Commodity sales data processing system and program

Abstract

To appropriately manage a portable terminal used for shopping by a customer at a store.SOLUTION: A commodity sales data processing system includes a portable terminal used by a customer registering a commodity in a transaction and a transaction information management device managing a transaction state. The commodity sales data processing system includes identification information output means for outputting identification information for identifying an own device in the portable terminal, counting means for counting the portable terminals outputting the identification information by the identification information output means in the transaction information management device, and notification means for making a notification when the number of portable terminals counted by the counting means satisfies a predetermined condition.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 20

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a product sales data processing system and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] There is known a technique that allows customers to purchase products using a mobile device when shopping in a store (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-055700 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In a shopping system in which customers shop using a portable device (portable terminal) as described above, it is preferable for a store, for example, to be able to appropriately manage the portable terminals used in the store.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to enable appropriate management of mobile terminals used by customers for shopping in stores. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems is a product sales data processing system comprising a mobile terminal used by a customer to register a product in a transaction, and a transaction information management device for managing the transaction status, wherein the mobile terminal comprises an identification information output means for outputting identification information that identifies the device itself, and the transaction information management device comprises a counting means for counting the mobile terminals that have output identification information by the identification information output means, and an alert means for alerting when the number of mobile terminals counted by the counting means satisfies a predetermined condition.

[0007] One aspect of the present invention is a program for causing a computer acting as a server in a product sales data processing system having a mobile terminal used by a customer to register a product in a transaction and a transaction information management device that manages the transaction status to function as an identification information acquisition means for acquiring identification information that identifies the mobile terminal and is output from the mobile terminal, a counting means for counting the mobile terminals whose identification information has been acquired by the identification information acquisition means, and a notification means for providing an alert when the number of mobile terminals counted by the counting means satisfies a predetermined condition. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a shopping system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of installation of a settlement device in this embodiment. [Diagram 3] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of a settlement device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a settlement device in the present embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a customer terminal device in the present embodiment. [Figure 6] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a transaction management device in this embodiment. [Figure 7] 3A to 3C are diagrams illustrating an example of customer information, store information, and cart information according to the present embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a definition of a reserved product in the present embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a transaction information management device according to the present embodiment. [Figure 10] A sequence diagram showing an example of processing procedures executed by a customer terminal device, a settlement device, and a transaction management device in this embodiment in response to the accounting of one transaction in self-service operation. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a screen of a shopping application in the present embodiment. [Figure 12]13A to 13C are diagrams showing an example of a registered product presentation screen and a screen displayed on a settlement device in this embodiment. [Figure 13] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of a charging device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 14] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure executed by the transaction management device in this embodiment in relation to identifying the type of customer terminal device. [Figure 15] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a terminal status screen in the present embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a transaction details screen in this embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a status confirmation screen in the present embodiment. [Figure 18] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a product information input screen in the present embodiment. [Figure 19] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure executed by the transaction management device and the transaction information management device in this embodiment in relation to a notification in response to a rental terminal being taken outside the store. [Figure 20] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure executed by the lending terminal and the transaction information management device in relation to a non-return notification. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] [Example of shopping system configuration] Fig. 1 shows an example of the configuration of a shopping system (one example of a product sales data processing system) according to this embodiment. The shopping system in the figure corresponds to accounting (customer terminal device-compatible accounting) in which, for example, a customer takes out a product to be purchased from a product shelf, registers the taken-out product using a customer terminal device 50 (personal terminal 50A or rental terminal 50B), and the same customer also uses a settlement device 40 to settle the payment for the registered product. The settlement here refers to a procedure carried out in response to one transaction, including the registration of the product and the settlement of the registered product. The shopping system of this embodiment includes a management device 10, a transaction management device 60, a settlement device 40, a customer terminal device 50, a transaction information management device 80, and a credit card settlement server 70.

[0010] The management device 10 and the settlement device 40 are installed in a store and are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via a LAN 19 (which may be wired or wireless). The management device 10 is a business terminal used by a store clerk for store management and the like, and is capable of communicating with the transaction management device 60. The transaction information management device 80 is a business terminal used in the store to monitor the transaction status of customers who register products using the customer terminal device 50. The transaction status monitoring function of the transaction information management device 80 includes outputting information on the transaction status by displaying it on the transaction information management device 80, as well as controlling transactions such as releasing the reserved state of reserved products in response to a store clerk's operation, which will be described later. The transaction information management device 80 is capable of communicating with the transaction management device 60, and is capable of realizing the transaction status monitoring function by sending and receiving data to and from the transaction management device 60. Although four settlement devices 40 are illustrated in FIG. 1, the number of settlement devices 40 within one store is not particularly limited.

[0011] The customer terminal device 50 is operated by customers (such as shoppers who are members of the store, hereinafter also referred to simply as customers). In addition to typical communication and imaging functions (camera), the customer terminal device 50 has a recognition function that scans barcodes attached to products to read product codes, that is, recognizes barcodes attached to products. Note that the recognition function of the customer terminal device 50 only needs to be able to read product codes, and does not need to be able to recognize which product the read product code belongs to. In other words, the customer terminal device 50 only needs to be able to read a product code from a barcode that exists as an object in an image captured by the imaging function (an image acquired as a through image).

[0012] In this embodiment, a customer can use either a personal terminal 50A or a rental terminal 50B as the customer terminal device 50 when shopping. The personal terminal 50A is a mobile terminal that the customer possesses as his / her own property. Such a customer terminal device 50 may be a smartphone, tablet terminal, or the like owned by the customer. A shopping application having a function of registering products in accordance with the shopping system of this embodiment is installed in the smartphone, tablet terminal, or the like serving as the customer terminal device 50. The lending terminal 50B is a mobile terminal that is lent to a customer by the store. An application having a function of registering products in accordance with the shopping system of the present embodiment is also installed in the lending terminal 50B. Furthermore, these customer terminal devices 50 may be used by customers in a manner that allows them to hold them in their hands, or may be used by customers in a state that allows them to use them attached to, for example, a shopping cart.

[0013] The customer terminal device 50 also captures an image (e.g., releases the shutter) of the product (e.g., the peripheral portion with a barcode attached) and generates a captured image (image data). The customer terminal device 50 may capture an image by releasing the shutter in response to an operation by the customer who is the operator, but in this embodiment, it is preferable that the customer terminal device 50 captures an image by releasing the shutter at its own discretion.

[0014] In addition, the customer terminal device 50 may be equipped with an image recognition technology that extracts feature points from an image (through image, captured image) and recognizes an imaged subject (object, etc.). For example, the customer terminal device 50 may use the image recognition technology to identify (estimate) an imaged product.

[0015] The settlement device 40 is a settlement device capable of at least cash payment as a settlement method. The settlement device 40 is configured to be able to communicate with the transaction management device 60. The settlement device 40 may be configured to be able to communicate with the transaction management device 60, for example, via the management device 10.

[0016] The transaction management device 60 manages transactions carried out in accordance with the shopping system of this embodiment.

[0017] The credit card payment server 70 executes payment processing corresponding to the credit card in response to a credit card payment request transmitted from the settlement device 40, the customer terminal device 50, etc.

[0018] The charging device 90 is provided in the store to charge the rental terminals 50B. The charging device 90 is configured to be able to charge, for example, a predetermined number of rental terminals 50B all at once. The charging device 90 is provided in a predetermined position, for example, at the entrance / exit of the store. In the figure, two charging devices 90 are shown. In other words, in this embodiment, multiple charging devices 90 may be installed in the store. The number of charging devices 90 installed may be determined according to the relationship between the number of rental terminals 50B prepared in the store and the number of rental terminals 50B that can be charged by one charging device 90. When the rental terminal 50B is in a standby state and not being used by a customer, it is operated as if it is attached to a charging device 90 and is being charged.

[0019] [About the payment device] Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the installation of the settlement device 40. Fig. 2(A) is a perspective view of the settlement device 40 etc. as seen from the customer side. Fig. 2(B) is a perspective view of the settlement device 40 etc. as seen from the store clerk side. As shown in Fig. 2(A), a counter is placed on the right side of the settlement device 40 as seen from the customer side.

[0020] Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of the settlement device 40. Fig. 3(A) is a perspective view of the settlement device 40 as seen from the customer side. Fig. 3(B) is a perspective view of the settlement device 40 as seen from the store clerk side. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the settlement device 40. In Fig. 3 and Fig. 4, the same parts are given the same reference numerals.

[0021] An example of the configuration of settlement device 40 shown in Fig. 4 will be described below with reference to Fig. 3. Settlement device 40 includes a CPU 401, a ROM 402, a RAM 403, a hard disk 404, a customer display unit 405, a customer scanner unit 406, a card payment unit 408, a change machine 409, a store clerk display unit 410, a key operation unit 411, a store clerk scanner unit 412, a printing unit 413, an audio output unit 414, and a communication unit 415. These can communicate with each other via a bus.

[0022] The CPU 401 is a central processing unit, and controls the operation of the settlement device 40 by reading and executing programs stored in the ROM 402 . The ROM 402 is a read-only memory, and stores various types of information used by the CPU 401, including programs.

[0023] The RAM 403 is a read / write memory and stores various information, such as information read from the ROM 402 or the hard disk 404, information acquired from the outside, and information generated during processing.

[0024] The hard disk 404 stores various information. For example, the hard disk 404 may store programs executed by the CPU 401 instead of the ROM 402. Also, instead of the RAM 403, the hard disk 404 may store information read from the ROM 402, information acquired from the outside, information generated during processing, and the like.

[0025] The customer-side display unit 405 is a touch display for customers, which displays various information to customers and accepts various inputs from customers. Customer-side scanner unit 406 is a scanner unit for customers, and for example, scans a barcode attached to a product and reads the product code. Customer-side scanner unit 406 may also scan a code (barcode, two-dimensional code, etc.) printed on a bill (registered trademark) and read information required for payment. Customer-side scanner unit 406 may also scan a code (two-dimensional code, etc.) displayed on the display unit of customer terminal device 50 and read information required for payment.

[0026] Although the customer-side scanner unit 406 is used when a customer registers a product, the customer may register the product by other methods. For example, if a preset key (a button for ordering the product) corresponding to the product is displayed on the customer-side display unit 405, the customer may operate (press) the preset key to register the product.

[0027] The card payment unit 408 is a payment mechanism that uses various cards (credit cards, prepaid cards such as transportation cards, etc.). The card payment unit 408 of this embodiment includes a card recognition unit (reading unit), a display unit, and an operation unit, but it is sufficient that the card payment unit 408 includes at least the card recognition unit. The card recognition unit may also recognize various cards (e.g., membership cards, point cards, etc.) that are not directly used for payment (settlement).

[0028] The change machine 409 (cash settlement unit) is a cash settlement mechanism, which has an input port for banknotes and coins, and an output port for banknotes and coins, calculates the amount of money inserted into the input port, calculates the change amount, which is the difference between the input amount and the purchase amount, and outputs the change from the output port. The change machine 409 faces the customer and is operated by the customer. When banknotes or coins are inserted into the input port, they are detected by a sensor (detecting that they have been inserted, detecting the number of coins by denomination, etc.).

[0029] That is, the change machine 409 is used when the price of registered products is settled with cash (money) in the settlement device 40. The change machine 409 has a banknote insertion port for inserting banknotes, a coin insertion port for inserting coins, a banknote discharge port for discharging banknotes, a coin discharge port for discharging coins, a counting unit for counting the inserted or discharged money, a money transport mechanism between the insertion port or discharge port and the storage unit, the above-mentioned sensor, etc. The banknote insertion port and the coin insertion port are also referred to as deposit insertion ports. The banknote discharge port and the coin discharge port are also referred to as change discharge ports. The banknote insertion port and the banknote discharge port may be a common port, and the coin insertion port and the coin discharge port may be a common port.

[0030] The change machine 409 also counts the coins replenished during the closing process and stores them in a storage unit. The change machine 409 also counts the coins to be dispensed during the closing process and discharges them from a change discharge port. The closing process is a process of adjusting the amount of money stored in the change machine 409 (cash on hand / cash on hand) to a reference amount after the store is closed or before the store is opened.

[0031] The store clerk's display unit 410 is a touch display for the store clerk, which displays various information to the store clerk and receives various inputs from the store clerk. The key operation unit 411 is made up of various keys (buttons) and receives various inputs from the store clerk. The store clerk scanner unit 412 is a scanner unit for store clerks, and for example, scans a barcode attached to a product and reads the product code. The store clerk scanner unit 412 also scans a barcode attached to the name tag of the store clerk and reads the store clerk code.

[0032] Although the store clerk's scanner unit 412 is used when the store clerk registers a product, the store clerk may register the product by other methods. For example, if a key corresponding to a product (e.g., a key corresponding to a sports newspaper) is arranged on the key operation unit 411, the store clerk may operate (press) that key to register the product. Also, if a preset key corresponding to a product is displayed on the store clerk's display unit 410, the store clerk may operate that preset key to register the product.

[0033] The printing unit 413 prints and issues various media (receipts, bills, etc.). The printing unit 413 can freely rotate to change its orientation (direction of the media issuing port) from the clerk side to the customer side and from the customer side to the clerk side. The orientation of the printing unit 413 may be changed manually, or may be changed automatically (mechanically controlled, etc.) in response to, for example, a transition (switching) of the operation mode described below. The correctness of the orientation of the printing unit 413 may be detected by a sensor or the like.

[0034] The audio output unit 414 outputs audio. For example, the audio output unit 414 outputs audio guidance and the like. The communication unit 415 executes communication with other devices (other settlement devices 40 and the management device 10).

[0035] In addition, the settlement device 40 of this embodiment can be switched between a total of four operating modes: a customer terminal device-compatible settlement mode, which is set to perform settlement processing under customer terminal device-compatible accounting, and three accounting modes (first to third accounting modes) corresponding to three different patterns of accounting (product registration, settlement). The first payment mode is an operation mode in which the store clerk performs product registration operations and operations corresponding to payment on the payment device 40. The second payment mode is an operation mode in which the store clerk performs product registration operations on the payment device 40, and the customer performs operations corresponding to payment on the same payment device 40. The third payment mode is an operation mode in which the customer performs product registration operations and operations corresponding to payment on the payment device 40. As a result, in a store that has introduced the shopping system of this embodiment, some of the multiple payment devices 40 can be set to a customer terminal device compatible payment mode to support customer terminal device compatible payment, and the other payment devices 40 can be set to, for example, a first payment mode or a second payment mode so that a store clerk can handle payments in cooperation with customers. Note that the other payment devices 40 may also include those set to the third payment mode.

[0036] [Example of customer terminal device configuration] 5 shows an example of the configuration of the customer terminal device 50. The customer terminal device 50 in the figure includes a CPU 501, a storage unit 502, a RAM 503, a display unit 504, an operation unit 505, an imaging unit 506, a network-compatible communication unit 507, and a positioning unit 508. The CPU 501 is a central processing unit, and controls the operation of the customer terminal device 50 by reading and executing programs stored in the storage unit 502 . The storage unit 502 is an auxiliary storage device for the CPU 501, and stores various types of information used by the CPU 501, including programs. The RAM 503 is a main storage device for the CPU 501 . The display unit 504 displays an image according to the display control of the CPU 501. The display unit 504 may be configured as a touch panel that allows operations to be performed on the screen. The operation unit 505 collectively indicates various operators provided on the customer terminal device 50 and various input devices connected to the customer terminal device 50 . The imaging unit 506 captures images under the control of the CPU 401. Furthermore, the imaging unit 506 of this embodiment can also function as a part that reads two-dimensional codes in a code reader that processes the two-dimensional codes. The network-compatible communication unit 507 is a unit that wirelessly communicates via a network. The network-compatible communication unit 507 enables the customer terminal device 50 to communicate with the transaction management device 60. The positioning unit 508 measures its own position and acquires position information indicating its own position. The positioning unit 508 may be configured to include a device that uses a positioning system such as a global positioning system (GPS). The positioning unit 508 may also acquire position information indicating its own position by communicating with a wireless LAN access point in a store or a beacon.

