Server device and program

Abstract

To provide a server device and program that can utilize information acquired from a portable terminal.SOLUTION: A server device according to an embodiment includes receiving means and storage control means. The receiving means receives location information indicating a location where merchandise information for identification of merchandise was read by a portable terminal. The storage control means accumulates the location information received by the receiving means in a storage unit for each piece of merchandise information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] An embodiment of the present invention relates to a server device and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, product registration methods have been developed in supermarkets and other retail stores that allow mobile terminals, such as smartphones, tablet terminals, and terminals installed in shopping carts, to read product information for identifying products. Because customers carry mobile terminals, such product registration methods can obtain more information than methods that allow fixed POS (Point Of Sales) terminals to read product information.

[0003] However, conventional product registration methods are mostly focused on acquiring product information, and do not take into consideration acquiring and utilizing other information. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a server device and a program that are capable of utilizing information acquired from a mobile terminal. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The server device according to the embodiment includes a receiving means and a storage control means, the receiving means receiving location information indicating a location where product information for identifying a product was read by a mobile terminal, and the storage control means storing the location information received by the receiving means in a storage unit for each of the product information. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a product shelf management system according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 2]FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a mobile terminal. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the management server. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a characteristic functional configuration of each device in the product shelf management system. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a floor plan on which position information is plotted. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the registration process executed by the mobile terminal according to the present embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of a display confirmation process executed by the management server according to the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0007] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the server device and the program will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the embodiment described below is one embodiment of the server device and the program, and does not limit the configuration, specifications, etc. thereof.

[0008] At retail stores, shelf layout plans are created. Then, retail store employees display products according to the shelf layout plans. In addition, retail store employees create plans such as demand forecasts and product ordering according to the created shelf layout plans. However, retail store employees sometimes display products on the wrong shelves or arrange products in the wrong number of faces (number of display rows). In this case, errors occur in the plan because the prerequisites for the plan are different.

[0009] Also, a product registration method has been developed in which a portable terminal is made to read product information for identifying a product. In such a product registration method, the portable terminal is expected to acquire and utilize other information in addition to acquiring product information. Therefore, one of the objectives of this embodiment is to provide a server device that determines whether or not a product is displayed at a position specified by a shelf allocation plan based on information acquired by the portable terminal.

[0010] 1 is a diagram showing an example of a product shelf management system 1 according to the present embodiment. The product shelf management system 1 includes a plurality of mobile terminals 10 and a management server 20. The mobile terminals 10 and the management server 20 are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via a network 30 such as the Internet.

[0011] The mobile terminal 10 is a portable terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal. Furthermore, the mobile terminal 10 may be a so-called cart POS (Point Of Sales) reading device in which a reading device for reading products for sale is mounted on a shopping cart. The mobile terminal 10 transmits to the management server 20 position information indicating the position in the store where the products for sale were read.

[0012] The management server 20 is a computer device such as a server device or a personal computer in a store where product shelves are installed. The management server 20 receives location information indicating the location in the store where the product was read from the mobile terminal 10. The management server 20 also accumulates the received location information for each product information for identifying the product.

[0013] The management server 20 estimates the product shelf on which the product specified by the product information is displayed, based on multiple product reading position information accumulated for each product information. The management server 20 also determines whether the product is displayed on the product shelf specified in the shelf allocation plan, based on the estimated product shelf. The management server 20 then reports when the product is not displayed on the specified product shelf.

[0014] Next, the hardware configuration of each device included in the product shelf management system 1 will be described.

[0015] 2 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the mobile terminal 10. The mobile terminal 10 includes a processor 101, a memory 102, a storage unit 103, a communication unit 104, an imaging unit 105, a positioning unit 106, a display unit 107, and an operation unit 108. These units are connected via an internal bus 109.

