Article processor

Abstract

To eliminate the hassle of customers having to make payments at each brand store, as well as to enable sales to be tallied for each brand, thereby ensuring smooth customer service.SOLUTION: An article processor 1 according to one embodiment includes: a memory unit 21 that associates and stores store information and article information; a display unit 22 that displays a list of articles identified by the article information associated with the store information; an input unit 23 that accepts an operation from a worker; and a control unit 24 that performs payment processing when the input unit 23 accepts the operation by the worker to perform payment processing for the articles. When the input unit 23 receives the operation by the worker to switch to second store information while the list of first articles identified by the first article information associated with the first store information is displayed on the display part 22, the control unit 24 obtains the second article information associated with the second store information from the memory unit 21, and allows a list of second articles identified by second article information to be displayed on the display unit 22 instead of a list of first articles.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a product processing device. [Background technology]

[0002] Currently, for example, in the basement merchandise sections of department stores and large shopping centers, there are multiple brand stores, such as prepared food stores, fried food stores, and salad stores, all of which belong to the same company, and when customers shop at these brand stores, it is common for them to process their purchases at each individual brand store. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2004-206197 A [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication No. 2020-115264 [Patent Document 3] Patent Publication No. 2021-168074 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, when customers are concentrated in one brand store, the sales staff at other brand stores simply watch without doing anything, which causes a problem of reduced sales efficiency overall.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and aims to provide a product processing device that eliminates the hassle for customers to settle their accounts at each brand store, can tally up sales by brand, and can provide smooth customer service. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A product processing device according to one embodiment comprises a memory unit which stores store information in association with product information, a display unit which displays a list of products identified by the product information associated with the store information, an input unit which accepts operations from a worker, and a control unit which performs the accounting process when the input unit accepts an operation by the worker to perform accounting for the products.When a list of first products identified by first product information associated with first store information is displayed on the display unit and the input unit accepts an operation by the worker to switch to second store information, the control unit retrieves second product information associated with the second store information from the memory unit, and displays the list of second products identified by the second product information on the display unit instead of the list of first products. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, any brand store can retrieve a list of products from other brand stores and process the bill, eliminating the trouble of customers having to settle the bill at each brand store. Also, even if each brand store accumulates purchase information from other brand stores, the information can be collected and sales figures can be tallied for each brand store, providing a product processing device that can provide smooth customer service. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a product processing system 1 according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of functional blocks of the product processing device 20 according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of store information and a list of products displayed by the display unit 22 of the product processing device 20 according to the first embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description of the drawings, the same or similar parts are given the same or similar reference numerals. However, it should be noted that the drawings are schematic and the ratios of the dimensions are different from the actual ones. Therefore, the specific dimensions should be determined with reference to the following description. In addition, the drawings may include parts with different dimensional relationships and ratios. In this specification and the drawings, elements having substantially the same functions and configurations are given the same reference numerals to avoid repeated explanations, and elements not directly related to the present invention are not illustrated.

[0010] (First embodiment) Hereinafter, a product processing system 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 3. Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of the product processing system 1 according to the present embodiment, Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of functional blocks of a product processing device 20 according to the first embodiment, and Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of store information and a list of products displayed by a display unit 22 of the product processing device 20 according to the first embodiment.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 1, a product processing system 1 according to this embodiment includes a predetermined device 10, and a plurality of product processing devices 20A-20C provided in a plurality of stores A-C, respectively.

[0012] The predetermined device 10 is a device that manages sales of a plurality of stores belonging to the same company. For example, the predetermined device 10 is a server device that can tally up sales information for each store based on sales information for each store acquired from product processing devices 20A-20C installed in the plurality of stores A-C. In addition, any one of the product processing devices 20A-20C may be configured as a parent device, and the parent device may be configured to have the tallying function of the predetermined device 10.

[0013] Since the multiple product processing devices 20A to 20C basically have the same functions, the functions of the product processing device 20 will be described below as a single device, as shown in FIG.

