Information processing system, method, program, storage medium, and information processing device

Abstract

An information processing system is provided with: a product information acquisition unit that acquires product information of a product from a terminal device of a manufacturer; a sales information acquisition unit that acquires sales information of the product from a terminal device of the consigner; a consumer information acquisition unit that acquires consumer information from a terminal device of a consumer; a recovery information acquisition unit that acquires product recovery information from a terminal device of a consumer; a reuse information acquisition unit that acquires reuse information of a product from a terminal device of the recoverer; and a statistical information generation unit that generates statistical information relating to a statistical amount calculated using at least one of the product information, the sales information, the recovery information, and the reuse information, and the consumer information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing system, method, program, storage medium, and information processing apparatus. Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there has been known a technique for managing the entire life cycle of a process from manufacturing a product to disposal or reuse, which can rationalize the judgment and processing steps in the case of reusing or disposing of the product or its components (see Patent Document 1).

[0003] Prior Art Documents Patent Documents Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-48066 Summary of the Invention

[0004] Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, conventionally, in the Circular Economy, no solution has been proposed for the analysis of information after considering information of consumers related to the life cycle of a product.

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to generate information that helps improve the efficiency of product reuse in the circular economy using multiple information including consumer information.

[0006] Technical Solution for Solving the Technical Problem An information processing system according to a first aspect includes: a terminal device of a manufacturer who manufactures a product; a terminal device of a distributor who purchases and sells the product from the manufacturer; a terminal device of a consumer who purchases the product from the distributor and uses the product; a terminal device of a recycler who recovers the used product from the consumer and performs reuse; and a server that can be accessed by each of the devices. The information processing system has: a product information acquisition unit that acquires product information of the product from the terminal device of the manufacturer; a sales information acquisition unit that acquires sales information of the product from the terminal device of the distributor; a consumer information acquisition unit that acquires consumer information from the terminal device of the consumer; a recovery information acquisition unit that acquires recovery information of the product from the terminal device of the consumer; a reuse information acquisition unit that acquires reuse information of the product from the terminal device of the recycler; and a statistical information generation unit that generates statistical information related to a statistic calculated using at least one of the product information, the sales information, the recovery information, and the reuse information, and the consumer information.

[0007] According to the above method, it is possible to generate information that helps improve the efficiency of product reuse in the circular economy using multiple information including consumer information.

[0008] The information processing system involved in the second method is within the information processing system involved in the above first method, and the consumer information includes information related to at least one of the age, gender, place of residence, occupation, product recycling history, and hobbies of the consumer.

[0009] According to the above structure, information related to at least one of the age, gender, place of residence, occupation, product recycling history, and hobbies of the consumer is used as consumer information for generating statistics, so that it is possible to generate information that is more helpful for improving the efficiency of product reuse in the circular economy.

[0010] The information processing system involved in the third method is within the information processing system involved in the above first or second method, and the recycling information includes information related to the recycling location of the product and information related to the recycling volume of the product at each recycling location.

[0011] According to the above structure, the recycling information including information related to the recycling location of the product and information related to the recycling volume of the product at each recycling location is used for generating statistics, so that it is possible to generate information that is more helpful for improving the efficiency of product reuse in the circular economy.

[0012] The information processing system involved in the fourth method is within the information processing system involved in the above third method. The statistical information generation unit generates statistical information related to the statistics obtained by summarizing the recycling volume for each recycling location, and the information processing system further includes an output unit that outputs the information obtained by visualizing the statistical information generated by the statistical information generation unit.

[0013] According to the above structure, the information obtained by visualizing the statistical information related to the statistics obtained by summarizing the recycling volume for each recycling location is output, so that it is possible to generate information that is more helpful for improving the efficiency of product reuse in the circular economy.

[0014] The information processing system involved in the fifth method is within the information processing system involved in the above third or fourth method. The product information includes first time information related to the production date and time of the product, the recycling information includes second time information related to the date and time when the product is placed at the recycling location by the consumer, and the statistical information generation unit generates statistical information related to the difference for each recycling location, where the difference is the difference between the first time information and the second time information.

[0015] According to the above structure, statistical information on the difference between the first time information and the second time information is generated for each of the recycling sites. Therefore, by using this statistical information as information related to the recycling deadline for each recycling site by recyclers or collectors, smooth product recycling can be carried out.

[0016] The information processing system according to the sixth mode is an information processing system according to any one of the first to fifth modes described above, wherein the product information includes information related to the production volume of the product, the sales information includes information related to the retail volume of the product, and the statistical information generation unit generates statistical information related to a statistic obtained by dividing the retail volume by the production volume.

[0017] According to the above structure, the statistical information generation unit generates statistical information related to a statistic obtained by dividing the sales volume by the production volume. Therefore, the statistical information can be used as an index for controlling the volume of products circulating in the circular economy. Thus, by suppressing the circulation of excess products, the reuse efficiency of products can be improved.

[0018] The information processing system according to the seventh mode is an information processing system according to any one of the first to sixth modes described above, wherein the product information includes information related to the production volume of the product, the recycling information includes information related to the recycling volume of the product, and the statistical information generation unit generates statistical information related to a statistic obtained by dividing the recycling volume by the production volume.

[0019] According to the above structure, the statistical information generation unit generates statistical information related to a statistic obtained by dividing the recycling volume by the production volume. Therefore, this statistical information can be used for Life Cycle Assessment.

[0020] The information processing system according to the eighth mode is an information processing system according to any one of the first to seventh modes described above, wherein the product information includes information related to the production volume of the product, the reuse information includes information related to the reuse volume representing the volume of the product reused after recycling, and the statistical information generation unit generates statistical information related to a statistic obtained by dividing the reuse volume by the production volume.

[0021] According to the above structure, statistical information related to a statistic obtained by dividing the reuse volume by the production volume can be generated as information helpful for improving the reuse efficiency.