[0037] [Example of transaction management device configuration] 6 shows an example of the configuration of transaction management device 60. Transaction management device 60 in the figure comprises a CPU 601, a storage unit 602, a RAM 603, and a network-compatible communication unit 604. The CPU 601 is a central processing unit, and controls the operation of the transaction management device 60 by reading and executing programs stored in the memory unit 602 . The storage unit 602 is an auxiliary storage device for the CPU 601, and stores various types of information used by the CPU 501, including programs. The RAM 603 is a main storage device for the CPU 601 . The network compatible communication unit 604 is a part that performs communication via a network.

[0038] The memory unit 602 of the transaction management device 60 stores customer information, store information, product information, and cart information.

[0039] [Information stored in the transaction management device] The customer information stored in the memory unit 602 is information for managing individual customers. The transaction management device 60 generates customer information when a customer is registered (a customer's registration may be considered to have been completed when the customer information of that customer is stored). The transaction management device 60 also updates the customer information as appropriate based on cart information, etc. The transaction management device 60 may update the customer information, for example, by referring to the cart information at a specified time every day.

[0040] 7(A) shows an example of customer information stored in the memory unit 602 of the transaction management device 60. The customer information in this figure includes customer identification information, customer name, customer registration date, cancellation information, customer rank, number of points, etc. The customer identification information is identification information that uniquely identifies a customer. The customer identification information may be application identification information that is uniquely assigned to each installed shopping application when the shopping application of this embodiment is installed. The application identification information may be a number that is uniquely (e.g., sequentially) assigned to each installed shopping application. Alternatively, the application identification information may be terminal identification information that is unique to the customer terminal device 50 in which the shopping application is installed.

[0041] For example, when the customer terminal device 50 is a personal terminal 50A, the terminal identification information may be hardware identification information assigned to the hardware of the customer terminal device 50 so as to be unique, such as a telephone number assigned to the customer who is the user of the personal terminal 50A, or a MAC (Media Access Control) address.

[0042] The customer name is the customer's name or nickname, etc. The customer registration date is the date and time when the customer was registered. Cancellation information is information regarding the cancellation of registered products after registration. The customer rank is a rank according to the customer's purchasing history. When generating customer information for a new customer, the customer identification information, customer name, and customer registration date are generated, but since this is before the start of actual trading (product registration), other information (cancellation information, etc.) is not generated.

[0043] The transaction management device 60 generates and stores customer identification information, for example, when registering a customer (for example, when the customer terminal device 50 downloads or installs a shopping application to use a shopping service provided by the transaction management device 60 from an external device (for example, a predetermined server that provides all applications, the transaction management device 60 itself)). In addition, for example, when registering a customer, the transaction management device 60 acquires information entered into the name field of a registration form (input form) using the customer terminal device 50 as a personal terminal 50A, and stores it as the customer name. In addition, the transaction management device 60 acquires, for example, the current date and time when registering the customer, and stores it as the customer registration date.

[0044] In addition, instead of or in addition to storing the customer information in its own memory unit, the transaction management device 60 may store some or all of the customer information in another device (such as a file server accessible to the transaction management device 60).

[0045] 7(B) shows an example of store information stored in the memory unit 602 of the transaction management device 60. The store information in the figure includes store identification information, store name (branch name), store identification information 1, and store identification information 2. The store identification information is identification information that uniquely identifies a store. The store identification information shown in Fig. 7(B) is composed of a store (trade name) or company code and a branch code. The store name is the name of the store. The store name shown in FIG. 7B is composed of the store (trade name) or company and the branch name. The store identification information 1 is information (store identification code) of a two-dimensional code (QR code (registered trademark) or the like) for identifying a store where a transaction takes place (a store where a product is bought and sold). The store identification information 2 is store location information (GPS information) for identifying the store where the transaction is to be carried out. In the example shown in FIG. 7(B), the store identification information and the store specifying information 1 are different, but the store identification information and the store specifying information 1 may be the same.

[0046] The transaction management device 60 may obtain and store store information from an external source (such as a server (not shown) at a headquarters that manages each store). The transaction management device 60 may store some or all of the store information in another device (such as a file server accessible by the transaction management device 60) instead of or in addition to storing the store information in its own memory.

[0047] The product information is, for example, information acquired from the store management device 10, and is information about products sold in the store. The product information for one product includes information such as a product code (product identifier), product name, and price.

[0048] Cart information is information for managing individual transactions. The transaction management device 60 generates the cart information at the start of a transaction. In addition, the transaction management device 60 updates the cart information as the transaction progresses (each time a product is registered) (the storage of a product in the cart information may be interpreted as the registration of that product).

[0049] FIG. 7(C) is an example of cart information stored in the memory unit 602 of the transaction management device 60. The cart information in the figure includes cart identification information, transaction start date and time, transaction end date and time, customer identification information, registered product information, reserved product information, cancellation information, and the like.

[0050] The cart identification information is identification information that uniquely identifies the cart information. For example, the cart identification information includes store identification information, a date, and a serial number (for example, a serial number for each store and each date). The transaction start date and time is the date and time when the transaction starts. The transaction start date and time may be, for example, the date and time when the cart information is generated. The transaction start date and time may be the date and time when the first item of product is registered (the date and time when the registered product information (registered product 1) in FIG. 7(C) is stored). The date and time when the cart information is generated and the date and time when the first item of product is registered may both be stored separately.

[0051] The transaction end date and time is the end date and time of the transaction. For example, the transaction start date and time may be the settlement date and time.

[0052] The customer / application identification information is either customer identification information that identifies the customer of the transaction, or application identification information that indicates a shopping application installed on the corresponding customer terminal device 50 .

[0053] When generating cart information, cart identification information, transaction start date and time, and customer identification information are generated, but since this is before the start of the actual transaction (product registration), other information (transaction end date and time, etc.) is not generated. The settlement date and time may be the settlement start date and time or the settlement end date and time. As the transaction end date and time, both the settlement start date and time and the settlement end date and time may be stored separately.

[0054] Registered product information (total) is information that is updated each time a product is registered. Registered product information (total) includes the number of products (number of products), estimated subtotal amount (e.g., the subtotal amount before discounts, etc. are reflected), subtotal amount, etc. Registered product information (registered product 1) is the registration information for one product item. Registered product information (registered product 2) is the registration information for two products. In the example shown in Figure 7 (C), registered product information (registered product 3) to registered product information (registered product 5) are omitted from the illustration. Registered product information (N; N is an integer) includes the product code, product name (product name), price, etc.

[0055] The registered product information (N) may include the registration date and time of the Nth item of product. In other words, the transaction management device 60 may store the registration date and time of the registered product as the registered product information. The registration date and time of each product may also be used as a basis for determining whether or not a service such as a time service should be applied and the effect of the application.

[0056] The reserved product information (total) is updated each time a reserved product is registered. A reserved product is a product that was not registered properly due to a certain reason and is registered in a temporarily reserved state. The reserved product information (total) includes the number of reserved products (number of products), the number of reserved products that are NO-FILE, the number of reserved products that cannot be read (check for unauthorized operations), and the like.

[0057] NO-FILE refers to a product whose barcode or product code was successfully scanned (the product code was successfully read) at the store, but whose product code is not stored in the product information (a product whose product information is not registered).

[0058] A read NG refers to a failure to scan the product code at the store (the product code could not be read), or a product whose product code has not been scanned at the store. In other words, a read NG refers to a timeout process when it is possible to determine that a product has been imaged for a certain period of time using image recognition technology but has not been able to be recognized as a barcode, or a product that has been timed out. For example, if the barcode cannot be correctly acquired (recognized) despite the customer performing an operation to have the barcode read due to wrinkles in the package, smudges or dirt on the barcode print, or the barcode being printed on a transparent film, it will be determined that the barcode cannot be read.

[0059] Reserved Product Information (Reserved Product 1) is information on reserved product 1. Reserved Product Information (Reserved Product 2) is information on reserved product 2. Reserved Product Information (Reserved Product 3) is information on reserved product 3.

[0060] The reserved product information (reserved product N; N is an integer) includes the reserved product type (information indicating whether the reserved product is NO-FILE or cannot be read) and image data (image data captured when reading was NG). For example, if the Nth item is a reserved product due to NO-FILE, the reserved product information (reserved product N) includes the reserved product type "1 (NO-FILE)" and image data. Also, if the Nth item is a reserved product due to reading being NG, the reserved product information (reserved product N) includes the reserved product type "2 (cannot be read)" and image data.

[0061] In addition, the cart information of this embodiment may be provided with a terminal type flag as shown in the figure. The terminal type flag is a flag that indicates whether the corresponding customer terminal device 50 is a personal terminal 50A or a rental terminal 50B. In the example of the figure, the terminal type flag has a value of "0" to indicate that it is a personal terminal 50A, and a value of "1" to indicate that it is a rental terminal 50B.

[0062] In addition, instead of or in addition to storing the cart information in its own memory, the transaction management device 60 may store some or all of the cart information in another device (such as a file server accessible by the transaction management device 60).

[0063] 8 shows an example of reserved product definition corresponding to cart information in this embodiment. In the figure, an example is shown in which reserved products are classified into eight categories. Classification numbers "1" to "8" are assigned to each of the eight reserved product classifications. The classification of the reserved product with classification number 1 is “NON-FILE” as explained in FIG. The classification of the reserved product with classification number 2 is “reading not allowed” as explained in FIG.

[0064] The classification of the reserved product with classification number 3 is "pseudo scan input." A reserved product with "pseudo scan input" is a product for which the customer has attempted to have the customer terminal device 50 read the product's code, but the customer terminal device 50 has not been able to read the code properly.

[0065] As a specific example, a situation where a product is brought into the imaging range of the imaging unit 506 but the product code is not brought into the imaging range of the imaging unit 506 corresponds to a "pseudo scan input". Additionally, a "pseudo scan insertion" situation corresponds to a situation in which the product is brought into the imaging range of the imaging unit 506, but an image of a part that does not have a code is captured. Additionally, "pseudo scan insertion" refers to a situation in which a product is brought into the imaging range of imaging unit 506 with the code portion hidden by a finger or the like. In addition, a "pseudo scan input" situation occurs when the code on a product is captured by the imaging unit 506, but the product is passed through the imaging range of the imaging unit 506 at a speed that prevents the customer terminal device 50 from reading the code.

[0066] The classification of the reserved product with classification number 4 is “non-scan-inserted.” A reserved product with the “non-scan-inserted” classification is a product that was added to the shopping cart without performing an operation to position the product within the imaging range of imaging unit 506. This non-scanning insertion can occur, for example, when the customer terminal device 50 is fixedly attached to a shopping cart and is configured to be able to capture an image of the inside of a shopping basket placed in the shopping cart. For example, when the customer terminal device 50 determines based on the captured image that a product has been placed in the shopping cart even though the product's code has not been scanned, it can determine that a non-scanning insertion has occurred.

[0067] The classification of reserved items with classification number 5 is "age verification items." "Age verification items" are items such as alcohol and tobacco that require a store clerk to verify the customer's age before selling them.

[0068] The classification of reserved goods with classification number 6 is "pharmaceuticals." "Pharmaceuticals" are goods that require a qualified person, such as a pharmacist, to confirm with the purchaser.

[0069] The classification of reserved items with classification number 7 is "anti-theft tag items." "Anti-theft tag items" are items that have anti-theft tags attached and require a store clerk to remove the anti-theft tag from the item when it is sold.

[0070] The classification of the reserved product with classification number 8 is a "cancelled product." A "cancelled product" is a product that was once registered but was cancelled by a customer's cancellation operation on the customer terminal device 50. A "cancelled product" is taken from the customer by a store clerk at the time of payment, for example.

[0071] The product master is stored, for example, in the management device 10. The product master stores product information for each product sold in the store. The product information for one product includes a number of predetermined information items, including a product code and a product name. Transaction management device 60 stores the product master data acquired from management device 10. Transaction management device 60 uses the stored product master data for processes related to product registration, etc.

[0072] For reserved items that fall under "NON-FILE" in classification number 1, the product code was obtained by code scanning in response to the product registration operation, but the product information associated with the obtained product code was not registered in the product master. Therefore, it has not been determined which of the products registered in the product master the reserved items that fall under "NON-FILE" in classification number 1 are. For pending products that fall into one of the three categories of classification numbers 2 to 4, "Read NG", "Pseudo scan input", and "Non-scan input", the product code has failed to be acquired as a result of the code scan in response to the product registration operation. Therefore, it is not possible to identify which of the products registered in the product master the pending products that fall into one of the three categories of classification numbers 2 to 4, "Read NG", "Pseudo scan input", and "Non-scan input", are.

[0073] Among classification numbers 1 to 7, pending products that fall into any of the four classifications of classification numbers 1 to 4, "NON-FILE," "Read NG," "Pseudo-scan input," and "Non-scan input," are unspecified products. Unspecified products are products whose registration results are incomplete, for example, because it was not possible to identify which of the products registered in the product master they are. Unidentified products are further divided into code-acquired products, whose product codes have been acquired through product registration operations, such as classification number 1 "NON-FILE," and code-unacquired products, whose product codes have not been acquired through product registration operations, such as classification numbers 2 to 4 "Read NG," "Pseudo scan input," and "Non-scan input."

[0074] In addition, instead of or in addition to storing the cart information in its own memory, the transaction management device 60 may store some or all of the cart information in another device (such as a file server accessible by the transaction management device 60).

[0075] [Example of the configuration of a transaction information management device] 9 shows an example of the configuration of transaction information management device 80. Transaction information management device 80 in the figure includes a CPU 801, a storage unit 802, a RAM 803, an in-store compatible communication unit 804, a network compatible communication unit 805, a display unit 806, and an operation unit 807. The CPU 801 is a central processing unit, and controls the operation of the transaction information management device 80 by reading and executing programs stored in the storage unit 802 . The storage unit 602 is an auxiliary storage device for the CPU 801, and stores various types of information used by the CPU 801, including programs. The RAM 803 is the main storage device of the CPU 801 . The in-store communication unit 804 communicates with terminals within the store, such as the settlement device 40 and the management device 10, via the LAN 19. The network-compatible communication unit 805 is a part that communicates with the outside via a network. In the case of the transaction information management device 80, the network-compatible communication unit 805 can communicate with the transaction management device 60 on the cloud. The display unit 806 displays images under the control of the CPU 801. The display unit 806 may be configured as a touch panel. The operation unit 807 collectively indicates the operators provided in the transaction information management device 80 and the input devices connected to the transaction information management device 80 .

[0076] [Example of basic processing procedure for self-operation] The sequence diagram in Fig. 10 shows an example of a processing procedure executed by the customer terminal device 50, the settlement device 40, and the transaction management device 60 in response to the accounting of one transaction in a self-service operation. Specifically, the processing in Fig. 10 shows an example of the processing of the customer terminal device 50, the settlement device 40, and the transaction management device 60 from when a customer registers a product to be purchased from among products displayed in the store, until the settlement of the registered product is completed. In addition, in explaining the diagram, a case where the customer terminal device 50 is a personal terminal 50A will be taken as an example.

[0077] Step S1: The customer terminal device 50 acquires information for identifying a store (store identification information). For example, a two-dimensional code indicating a store identification code for identifying the store may be displayed near the entrance of the store (the two-dimensional code may be output on a display screen, a medium on which the two-dimensional code is printed may be attached, etc.), and a customer who visits the store may scan (read) the two-dimensional code with the customer terminal device 50, thereby allowing the customer terminal device 50 to acquire the store identification information. When a customer who visits the store starts a shopping application, a screen instructing the customer to scan the two-dimensional code may be displayed as a start-up screen, or when a customer who visits the store scans the two-dimensional code with the customer terminal device 50, the shopping application may be started, and a screen informing the customer that the transaction management device 60 is currently connected may be displayed as a start-up screen.

[0078] Also, for example, since a store is identified by its location, a customer who visits the store may obtain location information (GPS information) at the store using the customer terminal device 50 (i.e., the store's location information may be obtained as store identification information). When a customer who visits the store starts a shopping application, location information may be obtained and a screen may be displayed as a start-up screen informing the customer that the application is currently connected to the transaction management device 60. If multiple stores are detected from the location information and one cannot be identified, a selection screen may be displayed to allow the customer to select. Alternatively, a mode may be switched to forcefully obtain a two-dimensional code. Also, for example, the customer terminal device 50 may acquire store-specific information by communicating with a beacon installed at a predetermined location in the store.