[0016] The processor 101 is a processing circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that controls the operation of the mobile terminal 10. The memory 102 is a storage medium such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) that temporarily stores various programs and various data. The processor 101 executes the control program 110 and the like stored in the storage unit 103, using the memory 102 as a work area.

[0017] The storage unit 103 is a storage device such as a flash memory. The storage unit 103 stores a control program 110. The control program 110 is a program for implementing an operating system and functions of the mobile terminal 10. The control program 110 includes a program for implementing characteristic functions according to this embodiment.

[0018] The communication unit 104 is an interface that executes communication with an external device via the network 30. For example, the communication unit 104 is a network interface card (NIC).

[0019] The imaging unit 105 is a camera having an image sensor such as a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS), etc. The imaging unit 105 is connected to the processor 101 via a connection interface 111.

[0020] The positioning unit 106 is a module for measuring the current position of the mobile terminal 10. For example, the positioning unit 106 is a module that measures the current position using a signal received from a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS).

[0021] The display unit 107 is a display device that displays various images. For example, the display unit 107 is a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display.

[0022] The operation unit 108 is an input device that accepts various operations. For example, the operation unit 108 is a hardware button or a touch panel provided on the display unit 107.

[0023] 3 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the management server 20. The management server 20 includes a processor 201, a memory 202, a storage unit 203, a communication unit 204, a display unit 205, and an operation unit 206. These units are connected via an internal bus 207.

[0024] The processor 201 is a processing circuit such as a CPU that controls the operation of the management server 20. The memory 202 is a storage medium such as a RAM that temporarily stores various programs and various data. The processor 201 executes the control program 208 and the like stored in the storage unit 203, using the memory 202 as a work area.

[0025] The storage unit 203 is a storage device such as a flash memory. The storage unit 203 stores a control program 208, shelf allocation information 209, and a reading position data table 210. The shelf allocation information 209 and the reading position data table 210 may be stored in a storage medium of another device, not limited to the storage unit 203. In this case, the management server 20 may acquire the shelf allocation information 209 and the reading position data table 210 as appropriate.

[0026] The control program 208 is a program for implementing the operating system and functions of the mobile terminal 10. The control program 208 includes a program for implementing the characteristic functions according to this embodiment.

[0027] The shelf allocation information 209 is information on a shelf allocation plan. The shelf allocation information 209 is information that specifies products to be displayed on each product shelf installed in a store. More specifically, the shelf allocation information 209 is information that associates a product shelf code for identifying a product shelf with product information for identifying products to be displayed on the product shelf identified by the product shelf code. For example, the product information may be a product code for identifying a product, a product name for identifying a product, a feature amount of the product's appearance, or other information.

[0028] The reading position data table 210 is a data table in which position information indicating the position at which an image of a product was captured is accumulated for each product. More specifically, the reading position data table 210 accumulates position information indicating the position at which an image of a product identified by product information for identifying a product was captured for each product information. That is, the reading position data table 210 registers multiple pieces of position information for each product information.

[0029] The communication unit 204 is an interface that executes communication with an external device via the network 30. For example, the communication unit 204 is a network interface card (NIC).

[0030] The display unit 205 is a display device that displays various images. For example, the display unit 205 is a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display. The display unit 205 is connected to the processor 201 via a connection interface 211.

[0031] The operation unit 206 is an input device for inputting operations using a mouse, a keyboard, etc. The operation unit 206 is connected to the processor 201 via a connection interface 212.

[0032] Next, there will be described functions of each device in the product shelf management system 1. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a characteristic functional configuration of each device in the product shelf management system 1.

[0033] The processor 101 of the mobile terminal 10 loads the control program 110 stored in the storage unit 103 into the memory 102, and operates according to the control program 110 to generate each functional unit in the memory 102. As a result, the processor 101 of the mobile terminal 10 includes an imaging control unit 1001, a product registration unit 1002, a positioning control unit 1003, and a communication control unit 1004 as functional units.