[0022] The information processing system according to the ninth mode is an information processing system according to any one of the first to eighth modes described above. The product information includes information related to the manufacturing quantity of the product, the recycling information includes information related to the recycling quantity of the product, the reuse information includes information related to the recycling quantity indicating the quantity of the product that has been recycled and then reused, and the statistical information generation unit generates statistical information related to a statistical quantity obtained by dividing the recycling quantity by the manufacturing quantity and further dividing by the recycling quantity.

[0023] According to the above structure, it is possible to generate statistical information related to a statistical quantity obtained by dividing the recycling quantity by the manufacturing quantity and further dividing by the recycling quantity, as information helpful for improving the efficiency of reuse.

[0024] The information processing system according to the tenth mode is an information processing system according to any one of the first to ninth modes described above. The product information includes information related to the manufacturing quantity of the product and information related to the wholesale quantity of the product, the sales information includes information related to the retail quantity of the product, the recycling information includes information related to the recycling quantity of the product, the reuse information includes information related to the reuse quantity indicating the quantity of the product that has been recycled and then reused, and the statistical information generation unit generates statistical information related to a statistical quantity obtained by subtracting the wholesale quantity, the retail quantity, the recycling quantity, and the reuse quantity from the manufacturing quantity.

[0025] According to the above structure, it is possible to generate statistical information related to a statistical quantity obtained by subtracting the wholesale quantity, the retail quantity, the recycling quantity, and the reuse quantity from the manufacturing quantity, as information helpful for improving the efficiency of reuse.

[0026] The information processing system according to the eleventh mode is an information processing system according to any one of the first to tenth modes described above. The product information includes information related to the reduction amount of carbon dioxide per product reduced by reusing the product, the reuse information includes information related to the reuse quantity, and the reuse quantity represents the quantity of the product that has been recycled and then reused. The statistical information generation unit generates statistical information related to a statistical quantity obtained by multiplying the reuse quantity by the reduction amount of carbon dioxide per product.

[0027] According to the above structure, it is possible to generate statistical information related to a statistical quantity obtained by multiplying the reuse quantity by the reduction amount of carbon dioxide per product, as information helpful for improving the efficiency of reuse.

[0028] The information processing system according to the twelfth mode is an information processing system according to any one of the first to eleventh modes described above, and the information processing system further includes a display control unit that displays information related to the traceability of the product or the traceability of the components of the product on the display unit of at least one of the devices.

[0029] According to the above structure, manufacturers, distributors, consumers, or recyclers of the information processing system can easily confirm information related to the traceability of the product or the traceability of the components of the product.

[0030] The thirteenth mode relates to a method of using an information processing system, characterized in that the information processing system includes: a terminal device of a manufacturer who manufactures a product; a terminal device of a distributor who purchases and sells the product from the manufacturer; a terminal device of a consumer who purchases the product from the distributor and uses the product; a terminal device of a recycler who recycles the used product from the consumer and reuses it; and a server that can be accessed by each of the devices. The method includes: a step of obtaining product information of the product from the terminal device of the manufacturer; a step of obtaining sales information of the product from the terminal device of the distributor; a step of obtaining consumer information from the terminal device of the consumer; a step of obtaining recycling information of the product from the terminal device of the consumer; a step of obtaining reuse information of the product from the terminal device of the recycler; and a step of generating statistical information related to a statistic, the statistic being calculated using at least one of the product information, the sales information, the recycling information, and the reuse information, and the consumer information.

[0031] According to the above structure, it is possible to generate information that helps improve the product reuse efficiency in the circular economy by using multiple information including consumer information.

[0032] The fourteenth mode relates to a program for causing a computer to execute the method according to the thirteenth mode.

[0033] According to the above structure, it is possible to provide a program that can generate information that helps improve the efficiency of product reuse in the circular economy by using multiple information including consumer information.

[0034] The fifteenth mode relates to a computer-readable storage medium storing the program according to the fourteenth mode.

[0035] According to the above structure, a computer-readable storage medium storing a program can be provided, which can use multiple pieces of information including consumer information to generate information helpful for improving the product reuse efficiency in the circular economy.

[0036] The sixteenth mode relates to an information processing apparatus having: a product information acquisition unit that acquires product information of a product from a terminal device of a manufacturer that manufactures the product; a sales information acquisition unit that acquires sales information of the product from a terminal device of a distributor that purchases and sells the product from the manufacturer; a consumer information acquisition unit that acquires consumer information from a terminal device of a consumer who purchases and uses the product from the distributor; a recycling information acquisition unit that acquires recycling information of the product from the terminal device of the consumer; a reuse information acquisition unit that acquires reuse information of the product from a terminal device of a recycler who recycles and reuses the used product from the consumer; and a statistical information generation unit that generates statistical information related to a statistic, the statistic being calculated using at least one of the product information, the sales information, the recycling information, and the reuse information, and the consumer information.

[0037] According to the above structure, multiple pieces of information including consumer information can be used to generate information helpful for improving the product reuse efficiency in the circular economy. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] Figure 1 FIG. is an example of a system configuration diagram of an information processing system according to the present embodiment.

[0039] Figure 2 FIG. is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a manufacturer terminal and a server according to the present embodiment.

[0040] Figure 3 FIG. is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a consumer terminal according to the present embodiment.

[0041] Figure 4 FIG. is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of an information processing system according to the present embodiment.

[0042] Figure 5 FIG. is a block diagram showing an example of a database stored in a storage unit of a server of an information processing system according to the present embodiment.

[0043] Figure 6 FIG. is a flowchart showing an example of an operation of an information processing system according to the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0044] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that in each figure, structural elements having the same function are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions of the structural elements with the same reference numerals will not be repeated.