[0079] 11(A) shows an example of a start-up screen of a shopping application displayed on the display unit 504 of the customer terminal device 50. The start-up screen in the figure displays the store name. This store name is displayed based on the store-specific information acquired in step S1. When a customer wishes to start registering a product for shopping, the customer operates a transaction start button BT10 arranged on the start-up screen. In response to the operation of the transaction start instruction button BT10, the customer terminal device 50 transmits a transaction start request including the acquired store specific information and customer identification information to the transaction management device 60. The transaction start request may be transmitted in response to the customer's operation on the customer terminal device 50 as described above, or may be transmitted in response to the acquisition of store specific information without receiving any particular operation. Regarding the customer identification information, the information entered in the name field of the registration form using the customer terminal device 50 during customer registration (when downloading or installing a shopping application on the customer terminal device 50) may be stored in the customer information of the transaction management device 60, but may also be stored in the memory of the customer terminal device 50 in addition to the transaction management device 60. When a store is identified (when the product registration initial screen described below is acquired), the store name, the services being offered (flyer information distributed on that day), and available coupon information may be displayed on a screen (the product registration initial screen or a screen other than the product registration initial screen). The service and coupon information may be acquired from the transaction management device 60 as screen information, for example. The transaction start request may include application identification information that uniquely identifies the shopping application, instead of the customer identification information.

[0080] In addition, the destination information (address of the transaction management device 60) may also be obtained when registering the customer (when downloading or installing the shopping application to the customer terminal device 50) and stored in the memory of the customer terminal device 50. In addition to the store-specific information, the destination information may also be converted into a two-dimensional code, and by scanning the two-dimensional code with the customer terminal device 50, the customer terminal device 50 may obtain the destination information along with the store-specific information.

[0081] Step S2: The transaction management device 60, which has received the customer identification information and store identification information as a transaction start request from the customer terminal device 50, generates cart information for the transaction. Note that in the initial state in which the cart information is generated, the cart identification information, transaction start date and time, and customer identification information are stored, but since this is before the start of the actual transaction (product registration), other information (transaction end date and time, product information (registered product information, reserved product information), etc.) is not stored.

[0082] As described above, the transaction management device 60 stores store information such as that shown in Figure 7(B), so when it receives store identification information (it also receives customer identification information) as a transaction start request from the customer terminal device 50, if the received store identification information is a two-dimensional code, it acquires the store identification information by referring to store identification information 1, and if the received store identification information is location information (GPS information), it acquires the store identification information by referring to store identification information 2. Note that if the store identification information received from the customer terminal device 50 is store identification information converted into a two-dimensional code, the transaction management device 60 need only acquire it as is.

[0083] In other words, when the transaction management device 60 receives customer identification information and store identification information from the customer terminal device 50 as a transaction start request, it acquires the store identification information from the store identification information received from the customer terminal device 50, and further acquires the current date, issues (assigns) a serial number, combines the store identification information with the current date and serial number, and stores the combined information as cart identification information in the cart information. Also, when the transaction management device 60 receives store identification information and customer identification information from the customer terminal device 50 as a transaction start request, it acquires the current date and time, and stores the current date and time as the transaction start date and time (generation date and time) in the cart information. Also, when the transaction management device 60 receives store identification information and customer identification information from the customer terminal device 50 as a transaction start request, it stores the customer identification information received from the customer terminal device 50 as customer identification information in the cart information.

[0084] Step S3: The transaction management device 60, which has generated the cart information for the transaction, generates product registration initial screen information (screen information of the product registration screen, which is the initial screen), and transmits it to the customer terminal device 50. Specifically, the transaction management device 60, for example, generates product registration initial screen information, and transmits the generated product registration initial screen information to the customer terminal device 50 together with the cart identification information.

[0085] Step S4: The customer terminal device 50, which has received the cart identification information and the product registration initial screen information from the transaction management device 60, stores the cart identification information and displays the registration screen on the display unit. Specifically, the customer terminal device 50 displays the product registration initial screen as shown in FIG. 11(B), for example.

[0086] Step S5: The customer terminal device 50 scans the barcode attached to the product by the customer's operation, and reads the product code. In the figure, it is assumed that the barcode has been successfully scanned. Steps S5 to S9 are repeatedly executed every time the barcode attached to the product is scanned.

[0087] The customer terminal device 50 that has acquired the barcode transmits to the transaction management device 60 the cart identification information and product registration information including the product code obtained by scanning.

[0088] Step S6: The transaction management device 60 receives the product registration information (cart identification information and product code) from the customer terminal device 50 and identifies the cart information of the transaction from the cart identification information included in the received product registration information.

[0089] Step S7: The transaction management device 60 updates the product data in the identified cart information. Specifically, if the received product registration information contains a product code for the Nth item, the transaction management device 60 stores the product code as the product code of the registered product information (registered product N) in the identified cart information, obtains the product name and price corresponding to the product code from the product information, and stores them as the product and price of the registered product information (registered product N). The transaction management device 60 also updates the registered product information (total) in the identified cart information.

[0090] Step S8: After updating the product data in the cart information, the transaction management device 60 generates product registration update screen information (screen information of the product registration screen, which is an update screen to which the registered product has been added) and transmits it to the customer terminal device 50. Specifically, the transaction management device 60 generates product registration update screen information such that the customer terminal device 50 displays a product registration update screen to which a list item of the currently registered product has been added to the registered product list, as shown in Fig. 11(C), for example, and transmits the generated product registration update screen information to the customer terminal device 50 together with the cart identification information.

[0091] The product registration screen (product registration update screen) shown in FIG. 11(C) is displayed on the customer terminal device 50 after "XX bread" is registered as the third product item. In other words, when "XX yogurt" is stored in the cart information as the first item, the transaction management device 60 generates product registration update screen information such that "XX yogurt" is displayed on the customer terminal device 50 and transmits the generated product registration update screen information to the customer terminal device 50 together with the cart identification information; when "XX chocolate" is stored in the cart as the second item, the transaction management device 60 generates product registration update screen information such that "XX yogurt" and "XX chocolate" are displayed on the customer terminal device 50 and transmits the generated product registration update screen information to the customer terminal device 50 together with the cart identification information; and when "XX bread" is stored in the cart information as the third item, the transaction management device 60 generates product registration update screen information such that "XX yogurt", "XX chocolate" and "XX bread" are displayed on the customer terminal device 50 as shown in FIG. 11(C), and transmits the generated product registration update screen information to the customer terminal device 50 together with the cart identification information.

[0092] In response to the registration of one product, a registered product display screen WD1 may be displayed to display the currently registered product, as shown in Fig. 12(A), for example. In addition, in the registered product display screen WD1 shown in the same figure, in response to the target product being available for eating in, a "Yes" button BT1 and a "No" button BT2 are displayed to confirm with the customer whether or not they would like to eat in. In this case, the price of the product is calculated so that the consumption tax rate for the target product is different when the "Yes" button BT1 is operated and when the "No" button BT2 is operated.

[0093] Step S9: The customer terminal device 50, which has received the cart identification information and product registration update screen information from the transaction management device 60, adds the product to the registration screen. Specifically, the customer terminal device 50 displays a product registration update screen such as that shown in Fig. 11(C). As described above, the product registration screen (product registration update screen) shown in Fig. 11(C) is displayed on the customer terminal device 50 after "XX bread" is registered as the third product item.

[0094] Step S10: The customer terminal device 50 accepts a payment instruction operation as an operation by the customer, for example, a touch of the "Proceed to Checkout" button shown in FIG.

[0095] Step S11: The customer terminal device 50 that has accepted the settlement transition instruction operation generates a two-dimensional code. That is, the customer terminal device 50 converts information required for executing the settlement process for the items purchased by the customer terminal device 50 (e.g., cart identification information) into a two-dimensional code. The customer terminal device 50 that has generated the two-dimensional code displays the generated two-dimensional code on the display unit. For example, a code display screen with a two-dimensional code arranged as shown in FIG. 11(D) is displayed on the display unit.

[0096] Step S12: The settlement device 40 scans (reads) the two-dimensional code displayed on the display unit of the customer terminal device 50. For example, the settlement device 40 scans the two-dimensional code displayed on the display unit of the customer terminal device 50 that is directed by the customer within the recognition range of the customer-side scanner unit 406.

[0097] Step S13: The settlement device 40, which has read the two-dimensional code displayed on the display unit of the customer terminal device 50, requests the calculation of the subtotal amount from the transaction management device 60. For example, the settlement device 40 transmits a calculation request (subtotal calculation request information) requesting the calculation of the subtotal amount to the transaction management device 60 together with the cart identification information obtained from the two-dimensional code.

[0098] Step S14: The transaction management device 60, which has received the cart identification information and the sub-calculation output request information from the customer terminal device 50, identifies the cart information of the transaction from the cart identification information.

[0099] Step S15: After identifying the cart, the transaction management device 60 calculates the subtotal amount using information such as the price in the registered product information included in the cart information corresponding to the identified cart information.

[0100] Step S16: After calculating the subtotal, the transaction management device 60 updates the cart information (storing the subtotal (calculated subtotal)), and transmits the subtotal information indicating the calculated subtotal to the settlement device 40 together with the cart identification information.

[0101] Step S17: The settlement device 40, which has received the cart identification information and the subtotal information from the transaction management device 60, displays the subtotal amount on the customer side display unit 405, for example, as shown in FIG. 12(B).

[0102] Step S18: The settlement device 40, which has displayed the subtotal on the customer display unit 405, executes the payment (settlement). Specifically, the settlement device 40 accepts the selection of the payment type. In the case of cash, it accepts the deposit, calculates the amount of change, and, if there is change, dispenses the change and issues a receipt. In addition, when the settlement is completed, the settlement device 40 sends settlement completion information together with the cart information to the transaction management device 60, and the transaction management device 60 stores the transaction end date and time (settlement date and time) for that cart.

[0103] After scanning a product, the customer terminal device 50 transmits the product code to the transaction management device 60 (S5). However, the customer terminal device 50 may be configured not to transmit product codes for products (e.g., products scanned after moving to another store) other than those scanned in the store (the store when the customer visited the store and displayed the product registration initial screen). For example, the customer terminal device 50 acquires and stores location information (GPS information) when the customer visits the store (or when the product registration initial screen is displayed). The customer terminal device 50 also acquires location information when scanning each product, and compares the location information acquired when the customer visits the store (or when the product registration initial screen is displayed). If the two match (or approximately match), the customer terminal device 50 may permit the transmission of the product code of the product to the transaction management device 60, and if they do not match (or approximately match), the customer terminal device 50 may prohibit the transmission of the product code of the product to the transaction management device 60. This makes it possible to prevent inappropriate product registration (for example, registering a product to a cart created in another store, etc.).

[0104] When the settlement device 40 prohibits the transmission of the product code as described above, it may display an error message (e.g., "Registration is not possible because it is not in the XX store") on the customer side display unit 405 after scanning the product. Furthermore, the settlement device 40 may display the above message on the store clerk side display unit 410 instead of or in addition to the message on the customer side display unit 405.

[0105] The settlement device 40 reads the two-dimensional code displayed on the display of the customer terminal device 50 and then requests the transaction management device 60 to calculate the subtotal amount (S13), but may not request calculation of the subtotal amount for products other than the product scanned in the store (for example, products scanned in other stores). For example, the settlement device 40 refers to the store identification information of the store (it may store and refer to the store identification information of the store in its own settlement device 40, or may refer to the store identification information stored in another accessible device), and when it reads the two-dimensional code displayed on the display of the customer terminal device 50, it compares the cart identification information obtained from the two-dimensional code with the store identification information of the store. The settlement device 40 may permit the request to calculate the subtotal amount if the store identification information included in the cart identification information includes the store identification information of the store, and may prohibit the request to calculate the subtotal amount if the store identification information does not include the store identification information of the store. This makes it possible to prevent inappropriate payments (for example, payment for products registered at other stores, etc.).

[0106] When the settlement device 40 prohibits the request for the subtotal amount as described above, after reading the two-dimensional code, the settlement device 40 may display an error message (e.g., "Settlement cannot be completed because the transaction includes products not from the XXX store") on the customer-side display unit 405. The settlement device 40 may also display the above message on the store clerk-side display unit 410 instead of or in addition to the message on the customer-side display unit 405.

[0107] In the example of the processing procedure in Fig. 10, the transaction management device 60 calculates the subtotal amount. However, for example, the settlement device 40 may acquire cart information from the transaction management device 60 and calculate the subtotal amount based on the acquired cart information. Alternatively, the transaction management device 60 may transmit cart information to the management device 10 and request calculation of the subtotal amount, the management device 10 may calculate the subtotal amount using the received cart information, and the calculated subtotal amount may be transmitted to the settlement device 40 via the transaction management device 60.

[0108] During the settlement process, the transaction management device 60 may check the cancellation status of the customer's products based on the customer information and cart information of the customer, and determine whether or not to issue a warning against fraud. If it is determined that a warning should be issued, the transaction management device 60 may, for example, cause the settlement device 40 to issue a warning notification.

[0109] Furthermore, during checkout processing, the transaction management device 60 may determine whether or not the product information included in the cart information includes any reserved products, and if so, may request the checkout device 40 to provide instructions to correct the reserved products. Upon receiving a request to provide instructions to correct the reserved products, the checkout device 40 displays a message to notify the user that there are reserved products, as shown in Fig. 12(C). Upon confirming the message, the store clerk may perform an operation to release (correct) the reserved products, such as entering a price corresponding to the reserved products or canceling the reserved products.

[0110] In the processing procedure example shown in Fig. 10, each time the customer terminal device 50 scans the code information of a product and reads the product code, the customer terminal device 50 transmits the read product code to the transaction management device 60. That is, in the processing procedure example shown in Fig. 10, each time the customer terminal device 50 executes a product registration process in response to the reading of a product code, the transaction management device 60 transmits product registration information including the product code obtained by the product registration process. In this case, each time the transaction management device 60 receives product registration information from the customer terminal device 50, it stores the registered product information corresponding to the product code included in the product registration information in the cart information identified by the cart identification information included in the product registration information.

[0111] In this embodiment, the product registration information may be processed in the following procedure, which is different from that shown in FIG. That is, the customer terminal device 50 stores the product codes acquired by the product registration process in one transaction without transmitting them until a checkout instruction is issued. Then, in response to the checkout instruction being issued, the customer terminal device 50 transmits the product registration information including one or more product codes that it has stored up to that point to the transaction management device 60. The transaction management device 60 stores the registered product information corresponding to each of the one or more product codes included in the product registration information in the cart information identified by the cart identification information included in the received product registration information. That is, the customer terminal device 50 in this embodiment transmits the product registration information in a lump sum in response to a checkout instruction. In this way, when the customer terminal device 50 transmits product registration information in a lump sum in response to a checkout transition instruction, the number of communications between the customer terminal device 50 and the transaction management device 60 can be reduced, which reduces the processing load and power consumption of the customer terminal device 50. In addition, the amount of traffic between the customer terminal device 50 and the transaction management device 60 can also be reduced.

[0112] [About using rental terminals] In the shopping system of this embodiment, a personal terminal 50A and a rental terminal 50B can be used as the customer terminal device 50. By allowing customers to use the rental terminal 50B, even customers who do not own a mobile terminal such as a smartphone that can be used as a personal terminal can shop using the customer terminal device 50. Furthermore, even customers who own a mobile terminal such as a smartphone can actually try out a shopping application by using the rental terminal 50B when considering installing the shopping application on their mobile terminal and using it for shopping.

[0113] The flow of procedures when a customer uses rental terminal 50B to make a purchase will be described. When a customer enters a store, the customer goes to a rental corner for rental terminal 50B. At the rental corner, rental terminal 50B in a standby state is placed in a state of being charged by charging device 90.