[0014] 2, the product processing device 20 includes a memory unit 21, a display unit 22, an input unit 23, a control unit 24, an interface 25 with the predetermined device 10, a receipt issuing unit 26, and a communication unit 27. The product processing device 20 also functions as an electronic scale that weighs products and calculates and displays their prices.

[0015] The storage unit 21 stores store information and product information in association with each other. For example, the storage unit 21 is configured with a memory or a hard disk.

[0016] The store information is information for identifying a store (e.g., a brand store). The product information is information about products sold at the brand store, including, for example, the product name, the unit price per 100 g, the type of ingredients used, additives, and information about the presence or absence of accessories such as spoons and chopsticks that accompany the product.

[0017] The storage unit 21 may store store information and product information of each store acquired via the interface 25 from an external device (for example, the predetermined device 10 or the product processing device 20 of another brand store).

[0018] According to this configuration, the storage unit 21 can store store information and product information acquired from an external device as necessary, so that the storage capacity of the storage unit 21 can be reduced.

[0019] Furthermore, with this configuration, the clerk (worker) 2 of each store can handle products sold at other stores. For example, when the clerk 2A of the first store A who served the customer 3 at the first store moves to the second store B together with the customer 3 and the customer 3 makes a purchase at the second store B, the clerk 2A of the first store A may operate the product processing device 20B of the second store B. Also, when the customers 3 are concentrated at the first store A, the clerk 2B of the second store B may go to the first store A to help out, and then bring the product 5A of the first store A that the customer 3 requests to the second store B and process the transaction using the product processing device 20B of the second store B.

[0020] The display unit 22 displays store information and a list of products identified by product information associated with the store information (hereinafter, may be referred to as a product list). For example, the display unit 22 may be configured with a touch panel, or may be configured with a display without an input function.

[0021] In the example of FIG. 3(a), the display unit 22 displays brand X1 as the store information, and displays a list of products A1 to A15 of brand X1 as the product information. Similarly, in the example of FIG. 3(b), the display unit 22 displays brand X2 as the store information, and displays a list of products B1 to B15 of brand X2 as the product information.

[0022] In the example of Figure 3, the list of products A1 to A15 indicates that they are products of brand X1, but in this way, it is not necessary to display store information and product information associated with the store information on the same screen.

[0023] For example, the display unit 22 may display brand X2 instead of brand X1 in Fig. 3(a), and display a list of products A1 to A15 of brand X1 as the product list. In this case, brand X2 means that by operating this key, a list of products B1 to B15 of brand X2 can be displayed. Therefore, the brand X2 key becomes a key that displays a list of products B1 to B15 of another store (brand X2) instead of the products A1 to A15 of the store that are currently displayed.

[0024] In addition to displaying a list of products for sale (list of product names), display unit 22 may also be provided with a product name column for displaying the product name of a product selected from the list, as well as columns for displaying the net weight, unit price per 100 g, price, etc. of such a product.

[0025] Furthermore, when the product processing device 20 is configured as an electronic scale for face-to-face sales, store clerk keys C1 and C2 may be provided as shown in FIG.

[0026] The clerk keys C1 and C2 are keys for identifying the clerk 2 serving the customer 3, and when operating the product processing device 20, the clerk key is operated before operating various keys. In this way, the purchase information of the customer 3 generated when the clerk 2 calls up and weighs the product 5 ordered by the customer 3 is linked to the ID of the clerk 2 and stored in the memory unit 21, and at the time of payment, the purchase information of the customer 3 linked to the ID of the clerk 2 stored in the memory unit 21 of each product processing device 20 is collected in the product processing device 20 being operated and processed for accounting. Therefore, each product processing device 20 is connected to each other via the communication unit 27 so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0027] Brand X1 in Fig. 3 is a display key for the brand name, and also functions as a switching key for calling up a product list for the next brand store. Therefore, when the brand X1 key in Fig. 3(a) is touched, the next brand X2 is displayed as shown in Fig. 3(b), and the product list B1 to B15 for brand X2 is also displayed. Also, if there is another brand store, touching brand X2 will display, for example, the next brand X3 and a list of products for that brand X3.

