Data processing device and control program therefor

Abstract

To make it possible to find out a mismatch between an actually purchased commodity by a consumer and a commodity registered as a purchased item of the consumer.SOLUTION: A data processing device recognizes a purchase action or a return action of a commodity by a consumer. The data processing device identifies the consumer who has made a purchase or return action. The data processing device subtracts data of the commodity from a consumer's purchase list identified as having performed the return action once the return action of the commodity is recognized. When data of the purchase list becomes an abnormal value by subtracting the data of the commodity from the purchase list, the data processing device executes an abnormality processing.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] An embodiment of the present invention relates to a data processing device and a control program therefor. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, various store systems have been proposed that automatically register the products purchased by consumers based on their behavior in the store, eliminating the need to register products at checkout.One such system identifies a consumer who, when a product is taken from a shelf, takes the product near the shelf as the purchaser of that product.For example, by introducing this type of store system in convenience stores, small kiosks, and the like, it is possible to achieve unmanned stores.

[0003] In the above-mentioned store system, when an item is returned to a shelf, the consumer who returns the item near that shelf is identified as the returner. However, if multiple consumers take out or return items at almost the same time near the same shelf, there is a risk of an error in identifying the purchaser or returner. If an error occurs, a discrepancy will occur between the item actually purchased by the consumer and the item registered as that consumer's purchase item. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 08-190672 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-123086 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The problem that the embodiments of the present invention aim to solve is to provide a data processing device that can resolve inconsistencies between products actually purchased by a consumer and products registered as the consumer's purchase items. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In one embodiment, the data processing device includes a recognition means, an identification means, a purchase processing means, a return processing means, and an abnormality processing means. The recognition means recognizes product purchasing behavior or product return behavior by a consumer. The identification means identifies the consumer who has performed the purchasing behavior or return behavior. When the recognition means recognizes product purchasing behavior, the purchase processing means adds data of the product to a purchase list of the consumer identified by the identification means as having performed the purchasing behavior. When the recognition means recognizes product return behavior, the return processing means subtracts data of the product from the purchase list of the consumer identified by the identification means as having performed the return behavior. The abnormality processing means executes abnormality processing if the subtraction of data of the product from the purchase list causes the data in the purchase list to become abnormal. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a shelf used in a store system according to an embodiment, viewed from the front. [Figure 2] A schematic diagram of the shelf seen from above. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the schematic configuration of the store system. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the data structure of a product data file. [Figure 5] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the data structure of a tracking file. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a data structure of an association table. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a data structure of a purchase list. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a shelf control device. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart showing the operation procedure of the tracking processing unit. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart showing the operation procedure of a personal authentication processing unit. [Figure 11]10 is a flowchart showing the operation procedure of the merchandise monitoring processing unit. [Figure 12] 10 is a flowchart showing the operation procedure of a behavior monitoring processing unit. [Figure 13] 10 is a flowchart showing the operation procedure of an integrated processing unit that receives an authentication notification command. [Figure 14] 10 is a flowchart showing the operation procedure of an integrated processing unit when a hand reaching notification command is input. [Figure 15] 15 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the purchase process in FIG. 14; [Figure 16] 15 is a flowchart showing the procedure for the return processing in FIG. 14. [Figure 17] 17 is a flowchart showing the procedure for single-person processing in FIG. 16. [Figure 18] 17 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the multiple person processing in FIG. 16; [Figure 19] 10 is a flowchart showing the operation procedure of the integrated processing unit when an exit notification command is input. [Figure 20] 10 is a flowchart showing the operation procedure of the sales management device when a purchase notification command is input. [Figure 21] 10 is a flowchart showing the operation procedure of the sales management device when a return notification command is input. [Figure 22] 10 is a flowchart showing the operation procedure of the sales management device when a temporary return notification command is input. [Figure 23] 10 is a flowchart showing the operation procedure of the sales management device when a payment permission notification command is input. [Figure 24] 10 is a flowchart showing the operation procedure of the sales management device when a payment confirmation notification command is input. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a data processing device will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, an example is provided of a data processing device in a store system 100 (see Figure 3) that automatically registers products purchased by consumers by utilizing technology that identifies a consumer who takes the action of removing a product near a shelf 10 (see Figures 1 and 2) when the product is removed from the shelf 10 as the purchaser of the product.

[0009] First, the shelf 10 used in the store system 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of shelf 10 as viewed from the front, and Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of shelf 10 as viewed from above. As shown in Fig. 1, shelf 10 has three levels, divided vertically by two shelf boards. Two types of products are displayed in each section on each level. For example, product A and product B are displayed side by side on the top level, product C and product D are displayed side by side on the middle level, and product E and product F are displayed side by side on the bottom level.

[0010] Hereinafter, the section on the top left where product A is displayed will be referred to as section 201, the section on the top right where product B is displayed will be referred to as section 202, the section on the middle left where product C is displayed will be referred to as section 203, the section on the middle right where product D is displayed will be referred to as section 204, the section on the bottom left where product E is displayed will be referred to as section 205, and the section on the bottom right where product F is displayed will be referred to as section 206.

[0011] Each section 201-206 on each level is fitted with a merchandise monitoring sensor 1. The merchandise monitoring sensor 1 is a sensor for monitoring the increase or decrease in weight of merchandise as it moves. In this embodiment, a weight sensor capable of measuring the total weight of merchandise displayed in the corresponding section 201-206 is used as the merchandise monitoring sensor 1.

[0012] 1 and 2, two tracking sensors 21, 22 and one behavior monitoring sensor 3 are attached to the top of the shelf 10. The tracking sensors 21, 22 are attached separately to the left and right sides of the shelf 10. The behavior monitoring sensor 3 is attached to the front side of the shelf 10 along the width direction of the shelf 10, approximately parallel to the floor surface.

[0013] The tracking sensors 21 and 22 are sensors for tracking the movement of consumers within a rectangular area 111 surrounded by a first boundary line 101 virtually drawn by a two-dot chain line in Fig. 2. Hereinafter, the area 111 will be referred to as a tracking area 111. In this embodiment, camera sensors such as an RGB camera, an IR camera, and an infrared camera that can capture images within the tracking area 111 are used as the tracking sensors 21 and 22. Note that the number of tracking sensors 21 and 22 is not limited to two.

[0014] The behavior monitoring sensor 3 is a sensor for monitoring the behavior of consumers with respect to the shelf 10 who are within a rectangular area 112 surrounded by a second boundary line 102 that is virtually drawn by a dashed line in FIG. 2. Specifically, the behavior monitoring sensor 3 monitors the behavior of consumers who are within the area 112 reaching out to the shelf 10 and retracting the hand. Hereinafter, the behavior of reaching out will be referred to as a reaching behavior, and the behavior of retracting the hand will be referred to as a returning behavior. The area 112 is an area where a consumer is estimated to be located when taking out products A to F from the shelf 10. Hereinafter, the area 112 will be referred to as a purchasing area 112. The purchasing area 112 is inside the tracking area 111. In this embodiment, a time-of-flight (TOF) sensor, a laser radar, or the like is used as the behavior monitoring sensor 3. Note that the number of behavior monitoring sensors 3 is not limited to one.

[0015] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, personal authentication devices 41 and 42 are attached to both sides of the shelf 10. The personal authentication devices 41 and 42 are devices for personal authentication of consumers. Consumers who use the store register as members in advance. Member registration is possible by installing a dedicated application program on a user terminal TM (see FIG. 3), such as a smartphone or tablet terminal. By registering as a member, a member ID unique to the consumer is set in the user terminal TM. Hereinafter, this application program will be referred to as a shopping app. When the shopping app is launched on the user terminal TM in which the member ID is set, a code representing the member ID is displayed on the display of the user terminal TM. The code is expressed, for example, in a barcode system or a two-dimensional code system. The personal authentication devices 41 and 42 are equipped with a reader for reading this code. The number of personal authentication devices 41 and 42 is not limited to two. Furthermore, the installation locations of the personal authentication devices 41 and 42 are not limited to both sides of the shelf 10.