[0114] Fig. 13 shows an example of the appearance of a charging device 90. The charging device 90 in the figure shows an example in which five terminal holders 92 are provided for a main body 91. As shown in the figure, the lending terminal 50B is loaded so as to be leaned against the terminal holder 92. In this loaded state, non-contact charging (wireless power supply) is performed from the terminal holder 92 to the lending terminal 50B. The non-contact charging compatible with the charging device 90 is not particularly limited, and may be an electromagnetic induction method, a magnetic resonance method, or the like.

[0115] The charging device 90 in the figure has five terminal holders 92, and can charge five rental terminals 50B simultaneously. The number of terminal holders 92 that the charging device 90 has is not particularly limited. In other words, the number of rental terminals 50B that can be charged simultaneously by one charging device 90 is not particularly limited. The number of charging devices 90 installed at one rental corner may be determined according to the relationship between the number of rental terminals 50B to be prepared at the rental corner and the number of rental terminals 50B that can be charged by one charging device 90. In the case of a charging device 90 that performs contactless charging as shown in the figure, the terminal holders 92 and the rental terminals 50B do not need to be associated one-to-one. For example, when a store clerk or a customer wants to charge one rental terminal 50B, the rental terminal 50B may be loaded into any of the terminal holders 92 that are available.

[0116] The customer picks up any of the rental terminals 50B set in the charging device 90. The display unit 504 of the rental terminal 50B, which was in a standby state, displays a shopping application startup screen (FIG. 11(A)). The customer operates the transaction start instruction button BT10 on the startup screen of the rental terminal 50B that he or she picked up. Thereafter, the customer can use the rental terminal 50B as the customer terminal device 50 to register products while having the product codes read as described above. When the customer has completed the product registration, he or she performs a settlement transition instruction operation to cause the rental terminal 50B to display a code display screen (FIG. 11(D)) on which a two-dimensional code is placed. The customer then has the settlement device 40 read the two-dimensional code displayed on the code display screen, and performs settlement. When the settlement is completed at the settlement device 40, the shopping is finished. After completing the shopping, the customer returns to the rental corner where the rental terminal 50B that he / she used was prepared, and places the rental terminal 50B in one of the vacant terminal holders 92 in the charging device 90. This means that the rental terminal 50B has been returned.

[0117] [Management of personal and loaned devices at stores] In a store in which the shopping application of this embodiment is implemented, a personal terminal 50A and a rental terminal 50B are used together as the customer terminal device 50. For this reason, it is preferable to manage transactions performed using the customer terminal device 50 so that it is possible to identify which of the personal terminal 50A and the rental terminal 50B is being used. This makes it possible to distinguish and manage which of the personal terminal 50A and the rental terminal 50B is being used for each transaction, for example, when the transaction information management device 80 monitors the current transaction status in the store, or the transaction management device 60 manages transaction records.

[0118] [Example of processing procedure for identifying the type of customer terminal device] The flowchart in Fig. 14 shows an example of a processing procedure executed by the transaction management device 60 in relation to identifying the type of the customer terminal device 50. Identifying the type of the customer terminal device 50 here refers to identifying whether the customer terminal device 50 used for product registration in the store is a personal terminal 50A or a rental terminal 50B.

[0119] Step S101: When a customer starts using the customer terminal device 50, the customer operates the transaction start instruction button BT10 (FIG. 11(A)) on the start screen. In response to the operation of the transaction start instruction button BT10, the customer terminal device 50 transmits a transaction start request to the transaction management device 60. When the customer terminal device 50 is a personal terminal 50A, the transaction start request includes customer identification information or application identification information. In the following description, a case where the transaction start request sent by the personal terminal 50A includes customer identification information is taken as an example. On the other hand, in the case of the rental terminal 50B, the user who uses the shopping application is not specified, unlike the personal terminal 50A. Therefore, the transaction start request transmitted by the rental terminal 50B includes application identification information. In step S101, the transaction management device 60 waits to receive a transaction start request transmitted from the personal terminal 50A or the rental terminal 50B as the customer terminal device 50.

[0120] Step S102: When the transaction start request is received, the transaction management device 60 determines whether the customer terminal device 50 to which the transaction start request is sent is the rental terminal 50B. When the received transaction start request contains application identification information, the transaction management device 60 determines that the terminal is a rental terminal 50B. On the other hand, when the received transaction start request contains customer identification information, the transaction management device 60 determines that the terminal is a personal terminal 50A.

[0121] Step S103: If it is determined that the customer terminal device 50 to which the transaction start request is sent is the lending terminal 50B, the transaction management device 60 generates cart information corresponding to the lending terminal 50B. This process corresponds to the process of generating cart information in step S2 in FIG. 10. The transaction management device 60 stores the application identification information included in the transaction start request in the customer / app identification information field in the cart information generated in step S103, and stores "1" in the terminal type flag field to indicate that it is the rental terminal 50B.

[0122] Step S104: If it is determined that the customer terminal device 50 to which the transaction start request is sent is the personal terminal 50A, the transaction management device 60 generates cart information corresponding to the personal terminal 50A. This process, like step S103, corresponds to the process of step S2 in FIG. 10. The transaction management device 60 stores the customer identification information included in the transaction start request in the customer / app identification information field in the cart information generated in step S104, and stores "0" indicating that it is a personal terminal 50A in the terminal type flag field.

[0123] Thus, in this embodiment, the cart information stores information that can identify whether the customer terminal device 50 used in the corresponding transaction is a personal terminal 50A or a rental terminal 50B. That is, if customer identification information is stored in the cart information or the terminal type flag is "0", the transaction management device 60 identifies that the customer terminal device 50 used in the corresponding transaction is a personal terminal 50A. Also, if application identification information is stored in the cart information or the terminal type flag is "1", the transaction management device 60 identifies that the customer terminal device 50 used in the corresponding transaction is a rental terminal 50B.

[0124] According to the processing of steps S103 and S104, the customer / application identification information area in the cart information stores application identification information when the destination of the transaction start request is the rental terminal 50B, and stores customer identification information when the destination is the personal terminal 50A. In this case, if the application identification information and the customer identification information have different formats, such as the number of digits and the type of characters used for each digit, it is possible to identify whether the customer terminal device 50 used in the corresponding transaction is the rental terminal 50B or the personal terminal 50A, based on the difference in the format of the identification information stored in the customer / application identification information area. In this case, the terminal type flag may be omitted. On the other hand, if application identification information instead of customer identification information is included in the transaction start request sent by the personal terminal 50A, the application identification information is stored in the customer / app identification information area of ​​the cart information regardless of whether the corresponding customer terminal device 50 is a personal terminal 50A or a rental terminal 50B. In this case, the transaction management device 60 can identify whether the customer terminal device 50 is a personal terminal 50A or a rental terminal 50B by referring to the terminal type flag in the cart information.

[0125] [How to distinguish between personal and loaned devices] 14, the result of identifying whether the customer terminal device 50 is the personal terminal 50A or the rental terminal 50B is reflected in the cart information stored in the transaction management device 60. The transaction information management device 80 is capable of displaying a terminal status screen on the display unit 806, which shows the status of the rental terminal 50B in the store and the transaction status corresponding to each personal terminal 50A being used in the store, based on the cart information stored in the transaction management device 60.

[0126] 15 shows an example of a terminal status screen displayed on display unit 806 of transaction information management device 80. The terminal status screen in the figure includes a loaned terminal status area AR10 and a personal terminal status area AR20.

[0127] The rental terminal status area AR10 is an area that displays a list of the status of each rental terminal 50B installed in the store. Each list item IM-A arranged in the rental terminal status area AR10 shows the current status of the corresponding rental terminal 50B. In the lending terminal status area AR10, the list items IM-A are arranged in the order of the terminal numbers assigned to the lending terminals 50B. In the figure, an example is shown in which 14 list items IM-A are arranged in order corresponding to the terminal numbers "001" to "014". In addition, if the number of list items IM-A exceeds the number that can be displayed given the size of the lending terminal status area AR10, the remaining list items IM-A may be displayed by scrolling or changing pages in the lending terminal status area AR10.

[0128] In the list item IM-A, a display is made showing the status of the corresponding lending terminal 50B. The list item IM-A displays, for example, one of the statuses "Rented", "Waiting", "Backup", "Power OFF", "Unavailable", and "Abandoned". Of these statuses, the statuses "Rented", "Waiting", "Backup", "Unavailable", and "Abandoned", excluding the status "Power OFF", indicate a state in which the power is turned on and the lending terminal 50B is started up.

[0129] When the status "on loan" is displayed in the list item IM-A, it indicates that the corresponding rental terminal 50B is being loaned to a customer. For example, the status "on loan" is displayed when the corresponding rental terminal 50B is disconnected from the charging device 90.

[0130] Furthermore, when the status "on loan" is displayed, the list item IM-A displays the content according to the sub-status, either "registering", "payment in progress" or "payment completed". In the case of the sub-status of registration, for example, the start time of use, the number of registered items at the current time, and the total price (estimated total) of the registered items at the current time are displayed, such as "Started HH:MM:SS," "Number of registered items 12," and "Estimated total 2320" shown in list item IM-A for terminal number "001." The start time of use displayed in list item IM-A may be the time when the corresponding rental terminal 50B was removed from the charging device 90, or it may be the time when the transaction was started in response to the operation of transaction start instruction button BT10. The notation "HH:MM:SS" indicates the actual hours, minutes, and seconds. In addition, in the case of a sub-status of "payment in progress", for example, as in list item IM-A of terminal number "005", a display showing the sub-status of "payment in progress" and "QR created HH:MM:SS" showing the time of generation of the two-dimensional code are displayed. The time of generation of the two-dimensional code is the time when the corresponding rental terminal 50B generates and displays the two-dimensional code of the cart identification information in response to the payment transition instruction operation.

[0131] In addition, in the case of the sub-status of settlement completion, for example, as in list item IM-A for terminal number "007," a display is displayed indicating the sub-status "Settlement Completed," "Settlement Completed HH:MM:SS" indicating the time of settlement completion, and "Elapsed Time HH:MM:SS" indicating the time elapsed since the settlement completion time. For example, after completing payment, a customer may return the rental terminal 50B to a location other than the charging device 90 at the specified rental corner, or may intentionally or accidentally keep the rental terminal 50B in their possession. In such cases, the elapsed time in list item IM-A will be significantly longer than the time normally required from when a customer completes payment to when the rental terminal 50B is returned to the charging device 90. By looking at such elapsed time, the store clerk can determine that the rental terminal 50B has not been returned to the charging device 90 at the specified rental corner.

[0132] In addition, when a reserved item is registered under the sub-status of "On loan," the corresponding list item IM-A will display a message indicating that the registered items include a reserved item. For example, the list item IM-A for terminal number "003" displays "Number of items: 12" and "1 reserved item," indicating that one reserved item is included in the 12 registered number (number of items). The manner in which pending products are displayed in list item IM-A for terminal number "003" is applied when the pending product registration results include a classification other than pseudo-scan input (classification number 3) and non-scan input (classification number 4) among the classifications of pending products shown in Figure 8.

[0133] In the example shown in the figure, in the list item IM-1 corresponding to a transaction in which a fraudulent act called "basket removal" was detected under the sub-status of "lending" being registered, a display indicating that "basket removal" was performed is displayed. Specifically, the display of "basket" in the list item IM-1 for terminal number "002" indicates that this is a transaction in which "basket removal" was performed. "Basket abandonment" applies when the product registration results include either pseudo-scan input (classification number 3) or non-scan input (classification number 4) among the classifications of reserved products shown in Fig. 8. In other words, in the example of the same figure, the customer's behavior when the product registration results obtained are pseudo-scan input (classification number 3) or non-scan input (classification number 4) is treated as equivalent to "basket abandonment."

[0134] When the status "Waiting" is displayed in the list item IM-A, it indicates that the corresponding rental terminal 50B is on standby. The waiting state means that the corresponding rental terminal 50B is charging by being inserted into the charging device 90 of the rental corner associated with the rental terminal 50B.

[0135] The list item IM-1 for terminal number "009" shows a status of "Waiting." In the list item IM-1 for terminal number "009," "Waiting: Station 2-2" is displayed, which indicates that the terminal is waiting at the rental corner of Station 2-2. In addition, in the list item IM-1 for terminal number "009," the charge amount of the corresponding rental terminal 50B is displayed, along with the expected usable time according to the charge amount.

[0136] The list item IM-1 for terminal number "004" also shows a status of "Waiting." However, in the list item IM-1 for terminal number "004," an example is shown in which a message is displayed encouraging the user to replace the terminal with a spare customer terminal device 50, such as "Let's replace it with a spare device," in response to the low charge level of the corresponding rental terminal 50B.

[0137] When the status "spare" is displayed in list item IM-A, it indicates that the corresponding rental terminal 50B is being stored as a spare. In the figure, the list items IM-1 for the terminal numbers "010", "011", and "012" each indicate a status of "spare". In the list item IM-1 for the "spare" status, the current charging state of the corresponding rental terminal 50B is shown.

[0138] When the status "Power OFF" is displayed in list item IM-A, this indicates that the corresponding lending terminal 50B is in a powered off state. In the figure, the list item IM-1 for terminal numbers "013" and "014" is displayed as "Power OFF (no communication)," indicating that the corresponding rental terminal 50B is powered off. In addition, the list item IM-1 for the "Power OFF" status displays the reason why the power is off, such as "Reason: Spare storage" or "Reason: Under repair."

[0139] In addition, if the corresponding list item IM-1 is not located on the terminal status screen in the same figure, but the status "unavailable" is displayed in list item IM-A, this indicates that the corresponding rental terminal 50B is unavailable for some reason, including a malfunction. In addition, if the corresponding list item IM-1 is not located on the terminal status screen in the same figure, but the ``abandoned'' status is displayed in list item IM-A, this indicates that the corresponding rental terminal 50B has been left abandoned in a location other than the corresponding rental corner.

[0140] The list item IM-A may have different borders or background colors, for example, depending on the status and sub-status, the registration of reserved items, the occurrence of "basket removal," etc. This allows the store clerk to intuitively grasp the situation of each rental terminal 50B.

[0141] The personal terminal status area AR20 on the terminal status screen is an area that displays a list of the status of each personal terminal 50A being used by a customer in the store. Each list item IM-B arranged in the personal terminal status area AR20 shows the current status of the corresponding personal terminal 50A. The status of the personal terminal 50A shown in the list item IM-B is mainly the status of transactions using the corresponding personal terminal 50A.

[0142] The list items IM-B in the personal terminal status area AR20 are arranged, for example, from top to bottom in order of the usage start time closest to the current time. The usage start time is the time when the transaction is started in response to the customer's operation of the transaction start instruction button BT10. In response to the start of a new transaction using the personal terminal 50A, the list item IM-B in the personal terminal status area AR20 is displayed so that the corresponding list item IM-B is newly displayed at the top of the personal terminal status area AR20, and the previously displayed list item IM-B is moved down one row. In addition, if the number of list items IM-B exceeds the number that can be displayed given the size of the personal terminal status area AR20, the remaining list items IM-B may be displayed by scrolling or changing pages in the personal terminal status area AR20.

[0143] In list item IM-B of personal terminal status area AR20, user identification information is shown, for example, by displaying "UID: xxxxxxx...". Furthermore, in list item IM-B, if member information is registered in a shopping application installed in the corresponding personal terminal 50A, member identification information is displayed, for example, by displaying "member identification: xxxxxxx...". Furthermore, if the member information registered in the shopping application corresponds to a general member, for example, "member identification: general" is displayed. Specifically, the user identification information and member identification information may be, for example, alphanumeric character strings of a predetermined number of digits.