[0045] (Structure of Information Processing System) Figure 1 FIG. is a diagram showing a schematic structure of an information processing system 1 according to the present embodiment. As Figure 1 shown, the information processing system 1 according to the present embodiment includes: a manufacturer terminal 2, which is a terminal device of a manufacturer that manufactures products; a distributor terminal 3, which is a terminal device of a distributor that purchases and sells products from the manufacturer; a consumer terminal 4, which is a terminal device of a consumer that purchases and uses products from the distributor; a recycler terminal 5, which is a terminal device of a recycler that recycles used products from consumers and reuses them; and a server 6, which can be accessed by each device. Each terminal is connected to the server 6 via a network 7 such as the Internet so as to be able to communicate with each other. The network 7 can be either a wired line or a wireless line, and is not limited by the type and mode of the line. At least a part of each terminal and the server 6 is implemented by a computer (information processing device). Each terminal is used by a user of the information processing system 1 and is, for example, a mobile terminal such as a personal computer, a smart phone, or a tablet terminal. There are multiple terminals according to the number of users who use the information processing system 1.

[0046] (Hardware Structure) Next, the hardware configuration of the information processing system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. Figure 2 FIG. is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware structure of the information processing system 1 according to the present embodiment, and is a diagram showing an example of the hardware structure of the manufacturer terminal 2 and the server 6. It should be noted that the hardware structures of the distributor terminal 3 and the recycler terminal 5 are the same as those of the manufacturer terminal 2, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

[0047] In the manufacturer terminal 2, a CPU 201 is a processing device that controls the overall operation of the manufacturer terminal 2. A ROM 202 is a non-volatile memory that stores control programs and various data executed by the CPU 201. A RAM 203 is a volatile memory used in a loading area and a working area of a program executed by the CPU 201. A storage device 204 is a storage unit for storing various information, and can be a storage device built into the main body of the manufacturer terminal 2 or a storage device capable of detaching a storage medium. An input device 205 is a device for a user of the manufacturer terminal 2 to input information, and is, for example, a touch panel, a microphone, etc. A display 206 is a display device that displays various information (user interface, etc.). A communication I / F (interface) 207 is an interface for connecting to the server 6. A bus 208 is a bus line that connects the above-described respective structural elements to each other.

[0048] In server 6, CPU 601 is a processing device that controls the overall operation of the server 6. ROM 602 is a non-volatile memory that stores control programs and various data to be executed by CPU 601. RAM 603 is a volatile memory used in the loading area and working area of the program executed by CPU 601. Storage device 604 is a storage unit for storing various information, which can be a storage device built into the main body of server 6 or a storage device capable of detaching and attaching a storage medium. Communication I / F (interface) 605 is an interface for connecting to server 6. Bus 606 is a bus line that connects the above-mentioned various structural elements to each other.

[0049] Next, the hardware configuration of consumer terminal 4 according to this embodiment will be described. Figure 3 It is a diagram showing an example of the hardware structure of consumer terminal 4 according to this embodiment.

[0050] In consumer terminal 4, CPU 401 is a processing device that controls the overall operation of the consumer terminal 4. ROM 402 is a non-volatile memory that stores control programs and various data to be executed by CPU 401. RAM 403 is a volatile memory used in the loading area and working area of the program executed by CPU 401. Storage device 404 is a storage unit for storing various information, which can be a storage device built into the main body of consumer terminal 4 or a storage device capable of detaching and attaching a storage medium. Input device 405 is a device for the user of consumer terminal 4 to input information, such as a touch panel, a microphone, etc. Display 406 is a display device that displays various information (user interface, etc.). Imaging element 407 is a photoelectric conversion element that captures an image of a subject. Communication I / F (interface) 408 is an interface for connecting to server 6. Bus 409 is a bus line that connects the above-mentioned various structural elements to each other.

[0051] (Functional Structure) Next, the functional configuration of information processing system 1 according to this embodiment will be described. Figure 4 It is a diagram showing an example of the functional structure of information processing system 1 according to this embodiment.

[0052] First, the functional structure of manufacturer terminal 2 will be described. As Figure 4 shown, manufacturer terminal 2 includes: a communication unit 21 that connects manufacturer terminal 2 to network 7, a control unit 22 that controls the overall operation of manufacturer terminal 2, an input unit 23 for the user of manufacturer terminal 2 to input various information, an output unit 24 that outputs various information from a display, a speaker, etc. not shown, and a storage unit 25 that stores various information.

[0053] The communication unit 21 is a communication interface between the manufacturer terminal 2 and the network 7. The communication unit 21 transmits and receives information between the manufacturer terminal 2 and the server 6 via the network 7.

[0054] The input unit 23 is an element for the user of the manufacturer terminal 2 to input information, such as a touch panel, a microphone, etc. The user of the manufacturer terminal 2 inputs data such as product information via the input unit 23. As product information, for example: identification information of the product (such as JAN code); product name, material information of the product or components constituting the product; identification information (number, name, mark, graphic, pattern, color, etc.) of the recycling bin corresponding to the material information, manufacturing quantity, wholesale quantity, information related to LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) such as the reduction amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) based on product reuse; and information related to product features such as the structure of the product, the disassembly method of components, the replacement method of components, the repair method of the product or components, and the user manual of the product, etc. The input product information is sent to the server 6 via the communication unit 21 and the network 7.

[0055] The output unit 24 is an interface for outputting various information to the user of the manufacturer terminal 2, such as an image display device (display unit) such as a liquid crystal display, a sound output device such as a speaker. The output unit 24 can also output (display) a GUI (Graphical User Interface) for accepting operations from the user.