[0028] Alternatively, instead of this display format, for example, three display keys for brands X1, X2, and X3 may be arranged, and when one of the keys is touched, the display format of that key may be changed so that the touched brand name is specified, and a list of products with that brand name may be displayed at the same time. Since, when a store is specified, product information (product list) of the specified store is displayed, for example, a salesperson 2B of the second store B may go to the first store A to help out and serve customers, and then bring product 5A from the first store A to the second store B, where it may be weighed by product processing device 20B at the second store B and processed for payment.

[0029] In addition, if the number of products called up from memory unit 21 by touching the brand name key is greater than the number of products displayed in the product list of Figure 3, for example, a page-turning key may be displayed and the product list that is not displayed may be displayed by operating that key.

[0030] In this way, the display unit 22 can display not only a list of products in the store where the product processing device 20 is installed, but also a list of products in other stores.

[0031] The input unit 23 receives operations from an operator (a store clerk). For example, the input unit 23 may be configured with a touch panel, or may be configured with a keyboard, a mouse, or the like.

[0032] The control unit 24 controls other functions of the product processing device 20 and performs accounting for products, etc. When the input unit 23 receives an operation by an operator (store clerk) to perform accounting for products included in the list of products displayed on the display unit 22, the input unit 23 performs such accounting.

[0033] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3(a), when the display unit 22 is displaying a list of first products (products A1 to A15) identified by the first store information (brand X1) and the first product information associated with the first store information (brand X1), and the input unit 23 receives an operation by the operator (store clerk) to switch to the second store information (brand X2), the control unit 24 retrieves the second store information (brand X2) and the second product information associated with the second store information (brand X2) from the memory unit 21, and causes the display unit 22 to display a list of second products (products B1 to B15) identified by the second product information instead of the list of first products, as shown in FIG. 3(b).

[0034] The receipt issuing unit 26 issues receipts. Specifically, when the control unit 24 performs transaction processing for products sold at multiple stores, the receipt issuing unit 26 issues a receipt with purchase information separated for each store. In such a case, the receipt issuing unit 26 may issue a separate receipt for each store, or may print purchase information for multiple stores on a single receipt.

[0035] The receipt issuing unit 26 may also be provided as an external device for the product processing device 20.

[0036] The communication unit 27 communicates with external devices such as other product processing devices 20 and the specified device 10. For example, the storage unit 21 stores store information in association with purchase information of products handled in the store specified by the store information and for which transaction processing has been performed in the product processing device 20, and the communication unit 27 transmits the purchase information for each store to the product processing device 20 or the specified device 10 that performs transaction processing.

[0037] Hereinafter, an example of a flow when a customer 3 goes shopping at stores A to C will be described with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG.

[0038] First, as shown in FIG. 1, a customer 3 tells a salesclerk 2A at a first store A that he / she wishes to purchase a product 5A, and the salesclerk 2A takes out the product 5A and, if the product is sold by weight, places the taken-out product 5A on a product processing device 20A, which is an electronic scale, to weigh it. In this case, the salesclerk 2A selects the product 5A from a list of products, for example, products A1 to A15, and calls up product information (product name, unit price, etc.) of the product. The control unit 24 then calculates the price of the product 5A being weighed, associates it with the ID of the salesclerk 2A as purchase information, and stores it in the storage unit 21. Meanwhile, the salesclerk 2A wraps the product 5A and hands it over to the customer 3.