[0144] In addition, in list item IM-B, information showing the progress of the corresponding transaction is displayed. For example, in list item IM-1 in the first line, "Entered the store (app launch) HH:MM:SS" is displayed, indicating that the shopping application was launched at time HH:MM:SS and the launch screen is displayed. In addition, in the list item IM-B on the second line, the display "Shopping started HH:MM:SS" indicates that the corresponding transaction started at the transaction start time HH:MM:SS, but no products have been registered yet. In addition, in the third line of the list item IM-B, the current registered number of items and the estimated total are shown for the corresponding transaction, depending on whether the product is currently being registered. In the case of a product being registered, "HH:MM:SS" may indicate the transaction start time. In addition, in the list item IM-B on the fourth line, the display "1 reserved" indicates that the registered products for the corresponding transaction include one reserved product. In the list item IM-B, the reserved products shown in the above manner include unspecified products and products other than unspecified products. In other words, they include "NON-FILE", "Read NG", "Pseudo-scan input", "Non-scan input", "Age verification product", "Medicine", and "Anti-theft tag product" which are classification numbers 1 to 7 in Fig. 8. In addition, the list item IM-B in the fifth and sixth lines indicates that the corresponding transaction has completed product registration, has moved to settlement, and is currently being settled. When settlement is currently being settled, the time when a two-dimensional code was generated in response to the settlement transition instruction operation and displayed on the personal terminal 50A is displayed as "QR generation: HH:MM:SS".

[0145] The list items IM (IM-A, IM-B) also function as buttons. When a list item IM corresponding to a product registration status is operated, the transaction information management device 80 displays a transaction details screen showing details of the corresponding transaction.

[0146] Fig. 16 shows an example of a transaction details screen P1. The transaction details screen P1 in Fig. 16 shows an example in a window format that is superimposed on the terminal status screen. The terminal status screen in Fig. 16 shows an example of a case where one of the list items IM-A corresponding to the lending terminal 50B is operated.

[0147] The transaction details screen P1 in the figure is arranged with a terminal status area AR2 and a registered product list area AR3.

[0148] The terminal status area AR2 is an area in which an outline of the transaction and information regarding the status of the corresponding customer terminal device 50 itself are displayed as the status of the corresponding customer terminal device 50. The terminal status area AR2 displays the rental start time, registered items, estimated total, details of registered reserved items, remaining charge, last read product code, sales floor where customer terminal device 50 is currently located, and the coordinates of the current location of customer terminal device 50.

[0149] The registered product list area AR3 is an area where a list of products registered by the customer terminal device 50 is presented.

[0150] If the registered products include reserved products, the list items of the reserved products are given priority and arranged from the top of the left column in the registered product list area AR3. In other words, the list items of the reserved products are arranged in order from the top in the registered product list area AR3. In the example shown in the figure, five reserved products are included in the registered products, so a reserved product list area AR31 including list items of the five reserved products from the top left is formed in the registered product list area AR3. The list items in the reserved product list area AR31 are made to differ from the list items of other products, for example in terms of background color, etc.

[0151] In addition, in the reserved product list area AR31, list items for which reserved products have been specified are arranged in order first, followed by list items corresponding to unspecified products for which products have not been specified. In other words, the reserved product list area AR31 is arranged in a divided manner into list items corresponding to specified reserved products for which products have been specified and list items corresponding to unspecified products for which products have not been specified.

[0152] In the registered product list area AR3, list items corresponding to successful registrations are arranged following the pending product list area AR31. In the same figure, an example is shown in which the list items corresponding to successful registrations in the registered product list area AR3 are arranged in descending order of product price. Among the list items in the registered product list area AR3, the list item corresponding to product specification shows the name of the specified product, the registered quantity, the price according to the registered quantity, etc.

[0153] A hold release declaration button BT31 is arranged in each list item for each reserved item in the reserved item list area AR31. The hold release declaration button BT31 is a button used to declare the release of the reserved item for the corresponding item.

[0154] The On-Hold Release Declaration Button BT31 also functions as an icon indicating that the corresponding list item corresponds to a reserved item. The On-Hold Release Declaration Button BT31 shows the name of the reserved item classification to which the corresponding item falls. Specifically, for example, for age verification products (classification number 5), medicines (classification number 6), security tag products (classification number 7), and canceled products (classification number 8), the name indicating the corresponding classification is displayed on the hold release declaration button BT31. Also, for unspecified products (classification numbers 1 to 4), the name "hold product" is displayed collectively. In the figure, the display of the hold release declaration button BT31 shows an example in which the list item on the first line is displayed as "age verification" since it is an age verification product (classification number 5), the list item on the second line is displayed as "security tag" since it is a security tag product (classification number 7), and the list item on the third line is displayed as "pharmaceuticals" since it is a pharmaceutical product (classification number 6). Also, the list items on the fourth and fifth lines are each displayed as "hold product". In the list items in the fourth and fifth rows, thumbnail images TN are arranged. The thumbnail images TN are images captured by the customer terminal device 50 when a product registration operation is being performed for the corresponding unspecified product. The thumbnail images TN may be still images or moving images. Depending on whether or not a thumbnail image TN is present, the store clerk can visually distinguish between list items corresponding to unspecified products and list items corresponding to specified reserved products. Also, the store clerk can understand what the product registered as an unspecified product actually was based on the content displayed in the thumbnail image TN. In addition, the display indicating the corresponding classification on the hold release declaration button BT31 may be a picture such as an icon indicating the classification.

[0155] Among the list items of reserved goods, in the list items corresponding to identified goods such as age verification goods (classification number 5), pharmaceuticals (classification number 6), security tag goods (classification number 7), etc., the product name, registered quantity, price according to the registered quantity, etc. of the identified goods are displayed. In contrast, in the list item corresponding to an unidentified product, content according to the classification of the corresponding reserved product is displayed. Specifically, in the case of an unidentified product classified as NON-FILE (classification number 1), the read product code may be displayed together with an indication that it is NON-FILE, as in the list item in the fifth line of the figure. In addition, in the case of unidentified products (products for which a code has not been obtained) that are NG for reading (classification number 2), pseudo-scan input (classification number 3), and non-scan input (classification number 4), a message may be displayed indicating that the product code could not be read, as in the list item in the fourth line of the figure.

[0156] In addition, on the transaction details screen P1, an age confirmation button BT21, a terminal call message send button BT22, and a list screen transition button BT23 are arranged. When the list screen transition button BT23 is operated, the transaction details screen P1 is cleared and the display returns to the terminal status screen.

[0157] If the registered products include reserved products, the store clerk must release the reserved products (including canceling the registration of the reserved products). The store clerk can release the reserved products by operating the settlement screen displayed on the settlement device 40.

[0158] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a store clerk can operate the transaction information management device 80 to process the reserved items as follows. In this case, the transaction information management device 80 is installed at the service counter. In this embodiment, when a reserved item is registered during product registration, a customer can have a store clerk release the reserved item at the service counter if the customer has not yet completed the product registration. If a customer wants the service counter to release the reserved item, the customer goes to the service counter and asks the store clerk in charge to release the reserved item.

[0159] The store clerk who receives a request to release a reserved item identifies which list item IM displayed on the terminal status screen corresponds to the customer terminal device 50 held by the customer. At this time, if the customer terminal device 50 held by the customer is a rental terminal 50B, the store clerk confirms the terminal number of the rental terminal 50B and identifies the list item IM-A for which the same terminal number is displayed. Also, if the customer terminal device 50 held by the customer is a personal terminal 50A, the store clerk identifies the stamp on which the customer's member identification information is written and the list item IM-A for which the same member identification information is displayed. Alternatively, the list item IM may be specified by having the transaction information management device 80 read a code (two-dimensional code or barcode) indicating the terminal number of the rental terminal 50B or a code of member identification information shown on the membership card. In this case, the specified list item IM may be highlighted in a predetermined manner. In this case, the code indicating the terminal number of the rental terminal 50B may be affixed to the rental terminal 50B, or may be displayed on the rental terminal 50B. The code of the member identification information may be read from a membership card held by the customer. In this case, the membership card may be displayed on the shopping application of the customer terminal device 50.

[0160] The store clerk performs an operation on the list item IM identified as above to display the transaction details screen P1, and releases the reserved item as follows. When a store clerk wishes to release a held item of a specific category (age verification items (category number 5), medicines (category number 6), security tag items (category number 7) from among the held items, the clerk performs the prescribed response procedure according to each category and then operates (e.g. taps) the hold release declaration button BT31 located next to the corresponding list item in the held item list area AR31. Note that the entire list item of held items may be made tappable. If the product to be released from hold is an age verification product, the store clerk will confirm that the customer is an adult as a customer service procedure, and then operate the hold release declaration button BT31 arranged on the corresponding list item. In addition, if the product to be released from hold is a medicine, the store clerk will, as a handling procedure, either explain the situation himself / herself if he / she is a licensed pharmacist, or ask another store clerk who is a licensed pharmacist to explain the situation, and then operate the hold release declaration button BT31 located on the corresponding list item. Furthermore, if the product to be released from hold has a security tag, the store clerk will, as a service of the store, remove the security tag attached to the product and operate the hold release declaration button BT31 located on the corresponding list item. When a hold is released for a held item in a category for which the item has been identified as described above, the display on the hold release declaration button BT31 that was operated changes from a state indicating the relevant category to a state indicating that the hold has been released, such as "Confirmed" (or "Released on hold", etc.).

[0161] In addition, when a store clerk wishes to release a pending item classified as an unspecified item (NON-FILE (classification number 1), NG to read (classification number 2), pseudo-scan input (classification number 3), non-scan input (classification number 4)), the store clerk first operates the hold release declaration button BT31 located in the list item in the held item list area AR31 that corresponds to the pending item to be released. In response to the operation of the hold release declaration button BT31 corresponding to the unspecified product in this manner, a status confirmation screen is displayed in place of the transaction details screen P1.

[0162] 17 shows an example of the status confirmation screen P10. The status confirmation screen P10 is a screen showing the status of the unspecified product corresponding to the operated hold release declaration button BT31 when the product is registered by the operation of the customer terminal device 50 of the customer. The status confirmation screen P10 in the figure shows an example in which the unspecified product to be processed for hold release is classified as pseudo-scan input (classification number 3). The status confirmation screen P10 in the figure corresponds to a case where the customer terminal device 50 is held in a holder section provided in the cart, and the customer terminal device 50 is capable of capturing an image of the inside of the shopping cart while held in the holder section. The customer causes the customer terminal device 50 held in the holder section to scan the product code.

[0163] On the status confirmation screen P10 in the figure, the captured images G11, G12, and G13 are arranged from left to right in this order. The captured images G11, G12, and G13 are captured images obtained when the customer terminal device 50 was capturing images in an attempt to scan the product code of the corresponding unspecified product.

[0164] The order of the captured images G11, G12, and G13 arranged from left to right corresponds to the time course in which the images were captured. First, the second (center) captured image G12 is an image captured when the product to be processed is within the imaging range of the customer terminal device 50 during the product registration operation. The first captured image G11 is captured earlier than the second captured image G12, and is captured before the product to be processed falls within the image capturing range. The third captured image G13 is captured after the second captured image G12, and is captured at a timing when the product to be processed goes out of the imaging range.

[0165] In this case, the store clerk can understand the situation at the time of the product registration operation that caused the unidentified result by looking at the captured images G11, G12, and G13. Specifically, in the example shown in the same figure, the store clerk can first understand from the transition from captured image G11 to captured image G12 that the product to be processed was not in the shopping cart before the product registration operation was performed. Furthermore, the store clerk can see from captured image G12 that the product code on the product was hidden by the hand, resulting in an unidentified result of a false scan input (classification number 3). In addition, the store clerk can know what the product to be disposed of is from the captured image G12. Specifically, in the example shown in the figure, the store clerk knows that the product to be disposed of is a "can of yakitori." Furthermore, the store clerk can understand from the transition from captured image G12 to captured image G13 that the product to be processed was added to the shopping cart after the product registration operation was performed.

[0166] When the salesperson grasps the situation during the product registration operation as described above, the salesperson operates the screen transition button BT35 to display the product information input screen. In response to the operation of the screen transition button BT35, the product information input screen is displayed in place of the status confirmation screen P10. Furthermore, if a scanner unit is provided in transaction information management device 80, the store clerk may operate the scanner unit to read the product code of the product to be processed that is in the shopping cart while status confirmation screen P10 is being displayed. When transaction information management device 80 succeeds in reading the product code, a product information input screen is displayed.

[0167] 18 shows an example of a product information input screen P40. The product information input screen P40 is a screen on which a store clerk inputs product information of a product to be processed as an unspecified product. The product information input screen P40 may be displayed so as to be superimposed on the reserved product processing screen, for example, in the same manner as the status confirmation screen P10.

[0168] The product information input screen P40 has a product information area AR41, an input operation area AR42, a registration button BT41, a cancel button BT42, and a captured image area AR43 (a target captured image area AR43-1, a next captured image area AR43-2) arranged thereon.

[0169] The product information area AR41 is an area where product information about the corresponding unspecified product is displayed. The product information area AR41 in the figure displays the product name, product code, price, registered quantity, etc. The registered quantity can be input (registered) by operating the plus button and minus button arranged in the product information area AR41.

[0170] The input operation area AR42 is an area in which a software keyboard and buttons for inputting product information in the product information area AR41 are arranged. In the input operation area AR42, a keyboard having a key arrangement suitable for numeric input and a keyboard having a key arrangement suitable for character input can be switched according to the operation.

[0171] In the input operation area AR42, a preset call button BT421 is arranged. By operating the preset call button BT421, a preset key screen on which preset keys corresponding to each product are arranged is displayed. For example, if the unspecified product to be processed is either NG for reading (classification number 2), pseudo-scan input (classification number 3), or non-scan input (classification number 4), the store clerk may display the preset key screen if he knows the product name of the product to be processed. The store clerk can input product information of the product to be processed into the product information area AR41 by operating the preset key of the corresponding product from among the preset keys arranged on the displayed preset key screen.

[0172] Furthermore, in the input operation area AR42, a product code input declaration button BT422 is arranged. The product code input declaration button BT422 is a button that is operated when declaring that a product code input operation will be performed. The store clerk operates the product code input declaration button BT422, and then, for example, operates a keyboard arranged in the input operation area AR42 to input the numeric value of the product code printed or otherwise indicated on the product to be processed. This causes the product code to be input into the product information area AR41.

[0173] When the product information input screen P40 is displayed in response to a store clerk having the transaction information management device 80 read a product code, the read product code has already been entered into the product information area AR41, and if the product is an unspecified product other than NON-FILE (classification number 1), the product has been identified from the product master based on the read product code, for example, and the product name, price, etc. have also been entered.

[0174] Furthermore, if the product to be processed is classified as NON-FILE (classification number 1), the product code is already entered in the product information area AR41 when the product information input screen P40 is displayed. In this case, the store clerk enters the product name, price, etc. in the product information area AR41 by operating the keyboard arranged in the input operation area AR42.

[0175] The register button BT41 is a button that is operated to confirm the information input in the product information area AR41 as described above, release the reservation of the corresponding unspecified product, and make the product a properly registered product. The CANCEL button BT42 is a button used to instruct the cancellation of the registration of the corresponding unspecified product.

[0176] The store clerk checks the information entered in the product information area AR41 and then operates the register button BT41. This causes the system 40 to release the pending state of the unspecified product and process it to include it in the registered products. After the registration button BT41 is operated, the product information input screen P40 is cleared and the screen returns to the reserved product processing screen (FIG. 14). When the screen returns to the reserved product processing screen, the reserved product release declaration button BT31 for the list item of the product that was the subject of processing in the reserved product list area AR31 indicates that the reserved state has been released, for example by displaying "Confirmed."

[0177] Alternatively, if the store clerk determines that the item being processed should not be registered, he or she operates the cancel button BT42 to cancel the registration and removes the item from the shopping cart. Even after the cancel button BT42 is operated, the product information input screen P40 is cleared and the screen returns to the transaction details screen P1 (FIG. 16). When the screen returns to the transaction details screen P1, the list item of the product that was the subject of processing in the reserved product list area AR31 has changed to a predetermined state indicating that the registration has been cancelled.

[0178] In addition, the classification number, classification name, etc. of the corresponding unspecified product may be displayed on the status confirmation screen P10 or the product information input screen P40.