[0056] The storage unit 25 is, for example, a data storage device such as a built-in memory, an external memory (SD memory card, etc.). Various data processed by the control unit 22, various information downloaded from the server 6 via the network 7 by the communication unit 21, etc. are stored in the storage unit 25. It should be noted that the storage unit 25 may not necessarily be provided inside the manufacturer terminal 2, and a part or all of the storage unit 25 may be provided inside other devices connected to the manufacturer terminal 2 via the network 7 in a communicable manner.

[0057] Next, the functional structure of the distributor terminal 3 will be described. The distributor terminal 3 includes: a communication unit 31 that connects the distributor terminal 3 to the network 7, a control unit 32 that controls the overall operation of the distributor terminal 3, an input unit 33 for the user of the distributor terminal 3 to input various information, an output unit 34 that outputs various information from a display, a speaker, etc. (not shown), and a storage unit 35 that stores various information.

[0058] The communication unit 31 is a communication interface between the distributor terminal 3 and the network 7. The communication unit 21 transmits and receives information between the distributor terminal 3 and the server 6 via the network 7.

[0059] The input unit 33 is an element for the user of the distributor terminal 3 to input information, such as a touch panel, a microphone, etc. The user of the distributor terminal 3 inputs data such as sales information via the input unit 33. As the sales information, for example, it is the name of the product sold, the product identification information (JAN code, etc.), the sales date and time of the product, the sales price, the number of sales, the attributes of the purchaser (consumer) (user ID (identification information), age, date of birth, gender, place of residence (prefecture information), occupation, etc.), the electronic money, points, and coupons used by the purchaser (consumer), the store name, the address of the store, and location information such as longitude and latitude. The input sales information is sent to the server 6 via the communication unit 31 and the network 7.

[0060] The output unit 34 is an interface for outputting various information to the user of the distributor terminal 3, such as an image display device (display unit) such as a liquid crystal display, and a sound output device such as a speaker. The output unit 34 can also output (display) a GUI (Graphical User Interface) for accepting operations from the user.

[0061] The storage unit 35 is, for example, a data storage device such as a built-in memory, an external memory (SD memory card, etc.). Various data processed by the control unit 32, various information downloaded from the server 6 via the communication unit 31, etc. are stored in the storage unit 35. It should be noted that the storage unit 35 does not necessarily have to be provided inside the manufacturer terminal 2, and a part or all of the storage unit 35 can also be provided in other devices connected to the distributor terminal 3 via the network 7 in a communicable manner.

[0062] Next, the functional structure of the consumer terminal 4 will be described. The consumer terminal 4 includes: a communication unit 41, a control unit 42 that controls the overall operation of the consumer terminal 4, an input unit 43 for the user to input various information, an output unit 44 for outputting various information, a photographing unit 45 for photographing an image of a subject, a position detection unit 46 for detecting the current position of the consumer terminal 4, and a storage unit 47 for storing various information.

[0063] The communication unit 41 is a communication interface between the consumer terminal 4 and the network 7. The communication unit 41 transmits and receives information between the consumer terminal 4 and the server 6 via the network 7.

[0064] The control unit 42 includes an object detection unit 42a and a code reading unit 42b.

[0065] The object detection unit 42a detects an object from the image captured by the imaging unit 45. For example, the object detection unit 42a detects a product to be recycled from the image captured by the imaging unit 45. Any algorithm can be used for object detection. For example, a recognizer that combines image features such as HoG and Haar-like and the Boosting method can be used, or human body recognition based on deep learning such as R-CNN, Fast R-CNN, YOLO, and SSD can be used. When the object detection unit 42a detects a product to be recycled, the image information of the product is sent as product identification information to the server 6 via the communication unit 41 and the network 7.

[0066] The code reading unit 42b reads a code from the image captured by the imaging unit 45. For example, the code reading unit 42b reads a product code (e.g., JAN code) from the image of the product captured by the imaging unit 45. The product code read by the code reading unit 42b is sent as product identification information to the server 6 via the communication unit 41 and the network 7.

[0067] The input unit 43 is an element for the user of the consumer terminal 4 to input information, such as a touch panel, a microphone, etc. The user of the consumer terminal 4 inputs data such as consumer information and recycling information via the input unit 43. As consumer information, for example, it is user ID (identification information), age, date of birth, gender, place of residence (prefecture information), occupation, hobbies, etc. of the user account information, recycling history, number of points obtained and the date and time of obtaining, number of points held, cumulative number of points obtained, number of points used and the date and time, coupons held, number of coupons used and the date and time, advertisement information published, advertisement information viewed (information related to the advertisement in which the user clicked / tapped the advertisement to confirm the details), number of advertisement views (the number of times the user clicked / tapped the advertisement). In addition, as recycling information, for example, it is: attributes of the user of the recycled product (age, date of birth, gender, place of residence, occupation, hobbies, etc.), product identification information (e.g., JAN code), product name, material information of the product or components of the product, number of recycled items, date and time when the product was placed at the recycling location (date and time when it was put into the recycling bin), recycling location (recycling store). The input consumer information and recycling information are sent to the server 6 via the communication unit 41 and the network 7.

[0068] The output unit 44 is an interface for outputting various information to the user from the consumer terminal 4, such as an image display device (display unit) such as a liquid crystal display, a sound output device such as a speaker. The output unit 44 can also output (display) a GUI (Graphical User Interface) for accepting operations from the user.

[0069] The photographing unit 45 photographs an image of a subject by using a camera module including a photographing element of the consumer terminal 4. The image photographed by the photographing unit 45 is output to the control unit 42, subjected to various image processes, and output by the output unit 44.

[0070] The position detection unit 46 detects the current position (position information) of the consumer terminal 4. For example, by using GPS (Global Positioning System), Wi-Fi (registered trademark), CID (Cell ID), RFID, etc., the position information of the consumer terminal 4 is detected by the position detection unit 46.

