelf is acquired, the RFID and the price card 2 are collated with another database (not shown), and the shelf is stored in the database. Position information can also be entered.

  As described above, when the RFID is attached to the product, the salesperson brings the price card 2 close to the IC chip of the product (in the case of a low-level management product, information corresponding to the product code). The information can be read, and the product information posted on the price card 2 can be determined by referring to the price card management database 14 of the management server 3, and the product is a high-level management product (each product In the case of having a unique or lot-specific ID), the ID of the IC chip attached to the product and the product code are collated with each other, and the price card management database 14 is referred to and corrected, and the price card 2 The product information posted by can also be determined. As a result, it is easy to prevent erroneous posting of information on the price card 2, and it is possible to correct promptly even when there is a replacement or erroneous posting of goods.

  Similarly, when an RFID is attached to the corresponding place on the product shelf, the location information can be registered by bringing the price card 2 closer. If an IC reader is installed on the product shelf, the IC of the price card 2 can be read periodically to obtain location information.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is easy to input information such as the price of a product, input errors can be prevented, and the customer's information acquisition intention can be confirmed with certainty. In addition, at the store, the product information that the customer wants to know can be displayed on the large screen of the display, and a plurality of product information can be displayed together, making it easy to compare the information. Therefore, various excellent effects can be obtained, such as providing a system incorporating added value by simultaneously displaying a plurality of products such as cooking recipe information and comparative reviews.

Claims (10)

A price card provided near the product displayed on the product shelf,
Price display means having an electronically rewritable screen provided with viewing angle limiting means for limiting the viewing angle;
Sensing means for sensing a person contacting or approaching the price card;
IC information reading means for reading information stored in an IC chip held by a person who contacts or approaches the sensing means by positioning the head within the viewing angle from the price display means restricted by the viewing angle restriction means;
A price card characterized by comprising.   The readable range of the IC information reading means is a distance range of at least an elbow length or an arm length on both the front and left and right sides of a person facing the sensing means in order to contact or approach the sensing means. The price card according to claim 1, wherein the price card is set to be included.   The price card according to claim 2, wherein a plurality of the IC information reading means provided across the upper and lower product shelves are operated simultaneously.   When the sensing means senses a customer, it comprises display means for displaying a request for permission to obtain information stored in the customer's IC chip, and after the display on the display means, the sensing means is again the customer The price card according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the IC information reading means reads the information stored in the customer's IC chip when the IC information is detected.   2. A price display means for displaying price information corresponding to the information read by the IC information reading means when the IC information reading means reads information on an IC chip held by a customer. The price card according to claim 1.   When the IC information reading unit reads the information of the IC chip held by the salesperson, the registration mode is set. In the registration mode, the IC chip information attached to the product read by the IC information reading unit is handled. The price card according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising price display means for displaying the price information. A product management system comprising the price card according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
According to the customer attribute data and the price card attribute data, it comprises a management server that retrieves price information of the product to be presented from the attribute-specific presentation information database and transmits it to the price card. Product management system.   There is provided a product information display comprising IC information receiving means for acquiring information of an IC chip held by the customer, and display means for displaying information associated with the customer based on information acquired by the IC information receiving means The merchandise management system according to claim 7.   When the IC information reading means reads the information of the IC chip held by the salesperson, the price card enters the registration mode. In the registration mode, the IC chip attached to the product read by the IC information reading means The product management system according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the management server updates registration information of the product based on information.   A price card management database for storing data of correspondence between the price card and the IC information reading means, and the IC information reading means is a predetermined reading range for a person who contacts or approaches the sensing means; 10. When detecting that the mobile phone is within the network, another IC information reading means having a corresponding relationship is simultaneously operated based on the data stored in the price card management database. The product management system according to claim 1.

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