[0034] The imaging control unit 1001 controls the imaging unit 105 to capture an image. For example, the imaging control unit 1001 captures an image of a product.

[0035] The product registration unit 1002 executes a product registration process to register products for sale. More specifically, the product registration unit 1002 reads product information from an image captured by the imaging control unit 1001. For example, the product registration unit 1002 reads a code symbol indicating a product code, such as a barcode, from the image captured by the imaging control unit 1001. Alternatively, the product registration unit 1002 reads a character string indicating a product name or a feature amount of the appearance from the image captured by the imaging control unit 1001. Then, the product registration unit 1002 registers the product identified by the read product information as a product for sale.

[0036] When the product information is read by the product registration unit 1002, the positioning control unit 1003 acquires location information indicating the current location of the mobile terminal 10. In other words, the positioning control unit 1003 acquires a reading position indicating the position where the product information was read. For example, the positioning control unit 1003 acquires location information indicating the current location by controlling the positioning unit 106. Furthermore, the positioning control unit 1003 may acquire location information indicating the current location of the mobile terminal 10 by other methods, not limited to the method of acquiring location information by the positioning unit 106.

[0037] For example, the positioning control unit 1003 may acquire location information indicating the current location of the mobile terminal 10 by a positioning method using Wi-Fi (registered trademark), which is a wireless communication standard. Specifically, the positioning control unit 1003 may acquire location information indicating the current location of the mobile terminal 10 based on the installation location of a Wi-Fi (registered trademark) router and the radio wave intensity of the radio wave received from the Wi-Fi (registered trademark) router. Alternatively, the positioning control unit 1003 may acquire location information indicating the current location of the mobile terminal 10 from a sensor value acquired from a sensor such as a gyro sensor or an acceleration sensor by a positioning method using BLE (Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy).

[0038] The communication control unit 1004 controls the communication unit 104 to execute communication with the management server 20. For example, the communication control unit 1004 associates the product information read by the product registration unit 1002 with the position information measured by the positioning control unit 1003 at the time of reading, and transmits the associated product information to the management server 20. The communication control unit 1004 may transmit the product information and the position information at the same timing, or may transmit the product information and the position information at different timings. For example, the communication control unit 1004 may transmit the product information and the position information as the same data, or may transmit the product information and the position information as different data.

[0039] The processor 201 included in the management server 20 loads the control program 208 stored in the storage unit 203 into the memory 202, and operates according to the control program 208 to generate each functional unit in the memory 202. As a result, the processor 201 included in the management server 20 includes, as functional units, a communication control unit 2001, a position information accumulation unit 2002, a display estimation unit 2003, a display determination unit 2004, a notification control unit 2005, a shelf allocation registration unit 2006, and an operation control unit 2007.

[0040] The communication control unit 2001 controls the communication unit 204 to execute communication with the mobile terminal 10. For example, the communication control unit 2001 receives product information read by the mobile terminal 10 and location information associated with the product information. That is, the communication control unit 2001 receives location information indicating the location where the product information for identifying the product was read by the mobile terminal 10. The communication control unit 2001 is an example of a receiving means.

[0041] The position information accumulation unit 2002 registers the product information received by the communication control unit 2001 and the position information associated with the product information in the reading position data table 210. The position information accumulation unit 2002 accumulates the position information received by the communication control unit 2001 in the reading position data table 210 of the storage unit 203 for each piece of product information. The position information accumulation unit 2002 is an example of a storage control means. That is, the position information accumulation unit 2002 registers the received position information in the reading position data table 210 in association with the same product information as the received product information.

[0042] The display estimation unit 2003 estimates the product shelf where the product is displayed, based on multiple pieces of position information for each piece of product information accumulated in the reading position data table 210. The display estimation unit 2003 is an example of an estimation means. More specifically, the display estimation unit 2003 determines whether the number of pieces of position information registered for each piece of product information in the reading position data table 210 is equal to or greater than a threshold. The display estimation unit 2003 excludes products for which the number of pieces of position information registered is less than the threshold from the estimation target. On the other hand, the display estimation unit 2003 estimates products for which the number of pieces of position information registered is equal to or greater than the threshold.