[0071] The storage unit 47 is a data storage device such as a built-in memory or an external memory (such as an SD memory card). Various data processed by the control unit 42, various information downloaded by the communication unit 41 from the server 6 via the network 7, images photographed by the photographing unit 45, etc. are stored in the storage unit 47. It should be noted that the storage unit 47 does not necessarily have to be provided inside the consumer terminal 4, and a part or all of the storage unit 47 may be provided in other devices connected to the consumer terminal 4 in a communicable manner via the network 7.

[0072] Next, the functional structure of the recycler terminal 5 will be described. The recycler terminal 5 includes: a communication unit 51 that connects the recycler terminal 5 to the network 7, a control unit 52 that controls the overall operation of the recycler terminal 5, an input unit 53 for the user of the recycler terminal 5 to input various information, an output unit 54 that outputs various information from a display, a speaker, etc. (not shown), and a storage unit 55 that stores various information.

[0073] The communication unit 51 is a communication interface between the recycler terminal 5 and the network 7. The communication unit 51 transmits and receives information between the recycler terminal 5 and the server 6 via the network 7.

[0074] The input unit 53 is an element for the user of the recycler terminal 5 to input information, such as a touch panel, a microphone, etc. The user of the recycler terminal 5 inputs data such as recycling information via the input unit 53. As the recycling information, for example, information related to the name of the recycled product, the recycled material and its quantity, the recycling location (area), the recycling date and time, information related to resource recovery, the quantity of recycled materials, etc. The input recycling information is transmitted to the server 6 via the network 7 by the communication unit 51.

[0075] The output unit 54 is an interface for outputting various types of information to the user of the recycler terminal 5. For example, it is an image display device (display unit) such as a liquid crystal display, or a sound output device such as a speaker. The output unit 54 can also output (display) a GUI (Graphical User Interface) for accepting operations from the user.

[0076] The storage unit 55 is, for example, a data storage device such as a built-in memory or an external memory (such as an SD memory card). Stored in the storage unit 55 are various types of data processed by the control unit 52, various types of information downloaded by the communication unit 51 from the server 6 via the network 7, and so on. It should be noted that the storage unit 55 does not necessarily have to be provided inside the manufacturer terminal 2, and part or all of the storage unit 55 can also be provided inside other devices that are connected to the recycler terminal 5 via the network 7 in a communicable manner.

[0077] Next, the functional structure of the server 6 will be described. As Figure 4 shown, the server 6 has a communication unit 61, a control unit 62 that controls the overall operation of the server 6, and a storage unit 63 that stores various types of information.

[0078] The communication unit 61 is a communication interface between the server 6 and the network 7. The communication unit 61 transmits and receives information between the server 6 and each terminal (manufacturer terminal 2, distributor terminal 3, consumer terminal 4, and recycler terminal 5) via the network 7.

[0079] The control unit 62 has a consumer information acquisition unit 62a, a product information acquisition unit 62b, a sales information acquisition unit 62c, a recycling information acquisition unit 62d, a reuse information acquisition unit 62e, and a statistical information generation unit 62f.

[0080] The consumer information acquisition unit 62a acquires, via the communication unit 61 and the network 7, consumer information input by the user of the consumer terminal 4 via the input unit 43. The consumer information acquired by the consumer information acquisition unit 62a is stored in the storage unit 63.

[0081] The product information acquisition unit 62b acquires, via the communication unit 61 and the network 7, product information input by the user of the manufacturer terminal 2 via the input unit 23. The product information acquired by the product information acquisition unit 62b is stored in the storage unit 63.

[0082] The sales information acquisition unit 62c acquires, via the communication unit 61 and the network 7, sales information input by the user of the distributor terminal 3 via the input unit 33. The sales information acquired by the sales information acquisition unit 62c is stored in the storage unit 63.

[0083] The recycling information acquisition unit 62d acquires, via the communication unit 61 through the network 7, the recycling information input by the user of the consumer terminal 4 via the input unit 43. The recycling information acquired by the recycling information acquisition unit 62d is stored in the storage unit 63.

[0084] The reuse information acquisition unit 62e acquires, via the communication unit 61 through the network 7, the reuse information input by the user of the consumer terminal 4 via the input unit 43. The reuse information acquired by the reuse information acquisition unit 62e is stored in the storage unit 63.

[0085] The storage unit 63 is, for example, a data storage device such as a built-in memory or an external memory (such as an SD memory card). Stored in the storage unit 63 are various data processed by the control unit 62, various information acquired by the communication unit 61 through the network 7, and the like.

[0086] Figure 5 It is a diagram showing an example of a database stored in the storage unit 63 of the server 6. As Figure 5 shown, the storage unit 63 includes: a consumer information DB 63a, which includes the consumer information acquired by the consumer information acquisition unit 62a; a product information DB 63b, which includes the product information acquired by the product information acquisition unit 62b; a sales information DB 63c, which includes the sales information acquired by the sales information acquisition unit 62c; a recycling information DB 63d, which includes the recycling information acquired by the recycling information acquisition unit 62d; and a reuse information DB 63e, which includes the reuse information acquired by the reuse information acquisition unit 62e.

[0087] It should be noted that the storage unit 63 does not necessarily have to be provided inside the server 6, and part or all of the storage unit 63 may be provided inside other devices connected to the server 6 in a communicable manner through the network 7.

[0088] Return Figure 4 , the statistical information generation unit 62f generates statistical information related to a statistic calculated using at least one of the consumer information, product information, sales information, recycling information, and reuse information stored in the storage unit 63.

[0089] Specifically, for example, the statistical information generation unit 62f may read the recycling amounts for each recycling location from the recycling information DB 63d in the storage unit 63 and generate statistical information related to the statistic obtained by summarizing the recycling amounts for each recycling location.