[0179] In addition, the target image area AR43-1 in the captured image area AR43 is an area in which a target captured image is displayed. The target captured image is an image captured when the unspecified product to be processed this time is a product for which a code has not been obtained and is within the image capturing range during product registration operation. The captured image displayed in the target image area AR43-1 may be the same as the captured image G12 displayed on the status confirmation screen P10, for example. In the captured image area AR43, the next captured image area AR43-2 is an area where the next captured image is displayed. The next captured image is an image captured during a product registration operation performed following a product registration operation corresponding to a product whose code is not yet acquired and which is currently being processed. In other words, the next captured image is an image corresponding to a product registration operation in which the product code is successfully read for the first time and the product is identified after a product registration operation corresponding to a product whose code is not yet acquired and which is currently being processed. As the next captured image, if there is an image in which an item serving as a commodity is detected among the captured images obtained in response to the next commodity registration operation, the captured image including the detected commodity is selected.

[0180] When a customer performs a product registration operation for a certain product, and the customer terminal device 50 is unable to read the product code properly and registers the product as a product for which a code has not been acquired, the customer often tries to perform the product registration operation again for the same product. In such a case, the customer will perform the product registration operation twice in a row for the same product. In such a case, if the product code is read properly by the second product registration operation, the same product will be registered twice: as a pending product for which a code has not been acquired, and as a normal registration in which the product is identified based on the read product code. In the case where duplicate registrations have occurred in this way, the procedure for the store clerk to release the product on hold is to delete the registration of the product on hold as a product for which a code has not been obtained, and to leave the normal registration for the same product. To ensure that such processing is carried out smoothly, it is necessary to enable the store clerk to easily grasp whether the product for which a code has not been obtained that is the subject of release on hold has been duplicately registered or not.

[0181] Therefore, in this embodiment, the captured image area AR43 (target captured image area AR43-1, next captured image area AR43-2) is arranged on the product information input screen P40 to display the target captured image and the next captured image. If the target captured image and the next captured image show the same product, the store clerk can confirm that a duplicate registration has occurred. Therefore, the store clerk in this case, for example, operates the cancel button BT42 arranged on the product information input screen P40. As a result, the product to be processed that does not have a code is deleted from the list of registered products.

[0182] In the next captured image area AR43-2 in the figure, a quantity display section NM is arranged. The quantity display section NM is an image section that indicates the quantity (registered quantity) registered by, for example, a customer's operation for a commodity that has been properly registered by the commodity registration operation when the next captured image is captured. By providing the quantity display unit NM, the store clerk can grasp the registered quantities of the unspecified product to be released from hold and the products that have been correctly registered in overlap with the unspecified product to be released from hold at the stage of performing the hold release operation, and can accurately perform the tasks and operations related to the hold release.

[0183] If the product to be processed is an unspecified product as NON-FILE (classification number 1), the customer terminal device 50 notifies the customer that the product code has been successfully read but the product has not been specified. In this case, the customer can know that the product code has been successfully read, so there is little possibility that the same product will be registered again and duplicate registration will occur. Therefore, if the registration result of the product to be processed corresponds to NON-FILE, the captured image area AR43 (processing target image, next captured image) may not be displayed. However, some customers may mistakenly believe that reading the product code has failed even if a notification is given in response to the non-registration result as NON-FILE, and may perform the product registration operation again. For this reason, even if the registration result of the product to be processed corresponds to NON-FILE, the captured image area AR43 (processing target image, next captured image) may be displayed. If the captured image area AR43 is displayed, the store clerk can easily understand that the non-registration result of NON-FILE for the same product has been registered twice.

[0184] The next captured image may be displayed, for example, on the status confirmation screen P10 together with the captured images G11, G12, and G13. In this case, the store clerk can determine whether or not a duplicate registration has occurred at the stage when the status confirmation screen P10 is displayed before the product information input screen P40 is displayed.

[0185] In addition, if the transaction management device 60 is capable of acquiring location information transmitted from each customer terminal device 50 (which may be at least a rental terminal 50B), the transaction information management device 80 may be configured to display the location of the rental terminal 50B corresponding to each transaction based on the acquired location information.

[0186] [About the function to prevent rental terminals from being taken outside the store] The rental terminal 50B should be returned to the rental corner in the store after the customer has finished using it. However, there is a possibility that a customer who has finished shopping using the rental terminal 50B may inadvertently walk outside the store while still holding the rental terminal 50B. Alternatively, there is a possibility that the rental terminal 50B may be taken out of the store by a malicious customer. Therefore, in this embodiment, when rental terminal 50B is taken outside the store, a notification to that effect is provided by transaction information management device 80. By receiving the notification from transaction information management device 80, the store clerk monitoring the store knows that rental terminal 50B has been taken outside the store and can immediately take action. The device that notifies the user that the rental terminal 50B has been taken out of the store may be, for example, the management device 10, the settlement device 40, or a business terminal carried by a store clerk, other than the transaction information management device 80. In the following explanation, a case where the notification is made by the transaction information management device 80 will be taken as an example.

[0187] [Example of processing procedure for reporting items taken outside the store] An example of a processing procedure executed by the transaction management device 60 and the transaction information management device 80 in relation to a notification in response to taking a rental terminal 50B out of a store will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 19. The processing in the figure is executed by the transaction management device 60 in response to one rental terminal 50B.

[0188] First, an example of the processing procedure of the transaction management device 60 will be described. Step S201: In this embodiment, when the power is on and the lending terminal 50B is operating, the positioning unit 508 periodically locates its own position and transmits position information indicating the located position to the transaction management device 60. The transaction management device 60 waits to receive the location information transmitted from the lending terminal 50B.

[0189] Step S202: When the transaction management device 60 receives the location information, it determines whether the location of the rental terminal 50B indicated by the received location information is outside the location range corresponding to the store. If it is determined that the location of the rental terminal 50B is within the location range corresponding to the store, the process in the figure is terminated and the process starts from step S201.

[0190] Step S203: If it is determined in step S202 that the location of the rental terminal 50B is outside the location range corresponding to the store, the rental terminal 50B is taken out of the store. In this case, the transaction management device 60 transmits an outside-store movement notification to the transaction information management device 80. The outside-store movement notification is information notifying that the rental terminal 50B has moved outside the store. The outside-store movement notification includes terminal identification information of the rental terminal 50B that has moved outside the store. After sending the outside-store movement notification, the transaction management device 60 may transmit the received location information to the transaction information management device 80 each time location information transmitted from the rental terminal 50B after it has moved outside the store is received.

[0191] Next, an example of a processing procedure of the transaction information management device 80 will be described. Step S301: The transaction information management device 80 waits for receipt of the outside-store movement notification transmitted in step S203.

[0192] Step S302: In response to receiving the outside-store movement notification, the transaction information management device 80 executes an outside-store movement notification. The outside-store movement notification is a notification to a store clerk that the rental terminal 50B has moved outside the store. The notification of movement outside the store may be made, for example, by a display on the display unit 806 of the transaction information management device 80. The notification of movement outside the store may also be accompanied by, for example, an electronic sound or a voice output by the transaction information management device 80. In addition, if the rental terminal 50B is configured to transmit location information, the transaction information management device 80 may be configured to display the current location and movement trajectory of the rental terminal 50B that has moved outside the store on the display unit 806 based on the location information transmitted from the rental terminal 50B that has moved outside the store from the transaction management device 60 in the event of an outside-store movement notification. Furthermore, a number may be assigned to each of the rental terminals 50B, and the number of the rental terminal 50B that has been moved outside the store may be displayed in the outside-store movement notification. In addition, the transaction information management device 80 may, for example, upon receiving a notification of movement outside the store, acquire an image from a surveillance camera capturing an image of a customer carrying the rental terminal 50B that has been moved outside the store, and display the acquired image.

[0193] In addition, the notification of the rental terminal 50B moving outside the store by the process shown in the figure requires that the rental terminal 50B periodically transmits location information. In other words, the rental terminal 50B needs to be turned on and the location information transmission function needs to be turned on. For this reason, for example, if a malicious customer turns off the location information transmission function or the power of the rental terminal 50B, the notification of the movement outside the store will not be possible. Therefore, the lending terminal 50B may be configured so that operations such as turning off the power or turning off the location information transmission function cannot be performed unless a special procedure is followed, rather than a general operation for the lending terminal 50B. Alternatively, the lending terminal 50B may be locked so that operations such as turning off the power or turning off the location information transmission function cannot be performed. Alternatively, for example, under the control of the transaction management device 60 or the transaction information management device 80, the power may be restored to an on state even if the power is turned off, or the location information transmission function may be switched to an on state even if it is turned off.

[0194] [Regarding return management of rental devices] When the rental terminal 50B is in a standby state and not being used by a customer, it is operated by being placed in a charging device 90 installed in the rental corner in a charged state. In addition, here, a case is taken as an example in which a plurality of rental corners are provided in a store, and rental terminals 50B to be placed corresponding to each rental corner are predetermined. In response to this, the store has established a return rule that, when a customer uses a rental terminal 50B installed in a certain rental corner to go shopping, the customer must return the rental terminal 50B to its original rental corner so that it is ready to be charged when the customer has finished shopping. However, not all customers who use the rental terminal 50B will necessarily return the rental terminal 50B according to the above-mentioned return rules. In other words, in a store, there is a possibility that the rental terminal 50B may not be returned properly due to the following cases. One case is when, for example, a customer places the rental terminal 50B at a different rental corner from the original rental corner where it was originally supposed to be placed (Case 1).The other case is when, even at the original rental corner, a customer places the terminal without setting it up to be charged by the charging device 90 (Case 2). Incidentally, cases in which the rental terminal 50B is not returned according to the return rules include the customer taking the rental terminal 50B outside the store, but such cases can be dealt with by the aforementioned outside-store take-out notification.

[0195] Therefore, in this embodiment, as described below, a notification (return failure notification) of the occurrence of a return failure mainly due to cases 1 and 2 is sent to the store clerk. This allows the store clerk to return the rental terminal 50B, which is in a return failure state, to a charged state at the original rental corner.

[0196] [Example of processing procedure for notifying of non-return of loaned terminal] The flowchart in FIG. 20 shows an example of a process performed by the lending terminal 50B and the transaction information management device 80 in relation to a failure to return notification. First, an example of a processing procedure executed by the lending terminal 50B will be described. In explaining the figure, it is assumed that the lending terminal 50B periodically measures its own position by the positioning unit 508 and transmits position information indicating the measured own position to the transaction management device 60. In addition, the lending terminal 50B is in a state in which a shopping application is running.

[0197] Step S401: The rental terminal 50B on which the shopping application is running determines whether or not the rental terminal 50B, while in a charging state, has been disconnected from the charging device 90. For example, when the rental terminal 50B detects that the terminal has transitioned from a state in which power for charging was being supplied to a state in which the supply of power has been stopped, the rental terminal 50B determines that the terminal has been disconnected from the charging device 90.

[0198] Step S402: If it is determined in step S401 that the rental terminal 50B has been removed from the charging device 90, the rental terminal 50B transmits a terminal removal notification to the transaction information management device 80. The terminal removal notification is information notifying the customer that the rental terminal 50B, which was being charged, has been removed from the charging device 90, and that the customer has removed the rental terminal 50B from the rental corner to use it for shopping. The terminal take-out notification includes the terminal identification information of the sending lending terminal 50B. The terminal identification information of the lending terminal 50B may be the application identification information of the shopping application installed in the lending terminal 50B. In the following description, a case where the terminal identification information is the application identification information will be taken as an example.

[0199] Step S403: If it is determined in step S401 that the terminal has not been removed from the charging device 90, or after the processing of step S402, the rental terminal 50B determines whether or not charging has been started by the charging device 90. If it is determined that charging has not been started, the processing returns to step S401.

[0200] Step S404: If it is determined in step S403 that charging has started, the rental terminal 50B transmits a terminal return notice to the transaction information management device 80. The terminal return notification is information notifying that the rental terminal 50B has been returned to the rental corner in response to the start of charging by the charging device 90. The terminal return notification includes the terminal identification information of the sending rental terminal 50B.

[0201] Next, an example of a process executed by the transaction information management device 80 will be described. Step S501: The transaction information management device 80 waits to receive the terminal take-out notification transmitted from the rental terminal 50B in step S402.

[0202] Step S502: When the terminal take-out notification is received, the transaction information management device 80 acquires the take-out location. The take-out location is a location corresponding to the rental corner from which the rental terminal 50B, which is the source of the terminal take-out notification, was taken out by the customer. The transaction information management device 80 stores information on the location range of each lending corner. When acquiring the take-out location, the transaction information management device 80 may acquire the take-out location by determining which lending corner's location range includes the location indicated by the location information transmitted from the same lending terminal 50B as the sender of the terminal take-out notification. The transaction information management device 80 stores the acquired take-out location in association with the terminal identification information of the lending terminal 50B that sent the terminal take-out notification. In the following description, the lending terminal 50B that is the sender of the terminal take-out notification may be referred to as the lending terminal 50B to be monitored.

[0203] Step S503: The transaction information management device 80 judges whether the customer has started product registration within a certain period of time since the customer took possession of the rental terminal 50B to be monitored. The certain period of time here may be set based on the general time required for the customer to operate the transaction start instruction button BT10 to start product registration after taking out the rental terminal 50B, for example. In this embodiment, the transaction management device 60 generates cart information in response to a transaction start request from a customer terminal device 50 (personal terminal 50A, rental terminal 50B). Product registration using the customer terminal device 50 can be treated as being initiated in response to the generation of cart information. In this embodiment, the transaction management device 60 transmits a product registration start notification to the transaction information management device 80 in response to the generation of the cart information. The product registration start notification includes terminal identification information of the corresponding customer terminal device 50. The timing at which the take-out position is acquired in step S502 can be considered to correspond to the timing at which the rental terminal 50B to be monitored is removed from the charging device 90 by the customer. Therefore, in the process of step S503, transaction information management device 80 determines whether a product registration start notification including terminal identification information of rental terminal 50B to be monitored is received within a certain time from the time when the take-out location is acquired in step S502. This allows transaction information management device 80 to determine whether product registration is started within a certain time from the time when the take-out location is acquired in step S502.

[0204] Step S504: If it is determined in step S503 that product registration has started within the certain time, the transaction information management device 80 further determines whether or not settlement has started within the certain time from the start of product registration. The certain time here may be set based on the general time required, for example, from when a customer starts product registration using the rental terminal 50B, to when the customer finishes the product registration and has the settlement device 40 read the code displayed on the rental terminal 50B. In response to reading the code displayed on the customer terminal device 50, the settlement device 40 sends a subtotal request to the transaction management device 60, displays a settlement screen based on the subtotal information sent from the transaction management device 60, and executes settlement processing. In this embodiment, when the transaction management device 60 sends the subtotal information in response to receiving the subtotal request, it sends a settlement start notification to the transaction information management device 80, which includes, as terminal identification information, the application identification information stored in the customer / app identification information field of the cart information used to generate the subtotal information. In step S504, the transaction information management device 80 determines whether a settlement start notification including the terminal identification information of the rental terminal 50B to be monitored is received within a certain time from the time when it is determined in step S503 that product registration has started. This allows the transaction information management device 80 to determine whether settlement has started within a certain time from the start of product registration.

[0205] Step S505: If it is determined in step S504 that settlement has started within the certain time, the transaction information management device 80 further determines whether the terminal return notification sent from the rental terminal 50B in step S404 has been received within the certain time from the time it is determined that settlement has started. The certain time here may be set based on the typical time it takes for a customer who has registered an item using the rental terminal 50B to return the rental terminal 50B to the rental corner after starting settlement at the settlement device 40.

[0206] Step S506: If it is determined that a terminal return notification has been received within a certain period of time from the point at which it is determined in step S505 that settlement has begun, the transaction information management device 80 obtains the return location of the rental terminal 50B being monitored. When obtaining the return location, the transaction information management device 80 may obtain the return location by determining which rental corner's location range the location indicated by the location information transmitted from the monitored rental terminal 50B is included in.

[0207] Step S507: The transaction information management device 80 determines whether the pick-up location acquired in step S502 and the return location acquired in step S506 correspond to the same lending corner. If it is determined that the terminal corresponds to the same rental corner, the rental terminal 50B to be monitored has been properly returned to be charged by the charging device 90 at the original rental corner after the customer has finished using the terminal. In this case, step S508 may be skipped and the process in FIG.