[0043] The display estimation unit 2003 estimates the position where the product is displayed by a statistical method based on multiple pieces of position information stored in the reading position data table 210. For example, the display estimation unit 2003 plots the position information associated with the product information indicating the product to be estimated in the reading position data table 210 on a floor plan showing the layout of the product shelves. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the floor plan on which the position information is plotted. In the floor plan shown in FIG. 5, product shelf marks M1 indicating the product shelves are arranged according to the layout of the store. In addition, the product shelf mark M1 is associated with a product shelf code for identifying the product shelf. The display estimation unit 2003 plots the reading position mark M2 at the position indicated by each piece of position information associated with the product information indicating the product to be estimated.

[0044] Here, the positioning by the mobile terminal 10 includes an error. In addition, after picking up a product from a product shelf, a customer may move for a while before registering the product. In other words, the location where the product is registered may not match the location where the product is displayed. Therefore, the display estimation unit 2003 estimates that the product is displayed on a product shelf close to the center of a circle that includes a specified percentage of the reading positions at which product information was read, which are indicated by each of the multiple pieces of position information accumulated in the reading position data table 210.

[0045] For example, the display estimation unit 2003 sets the smallest circular area M3 including the positions indicated by 80 percent of the positional information among the multiple pieces of positional information associated with the product information. Note that the display estimation unit 2003 may set the smallest circular area M3 including the positions indicated by 81 percent or more of the positional information, not limited to 80 percent, or may set the smallest elliptical circular area M3 including the positions indicated by 80 percent of the positional information.

[0046] The display estimation unit 2003 also calculates central coordinates indicating the coordinates of the central position M4 of the circular area M3. The display estimation unit 2003 also extracts the product shelf code of the product shelf mark M1 closest to the central coordinates. The display estimation unit 2003 then estimates that the product of the product information to be estimated is displayed on the product shelf specified by the extracted product shelf code.

[0047] When the display estimation unit 2003 has estimated a product shelf on which the product is displayed, the display determination unit 2004 determines whether or not the product is displayed on a product shelf specified in the shelf allocation information 209 based on the estimation result of the display estimation unit 2003. When the product shelf code estimated by the display estimation unit 2003 matches the product shelf code specified in the shelf allocation information 209, the display determination unit 2004 determines that the product is displayed on a product shelf specified in the shelf allocation information 209. On the other hand, when the product shelf code estimated by the display estimation unit 2003 does not match the product shelf code specified in the shelf allocation information 209, the display determination unit 2004 determines that the product is not displayed on a product shelf specified in the shelf allocation information 209.

[0048] When the display determination unit 2004 determines that the product is not displayed on the product shelf specified in the shelf allocation information 209, the notification control unit 2005 notifies that the product shelf on which the product is displayed may be incorrect. In other words, the notification control unit 2005 issues a notification when the shelf allocation information 209, which specifies the products to be displayed on each product shelf, differs from the display position of the products estimated by the display estimation unit 2003. The notification control unit 2005 is an example of a notification means. In this way, the notification control unit 2005 urges the store clerk to display the product on the product shelf specified in the shelf allocation information 209.

[0049] For example, the notification control unit 2005 notifies by displaying on the display unit 205. The notification control unit 2005 may also display product information for identifying the product's display position, i.e., the product shelf, on the display unit 205. Furthermore, the notification control unit 2005 may display product information indicating the target product, the estimated product shelf code, and the product shelf code specified in the shelf allocation information 209 on the display unit 205.