[0090] In addition, for example, the statistical information generation unit 62f can also read information related to the production date and time of the product (first time information) from the product information 63b in the storage unit 63, read information related to the date and time when the product is placed at the recycling site by the consumer (second time information) from the recycling information 63d, and generate statistical information related to the difference between the first time information and the second time information (second time information - first time information). Thus, information related to the time required from the production of the product to the placement of the used product at the recycling site by the consumer can be generated as statistical information.

[0091] In addition, for example, the statistical information generation unit 62f can also read information related to the production volume of the product from the product information DB63b in the storage unit 63, read information related to the retail volume of the product from the sales information DB63c, and generate statistical information related to the statistic obtained by dividing the retail volume by the production volume (retail volume / production volume).

[0092] In addition, for example, the statistical information generation unit 62f can also read information related to the production volume of the product and information related to the wholesale volume of the product from the product information DB63b in the storage unit 63, and generate statistical information related to the statistic obtained by dividing the wholesale volume by the production volume (wholesale volume / production volume).

[0093] In addition, for example, the statistical information generation unit 62f can also read information related to the production volume of the product from the product information DB63b in the storage unit 63, read information related to the recycling volume of the product from the recycling information DB63d, and generate statistical information related to the statistic obtained by dividing the recycling volume by the production volume (recycling volume / production volume).

[0094] In addition, for example, the statistical information generation unit 62f can also read information related to the production volume of the product from the product information DB63b in the storage unit 63, read information related to the reuse volume indicating the amount of the product reused after recycling from the reuse information DB63e, and generate statistical information related to the statistic obtained by dividing the reuse volume by the production volume (reuse volume / production volume).

[0095] In addition, for example, the statistical information generation unit 62f can also read information related to the production volume of the product from the product information DB63b in the storage unit 63, read information related to the recycling volume of the product from the recycling information DB63d, read information related to the recycling amount indicating the amount of recycling in the product reused after recycling from the reuse information DB63e, and generate statistical information related to the statistic obtained by dividing the recycling amount by the recycling volume and then by the production volume (recycling amount / recycling volume / production volume).

[0096] In addition, for example, the statistical information generation unit 62f can also read information related to the production volume of products and information related to the wholesale volume of products from the product information DB63b in the storage unit 63, read information related to the retail volume of products from the sales information DB63c, read information related to the recycling volume of products from the recycling information DB63d, and read information related to the reuse volume indicating the amount of products reused after recycling from the reuse information DB63e, and generate statistical information related to the statistic (production volume - wholesale volume - retail volume - recycling volume - reuse volume) obtained by subtracting the wholesale volume, retail volume, recycling volume, and reuse volume from the production volume. Thus, statistical information related to the recycling volume of products in the circular economy can be generated.

[0097] In addition, for example, the statistical information generation unit 62f can also read information related to the reduction amount of carbon dioxide for each product reduced by reusing the product from the product information DB63b in the storage unit 63, read information related to the reuse volume indicating the amount of products reused after recycling from the reuse information DB63e, and generate statistical information related to the statistic (reuse volume × CO2 reduction amount) obtained by multiplying the reuse volume by the reduction amount of carbon dioxide for each product. Thus, statistical information related to the reduction amount of carbon dioxide in the entire circular economy can be generated.

[0098] The information obtained by visualizing the statistical information generated by the statistical information generation unit 62f can also be output through the output unit of each terminal. For example, it is also possible to output, through the output unit of each terminal, a curve graph, chart, or map (e.g., heat map) that visually displays the statistics separated by attributes of each consumer (age, gender, place of residence, occupation, product recycling history, hobbies, etc.), recycling locations, recycling stores, and recycled products. Thus, the users of each terminal of the information processing system 1 can easily understand the statistical information visually.

[0099] (An example of the operation) Next, an example of the operation of the information processing system 1 will be described. Figure 5 It is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the information processing system 1.

[0100] First, in the manufacturer terminal 2, the control unit 22 sends the product information input by the user of the manufacturer terminal 2 via the input unit 23 to the server 6 via the communication unit 21 (step S101).

[0101] The server 6 that receives the product information from the manufacturer terminal 2 via the communication unit 61 stores the received product information in the product information DB63b in the storage unit 63 (step S102).

[0102] Next, in the distributor terminal 3 of the distributor who has purchased the product from the manufacturer, the control unit 32 sends the sales information input by the user of the distributor terminal 3 via the input unit 33 to the server 6 via the communication unit 31 (step S103).

[0103] The server 6 that has received the sales information from the distributor terminal 3 via the communication unit 61 stores the received sales information in the product information DB63b of the storage unit 63 (step S104).

[0104] Next, in the consumer terminal 4 of the consumer who has purchased the product from the distributor (store), the control unit 42 sends the consumer information input by the user (consumer) of the consumer terminal 4 via the input unit 43 to the server 6 via the communication unit 41 (step S105).

[0105] The control unit 62 of the server 6 that has received the consumer information from the consumer terminal 4 stores the received consumer information in the product information DB63b of the storage unit 63 (step S106).

[0106] Then, in the control unit 62 of the server 6, a request to send the product code (product identification information) is sent to the consumer terminal 4 via the communication unit 61 (step S107).

[0107] In the consumer terminal 4, if a request to send the product code is received from the server 6, the control unit 42 outputs information prompting the user to read the product code via the output unit 44. For example, a message such as "Please scan the JAN code" can be displayed on the display of the consumer terminal 4. Then, according to the user operation of the consumer terminal 4, the control unit 42 reads the product code via the code reading unit 42b (step S108).

[0108] Next, the control unit 42 of the consumer terminal 4 sends the product code read by the code reading unit 42b to the server 6 via the communication unit 41 (step S109).

[0109] The control unit 62 of the server 6 that has received the product code from the consumer terminal 4 retrieves the product as a query from the product information DB63b of the storage unit 63 (step S110).