[0208] Step S508: If it is determined in step S507 that the take-out location acquired in step S502 and the return location acquired in step S506 correspond to different rental corners, the following state applies: In other words, in this case, the rental terminal 50B to be monitored has been returned to a rental corner that is different from the correct rental corner to which the rental terminal 50B to be monitored was assigned, and charging is being performed by the charging device 90. Therefore, in this case, the transaction information management device 80 outputs a terminal movement request. The terminal movement request is a request to the store clerk to move the rental terminal 50B to be monitored from the current rental corner to the correct rental corner. Specifically, the transaction information management device 80 displays, as a terminal movement request, on the display unit 806, the current location (rental corner) of the rental terminal 50B to be monitored and the correct rental corner. Then, as a terminal movement request, the transaction information management device 80 displays content instructing the store clerk to move the rental terminal 50B to be monitored to the correct rental corner. Also, in this case, the number assigned to the rental terminal 50B to be monitored may be displayed. A store clerk who sees such a display requesting to move a terminal can go to the rental corner where the rental terminal 50B to be monitored is located, pick up the rental terminal 50B to be monitored, move it to the correct rental corner, and have it charged by the charging device 90. In other words, the store clerk can return the rental terminal 50B that was placed at the wrong rental corner to a correctly returned state.

[0209] Step S509: If it is determined in step S503 that a certain time has passed without product registration being started, or if it is determined in step S504 that a certain time has passed without payment being started, or if it is determined in step S505 that a certain time has passed without a terminal return notice being received, the rental terminal 50B to be monitored is in the following state: In other words, the rental terminal 50B to be monitored is in the state where the customer is carrying it in the store after taking it out of the rental corner, without completing the shopping process that would normally have been completed already. In this case, the transaction information management device 80 outputs a terminal status confirmation request. The terminal status confirmation request is a request to confirm the status of the lending terminal 50B currently being monitored. The terminal status confirmation request may be, for example, a display showing the location of the rental terminal 50B to be monitored in the store and instructing the store clerk to check the status of the rental terminal 50B to be monitored. In this case, the number assigned to the rental terminal 50B to be monitored may also be displayed. When a store clerk sees such a display requesting confirmation of terminal status, he or she can go to the location of the rental terminal 50B to be monitored, which is indicated in the display requesting confirmation of terminal status, confirm the status of the rental terminal 50B to be monitored, and respond appropriately depending on the confirmed status.

[0210] <Modification> Modifications of this embodiment will be described below. The following modifications may be combined as appropriate.

[0211] [First Modification] In addition, when the settlement device 40 completes the corresponding settlement, a transaction completion notification may be sent from the transaction management device 60 to the rental terminal 50B. By receiving the transaction completion notification, the rental terminal 50B can recognize that the corresponding transaction has been completed. In response to receiving the transaction completion notification, the rental terminal 50B may, for example, return the display to the start-up screen or display a message instructing the customer to return the rental terminal 50B to the correct rental corner.

[0212] [Second modified example] Note that, for example, at the same timing as when the transaction information management device 80 issues an outside-store movement notification in step S302 of Fig. 19, a warning notification to a customer may be issued at the rental terminal 50B to be monitored, for example, by remote control of the transaction information management device 80 or the transaction management device 60. The warning notification may be issued by display, sound (electronic sound, voice), vibration, etc. In this case, for example, the volume or type of the warning sound may be changed so that the level of warning increases with the elapsed time from the start of the warning notification.

[0213] [Third Modification] The rental terminal 50B may be configured to notify the transaction information management device 80 of the remaining battery charge at a predetermined timing or periodically. The transaction information management device 80 may output information about the remaining battery charge by display or the like in response to the notified remaining battery charge falling below a certain level when the rental terminal 50B to be monitored is not being charged by the charging device 90. In addition, at the same time, the rental terminal 50B may also notify information about the remaining battery charge. Furthermore, the transaction information management device 80 may be configured to output information regarding the remaining battery charge of each waiting rental terminal 50B being charged by the charging device 90. This allows a store clerk who uses the transaction information management device 80 to monitor to grasp the remaining battery charge of each waiting rental terminal 50B. For example, for rental terminals 50B being charged by the charging device 90 whose remaining battery charge is below a certain level, the store clerk can accurately perform an operation such as replacing the rental terminal 50B with a sufficiently charged spare rental terminal 50B. At this time, for example, the transaction information management device 80 may obtain the current usage frequency (turnover rate) of the rental terminal 50B, and calculate a threshold value of the remaining battery charge at which replacement with a spare rental terminal 50B is required according to the obtained usage frequency.

[0214] In addition, among the waiting rental terminals 50B being charged by the charging device 90, rental terminals 50B whose remaining battery power may reach zero before the completion of use corresponding to a single transaction may be controlled by the transaction information management device 80 or the transaction management device 60 so that they cannot be used for product registration.

[0215] [Fourth Variation] The charging device 90 may be configured to be capable of charging the rental terminal 50B by a contact type connection such as a connector. In this case, communication may be possible when the charging device 90 and the rental terminal 50B are connected by a connector. When communication is performed in this manner, for example, the port number of the charging device 90 to which the rental terminal 50B is connected can be used as location information of the rental terminal 50B at the rental corner. In addition, by connecting the charging device 90 and the rental terminal 50B so that they can communicate with each other, for example, the battery remaining capacity status of the rental terminal 50B can be transmitted to the charging device 90, and then transmitted from the charging device 90 to the transaction information management device 80 or the transaction management device 60.

[0216] [Fifth Modification] The rental terminal 50B may be provided with an anti-theft tag or an RFID tag, which can firmly prevent the terminal from being moved outside the store.

[0217] [Sixth Modification] In addition, the output of the notification of movement outside the store, the output of the request to move the terminal, and the output of the request to confirm the terminal status may be performed not only by the transaction information management device 80, but also by devices used in the store, such as the management device 10, the settlement device 40, or a store clerk's mobile terminal carried by the store clerk.

[0218] [Seventh Variation] The terminal status screen may, for example, in one terminal status area, arrange list items IM-A of the lending terminal 50B and list items IM-B of the personal terminal 50A in a mixed manner in a predetermined arrangement order such as by transaction start time. In this case, the sort order of the list items IM may be switched, for example, by the transaction start time, the number of registered items, the estimated total, etc.

[0219] [Eighth Modification] The rental terminal 50B may detect that it has been removed from the charging device 90 based on detection outputs of its own acceleration sensor, gyro sensor, etc. Then, when a customer uses a dedicated shopping cart having a terminal holder to which the rental terminal 50B is attached when shopping, the rental terminal 50B may detect that it has been attached to the terminal holder of the shopping cart after being removed from the charging device 90, and transmit the fact that it has been attached to the terminal holder to the transaction information management device 80. In this way, even if the rental terminal 50B is left unattended at a stage before the first product is registered, the transaction information management device 80 can monitor the abandoned state based on the time from when the rental terminal 50B is removed from the charging device 90 to when it is attached to the terminal holder.

[0220] [Ninth Variation] The product information input screen P40 in Fig. 18 may be configured to allow a search for products registered in a corresponding transaction. In addition, the search possible in this modified example may be a fuzzy search that searches for products that "contain" the input keyword. For example, a button for instructing a fuzzy search is placed on the product information input screen P40 of this modified example. When this button is operated, a character input keyboard with, for example, the Japanese syllabary (or the alphabet) is displayed in the input operation area AR42. The store clerk operates the character input keyboard to input a keyword, which may be part of the name of the product to be searched for. At this time, it may be possible to convert the hiragana characters entered as the keyword into a word. The store clerk then operates the search execution button placed on the product information input screen P40. In response to the operation of the search execution button, the transaction information management device 80 executes a fuzzy search and displays the search results. The search results may be displayed, for example, as a pop-up screen. The search results may also display the product name, price, registered number, etc. of each searched product. The sales clerk performs an operation to identify an unspecified product to be processed this time from among the products presented as the search results, and select the identified product. In response to this operation, for example, the display of the product information input screen P40 may be returned to. In the displayed input operation area AR42, the product name, price, registration quantity, product code, etc. of the selected product are input. After checking the contents displayed in the input operation area AR42, the sales clerk operates the registration button BT41. This enables the sales clerk to efficiently release the reservation of the unspecified product without having to, for example, input a number with many digits as a product code or narrow down the product classification.

[0221] [Tenth Modification] For example, by operating a screen such as the status confirmation screen P10 in FIG. 17 or the product information input screen P40 in FIG. 18, a moving image (or a time lapse image) of a captured image corresponding to the product registration operation when the target unspecified product is registered may be displayed. The operation to display a moving image may be, for example, an operation on a moving image display button located on the status check screen P10 or the product information input screen P40, or it may be, for example, an operation on the captured image G12 on the status check screen P10 or the target captured image area AR43-1 or the next captured image area AR43-2 on the product information input screen P40. For example, when the next captured image is displayed, a moving image from when the product registration operation is started when the target unspecified product is registered to when the product corresponding to the next captured image is captured may be displayed. The moving image may be deleted, for example, when the settlement is completed. However, if the transaction is ended without completing the settlement for some reason, the moving image may be stored for a certain period of time after the transaction is ended so that the store clerk can check it even after the transaction is ended. The moving image may be stored in the transaction management device 60 or the transaction information management device 80 in association with the date, member identification information, etc. The stored moving image can be played back on a terminal such as the transaction information management device 80.

[0222] [Eleventh Modification] In the above embodiment, the rental terminal 50B is assigned to a specific rental corner, and the rental terminal 50B that a customer takes out of the rental corner for use is returned to the same rental corner. In contrast, in this modified example, after a customer takes out a rental terminal 50B from a designated rental corner and uses it, the rental terminal 50B is stored in a collection box installed in a designated location in the store. In this case, as the rental terminal 50B is used, the collection box contains an increasing number of rental terminals 50B that have been used. For this reason, a store clerk collects the rental terminal 50B from the collection box at a certain point in time and places the collected rental terminal 50B in a charging device at the designated rental corner. As a result, the rental terminal 50B is placed in a waiting state while being charged at the rental corner. In the following description, the work of a store clerk collecting the rental terminal 50B from the collection box and installing the collected rental terminal 50B in a charging device at a specified rental corner is also referred to as the "terminal collection work."

[0223] In this modified example, the process shown in Fig. 10 is also executed by the customer terminal device 50 (including the rental terminal 50B), the settlement device, and the transaction management device 60. The rental terminal 50B may also execute the process shown in Fig. 20. The transaction information management device 80 may also execute the process in Fig. 20. The rental terminal 50B may also, for example, when generating a two-dimensional code in response to a settlement transition instruction operation, send a notification to the transaction information management device 80 that the two-dimensional code has been generated (two-dimensional code generation notification). This allows the transaction information management device 80 to manage the status of the rental terminal 50B, whether it is "waiting," "registering product," "generating two-dimensional code," "settlement in progress," or "settlement completed." In other words, the transaction information management device 80 obtains status information indicating the status of the rental terminal 50B.

[0224] "Waiting" is a state in which the rental terminal 50B is loaded so that it can be charged by a charging device at a specified rental corner. In "Waiting", the rental terminal 50B may be charging, or charging may be stopped because it is fully charged.

[0225] "Product registration in progress" is a state in which the rental terminal 50B is taken out by a customer and processing for product registration is being performed in response to an operation on the transaction start instruction button BT10.

[0226] "Two-dimensional code generation" is a state in which the rental terminal 50B displays a two-dimensional code in response to a settlement transition instruction operation being performed.

[0227] "Payment in progress" means that the payment device 40 is executing the payment process in response to the customer having the 2D code read, and the rental terminal 50B has already completed the product registration process, but the product is still treated as being in the customer's possession.

[0228] "Payment completed" indicates that the payment process has been completed by the payment settlement device 40, but the rental terminal 50B has not yet been loaded into the charging device at the specified rental corner. Among these statuses, statuses such as "item registration in progress", "payment in progress", and "payment completed" may also be used as information indicating the state of the corresponding transaction (transaction state).

[0229] Also in this modification, the transaction information management device 80 may display a terminal status screen (FIG. 15) based on information such as cart information transmitted from the transaction management device 60. At this time, the transaction information management device 80 may display the above-mentioned status in the list item IM-A for the transaction handled by the above-mentioned lending terminal 50B. In other words, the transaction information management device 80 in this modification obtains status information indicating the status of the lending terminal 50B from the transaction management device 60.

[0230] In addition, in this modified example, a predetermined notification may be made when the number of lending terminals 50B in a predetermined status reaches a predetermined number or more, as exemplified below. In the following explanation, an example will be given in which the transaction information management device 80 determines whether the number of lending terminals 50B in a predetermined status reaches a predetermined number or more, and makes a notification according to the determination result.

[0231] [Notification example 1] The transaction information management device 80 may monitor (count) the number of rental terminals 50B in the "product registration in progress" state, determine whether the number of rental terminals 50B in the "product registration in progress" state has reached a certain level or more, and issue an alert when it has reached a certain level.

[0232] When the number of rental terminals 50B in the "product registration in progress" state reaches a certain level, it can be said that there is a shortage of rental terminals 50B in the "waiting" state. If the shortage of rental terminals 50B in the "waiting" state continues, soon all of the rental terminals 50B in the "waiting" state will be in use. This will lead to customers who had been planning to use the rental terminal 50B giving up on using the rental terminal 50B. Furthermore, when the number of rental terminals 50B in the "product registration in progress" state reaches a certain level, the number of rental terminals 50B stored in the collection box is also low. For this reason, when the number of rental terminals 50B being monitored that are in the "product registration in progress" state reaches a certain level or more, it is preferable to replenish the remaining number by placing spare rental terminals 50B in the rental corner.

[0233] Therefore, when the number of rental terminals 50B in the "product registration in progress" state reaches a certain level, the transaction information management device 80 may issue an alert to instruct a store clerk to add and deploy a spare rental terminal 50B to the rental corner, for example, because there are a large number of terminals currently on loan.

[0234] Such a notification may be displayed, for example, in a predetermined area on the terminal status screen, or may be performed by a pop-up screen that is displayed so as to be superimposed on the terminal status screen. This point may be the same in the following notifications.

[0235] [Notification example 2] In addition, the transaction information management device 80 may monitor the number of rental terminals 50B in the "product registration completed" state, determine whether the number of rental terminals 50B in the "product registration completed" state has reached a certain level or more, and issue an alert when the number has reached a certain level. The "product registration completed" state corresponds to any one of the states of "two-dimensional code generation", "payment in progress", and "payment completed". In other words, the "product registration completed" state of the rental terminal 50B is a state in which the product registration process has been completed but charging has not yet been performed at the designated rental corner.

[0236] Even when the number of rental terminals 50B in this "product registration completed" state exceeds a certain number, it can be said that there is a shortage of rental terminals 50B in the "standby" state, just as in the case of the "product registration in progress" state. Furthermore, when the number of rental terminals 50B in the "product registration completed" state exceeds a certain number, there is a possibility that a large number of rental terminals 50B are stored in the collection box as well. Therefore, when the number of rental terminals 50B in the "product registration completed" state reaches a certain number or more, the transaction information management device 80 may, for example, instruct a terminal collection operation, and if there are still few rental terminals 50B in standby state even after the terminal collection operation has been performed, may issue an alert instructing that a spare rental terminal 50B be deployed in standby state.

[0237] [Notification example 3] Furthermore, the transaction information management device 80 may monitor the number of rental terminals 50B in the "waiting" state, determine whether the number of rental terminals 50B in the "waiting" state has reached a certain level, and issue an alert when the number reaches the certain level. The "waiting" state corresponds to a state in which the rental terminal 50B is "charging" when it is loaded into a charging device at the rental corner. Note that the "charging" state here may refer to a state in which the rental terminal 50B is loaded into a charging device, and may also include a state in which charging has been stopped because the terminal is fully charged.

[0238] When the number of rental terminals 50B in the "waiting" state is equal to or greater than a certain number, this means that the rental terminals 50B are currently not being used much by customers. For example, the rental terminal 50B may be rented out to increase the number of customers who use the personal terminal 50A to shop, and to encourage customers who have not yet used the personal terminal 50A to try shopping using the customer terminal device 50. In such a situation, when the rental terminal 50B is not being used much, for example, a store clerk may encourage customers visiting the store to use the rental terminal 50B. Therefore, when the number of rental terminals 50B in the "waiting" state reaches a certain number or more, the transaction information management device 80 may issue an alert, for example, instructing a store clerk to encourage customers to use the rental terminal 50B.