[0016] 2, circular areas 113, 114 surrounded by a third boundary line 103 drawn virtually by a dashed line are areas where consumers are expected to enter to have the reader of the personal authentication devices 41, 42 read the member ID code displayed on the display of the user terminal TM. Hereinafter, these areas 113, 114 will be referred to as authentication areas 113, 114. The authentication areas 113, 114 are located inside the tracking area 111.

[0017] A fourth boundary line 104 is set between the first boundary line 101 and the second boundary line 102. In FIG. 2, the fourth boundary line 104 is drawn virtually as a dashed line. The store system 100 starts tracking a consumer when the consumer enters the tracking area 111. When the consumer moves from outside to inside the fourth boundary line 104, the store system 100 assigns a tracking ID to the consumer. When the consumer moves from inside to outside the fourth boundary line 104 and then moves outside the first boundary line 101, the store system 100 stops tracking the consumer.

[0018] The first to fourth boundary lines 101 to 104 may be strips having a predetermined width instead of lines. The tracking area 111 and the purchase area 112 may be areas having a shape other than a rectangle. The authentication areas 113 and 114 may be areas having a shape other than a circle.

[0019] The shelf 10 is an example of a product display location. The number of tiers of the shelf 10 and the number of products displayed on each tier are arbitrary. The key is that the shelf 10 has multiple sections in which products are displayed by type, and each section is provided with a product monitoring sensor 1. Therefore, the display location is not limited to a shelf, and may be a display stand, display case, display space, etc.

[0020] The tracking sensors 21, 22, the behavior monitoring sensor 3, and the personal authentication devices 41, 42 do not necessarily have to be installed on the shelf 10. For example, the tracking sensors 21, 22 or the behavior monitoring sensor 3 may be installed on the ceiling of the store, etc. The tracking sensors 21, 22 may be installed in a location where they can track the movement of consumers in the tracking area 111. The behavior monitoring sensor 3 may be installed in a location where they can monitor the behavior of consumers in the purchasing area 112 with respect to the shelf 10. The personal authentication devices 41, 42 may be installed, for example, near the entrance of the store.

[0021] Next, the configuration of the store system 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 is a block diagram showing the main parts of the store system 100. The store system 100 includes a shelf control device 6, a sales management device 7, a member server 8, and a payment server 9. The store system 100 interconnects the shelf control device 6, the sales management device 7, the member server 8, and the payment server 9 via a communication network NW such as a LAN (Local Area Network). The store system 100 is capable of wireless communication with user terminals TM carried by consumers who visit the store, via an access point AP of the communication network NW.

[0022] The member server 8 manages a member database 81 for storing information related to consumers who have registered as members. The member database 81 stores, in association with each consumer's member ID, the consumer's name, terminal information for the user terminal TM carried by the consumer, payment-related information registered by the consumer, a validity flag, and the like. The terminal information includes information such as a communication address required for communication with the user terminal TM via the communication network NW. The payment-related information includes information required for card payments using credit cards, electronic money cards, etc., or electronic payments using barcodes, two-dimensional codes, etc. The validity flag is one-bit data for identifying whether a member ID is valid. In this embodiment, the validity flag for a valid member ID is set to "1," and the validity flag for an invalid member ID is set to "0." For example, the validity flag associated with the member ID of a consumer who has lost their membership status is set to "0."

[0023] The payment server 9 is a server for performing payment processing such as the card payment and electronic payment described above. The payment server 9 may be connected to a POS (Point Of Sales) terminal and perform payment processing via this POS terminal. Well-known processing can be applied as is for the payment processing. Therefore, a detailed description will be omitted.

[0024] The shelf control device 6 is an example of a data processing device. The shelf control device 6 has a product data file 61.

[0025] The product data file 61 stores data related to each of the products A to F displayed on the shelf 10. An example of the data structure of the product data file 61 is shown in FIG. 4. As shown in the figure, the product data file 61 stores the product name, unit weight, and sensor number in association with the product code of each of the products A to F. Although not shown, the unit price is also stored in the product data file 61. The unit weight is the weight per product. The sensor number is a number used to identify the product monitoring sensors 1 installed in the sections 201 to 206 of the shelf 10 where the product is displayed. Each product monitoring sensor 1 is assigned a unique sensor number. Note that the data stored in the product data file 61 is not limited to the items described above. Data of other items may also be stored in the product data file 61.

[0026] The shelf control device 6 has functions as a tracking processing unit 62 , a personal authentication processing unit 63 , a product monitoring processing unit 64 , a behavior monitoring processing unit 65 , a voice synthesis unit 66 and an integration processing unit 67 . The tracking processing unit 62 captures image data from the tracking sensors 21 and 22. The tracking processing unit 62 analyzes this image data and tracks the movement lines of consumers who are in the tracking area 111. The tracking processing unit 62 stores the movement line data for each consumer in a tracking file 68.

[0027] An example of the data structure of the tracking file 68 is shown in FIG. 5. As shown, the tracking file 68 has an area for a tracking ID, an area for flow data 681, and an area for a monitoring flag. The tracking ID is a unique code set by the tracking processing unit 62 to identify the consumer being tracked. The flow data 681 chronologically describes the tracking location information indicating the location of the consumer being tracked and the time at that time. For example, in FIG. 2, the tracking location information is expressed in XY plane coordinates with the origin O(0,0) being the point at the lower left corner of the tracking area 111. The monitoring flag is one-bit data for identifying whether the consumer being tracked has moved from inside to outside the fourth boundary line 104. In this embodiment, the monitoring flag stored in the tracking file 68 of a consumer who has moved from inside to outside the fourth boundary line 104 is set to "1," and the monitoring flags stored in other tracking files 68 are set to "0."

[0028] The personal authentication processing unit 63 takes in data read by the readers of the personal authentication devices 41 and 42 and performs processing related to personal authentication of the consumer. The personal authentication processing unit 63 works in cooperation with the integrated processing unit 67 to perform processing related to personal authentication. The personal authentication processing unit 63 outputs the authentication result to the personal authentication devices 41 and 42. The personal authentication devices 41 and 42 have a function to notify the authentication result. For example, the personal authentication devices 41 and 42 are equipped with a display device and display the authentication result on the display device.

[0029] The merchandise monitoring processing unit 64 receives weight data from the merchandise monitoring sensor 1. Based on this weight data, the merchandise monitoring processing unit 64 monitors the status of each of the merchandise A to F displayed on the shelf 10. Specifically, when the weight data from a merchandise monitoring sensor 1 decreases, the merchandise monitoring processing unit 64 recognizes that a merchandise has been removed from the section in which the merchandise monitoring sensor 1 is installed. When the weight data from a merchandise monitoring sensor 1 increases, the merchandise monitoring processing unit 64 recognizes that a merchandise has been placed in the section in which the merchandise monitoring sensor 1 is installed. The recognition result from the merchandise monitoring processing unit 64 is provided to the integrated processing unit 67.

[0030] The behavior monitoring processing unit 65 takes in an output signal from the behavior monitoring sensor 3. Based on this output signal, the behavior monitoring processing unit 65 monitors the behavior of purchasers in the purchasing area 112 with respect to the shelves 10. Specifically, when the behavior monitoring sensor 3 detects the consumer's hand inserted into the shelf 10, the behavior monitoring processing unit 65 recognizes this as a reaching behavior, and when the hand is no longer detected, it recognizes this as a putting-back behavior. The recognition result from the behavior monitoring processing unit 65 is provided to the integration processing unit 67. At that time, behavior position information of the point where the behavior monitoring sensor 3 detected the hand is also provided to the integration processing unit 67. The behavior position information is represented by an X coordinate indicating the distance from the origin O of the XY plane coordinate system described above, and a Z coordinate indicating the height from the floor.

[0031] The voice synthesis unit 66 is connected to the speaker 5. The voice synthesis unit 66 synthesizes voice data under the control of the integrated processing unit 67 and outputs it to the speaker 5. As a result, voice is emitted from the speaker 5. The speaker 5 is installed near the shelf 10. The speaker 5 may be installed, for example, in a waiting area for the store clerk. Alternatively, the speaker 5 may be built into a terminal carried by the store clerk, and the voice synthesized by the voice synthesis unit 66 may be emitted from the speaker 5. In this case, the voice data synthesized by the voice synthesis unit 66 is transmitted to the access point AP via the communication network NW, and further transmitted to the store clerk's mobile terminal via wireless communication.