[0110] Then, the control unit 62 of the server 6 sends the product information including the information related to the material of the product and the identification information of the recycling bin to the consumer terminal 4 (step S111).

[0111] Next, in the consumer terminal 4, after the consumer inputs (recycles) the product into the recycling bin, the user (consumer) of the consumer terminal 4 inputs recycling information including the product name, quantity, recycling location, etc. of the recycled product via the input unit 43. Then, the control unit 42 of the consumer terminal 4 sends the recycling information input by the user to the server 6 (step S112).

[0112] The server 6 that receives the recycling information from the consumer terminal 4 via the communication unit 61 stores the received recycling information in the recycling information DB63d of the storage unit 63 (step S113).

[0113] In the recycler terminal 5, the control unit 52 of the recycler terminal 5 sends a request for recycling information to the server 6 (step S114).

[0114] The server 6 that receives the request for recycling information from the recycler terminal 5 uses the identification information such as the product code included in the received request as a query, retrieves the recycling information from the recycling information DB63d of the storage unit 63, and sends the recycling information to the recycler terminal 5 (step S115).

[0115] It should be noted that the recycler can use information such as the attributes (age, date of birth, gender, place of residence, occupation, hobbies, etc.) of the users of the recycled products, product identification information (such as JAN code), product name, material information of the product or its components, recycling quantity, date and time when the product was placed at the recycling location (date and time when it was put into the recycling bin), recycling location (recycling store), etc. included in the received recycling information to efficiently recycle the products.

[0116] The recycler terminal 5 receives the recycling information sent from the server 6. After the recycler (recycling business) recycles the products according to the recycling information, the control unit 52 of the recycler terminal 5 sends a request for product information to the server 6 (step S116).

[0117] The server 6 that receives the request for product information from the recycler terminal 5 uses the identification information such as the product code included in the received request as a query, retrieves the product information from the product information DB63b of the storage unit 63, and sends the product information to the recycler terminal 5 (step S117).

[0118] It should be noted that the recycler can use information related to product features such as the structure of the product, disassembly method of components, replacement method of components, repair method of the product or components, product instruction manual, etc. included in the received product information to efficiently reuse the products.

[0119] The recycler terminal 5 receives the product information sent from the server 6. After the recycler reuses the product according to the product information, the control unit 52 of the recycler terminal 5 sends the reuse information to the server 6 (step S118).

[0120] The server 6 that receives the reuse information from the recycler terminal 5 through the communication unit 61 stores the received reuse information in the reuse information DB 63e of the storage unit 63 (step S119).

[0121] Then, in the server 6, the statistical information generation unit 62f of the control unit 62 generates statistical information related to the statistic calculated by using at least one of the consumer information, product information, sales information, recycling information, and reuse information stored in the storage unit 63 (step S120).

[0122] As described above, according to this embodiment, an information processing system 1 is provided, including: a terminal device of a manufacturer that manufactures products (manufacturer terminal 2); a terminal device of a distributor that purchases and sells products from the manufacturer (distributor terminal 3); a terminal device of a consumer who purchases products from the distributor and uses the products (consumer terminal 4); a terminal device of a recycler that recycles used products from the consumer and reuses them (recycler terminal 5); and a server 6 that can be accessed by each device. The information processing system 1 has: a product information acquisition unit 62b that acquires product information of products from the terminal device of the manufacturer; a sales information acquisition unit 62c that acquires sales information of products from the terminal device of the distributor; a consumer information acquisition unit 62a that acquires consumer information from the terminal device of the consumer; a recycling information acquisition unit 62d that acquires recycling information of products from the terminal device of the consumer; a reuse information acquisition unit 62e that acquires reuse information of products from the terminal device of the recycler; and a statistical information generation unit 62f that generates statistical information related to the statistic calculated by using at least one of the consumer information, product information, sales information, recycling information, and reuse information. Therefore, it is possible to use multiple information including consumer information to generate information that helps improve the efficiency of product reuse in the circular economy.

[0123] It should be noted that, in the above-described embodiment, a display control unit may also be provided in the information processing system 1, and the display control unit displays information related to the traceability of a product or a component of the product (traceability information) on at least one display unit (output unit) among the respective terminal devices (manufacturer terminal, distributor terminal, consumer terminal, recycler terminal). Thereby, users (manufacturers, distributors, consumers, recyclers) of the respective terminal devices can easily identify when the product or the component of the product is produced, sold, recycled, reused, or recycled by referring to the traceability information displayed on the display unit of each terminal device.

[0124] Any part or all of the functional units described in this specification can be implemented by a program. The program mentioned in this specification can be published by being non-temporarily recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, can also be published via a communication line such as the Internet (including wireless communication), and can also be published in a state of being installed in any terminal.

[0125] Based on the above description, those skilled in the art may be able to conceive of additional effects and various modification examples of the present invention, but the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above-described respective embodiments. Various additions, changes, and partial deletions can be made within the scope not departing from the content defined in the claims and the conceptual ideas and gists of the present invention derived from their equivalents.

[0126] For example, a device described in this specification as a single device (or component, the same hereinafter) (including a device depicted as a single device in the drawings) can also be implemented by multiple devices. Conversely, a device described in this specification as multiple devices (including a device depicted as multiple devices in the drawings) can also be implemented by a single device. Or, a part or all of the units and functions included in a certain device (e.g., a server) can be included in another device (e.g., a user terminal).

[0127] In addition, not all of the matters described in this specification are essential conditions. In particular, matters described in this specification but not described in the claims can be referred to as arbitrary additional matters.