[0239] In addition, in each of the above examples, the number of lending terminals 50B to be monitored may be directly recognized as the number of lending terminals 50B in the corresponding state, or may be determined by performing a calculation using the number of lending terminals 50B in two or more specific states. As an example, the number of rental terminals 50B in the "waiting" state can be obtained by subtracting the number of rental terminals 50B in each of the states of "product registration in progress," "2D code generation," "checkout in progress," and "checkout completed" from the total number of rental terminals 50B currently operating in the store.

[0240] The transaction information management device 80 may be configured to issue a predetermined notification when the number of rental terminals 50B in a predetermined state is equal to or less than a certain number. For example, when the number of rental terminals 50B in the "on standby" state is equal to or greater than a certain number, a notification may be issued to instruct a store clerk to collect the terminals or to place spare rental terminals 50B in the rental corner.

[0241] In addition, the transaction information management device 80 may also obtain statuses of the personal terminals 50A, such as "product registration in progress," "two-dimensional code generation," "payment in progress," "payment completed," etc., and may issue a predetermined notification according to the number of personal terminals 50A corresponding to each status.

[0242] In addition, the notification in this modified example may be made not only by transaction information management device 80, but also by a POS register where the store clerk performs the product registration operation, a store clerk terminal carried by the store clerk, or the like.

[0243] [Twelfth Modification] In the above embodiment and modified examples, part of the processing executed by the customer terminal device 50, the transaction information management device 80, etc. may be executed by a higher-level device such as a transaction management device 60 connected to the customer terminal device 50 via communication. In the above embodiment and modified examples, part of the processing executed by the settlement device 40 may be executed by a higher-level device such as a transaction management device 60 connected to the settlement device 40 via communication. As one of the above aspects, the shopping system of this embodiment may be provided with the configuration of a thin client system. As an example, the transaction management device 60 may be configured as a thin client-compatible server (e.g., a cloud server), and the customer terminal device 50, transaction information management device 80, etc. may function as thin clients. In this case, the thin client terminals such as the customer terminal device 50 and the transaction information management device 80 transmit information such as captured images and commands corresponding to operations performed on the thin client terminals to the transaction information management device 80. The transaction information management device 80 may execute processing in response to information received from the thin client terminals, and transmit image data or web page data as a screen reflecting the processing results to the thin client terminals. The customer terminal device 50, transaction information management device 80, etc. as thin client terminals display the transmitted image data or web page data by an image viewer or web browser.

[0244] <Overview of the embodiment> [Technical field] The present invention relates to a product sales data processing system and a program. [Background technology] There is known a technique that allows customers to purchase products using a mobile device when shopping in a store (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art document] [Patent documents] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-055700 A [Summary of the invention] [Problem to be solved by the invention] In a shopping system in which customers use a portable device (portable terminal) to shop as described above, the portable terminal may be shared between a personal terminal carried by the customer and a rental terminal that is temporarily lent to the customer by the store depending on the time the customer is shopping. In such a case, it is preferable for the store, for example, to be able to manage the mobile terminals used by customers shopping at the store in a way that makes it possible to identify whether they are personal terminals or rental terminals. An object of the present invention is to enable management of portable terminals used for shopping in a store so that they can be identified as either personal terminals or rental terminals.

[0245] [Means for solving the problem] (1) As described above, one aspect of this embodiment is a product sales data processing system that includes a mobile terminal (e.g., rental terminal 50B) used by a customer to register a product in a transaction, and a transaction information management device (80) that manages the transaction status, the product sales data processing system including, in the mobile terminal, identification information output means for outputting identification information that identifies the device itself (e.g., application identification information, terminal identification information), and, in the transaction information management device, counting means for counting the mobile terminals that have output identification information by the identification information output means, and notification means for notifying when the number of mobile terminals counted by the counting means satisfies a predetermined condition (e.g., a predetermined number or more, or a predetermined number or less).

[0246] According to the above configuration, for example, it is possible to instruct a store clerk to improve the deployment status of the rental terminals 50B according to the number of rental terminals 50B. This makes it possible to appropriately manage the mobile terminals used by customers for shopping in the store.

[0247] (2) One aspect of this embodiment is a product sales data processing system as described in (1), wherein the transaction information management device is provided with a status information acquisition means for acquiring status information indicating that the mobile terminal is in a predetermined state.

[0248] According to the above configuration, depending on the number of rental terminals 50B in a predetermined state, it is possible to instruct a store clerk to improve the deployment status of the rental terminals 50B, for example.

[0249] (3) One aspect of this embodiment is the product sales data processing system described in (2), wherein the notification means notifies when the number of the mobile terminals that indicate a product registration in progress based on the acquired status information satisfies a predetermined condition.

[0250] According to the above configuration, depending on the number of rental terminals 50B in the product registration in progress state, it is possible to instruct a store clerk to improve the deployment status of the rental terminals 50B, for example.

[0251] (4) One aspect of this embodiment is a product sales data processing system as described in (2) or (3), wherein the notification means notifies when the number of the mobile terminals for which the acquired status information indicates that product registration has been completed satisfies a predetermined condition.

[0252] According to the above configuration, depending on the number of rental terminals 50B for which product registration has been completed, it is possible to instruct a store clerk to improve the deployment status of the rental terminals 50B, for example.

[0253] (5) One aspect of this embodiment is a product sales data processing system described in any one of (2) to (4), wherein the notification means provides a notification when the number of the mobile terminals indicated as being charged by the acquired status information satisfies a predetermined condition.

[0254] According to the above configuration, depending on the number of rental terminals 50B in a charging state, it is possible to instruct a store clerk to improve the deployment status of the rental terminals 50B, for example.

[0255] (6) One aspect of this embodiment is a product sales data processing system as described in any one of (2) to (5), wherein the transaction information management device displays information regarding instructions for deployment of mobile terminals in a store based on information for each mobile terminal indicated by the acquired status information.

[0256] According to the above configuration, it is possible to determine how and which rental terminals 50B should be deployed in the store based on the number of rental terminals 50B in a specified state, and then to notify instructions regarding deployment.

[0257] (7) One aspect of this embodiment is a program for causing a computer serving as a server in a product sales data processing system having a mobile terminal used by a customer to register a product in a transaction and a transaction information management device that manages the transaction status to function as an identification information acquisition means for acquiring identification information that identifies the mobile terminal and is output from the mobile terminal, a counting means for counting the mobile terminals whose identification information has been acquired by the identification information acquisition means, and a notification means for providing an alert when the number of mobile terminals counted by the counting means satisfies a predetermined condition.

[0258] [Note] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and the present invention also includes designs within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

[0259] (Supplementary Note 1) A monitoring device (e.g., transaction information management device 80) in which a rental terminal (50B) rented to a customer by a store and a personal terminal (50A) carried by the customer are used as mobile terminals (e.g., customer terminal device 50) used by customers to register products in a store, the monitoring device (e.g., transaction information management device 80) comprising: a location information acquisition means for acquiring location information indicating the location of the mobile terminal; and a first notification means (S302) for notifying that the rental terminal is not present within a predetermined location range (e.g., a location range corresponding to within the store) when the location indicated by the location information acquired by the location information acquisition means for the rental terminal is not included in the predetermined location range (e.g., a location range corresponding to within the store).

[0260] According to the above configuration, when the personal terminal 50A is moved outside the store, it is possible to notify the store staff of this fact, for example, by the transaction information management device 80. This prevents the rental terminal 50B from being taken outside the store, and makes it possible to properly manage the rental terminals used in the store.

[0261] (Appendix 2) One aspect of this embodiment is the monitoring device described in (Appendix 1), which is equipped with a position determination means (step S507) that determines whether the position information acquired by the position information acquisition means for the rental terminal corresponds to a specific waiting position (e.g., a position corresponding to a rental corner) within the specified position range.

[0262] According to the above configuration, it is possible to determine whether or not the rental terminal 50B has been returned to the correct rental corner.

[0263] (Appendix 3) One aspect of this embodiment is a monitoring device as described in (Appendix 2), which is provided with a processing status determination means for determining a processing status of the mobile terminal, and when the processing status determination means determines that processing corresponding to product registration has been executed for the rental terminal, the device is provided with a second notification means (S508) for notifying that the waiting position is different before and after the processing corresponding to the product registration is started (S507).

[0264] According to the above configuration, if the rental terminal 50B is not returned to the correct rental corner, a notification to that effect is sent, and a store clerk can immediately take action, such as moving the rental terminal 50B to the correct rental corner.

[0265] (Appendix 4) One aspect of this embodiment is a monitoring device as described in any one of (Appendix 1) to (Appendix 3), comprising an identification information acquisition means (step S101) for acquiring identification information for identifying the mobile terminal, and a discrimination means (S102, S103, S104) for discriminating whether the mobile terminal is a loaned terminal or a personal terminal possessed by a customer based on the identification information acquired by the identification information acquisition means.

[0266] According to the above configuration, in a store where a personal terminal 50A and a rental terminal 50B are used together as the customer terminal device 50, the personal terminal 50A and the rental terminal 50B can be distinguished from each other when managing the customer terminal device 50. Also, when managing transactions being carried out in the store, transactions using the personal terminal 50A and transactions using the rental terminal 50B can be distinguished from each other when managing the transactions.

[0267] (Appendix 5) One aspect of this embodiment is the monitoring device described in (Appendix 4), which is equipped with a display means for displaying mobile terminals present in the store so that they can be distinguished as rental terminals and personal terminals based on the determination result by the discrimination means.

[0268] According to the above configuration, for example, when displaying a list of transactions, it is possible to visually distinguish between transactions using the personal terminal 50A and transactions using the rental terminal 50B.

[0269] (Appendix 6) One aspect of this embodiment is the monitoring device described in (Appendix 5), wherein the display means displays at least the rental terminals that are in an activated state among the rental terminals and the personal terminals that are executing processing corresponding to a transaction.

[0270] According to the above configuration, for example, a store clerk can grasp the transaction status corresponding to the personal terminal undergoing product registration and the rental terminal 50B by looking at the terminal status screen display in the transaction information management device 80. Furthermore, for the rental terminal 50B, the clerk can grasp the standby status other than during product registration, the status of being stored as a spare, the charging status, and the like.

[0271] (Appendix 7) One aspect of this embodiment is a monitoring device described in any one of (Appendix 1) to (Appendix 6), which is equipped with a location status display means for displaying a status based on location information acquired by the location information acquisition means for at least the rental terminal.

[0272] According to the above configuration, it is possible to inform the store clerk of the location in the store of at least the rental terminal 50B as the customer terminal device 50 being used for the transaction.

[0273] (Appendix 8) One aspect of this embodiment is the monitoring device described in (Appendix 7), wherein the location status display means displays a notification that the rental terminal is not present in the store when the location indicated by the location information acquired by the location information acquisition means for the rental terminal is not included in the location range corresponding to the store.

[0274] According to the above configuration, it is possible to notify the store clerk accurately through a display that the rental terminal 50B has been taken out of the store.

[0275] (Appendix 9) One aspect of this embodiment is a product sales data processing system in which a rental terminal rented to a customer by a store and a personal terminal carried by the customer are used as mobile terminals used by the customer to register products in the store, the product sales data processing system comprising a location information acquisition means for acquiring location information indicating the location of the mobile terminal, and a notification means for notifying that the rental terminal is not present within a specified location range when the location indicated by the location information acquired by the location information acquisition means for the rental terminal is not included in the specified location range.

[0276] (Appendix 10) One aspect of this embodiment is a program for causing a computer as a server that communicates with a mobile terminal used by a customer to register a product in a store to function as a process execution control means for causing the mobile terminal used by the customer to register a product in the store to execute a process corresponding to the product registration, a location information acquisition means for acquiring location information indicating the location of the mobile terminal, and a notification means for causing a monitoring device to execute a process for notifying that the loaned terminal is not present within a specified location range when the location indicated by the location information acquired by the location information acquisition means for the loaned terminal is not included in a specified location range, between the mobile terminal being a loaned terminal loaned to a customer by the store and a personal terminal carried by the customer.

[0277] In addition, a program for realizing the functions of the above-mentioned management device 10, settlement device 40, customer terminal device 50, transaction management device 60, transaction information management device 80, charging device 90, etc. in each of the above embodiments may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded on the recording medium may be read into a computer system and executed to perform processing as the above-mentioned management device 10, settlement device 40, customer terminal device 50, transaction management device 60, transaction information management device 80, etc. Here, "reading a program recorded on a recording medium into a computer system and executing it" includes installing the program into a computer system. The "computer system" here includes hardware such as an OS and peripheral devices. In addition, the "computer system" may include multiple computer devices connected via a network including a communication line such as the Internet, a WAN, a LAN, or a dedicated line. In addition, the "computer-readable recording medium" refers to a portable medium such as a flexible disk, an optical magnetic disk, a ROM, a CD-ROM, etc., and a storage device such as a hard disk built into a computer system. In this way, the recording medium storing the program may be a non-transient recording medium such as a CD-ROM. The recording medium also includes a recording medium provided inside or outside the distribution server and accessible to distribute the program. The code of the program stored in the distribution server's recording medium may be different from the code of the program in a format executable by the terminal device. In other words, the format in which the program is stored in the distribution server does not matter as long as it can be downloaded from the distribution server and installed in a format executable by the terminal device. The program may be divided into multiple parts, downloaded at different times, and then combined in the terminal device, or each of the divided programs may be distributed by a different distribution server. Furthermore, the "computer-readable recording medium" includes a memory that holds the program for a certain period of time, such as a volatile memory (RAM) in a computer system that becomes a server or a client when the program is transmitted via a network. The program may be for realizing part of the above-mentioned functions.Furthermore, the above-mentioned functions may be realized in combination with a program already recorded in the computer system, that is, a so-called differential file (differential program). [Explanation of symbols]

[0278] 10 Management device, 40 Settlement device, 50 Customer terminal device (50A personal terminal, 50B rental terminal), 60 Transaction management device, 70 Credit card settlement server, 80 Transaction information management device, 90 Charging device

Claims

1. A product sales data processing system including a mobile terminal used by a customer to register a product in a transaction and a transaction information management device that manages the transaction status, an identification information output unit for outputting identification information for identifying the portable terminal; a counting means for counting the number of portable terminals from which the identification information output means outputs the identification information, in the transaction information management device; a notification means for notifying when the number of the portable terminals counted by the counting means satisfies a predetermined condition, The transaction information management device includes a status information acquisition means for acquiring status information indicating that the portable terminal is in a predetermined state; a display unit that displays information regarding instructions for distributing the mobile terminals in the store based on the information for each mobile terminal indicated by the acquired status information. Product sales data processing system.

2. The notification means notifies when the number of the mobile terminals which are indicated to be in a product registration in progress state by the acquired status information satisfies a predetermined condition.

2. The product sales data processing system according to claim 1.

3. The notification means notifies when the number of the mobile terminals for which product registration has been completed based on the acquired status information satisfies a predetermined condition.

3. A product sales data processing system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The notification means notifies when the number of the portable terminals indicated as being charged by the acquired status information satisfies a predetermined condition.

4. A product sales data processing system according to claim 1.

5. A product sales data processing system including a mobile terminal used by a customer to register a product in a transaction, a transaction information management device that manages a transaction status, and a server, comprising: a first program for causing a first computer to function as the server; and a second program for causing a second computer to function as the transaction information management device, The first program causes the first computer to an identification information acquisition means for acquiring identification information output from the portable terminal, the identification information identifying the portable terminal; a counting means for counting the number of portable terminals whose identification information has been acquired by the identification information acquiring means; The counting means is configured to function as a notification means for notifying when the number of mobile terminals counted by the counting means satisfies a predetermined condition, The second program causes the second computer to a status information acquiring means for acquiring status information indicating that the mobile terminal is in a predetermined state; The display means is configured to display information regarding instructions for distributing the mobile terminals in the store based on the information for each mobile terminal indicated by the acquired status information. program.

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