[0032] The integrated processing unit 67 cooperates with the product data file 61, tracking processing unit 62, personal authentication processing unit 63, product monitoring processing unit 64, behavior monitoring processing unit 65, and voice synthesis unit 66 to perform data processing required for the store system 100. One of the data processing operations is to associate a consumer who has been successfully authenticated by the personal authentication processing unit 63 with a consumer whose movement path is being tracked by the tracking processing unit 62. The integrated processing unit 67 has an association table 69 as a data table used in this processing.

[0033] An example of the data structure of the association table 69 is shown in Fig. 6. As shown in the figure, the association table 69 has an area for storing a consumer's member ID and a tracking ID set for that consumer in association with each other.

[0034] One of the data processing operations executed by the integrated processing unit 67 is to identify the consumer's behavior regarding a product based on the tracking results of the tracking processing unit 62 and the monitoring results of the behavior monitoring processing unit 65. Based on the consumer's behavior identified in this process, the integrated processing unit 67 outputs a purchase notification command or a return notification command to the sales management device 7. The purchase notification command and the return notification command will be made clear in the operation explanation given below.

[0035] The sales management device 7 is equipped with a purchase list 71. The purchase list 71 is created for each consumer. An example of the data structure of the purchase list 71 is shown in FIG. 7. As shown in the figure, the purchase list 71 stores the purchased product data of the consumer in association with the consumer's member ID. The purchased product data includes the following items: product code, product name, unit price, quantity, amount, temporary registration flag, and other member ID. The amount is calculated by multiplying the unit price by the quantity. The purchased product data may include items other than those listed above.

[0036] When the sales management device 7 receives the purchase notification command, it registers the purchased product data in the purchase list 71. When the sales management device 7 receives the return notification command, it corrects the corresponding purchased product data.

[0037] The provisional registration flag is one-bit data for identifying whether the corresponding purchased product data is provisionally registered data. In this embodiment, the provisional registration flag for provisionally registered data is set to "1," and the provisional registration flag for non-provisionally registered data, i.e., permanently registered data, is set to "0." If the corresponding purchased product data is provisionally registered, the member ID of another related consumer is added to the purchase list 71 as the other person's member ID.

[0038] 8 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the shelf control device 6. The shelf control device 6 includes a processor 601, a main memory 602, an auxiliary storage device 603, a clock 604, a communication interface 605, an I / O interface 606, and a system transmission path 607. The processor 601, the main memory 602, the auxiliary storage device 603, the clock 604, the communication interface 605, and the I / O interface 606 are each connected to the system transmission path 607. The system transmission path 607 includes an address bus, a data bus, a control signal line, etc. In the shelf control device 6, the processor 601, the main memory 602, and the auxiliary storage device 603 are connected by the system transmission path 607 to form a computer for controlling the shelf control device 6.

[0039] The processor 601 corresponds to the central part of the computer. The processor 601 controls each part in accordance with an operating system or an application program to realize various functions of the shelf control device 6. The processor 601 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit).

[0040] The main memory 602 corresponds to the main storage portion of the computer. The main memory 602 includes a nonvolatile memory area and a volatile memory area. The main memory 602 stores an operating system or application programs in the nonvolatile memory area. The main memory 602 stores data required for the processor 601 to execute processes for controlling each unit in the volatile memory area. The main memory 602 also uses the volatile memory area as a work area where data is rewritten by the processor 601 as appropriate. The nonvolatile memory area is, for example, ROM (Read Only Memory). The volatile memory area is, for example, RAM (Random Access Memory).

[0041] The auxiliary storage device 603 corresponds to the auxiliary storage portion of the computer. As the auxiliary storage device 603, well-known storage devices such as an EEPROM (registered trademark) (Electric Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), an HDD (Hard Disc Drive), or an SSD (Solid State Drive) may be used singly or in combination. The auxiliary storage device 603 stores data used by the processor 601 when performing various processes and data generated by the processes of the processor 601. The auxiliary storage device 603 may also store application programs.

[0042] The main memory 602 or the auxiliary storage device 603 is used as a storage area for the tracking file 68, the association table 69, and the product data file 61 described above.

[0043] The clock 604 functions as a time information source for the shelf control device 6. The processor 601 keeps track of the current date and time based on the time information kept by the clock 604.

[0044] The communication interface 605 is a circuit for performing data communication with other devices connected via the communication network NW, such as the sales management device 7, the member server 8, and the payment server 9.

[0045] The I / O interface 606 is a circuit for transmitting and receiving data signals between the merchandise monitoring sensor 1, tracking sensors 21 and 22, behavior monitoring sensor 3, personal authentication devices 41 and 42, and speaker 5 described above.

[0046] The shelf control device 6 having such a configuration is provided, for example, on the top or rear surface of the shelf 10. The shelf control device 6 is connected to the communication network NW by wired communication or wireless communication.

[0047] A computer mainly comprising a processor 601 performs data processing in accordance with a control program installed in a main memory 602 or an auxiliary storage device 603, thereby realizing the functions of a tracking processing unit 62, a personal authentication processing unit 63, a merchandise monitoring processing unit 64, a behavior monitoring processing unit 65, a voice synthesis unit 66, and an integration processing unit 67. Next, the main operations of the tracking processing unit 62, the personal authentication processing unit 63, the merchandise monitoring processing unit 64, the behavior monitoring processing unit 65, the voice synthesis unit 66, and the integration processing unit 67 will be explained using the flowcharts shown in Figures 9 to 24. The function of each unit will become clear from these explanations of the operations. Note that the following explanation is an example. As long as similar results are obtained, the procedures, etc. are not particularly limited.

[0048] Incidentally, there is no particular limitation on the method for installing the control program in the main memory 602 or the auxiliary storage device 603. The control program can be recorded on a removable recording medium, or can be distributed by communication via a network and installed in the main memory 602 or the auxiliary storage device 603. The recording medium can be in any form, such as a CD-ROM or memory card, as long as it can store the program and is readable by the device.

[0049] First, the operation of the tracking processing unit 62 will be described with reference to FIG. The tracking processing unit 62 waits for a person to cross the first boundary line 101 and enter the tracking area 111 as ACT101. Incidentally, the person who enters the tracking area 111 may not only be a consumer but also a store employee such as a store clerk. However, for the sake of convenience, the person will be limited to a consumer here. Therefore, hereinafter, the person will be referred to as a consumer.

[0050] When the tracking processing unit 62 detects that a consumer has entered the tracking area 111 based on image data captured by the tracking sensors 21 and 22, it determines YES in ACT 101 and proceeds to ACT 102. The tracking processing unit 62 starts tracking the consumer in ACT 102. Hereinafter, the consumer to be tracked will be referred to as consumer SA.

[0051] In ACT103, the tracking processing unit 62 checks whether the consumer SA has crossed the fourth boundary line 104 and entered the tracking area 111 inside the fourth boundary line 104. If the consumer SA has not entered the tracking area 111 inside the fourth boundary line 104, the tracking processing unit 62 determines NO in ACT103 and proceeds to ACT104. In ACT104, the tracking processing unit 62 checks whether the consumer SA has crossed the first boundary line 101 and exited the tracking area 111. If the consumer SA has not exited the tracking area 111, the tracking processing unit 62 determines NO in ACT104 and returns to ACT103. Here, in ACT103 and ACT104, the tracking processing unit 62 waits for the consumer SA to enter the tracking area 111 inside the fourth boundary line 104 or exit the tracking area 111.

[0052] In the standby state of ACT103 and ACT104, if the consumer SA exits the tracking area 111 without entering the tracking area 111 inside the fourth boundary line 104, the tracking processing unit 62 determines YES in ACT104 and proceeds to ACT105. The tracking processing unit 62 ends tracking of the consumer SA in ACT105. Thus, the tracking processing unit 62 ends the operation of the procedure shown in the flowchart of FIG.