[0039] Secondly, as shown in FIG. 1, customer 3 moves from store A to store B. In this case, salesperson 2A, who is serving customer 3, moves from first store A to second store B with customer 3. Then, customer 3 tells salesperson 2A, who is serving him, that he wants to purchase product 5B, and salesperson 2A takes out product 5B and places it on the electronic scale of product processing device 20. In this case, if product processing device 20B in store B is available, salesperson 2A uses product processing device 20B, but if it is not available, salesperson 2A uses an unused product processing device 20, for example, product processing device 20A in first store A. When salesperson 2A uses product processing device 20A in store A, he touches X1 key, which is the brand name of store A. Then, the screen switches to X2, which is the brand name of store B, and the product list also switches to, for example, products B1 to B15, so that salesperson A selects product 5B from the product list. Then, the control unit 24 calls up the product information of the product 5B. In this case, if the product 5B is a fixed-price product, the control unit 24 waits for the number of units to be input, calculates the price, and stores it in the storage unit 21 while linking it to the ID of the store clerk 2A. Meanwhile, the store clerk 2A wraps the product 5B and then hands it over to the customer 3.

[0040] Thirdly, as shown in FIG. 1, customer 3 moves from second store B to third store C. In this case, salesclerk 2A, who is currently serving customer 3, moves to third store C with customer 3. Then, customer 3 tells salesclerk A that he wants to stop purchasing products at third store C and process the transaction. Salesclerk 2A then uses available product processing device 20C to input salesclerk 2A's ID, and then performs operations for processing the transaction on input unit 23. Then, control unit 24 of product processing device 20C collects purchase information linked to salesclerk 2A's ID from product processing devices 20A and 20B of other stores, processes the transaction, classifies the purchase information for stores A and B, and issues a receipt via receipt issuing unit 26. When the receipt is issued, control unit 24 transmits the purchase information linked to salesclerk 2A's ID to predetermined device 10, and then erases the purchase information from storage unit 21. Furthermore, the control units 24 of the other product processing devices 20A and 20B that transmitted the stored purchase information to the product processing device 20C that processes the transaction erase the transmitted purchase information from the memory units 21. As a result, all purchase information of the customer 3 linked to the ID of the store clerk 2A is erased in all product processing devices 20A and 20B.

[0041] When the purchase information is thus transmitted to the predetermined device 10, the predetermined device 10 collects the sales information by store and outputs it as a sales report for each store.

[0042] According to this embodiment, even if customers 3 are concentrated in one store (brand store), the customers 3 can move to another store and complete the payment process for the items they want to purchase, so the payment process can be completed without making the customers wait.

[0043] Although the present invention has been described in detail using the above-mentioned embodiment, it is clear to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described in the present specification. The present invention can be implemented in modified and altered forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention defined by the description of the claims. Therefore, the description in this specification is intended to be illustrative and does not have any limiting meaning on the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0044] 1. Product processing system 2, 2A, 2B, 2C... Clerk (worker) 3…Customer 5, 5A, 5B, 5C…product A, B, C...Stores 10...Predetermined device 20, 20A, 20B, 20C...Product processing equipment 21...Storage section 22...Display section 23...Input section 24...Control section 25…Interface 26…Receipt issuing department 27…Communications Department

Claims

1. A product processing device, a storage unit that stores store information and product information in association with each other; a display unit that displays a list of products identified by the product information associated with the store information; an input unit that receives operations from an operator; a control unit that performs a transaction process when the input unit receives an operation for performing a transaction process for the product by the worker, A product processing device in which, when a list of first products identified by first product information associated with first store information is displayed on the display unit and the input unit receives an operation by the worker to switch to second store information, the control unit retrieves second product information associated with the second store information from the memory unit, and displays a list of second products identified by the second product information on the display unit instead of the list of first products.

2. The product processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the storage unit acquires the store information and the product information from an external device via an interface.

3. The receipt issuing unit is further provided. The product processing device according to claim 1 , wherein when the control unit performs transaction processing for products handled at a plurality of stores, the receipt issuing unit issues receipts with purchase information categorized for each store.

4. the external device is a product processing device installed in another store, The product processing device further includes a communication unit, The product processing device according to claim 1, wherein the communication unit transmits the purchase information stored in the device to another product processing device that performs a transaction process.

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