[0128] It should be noted that it should be noted that the applicant only knows the publicly known inventions described in the documents in the "Prior Art Documents" column of this specification, and the present invention is not necessarily aimed at solving the problems in the publicly known inventions in this document. The problems to be solved by the present invention should be determined by considering the entire specification. For example, in this specification, in the case where there is a description with the main purpose of achieving a given effect through a specific structure, it is also possible to solve the problem opposite to the given effect. However, it does not mean that such a specific structure must be a necessary requirement.

Claims

1. An information processing system, characterized in that, the information processing system includes: a terminal device of a manufacturer who manufactures products; a terminal device of a distributor who purchases and sells the products from the manufacturer; a terminal device of a consumer who purchases the products from the distributor and uses the products; a terminal device of a recycler who recovers the used products from the consumer and reuses them; and a server that can be accessed by each of the devices, the information processing system has: a product information acquisition unit that acquires product information of the products from the terminal device of the manufacturer; a sales information acquisition unit that acquires sales information of the products from the terminal device of the distributor; a consumer information acquisition unit that acquires consumer information from the terminal device of the consumer; a recycling information acquisition unit that acquires recycling information of the products from the terminal device of the consumer; a reuse information acquisition unit that acquires reuse information of the products from the terminal device of the recycler; and a statistical information generation unit that generates statistical information related to a statistic, the statistic being calculated using at least one of the product information, the sales information, the recycling information, and the reuse information, and the consumer information.

2. The information processing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, the consumer information includes information related to at least one of the age, gender, place of residence, occupation, product recycling history, and hobbies of the consumer.

3. The information processing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, the recycling information includes information related to the recycling place of the products and information related to the recycling amount of the products at each recycling place.

4. The information processing system according to claim 3, characterized in that, the statistical information generation unit generates statistical information related to a statistic obtained by summarizing the recycling amounts for each recycling place, the information processing system further has an output unit that outputs information obtained by visualizing the statistical information generated by the statistical information generation unit.

5. The information processing system according to claim 3, characterized in that, the product information includes first time information related to the production date and time of the products, the recycling information includes second time information related to the date and time when the consumer places the products at the recycling place, the statistical information generation unit generates statistical information related to a difference for each recycling place, the difference being the difference between the first time information and the second time information.

6. The information processing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, the product information includes information related to the production volume of the products, the sales information includes information related to the retail volume of the products, the statistical information generation unit generates statistical information related to a statistic obtained by dividing the retail volume by the production volume.

7. The information processing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, the product information includes information related to the production volume of the products, The recycling information includes information related to the recycling amount of the product. The statistical information generation unit generates statistical information related to a statistic obtained by dividing the recycling amount by the manufacturing amount.

8. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein: The product information includes information related to the manufacturing amount of the product. The reuse information includes information related to the reuse amount, and the reuse amount represents the amount of the product that is reused after recycling. The statistical information generation unit generates statistical information related to a statistic obtained by dividing the reuse amount by the manufacturing amount.

9. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein: The product information includes information related to the manufacturing amount of the product. The recycling information includes information related to the recycling amount of the product. The reuse information includes information related to the amount of recycling, and the amount of recycling represents the amount of the product that is recycled and then reused. The statistical information generation unit generates statistical information related to a statistic obtained by dividing the amount of recycling by the recycling amount and further dividing by the manufacturing amount.

10. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein: The product information includes information related to the manufacturing amount of the product and information related to the wholesale amount of the product. The sales information includes information related to the retail amount of the product. The recycling information includes information related to the recycling amount of the product. The reuse information includes information related to the reuse amount, and the reuse amount represents the amount of the product that is reused after recycling. The statistical information generation unit generates statistical information related to a statistic obtained by subtracting the wholesale amount, the retail amount, the recycling amount, and the reuse amount from the manufacturing amount.

11. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein: The product information includes information related to the reduction amount of carbon dioxide for each product reduced by reusing the product. The reuse information includes information related to the reuse amount, and the reuse amount represents the amount of the product that is reused after recycling. The statistical information generation unit generates statistical information related to a statistic obtained by multiplying the reuse amount by the reduction amount of carbon dioxide for each product.

12. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein: The information processing system further includes a display control unit, and the display control unit displays information related to the traceability of the product or the traceability of the components of the product on the display unit of at least one of the devices.

13. A method of using an information processing system, characterized in that, The information processing system includes: a terminal device of a manufacturer that manufactures the product; a terminal device of a distributor that purchases and sells the product from the manufacturer; a terminal device of a consumer that purchases the product from the distributor and uses the product; a terminal device of a recycler that recycles and reuses the used product from the consumer; and a server that can be accessed by each of the devices. The method includes: The step of obtaining product information of the product from the terminal device of the manufacturer; The step of obtaining sales information of the product from the terminal device of the distributor; The step of obtaining consumer information from the terminal device of the consumer; The step of obtaining recycling information of the product from the terminal device of the consumer; The step of obtaining reuse information of the product from the terminal device of the recycler; and The step of generating statistical information related to a statistic, the statistic being calculated using at least one of the product information, the sales information, the recycling information, and the reuse information, and the consumer information.

14. A program for causing a computer to execute the method according to claim 13.

15. A computer-readable storage medium storing the program according to claim 14.

16. An information processing apparatus, characterized in that, Having: A product information acquisition unit that obtains product information of the product from the terminal device of a manufacturer that manufactures the product; A sales information acquisition unit that obtains sales information of the product from the terminal device of a distributor that purchases and sells the product from the manufacturer; A consumer information acquisition unit that obtains consumer information from the terminal device of a consumer who purchases and uses the product from the distributor; A recycling information acquisition unit that obtains recycling information of the product from the terminal device of the consumer; A reuse information acquisition unit that obtains reuse information of the product from the terminal device of a recycler who recycles and reuses the used product from the consumer; And A statistical information generation unit that generates statistical information related to a statistic, the statistic being calculated using at least one of the product information, the sales information, the recycling information, and the reuse information, and the consumer information.

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