[0053] In the standby state of ACT103 and ACT104, when the consumer SA enters the tracking area 111 inside the fourth boundary line 104, the tracking processing unit 62 determines YES in ACT103 and proceeds to ACT106. The tracking processing unit 62 assigns a unique tracking ID to the consumer SA in ACT106. Then, the tracking processing unit 62 creates a tracking file 68 in which the tracking ID is described in ACT107. At this time, the tracking processing unit 62 sets the monitoring flag to "0". Hereinafter, the tracking file 68 in which the tracking ID of the consumer SA is described will be referred to as a tracking file 680.

[0054] The tracking processing unit 62 acquires the time measured by the clock 604 in ACT 108. The tracking processing unit 62 acquires the current tracking position information of the consumer SA in ACT 109. The tracking processing unit 62 stores the flow line data that associates the time with the tracking position information in the tracking file 680 in ACT 110.

[0055] The tracing processing unit 62 checks the monitoring flag in the tracing file 680 in ACT111. At this point, the monitoring flag is "0". Therefore, the tracing processing unit 62 determines NO in ACT111 and proceeds to ACT112. In ACT112, the tracing processing unit 62 checks whether the consumer SA has crossed the fourth boundary line 104 and exited into the tracing area 111 outside the fourth boundary line 104. If the consumer SA has not exited into the tracing area 111 outside the fourth boundary line 104, the tracing processing unit 62 determines NO in ACT112 and returns to ACT108. The tracing processing unit 62 then executes the processing from ACT108 onwards in the same manner as described above. That is, the tracing processing unit 62 stores flow line data consisting of the time kept by the clock 604 and the tracing position information of the consumer SA at that time in the tracing file 680.

[0056] The tracking processing unit 62 repeatedly executes the process of storing the flow line data in the tracking file 680 until the consumer SA exits into the tracking area 111 outside the fourth boundary line 104. When the consumer SA exits into the tracking area 111 outside the fourth boundary line 104, the tracking processing unit 62 determines YES in ACT112 and proceeds to ACT113. In ACT113, the tracking processing unit 62 changes the monitoring flag in the tracking file 680 to "1". The tracking processing unit 62 then returns to ACT108 and executes the processes from ACT108 onwards again. At this time, the monitoring flag is "1". Therefore, the tracking processing unit 62 determines YES in ACT111 and proceeds to ACT114.

[0057] In ACT 114, the tracking processing unit 62 checks whether the consumer SA has exited the tracking area 111. If the consumer SA has not exited the tracking area 111, the tracking processing unit 62 determines NO in ACT 114 and proceeds to ACT 115. In ACT 115, the tracking processing unit 62 checks whether the consumer SA has crossed the fourth boundary line 104 again and returned to the tracking area 111 inside the fourth boundary line 104. If the consumer SA has not returned to the tracking area 111 inside the fourth boundary line 104, the tracking processing unit 62 determines NO in ACT 115 and returns to ACT 114. Here, the tracking processing unit 62 waits in ACT 114 and ACT 115 for the consumer SA to exit the tracking area 111 or return to the tracking area 111 inside the fourth boundary line 104.

[0058] In the standby state of ACT114 and ACT115, if the consumer SA returns to the tracking area 111 inside the fourth boundary line 104, the tracking processing unit 62 determines YES in ACT115 and proceeds to ACT116. In ACT116, the tracking processing unit 62 changes the monitoring flag in the tracking file 680 to "0". Then, the tracking processing unit 62 returns to the processing of ACT108. Therefore, the tracking processing unit 62 repeatedly executes the processing of ACT108 to ACT112 until the consumer SA again exits the tracking area 111 outside the fourth boundary line 104.

[0059] If the consumer SA exits the tracking area 111 during the standby state of ACT114 and ACT115, the tracking processing unit 62 determines YES in ACT114 and proceeds to ACT117. The tracking processing unit 62 ends tracking of the consumer SA in ACT117. The tracking processing unit 62 outputs an exit notification command to the integrated processing unit 67 in ACT118. The exit notification command includes the member ID of the tracking file 680. Thus, the tracking processing unit 62 ends the operation of the procedure shown in the flowchart of FIG. 9.

[0060] In this way, the tracking processing unit 62 assigns a unique tracking ID to the consumer SA when the consumer SA enters inside the fourth boundary line 104 of the tracking area 111. Then, the tracking processing unit 62 creates a tracking file 680 in which the tracking ID is described.

[0061] The tracking processing unit 62 starts tracking the consumer SA. Then, the tracking processing unit 62 continues tracking until the consumer SA exits the tracking area 111. When the consumer SA exits the tracking area 111, the tracking processing unit 62 ends tracking of the consumer. During this time, the tracking processing unit 62 stores the movement line data of the consumer SA in the tracking file 680. When the consumer SA exits the tracking area 111, the tracking processing unit 62 outputs an exit notification command to the integrated processing unit 67. The operation of the integrated processing unit 67 that has input the exit notification command will be described later with reference to FIG. 19.

[0062] Next, the operation of the personal authentication processing unit 63 will be described with reference to FIG. The personal authentication processing unit 63 waits for the reader of the personal authentication devices 41 and 42 to read data for personal authentication as ACT201.

[0063] Before purchasing a product, the consumer SA must be personally authenticated as a member. To do this, the consumer SA launches a shopping application installed on the user terminal TM. When the shopping application launches, a member ID code is displayed on the display of the user terminal TM. The consumer SA then has the code read by a reader of one of the personal authentication devices 41, 42. Data indicated by the code is then output from the personal authentication devices 41, 42 to the personal authentication processing unit 63. A device ID for identifying the personal authentication devices 41, 42 is added to this data.

[0064] When data is input from the personal authentication devices 41, 42, the personal authentication processing unit 63 determines whether the data represents a member ID code. If the data represents a member ID code, the personal authentication processing unit 63 determines YES in ACT201 and proceeds to ACT202. The personal authentication processing unit 63 acquires the device ID added to the data in ACT202. The personal authentication processing unit 63 acquires the member ID from the data in ACT203. The personal authentication processing unit 63 outputs an authentication notification command to the integrated processing unit 67 in ACT204. The authentication notification command includes the device ID acquired in the processing of ACT202 and the member ID acquired in the processing of ACT203.

[0065] Here, the operation of the integrated processing unit 67 when it receives the authentication notification command will be described with reference to FIG. The integration processing unit 67 acquires the device ID from the authentication notification command as ACT 501. Then, the integration processing unit 67 selects the authentication areas 113, 114 identified from the device ID as ACT 502. For example, if the device ID is that of personal authentication device 41, the integration processing unit 67 selects the authentication area 113. For example, if the device ID is that of personal authentication device 42, the integration processing unit 67 selects the authentication area 114. Here, we will continue to explain the operation of the integration processing unit 67, assuming that the authentication area 113 has been selected as an example.

[0066] The integration processing unit 67 acquires the number of consumers present in the authentication area 113 as ACT503. Specifically, the integration processing unit 67 cooperates with the tracking processing unit 62 to search for tracking files 68 that store flow line data in which the tracking position information corresponding to the time when the authentication notification command was output matches the authentication position information for the authentication area 113. The number of matching tracking files 68 indicates the number of consumers present in the authentication area 113. The authentication position information is a collection of XY plane coordinates within the authentication area 113. The authentication position information for the authentication area 113 and the authentication position information for the authentication area 113 are set in advance in the auxiliary storage device 603.

[0067] The integration processing unit 67 checks whether the number of consumers in the authentication area 113 is one in ACT504. If there is one consumer, that is, if only consumer SA is in the authentication area 113, the integration processing unit 67 determines YES in ACT504 and proceeds to ACT505. The integration processing unit 67 acquires the member ID from the authentication notification command in ACT505. The integration processing unit 67 then sends an authentication request command to the member server 8. The authentication request command includes the member ID acquired in the processing of ACT505, that is, the member ID of consumer SA.

[0068] The member server 8 determines the validity of the member ID. Specifically, the member server 8 searches the member database 81 for the member ID included in the authentication request command. As a result, if the validity flag corresponding to the member ID is "1", the member server 8 determines that the member ID is valid. If the validity flag corresponding to the member ID is "0", the member server 8 determines that the member ID is invalid. The member server 8 returns the validity determination result of the member ID to the integration processing unit 67.