[0050] The notification control unit 2005 may notify by other methods, not limited to the method of displaying on the display unit 205. More specifically, the notification control unit 2005 may display on a smartphone held by the store clerk. Specifically, the notification control unit 2005 may notify by transmitting product information indicating the target product, the estimated product shelf code, and the product shelf code specified in the shelf allocation information 209 to a terminal set in advance. In this case, the terminal may display the product information indicating the target product, the estimated product shelf code, and the product shelf code specified in the shelf allocation information 209. The notification control unit 2005 may also notify by other methods.

[0051] The shelf allocation registration unit 2006 accepts the registration of a product shelf code in the shelf allocation information 209. Here, the shelf allocation information 209 may contain an error. The shelf allocation registration unit 2006 corrects the product shelf code specified in the shelf allocation information 209 based on the operation accepted by the operation unit 206.

[0052] An operation control unit 2007 controls the operation unit 206 to accept various operations.

[0053] Next, various processes executed by the product shelf management system 1 will be described.

[0054] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the registration process executed by the mobile terminal 10 according to the present embodiment.

[0055] The imaging control unit 1001 determines whether or not an image of a product including product information for identifying the product has been captured (step S1). If an image has not been captured (step S1; No), the imaging control unit 1001 waits in step S1.

[0056] On the other hand, if an image has been captured (step S1; Yes), the product registration unit 1002 acquires product information for identifying the product included in the captured image (step S2).

[0057] The positioning control unit 1003 acquires location information indicating the current location of the mobile terminal 10 (step S3).

[0058] The communication control unit 1004 transmits the product information included in the image captured by the imaging control unit 1001 and the position information measured by the positioning control unit 1003 to the management server 20 (step S4).

[0059] The product registration unit 1002 registers the product specified by the product information included in the image captured by the imaging control unit 1001 as a product for sale (step S5).

[0060] The product registration unit 1002 determines whether or not an operation to end the product registration has been accepted (step S6). If an operation to end the product registration has not been accepted (step S6; No), the mobile terminal 10 proceeds to step S1 and continues the product registration.

[0061] When an operation to end the product registration is accepted (Step S6; Yes), the mobile terminal 10 ends the registration process.

[0062] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of a display confirmation process executed by the management server 20 according to the present embodiment.

[0063] The communication control unit 1004 receives product information and location information associated with the product information from the mobile terminal 10 (step S11).

[0064] The position information storage unit 2002 registers the position information in association with the product information included in the reading position data table 210 (step S12).

[0065] The display estimation unit 2003 determines whether or not the estimation condition for estimating the product shelf on which the product is displayed is satisfied (step S13). That is, the display estimation unit 2003 determines whether or not position information equal to or greater than a threshold is registered for the product information in the reading position data table 210. If position information equal to or greater than the threshold is not registered (step S13; No), the management server 20 proceeds to step S11.

[0066] If position information equal to or greater than the threshold value has been registered (step S13; Yes), the display estimation unit 2003 estimates the product shelf on which the product is displayed based on the read position data table 210 (step S14).

[0067] The display determination unit 2004 determines whether or not the product shelf on which the product estimated by the display estimation unit 2003 is displayed matches the product shelf on which the product specified in the shelf allocation information 209 is displayed (step S15). If the product shelves match (step S15; No), the management server 20 proceeds to step S11.

[0068] If the product shelves do not match (step S15; Yes), the notification control unit 2005 notifies that there is a possibility that the product shelf on which the product is displayed is incorrect (step S16).

[0069] The operation control unit 2007 judges whether or not an operation to end the display confirmation process has been accepted (step S17). If an operation to end the process has not been accepted (step S17; No), the management server 20 proceeds to step S11.

[0070] When the operation to end the process is accepted (Step S17; Yes), the management server 20 ends the display confirmation process.

[0071] As described above, the management server 20 according to this embodiment receives location information indicating the location where product information for identifying a product was read by the mobile terminal 10. Then, the management server 20 accumulates the received location information for each piece of product information in the storage unit 203. This allows the management server 20 to acquire and accumulate location information indicating the location where the product information was read. Furthermore, the management server 20 can estimate the location where the product identified by the product information is displayed, based on the location information accumulated for each piece of product information.