[0069] The integration processing unit 67 checks the validity of the member ID in ACT507. If the member server 8 determines that the member ID is valid, the integration processing unit 67 determines YES in ACT507 and proceeds to ACT508. In ACT508, the integration processing unit 67 acquires a tracking ID from the tracking file 680 of the consumer SA who is in the authentication area 113. That is, the integration processing unit 67 acquires the tracking ID from the tracking file 68 that stores flow line data in which the tracking position information corresponding to the time the authentication notification command was output matches the authentication position information for the authentication area 113. Then, in ACT509, the integration processing unit 67 associates the tracking ID acquired in the processing of ACT508 with the member ID acquired in the processing of ACT505 and stores them in the association table 69.

[0070] The integrated processing unit 67 instructs the sales management device 7 to create a purchase list 71 in ACT510. In response to this instruction, the sales management device 7 creates a purchase list 71 identified by the member ID acquired in the processing of ACT505. Hereinafter, the purchase list 71 identified by the member ID of consumer SA will be referred to as purchase list 711. The integrated processing unit 67 outputs an approval response command as ACT511 to the personal authentication processing unit 63.

[0071] On the other hand, in ACT 504, if there is no consumer in the authentication area 113, or if there are two or more consumers, the integration processing unit 67 determines NO and proceeds to ACT 512. Also, if it is determined in ACT 507 that the consumer is not a valid member, the integration processing unit 67 also determines NO and proceeds to ACT 512. The integration processing unit 67 outputs an error response command to the personal authentication processing unit 63 in ACT 512.

[0072] When the integrated processing unit 67 outputs an approval response command or an error response command to the personal authentication processing unit 63, the operation of the procedure shown in the flowchart of FIG. 13 ends.

[0073] Returning to the explanation of Figure 10. The personal authentication processing unit 63, which has output the authentication notification command in ACT204, waits for a response command from the integrated processing unit 67 in ACT205. If an acceptance response command is input here, the personal authentication processing unit 63 determines YES in ACT205 and proceeds to ACT206. In ACT206, the personal authentication processing unit 63 controls the personal authentication device 41 in the authentication area 113 so that the personal authentication device 41 notifies the user that authentication has been successful. By this control, for example, a message such as "Authentication successful. Please start shopping" is displayed on the display device of the personal authentication device 41.

[0074] On the other hand, if an error response command is input, the personal authentication processing unit 63 determines NO in ACT205 and proceeds to ACT207. In ACT207, the personal authentication processing unit 63 controls the personal authentication device 41 so that the personal authentication device 41 in the authentication area 113 notifies the user that authentication has failed. By this control, for example, a message saying "Authentication has failed" is displayed on the display device of the personal authentication device 41. With this, the personal authentication processing unit 63 ends the operation of the procedure shown in the flowchart of FIG. 10.

[0075] In this way, when consumer SA enters authentication area 113, for example, and has his / her member ID read by the reader of personal authentication device 41, personal authentication processing unit 63 outputs an authentication notification command to integrated processing unit 67. In response to this authentication notification command, integrated processing unit 67 obtains the number of consumers present in authentication area 113. If the number is one, integrated processing unit 67 works with member server 8 to determine the validity of the member ID. If the validity of the member ID is confirmed, integrated processing unit 67 outputs an acceptance response command to personal authentication processing unit 63. Having received the acceptance response command, personal authentication processing unit 63 notifies personal authentication device 41 of successful authentication.

[0076] On the other hand, if the validity of the member ID is not confirmed, the integrated processing unit 67 outputs an error response command to the personal authentication processing unit 63. In response to this error response command, the personal authentication processing unit 63 notifies the personal authentication device 41 that the authentication has failed. Furthermore, if the number of consumers present in authentication area 113 is more than one, integrated processing unit 67 does not determine the validity of the member ID. In this case as well, integrated processing unit 67 outputs an error response command to personal authentication processing unit 63. In response to this error response command, personal authentication processing unit 63 notifies the personal authentication device 41 that authentication has failed.

[0077] For example, if only consumer SA is present in authentication area 113, consumer SA is the only consumer whose member ID can be read by the reader of personal authentication device 41. Therefore, the member ID read by the reader can be associated with the tracking ID assigned to consumer SA. On the other hand, if another consumer SB other than consumer SA is present in authentication area 113, consumer SA is not the only consumer whose member ID can be read by the reader of personal authentication device 41. Consumer SB can also have their member ID read by the reader. Therefore, the integration processing unit 67 does not determine the validity of the member ID if there is more than one consumer in authentication area 113. As a result, the member ID will not be erroneously associated with the tracking ID.

[0078] Consumer SA who has successfully passed personal authentication using their member ID can purchase products A to F displayed on shelf 10. For example, when purchasing product A displayed in section 201 of shelf 10, consumer SA takes product A out of section 201. Hereinafter, such behavior of consumer SA will be referred to as purchasing behavior. Furthermore, when consumer SA decides not to purchase product A that he or she has taken out, consumer SA returns product A to its original section 201. Hereinafter, such behavior of consumer SA will be referred to as return behavior. In response to purchasing behavior or return behavior, the shelf control device 6 can register the purchased product data of the consumer SA in the purchase list 711 by having the product monitoring processing unit 64, behavior monitoring processing unit 65, and integrated processing unit 67 work in cooperation with each other.

[0079] First, the operation of the merchandise monitoring processing unit 64 will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, when purchasing, it is prohibited for a Consumer SA to take out multiple items at the same time. Also, when returning an item, it is prohibited for a Consumer SA to take out the same item or another item without removing the hand that put it back. Incidentally, it is permitted for a Consumer SA to take out and return multiple items of the same item at the same time.

[0080] As ACT301, the product monitoring processing unit 64 waits for a weight change to be detected by the product monitoring sensor 1. For example, when consumer SA purchases product A, the product monitoring sensor 1 in section 201 detects a weight change in the decreasing direction. For example, when consumer SA returns product A, the product monitoring sensor 1 in section 201 detects a weight change in the increasing direction.

[0081] When the merchandise monitoring sensor 1 detects a weight change, the merchandise monitoring processing unit 64 determines YES in ACT 301 and proceeds to ACT 302. In ACT 302, the merchandise monitoring processing unit 64 acquires the sensor number of the merchandise monitoring sensor 1 that detected the weight change. In this case, the merchandise monitoring processing unit 64 acquires the sensor number of the merchandise monitoring sensor 1 installed in section 201, for example, "001."

[0082] In ACT 303, the merchandise monitoring processing unit 64 determines whether a weight change in the direction of decrease or an increase has been detected by the merchandise monitoring sensor 1. If a weight change in the direction of decrease has been detected, the merchandise monitoring processing unit 64 determines YES in ACT 304 and proceeds to ACT 305. In ACT 305, the merchandise monitoring processing unit 64 outputs a decrease notification command to the integrated processing unit 67.

[0083] If an increasing weight change is detected, the merchandise monitoring processing unit 64 determines NO in ACT 304 and proceeds to ACT 306. The merchandise monitoring processing unit 64 outputs an increase notification command to the integrated processing unit 67 in ACT 306.

[0084] The decrease notification command or the increase notification command includes the sensor number acquired in the processing of ACT 302 and the weight change amount calculated in the processing of ACT 303. With this, the merchandise monitoring processing unit 64 ends the operation of the procedure shown in the flowchart of FIG.

[0085] Next, the operation of the behavior monitoring processing unit 65 will be described with reference to FIG. In ACT401, the behavior monitoring processing unit 65 waits for the behavior monitoring sensor 3 to detect the hand of consumer SA. When consumer SA in the purchasing area 112 reaches out for the shelf 10, the hand is detected by the behavior monitoring sensor 3. When the hand is detected, the behavior monitoring processing unit 65 determines YES in ACT401 and proceeds to ACT402. In ACT402, the behavior monitoring processing unit 65 acquires behavior location information of the point where consumer SA's hand was detected. Then, in ACT403, the behavior monitoring processing unit 65 outputs a reaching hand notification command to the integrated processing unit 67. The reaching hand notification command includes the behavior location information acquired in the processing of ACT402.

[0086] The behavior monitoring processing unit 65 waits for the hand of consumer SA to be no longer detected in ACT404. When the behavior monitoring sensor 3 no longer detects the hand of consumer SA, the behavior monitoring processing unit 65 determines YES in ACT404 and proceeds to ACT405. The behavior monitoring processing unit 65 outputs a hand-return notification command to the integrated processing unit 67 in ACT405. The hand-return notification command also includes the behavior position information acquired in the processing of ACT402.

[0087] In this way, when consumer SA reaches out to the shelf 10 to take out product A from section 201, consumer SA's hand is first detected by the behavior monitoring sensor 3. Upon detection of this hand, the behavior monitoring processing unit 65 outputs a reaching-out notification command to the integrated processing unit 67. The reaching-out notification command includes behavior location information that indicates the position where consumer SA's hand was detected.

[0088] Next, when consumer SA picks up just one item A from section 201, a weight change in the direction of a decrease is detected by the item monitoring sensor 1 in section 201. This weight change causes the item monitoring processing unit 64 to output a weight decrease notification command to the integrated processing unit 67. The weight decrease notification command includes the sensor number of the item monitoring sensor 1 that detected the weight change and the amount of weight change. The amount of weight change matches the unit weight of item A. Incidentally, if consumer SA picks up two items A together from section 201, the amount of weight change matches twice the unit weight of item A.

[0089] Thereafter, when consumer SA withdraws his / her hand holding product A from the shelf 10, consumer SA's hand, which had been detected by the behavior monitoring sensor 3, is no longer detected. This non-detection of the hand causes the behavior monitoring processing unit 65 to output a hand-return notification command to the integrated processing unit 67. The hand-return notification command also includes behavior position information indicating the position where consumer SA's hand was detected.

[0090] On the other hand, if consumer SA reaches out his / her hand to the shelf 10 with product A in hand to cancel the purchase of product A, the behavior monitoring processing unit 65 first outputs a reaching out notification command to the integrated processing unit 67.

[0091] Next, when consumer SA returns product A to section 201, the product monitoring sensor 1 in section 201 detects an increase in weight. This weight change causes the product monitoring processing unit 64 to output an increase notification command to the integrated processing unit 67. The increase notification command includes the sensor number of the product monitoring sensor 1 that detected the weight change and the amount of weight change. The amount of weight change matches the unit weight of product A. Incidentally, if consumer SA returns two items of product A to section 201 together, the amount of weight change matches twice the unit weight of product A.

[0092] Thereafter, when the consumer SA withdraws his / her hand from the shelf 10, the behavior monitoring processing unit 65 outputs a hand-return notification command to the integrated processing unit 67.

[0093] In this way, in response to the purchasing behavior of consumer SA, first, a reach notification command is output from the behavior monitoring processing unit 65 to the integrated processing unit 67. Next, a decrease notification command is output from the product monitoring processing unit 64 to the integrated processing unit 67. After that, a return notification command is output from the behavior monitoring processing unit 65 to the integrated processing unit 67.

[0094] If the consumer SA withdraws his / her hand without picking up the product, the decrease notification command is not output. In other words, a reach-out notification command is output, followed by a return-hand notification command.

[0095] On the other hand, in response to the return behavior of consumer SA, first, a reach notification command is output from the behavior monitoring processing unit 65 to the integrated processing unit 67. Next, an increase notification command is output from the product monitoring processing unit 64 to the integrated processing unit 67. After that, a return notification command is output from the behavior monitoring processing unit 65 to the integrated processing unit 67.

[0096] It should be noted that the increase notification command is not output if the consumer SA withdraws his / her hand without returning the product to the shelf 10. In other words, a reach notification command is output, followed by a put back notification command.

[0097] Furthermore, in a purchasing behavior, if consumer SA returns a product to the shelf 10 without retracting the hand that picked it up, various commands are output from the behavior monitoring processing unit 65 and the product monitoring processing unit 64 to the integrated processing unit 67 in the following order: First, the behavior monitoring processing unit 65 outputs a reach notification command to the integrated processing unit 67. Next, the product monitoring processing unit 64 outputs a decrease notification command to the integrated processing unit 67. Next, the product monitoring processing unit 64 outputs an increase notification command to the integrated processing unit 67. After that, the behavior monitoring processing unit 65 outputs a put back notification command to the integrated processing unit 67. Incidentally, if consumer SA returns the product to the same compartment, the sensor numbers included in the decrease notification command and the increase notification command will match. However, if consumer SA returns the product to a different compartment, the sensor numbers included in the decrease notification command and the increase notification command will differ.

[0098] In this way, in response to a consumer's purchasing behavior or returning behavior, a reaching notification command is always output from the behavior monitoring processing unit 65 to the integrated processing unit 67. Therefore, the operation of the integrated processing unit 67 that has input the reaching notification command will be described with reference to FIG.

[0099] The integration processing unit 67 acquires behavioral location information from the hand reaching notification command as ACT 521. Then, the integration processing unit 67 stores the behavioral location information as ACT 522. The behavioral location information is stored in, for example, the main memory 602. The behavioral location information may also be stored in the auxiliary storage device 603.

[0100] The integration processing unit 67 checks in ACT523 whether a decrease notification command has been input. If a decrease notification command has not been input, the integration processing unit 67 determines NO in ACT523 and proceeds to ACT524. The integration processing unit 67 checks in ACT524 whether an increase notification command has been input. If an increase notification command has not been input, the integration processing unit 67 determines NO in ACT524 and proceeds to ACT525. The integration processing unit 67 checks in ACT525 whether a return notification command has been input. If a return notification command has not been input, the integration processing unit 67 returns to ACT523. Here, the integration processing unit 67 waits for a decrease notification command, an increase notification command, or a return notification command to be input in ACT523 to ACT525.

[0101] If a hand-back notification command is input during the standby state of ACT 523 to ACT 525, the integration processing unit 67 determines YES in ACT 525 and proceeds to ACT 526. The integration processing unit 67 clears the action position information in ACT 526. Thus, the integration processing unit 67 ends the operation of the procedure shown in the flowchart of FIG.

[0102] In this way, the integrated processing unit 67 does not execute any special processing if it receives a reach notification command but a return notification command without receiving a decrease notification command or an increase notification command. In other words, if the consumer SA who has made a purchase withdraws his / her hand without picking up the product, or if the consumer SA who has returned the product withdraws his / her hand without returning it, the integrated processing unit 67 does not execute any special processing.

[0103] If a decrease notification command is input in the standby state of ACT523 to ACT525, the integration processing unit 67 judges YES in ACT523 and proceeds to ACT527. The integration processing unit 67 checks whether an increase notification command has been input in ACT527. If an increase notification command has not been input, the integration processing unit 67 judges NO in ACT527 and proceeds to ACT528. The integration processing unit 67 checks whether a return notification command has been input in ACT528. If a return notification command has not been input, the integration processing unit 67 judges NO in ACT528 and returns to ACT527. Here, the integration processing unit 67 waits for an increase notification command or a return notification command to be input in ACT527 and ACT528.

[0104] When an increase notification command is input in the standby state of ACT527 and ACT528, the integration processing unit 67 determines YES in ACT527 and returns to ACT523. That is, the integration processing unit 67 returns to the standby state of ACT523 to ACT525.

[0105] If a return notification command is input during the standby state of ACT527 and ACT528, the integrated processing unit 67 determines YES in ACT528 and proceeds to ACT529. The integrated processing unit 67 executes a purchasing process in ACT529. Details of the purchasing process will be described later. When the purchasing process is completed, the integrated processing unit 67 ends the operation of the procedure shown in the flowchart of FIG.

[0106] In this way, the integrated processing unit 67 executes the purchase process when it inputs the reach notification command, the decrease notification command, and then the return notification command. That is, when the consumer SA performs a purchase, the integrated processing unit 67 executes the purchase process.

[0107] The integrated processing unit 67 does not execute any special processing if it inputs a decrease notification command after inputting a reach notification command, or a return notification command after inputting an increase notification command. In other words, if the consumer SA immediately puts back the product that he or she had once picked up and withdraws his or her hand, the integrated processing unit 67 does not execute any special processing.