[0072] (Variation 1) The shelf allocation information 209 may specify the category of products to be displayed for each product shelf installed in the store. That is, the shelf allocation information 209 may be associated with a product shelf code for identifying a product shelf and product category information for identifying the category of products to be displayed on the product shelf. Furthermore, when the mobile terminal 10 captures an image of a product, it may transmit to the management server 20 position information indicating the position where the image was captured and product category information indicating the category of the product included in the captured image. Then, the management server 20 may accumulate position information for each product category information in the storage unit 203. Furthermore, the management server 20 may estimate the position where a product belonging to a category specified by the product category information is displayed based on the multiple pieces of position information for each product category information accumulated in the storage unit 203. Then, the management server 20 may determine whether or not the position where a product belonging to each product category specified by the shelf allocation information 209 is displayed matches the position where a product belonging to the estimated category is displayed. Then, the management server 20 may report a mismatch.

[0073] Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims.

[0074] The programs executed by each device in the above-mentioned embodiments and modifications are provided by being pre-installed in a storage medium (ROM or storage unit) included in each device, but this is not limited to the above. For example, the programs may be provided by being recorded in an installable or executable format on a computer-readable storage medium such as a CD-ROM, a flexible disk (FD), a CD-R, or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk). Furthermore, the storage medium is not limited to a medium independent of the computer or embedded system, but also includes a storage medium in which a program transmitted via a LAN, the Internet, or the like is downloaded and stored or temporarily stored.

[0075] In addition, the programs executed by each device in the above embodiments and modified examples may be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by downloading them via the network, or may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet. [Explanation of symbols]

[0076] 1. Shelf management system 10 Mobile devices 20 Management Server 30 Network 101 Processor 102 Memory 103 Storage section 104 Communications Department 105 Imaging unit 106 Positioning unit 107 Display section 108 Operation section 109 Internal Bus 110 Control Program 111 Connection Interface 201 Processor 202 Memory 203 Storage section 204 Communications Department 205 Display section 206 Operation section 207 Internal Bus 208 Control Program 209 Shelf information 210 Reading position data table 211 Connection Interface 212 Connection Interface 1001 Imaging control unit 1002 Product Registration Department 1003 Positioning control section 1004 Communication control unit 2001 Communication Control Unit 2002 Location information storage section 2003 Display Estimation Department 2004 Display Judgment Department 2005 Notification control unit 2006 Shelf Registration Department 2007 Operation control unit M1 Product shelf mark M2 Reading position mark M3 circular area M4 center position [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0077] [Patent Document 1] JP 2012-185576 A

Claims

1. a receiving means for receiving position information indicating a position where product information for identifying a product is read by a mobile terminal; a storage control means for storing the position information received by the receiving means in a storage unit for each of the product information items; A server device comprising:

2. The display device further includes an estimation unit that estimates a position where a product specified by the product information is displayed based on the plurality of pieces of position information for each of the product information stored in the storage unit. The server device according to claim 1 .

3. The estimation means estimates the display position of the product by a statistical method based on the plurality of pieces of position information stored in the storage unit. The server device according to claim 2.

4. the estimation means estimates that the product is displayed on a product shelf close to a center of a circle including a specified ratio of read positions at which the product information was read, the read positions being indicated by each of the plurality of pieces of position information stored in the storage unit; The server device according to claim 3.

5. The system further includes a notification means for notifying a user when information specifying products to be displayed on each product shelf differs from the display position of the products estimated by the estimation means. The server device according to any one of claims 2 to 4.

6. Computer, a receiving means for receiving position information indicating a position where product information for identifying a product is read by a mobile terminal; a storage control means for storing the position information received by the receiving means in a storage unit for each of the product information items; A program to make it function as such.

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