[0108] If an increase notification command is input in the standby state of ACT523 to ACT525, the integration processing unit 67 determines YES in ACT524 and proceeds to ACT530. The integration processing unit 67 waits for a return notification command in ACT530. Then, when a return notification command is input, the integration processing unit 67 determines YES in ACT530 and proceeds to ACT531. The integration processing unit 67 executes a return processing in ACT531. Details of the return processing will be described later. When the return processing is completed, the integration processing unit 67 ends the operation of the procedure shown in the flowchart of FIG. 14.

[0109] In this way, the integrated processing unit 67 executes the return processing when it inputs the reach notification command, then the increase notification command, and then the return notification command. That is, when the consumer SA performs the return behavior, the integrated processing unit 67 executes the return processing.

[0110] 15 is a flowchart showing the main steps of the purchasing process. When the integrated processing unit 67 starts the purchasing process, it counts the number of consumers M in the purchasing area 112 as ACT 541. Specifically, the integrated processing unit 67 counts the number of tracking files 68 stored in the tracking processing unit 62 whose tracking position information in the flow line data corresponding to the current time matches the purchasing position information for the purchasing area 112. The number of matching tracking files 68 is the number of consumers M in the purchasing area 112. The purchasing position information is a collection of XY plane coordinates within the purchasing area 112. The purchasing position information for the purchasing area 112 is set in advance in the auxiliary storage device 603.

[0111] In ACT 542, the integrated processing unit 67 checks whether the number M of consumers in the purchasing area 112 is 0. If the number M is 0, there is a possibility that a consumer who has not been able to be tracked by the tracking processing unit 62 has removed an item from the shelf 10. In this case, the integrated processing unit 67 determines YES in ACT 542 and proceeds to ACT 543. In ACT 543, the integrated processing unit 67 outputs audio data indicating a tracking error to the audio synthesis unit 66. As a result, the audio synthesis unit 66 synthesizes audio indicating a tracking error. Then, audio such as "An error has occurred and you are unable to make a purchase" is output from the speaker 5. Then, the integrated processing unit 67 ends the purchasing process.

[0112] If the number M of consumers in the purchasing area 112 is not 0, the integration processing unit 67 determines NO in ACT542 and proceeds to ACT544. In ACT544, the integration processing unit 67 checks whether the number M of consumers in the purchasing area 112 is 1. If there is only one tracking file 68 whose tracking position information in the flow line data corresponding to the current time matches the purchase position information, the number M is 1. Hereinafter, this tracking file 68 will be referred to as the target tracking file 68. For example, if there is only one consumer SA in the purchasing area 112, the tracking file 680 will be the target tracking file 680.

[0113] If the number M of consumers in the purchasing area 112 is 1, the integration processing unit 67 determines YES in ACT 544 and proceeds to ACT 545. In ACT 545, the integration processing unit 67 obtains tracking position information of the flow line data corresponding to the current time from the target tracking file 680.

[0114] In ACT 546, the integration processing unit 67 checks whether or not the consumer SA being tracked by the tracking ID described in the target tracking file 680 is able to make a purchase, based on the tracking location information and the behavioral location information stored in the processing of ACT 522 in FIG. 14. Specifically, the integration processing unit 67 checks whether or not the consumer SA, who is in the location specified by the tracking location information, is able to reach out and take out a product from the location specified by the behavioral location information. If the action of taking out a product is not possible, the integration processing unit 67 determines that the purchase is not possible. The integration processing unit 67 determines NO in ACT 546 and proceeds to ACT 543. The integration processing unit 67 outputs audio data indicating a tracking error to the voice synthesis unit 66 in ACT 543. The integration processing unit 67 then ends the purchase process.

[0115] If purchasing behavior is possible, the integration processing unit 67 determines YES in ACT 546 and proceeds to ACT 547. The integration processing unit 67 acquires a tracking ID from the target tracking file 680 in ACT 547.

[0116] Next, in ACT 548, the integration processing unit 67 searches the association table 69 to check whether the tracking ID is associated with a member ID. If the tracking ID is not associated with a member ID, it is presumed that the purchase was made by a consumer whose member ID is not approved. In this case, the integration processing unit 67 determines NO in ACT 548 and proceeds to ACT 549. In ACT 549, the integration processing unit 67 outputs voice data indicating an authentication error to the voice synthesis unit 66. This causes the voice synthesis unit 66 to synthesize a voice indicating an authentication error. Then, a voice such as "Your member ID has not been authenticated" is output from the speaker 5. Then, the integration processing unit 67 ends the purchase process.

[0117] If a member ID is associated with the tracking ID, the integration processing unit 67 determines YES in ACT 548 and proceeds to ACT 550. The integration processing unit 67 acquires the member ID associated with the tracking ID in ACT 550. The integration processing unit 67 also acquires the sensor number from the decrease notification command in ACT 551. The decrease notification command was received from the merchandise monitoring sensor 1 in ACT 523 of FIG. 14.

[0118] The integration processing unit 67 reads the product data, including the product code, product name, and unit weight, stored together with the sensor number from the product data file 61 as ACT552. The integration processing unit 67 then calculates the number of purchased items as ACT553. Specifically, the integration processing unit 67 obtains the amount of weight change from the decrease notification command. The integration processing unit 67 then divides this amount of weight change by the unit weight. As a result, if the value to one decimal place is "1," it is rounded down, and if it is "9," it is rounded up to calculate the number of purchased items.

[0119] It should be noted that if the value in the first decimal place is between "2" and "8", the number of purchased items cannot be calculated. In this regard, the number of purchased items may be calculated by rounding down when the value in the first decimal place is "1" or "2", and rounding up when the value is "8" or "9". Alternatively, if the weight change amount cannot be divided by the unit weight, the number of purchased items may be calculated as not being able to be calculated. Normally, each product is displayed correctly in its section on the shelf 10. Therefore, since the weight change amount is divisible by the unit weight, the number of purchased items will not be unable to be calculated.

[0120] The integrated processing unit 67 outputs a purchase notification command to the sales management device 7 in ACT 554. The purchase notification command includes the member ID acquired in the processing of ACT 550, the product code, product name and unit price of the product data read in the processing of ACT 552, and the purchase quantity calculated in the processing of ACT 553. The integrated processing unit 67 ends the purchase processing.

[0121] On the other hand, if there are two or more object tracking files 68, that is, if the number M of consumers in the purchasing area 112 is two or more, the integration processing unit 67 determines NO in ACT 544 and proceeds to ACT 555. In ACT 555, the integration processing unit 67 acquires tracking position information of the flow line data corresponding to the current time from all object tracking files 68.

[0122] The integration processing unit 67 counts the number N of consumers who are capable of purchasing behavior based on the tracking location information acquired from the object tracking file 68 in ACT556 and the behavioral location information stored in the processing of ACT522 in Fig. 14. Specifically, the integration processing unit 67 checks for each object tracking file 68 whether a consumer who is in a location specified by the tracking location information can reach out and take out a product from the location specified by the behavioral location information. The integration processing unit 67 then counts the number of object tracking files 68 determined to be capable of taking out a product as the number N of consumers who are capable of purchasing behavior.

[0123] The integration processing unit 67 checks whether the number N of consumers who can make a purchase is 0 in ACT 557. If the number N is 0, the integration processing unit 67 determines YES in ACT 557 and proceeds to ACT 543. The integration processing unit 67 then executes the processing of ACT 543 in the same manner as described above. Then, the integration processing unit 67 ends the purchase processing.

[0124] If the number N of consumers who can make a purchase is not 0, the integration processing unit 67 determines NO in ACT 557 and proceeds to ACT 558. In ACT 558, the integration processing unit 67 checks whether the number N of consumers who can make a purchase is 1. If the number N is 1, it can be determined that this one consumer has made a purchase. The integration processing unit 67 determines YES in ACT 558 and proceeds to ACT 547. The integration processing unit 67 then executes the processing of ACT 547 to ACT 554 in the same manner as described above. The integration processing unit 67 then ends the purchase processing.

[0125] If the number N of consumers capable of purchasing is two or more, the purchaser cannot be identified. The integrated processing unit 67 determines NO in ACT 558 and proceeds to ACT 559. The integrated processing unit 67 outputs audio data of a purchase error to the voice synthesis unit 66 in ACT 559 (notification means). As a result, the voice synthesis unit 66 synthesizes a voice indicating a purchase error. Then, a voice such as "An error has occurred because the purchaser cannot be identified" is output from the speaker 5. Then, the integrated processing unit 67 ends the purchase process.

[0126] In this case, the integrated processing unit 67 does not output a purchase notification command to the sales management device 7. In other words, the integrated processing unit 67 has a notification means for notifying the occurrence of a purchase error without adding the product data to the purchase list when it cannot identify the consumer who made the purchase. Therefore, by not adding product data that does not identify the purchaser to the purchase list, it is possible to prevent inconsistencies between the actual purchased items and the registered purchased items before payment. Not changing the purchase list also improves processing efficiency.

[0127] However, since the consumer still has the product, the error may be reported to the store clerk. For example, the store clerk may output information indicating that the purchaser cannot be identified to the terminal operated by the store clerk. By doing so, an error notification is issued from the terminal, allowing the store clerk to deal with the error appropriately. This can prevent problems such as consumers taking unregistered products.

[0128] In this embodiment, when the number M of consumers in the purchasing area 112 is two or more, the number N of consumers who can make a purchase is calculated. However, when the number M of consumers in the purchasing area 112 is two or more, an error may be reported without adding the product data to the purchase list.

[0129] In this way, the integrated processing unit 67 executes purchase processing for the consumer's purchasing behavior, thereby identifying one consumer in the purchasing area 112 as the purchaser of the product taken out from the shelf 10. The integrated processing unit 67 then transmits to the sales management device 7 a purchase notification command including the member ID of the consumer identified as the purchaser and data on the purchased product.

[0130] Next, the operation of the sales management device 7 that has received the purchase notification command will be described with reference to FIG. The sales management device 7 acquires the member ID from the purchase notification command in ACT701. The sales management device 7 then creates purchased item data in ACT702 based on the item data included in the purchase notification command, that is, the item code, item name, unit price, and purchase quantity. The sales management device 7 then sets the provisional registration flag for the purchased item data to "0" in ACT703. The sales management device 7 then adds the purchased item data to the purchase list 71, which has the member ID acquired in the processing of ACT701 set in it, in ACT704. With this, the sales management device 7 completes the operation of the procedure shown in the flowchart of FIG. 20.

[0131] In this way, the sales management device 7 adds the purchased product data to the purchase list 71, to which the member ID included in the purchase notification command is set, every time the sales management device 7 receives a purchase notification command from the integrated processing unit 67. At this time, the provisional registration flag of the purchased product data is "0".

[0132] Here, the integrated processing unit 67, which executes purchase processing in cooperation with the tracking processing unit 62, the product monitoring processing unit 64, and the behavior monitoring processing unit 65, has the functions of recognition means for recognizing product purchasing behavior by consumers, identification means for identifying the consumer who performed the purchase behavior, and purchase processing means. That is, when the integrated processing unit 67 recognizes product purchasing behavior and identifies the consumer who performed the purchase behavior, it outputs a purchase notification command to the sales management device 7 to add the data of the product to the purchase list of that consumer.

[0133] 16 is a flowchart showing the main steps of the return processing. When the integrated processing unit 67 starts the return processing, it counts the number of consumers M in the purchase area 112 in ACT 561. The integrated processing unit 67 counts the number of consumers M in the purchase area 112 in the same way as the processing in ACT 541 of the purchase processing. However, in this case, the purchase area 112 is the area where the consumer is estimated to be located when returning any of products A to F on the shelf 10. The number of consumers M is the number of consumers in the area where the consumer is estimated to be located when returning the product. Therefore, the process of counting the number of consumers M corresponds to one embodiment of a number of people acquisition means that, when a return behavior is recognized, acquires the number of consumers in the area where the consumer is estimated to be located when returning the product.

[0134] In ACT 562, the integration processing unit 67 checks whether the number M of consumers in the purchasing area 112 is 0. If the number M is 0, the integration processing unit 67 determines YES in ACT 562 and proceeds to ACT 563. In ACT 563, the integration processing unit 67 outputs audio data indicating a tracking error to the audio synthesis unit 66. As a result, the audio synthesis unit 66 synthesizes audio indicating a tracking error. Then, audio such as "An error has occurred and you are unable to make a purchase" is output from the speaker 5. Then, the integration processing unit 67 ends the return processing.

[0135] If the number M of consumers in the purchasing area 112 is not 0, the integration processing unit 67 determines NO in ACT 562 and proceeds to ACT 564. In ACT 564, the integration processing unit 67 checks whether the number M of consumers in the purchasing area 112 is 1.

[0136] If the number M of consumers in the purchasing area 112 is 1, the integration processing unit 67 determines YES in ACT 564 and proceeds to ACT 565. In ACT 565, the integration processing unit 67 acquires tracking position information of the flow line data corresponding to the current time from the target tracking file 68. In ACT 566, the integration processing unit 67 checks whether the consumer tracked with the tracking ID described in the target tracking file 68 is able to return the product, based on the tracking position information and the behavioral position information stored in the processing of ACT 522 in FIG. 14. Specifically, the integration processing unit 67 checks whether the consumer in the location specified by the tracking position information is able to reach out and return the product from the location specified by the behavioral position information. If the behavior of returning the product is not possible, the integration processing unit 67 determines that the return behavior is not possible. In this case, the integration processing unit 67 determines NO in ACT 566 and proceeds to ACT 563. In ACT 563, the integration processing unit 67 outputs audio data indicating a tracking error to the voice synthesis unit 66. The integrated processing unit 67 then completes the return processing.

[0137] If a return action is possible, the integration processing unit 67 determines YES in ACT566 and proceeds to ACT567. The integration processing unit 67 obtains a tracking ID from the target tracking file 68 in ACT567. Then, the integration processing unit 67 searches the association table 69 in ACT568 to confirm whether the tracking ID is associated with a member ID. If the tracking ID is not associated with a member ID, the integration processing unit 67 outputs voice data indicating an authentication error to the voice synthesis unit 66 in ACT569. This causes the voice synthesis unit 66 to synthesize a voice indicating an authentication error. Then, a voice such as "Your member ID has not been authenticated" is output from the speaker 5. Then, the integration processing unit 67 ends the return processing.

[0138] If the tracking ID is associated with a member ID, the integration processing unit 67 determines YES in ACT 568 and proceeds to ACT 570. The integration processing unit 67 executes single-person processing in ACT 570.

[0139] FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing the main steps of the single-person processing. The integration processing unit 67 acquires the member ID associated with the tracking ID in ACT 581. The integration processing unit 67 also acquires the sensor number from the increase notification command in ACT 582. The increase notification command was received from the merchandise monitoring sensor 1 in ACT 524 of FIG.

[0140] The integration processing unit 67 reads the product data, including the product code, product name, and unit weight, stored together with the sensor number from the product data file 61 as ACT 583. Furthermore, the integration processing unit 67 calculates the number of returned items P as ACT 584. Specifically, the integration processing unit 67 obtains the amount of weight change from the increase notification command. The integration processing unit 67 then divides this amount of weight change by the unit weight. As a result, if the value to one decimal place is "1," it is rounded down, and if it is "9," it is rounded up, thereby calculating the number of returned items P.

[0141] It should be noted that if the value in the first decimal place is between "2" and "8", the number of returned items P cannot be calculated. In this regard, the number of returned items P may be calculated by rounding down if the value in the first decimal place is "1" or "2", and rounding up if the value is "8" or "9". Alternatively, if the weight change amount cannot be divided by the unit weight, the number of returned items P may be calculated by rounding down if the value in the first decimal place is "1" or "2", and rounding up if the value is "8" or "9". Alternatively, the number of returned items P may be calculated by rounding down if the weight change amount cannot be divided by the unit weight.

[0142] The integrated processing unit 67 determines whether the number of returned items P was calculated in ACT 585. If the number of returned items P cannot be calculated, it is assumed that the consumer has returned the item to the section containing another item with a different unit weight. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, if item A, which has a unit weight of 500 grams, is returned to section 203 where item C is displayed, the unit weight of item C is 600 grams, so the quotient is 0.83. Similarly, if item A is returned to section 205 where item E is displayed, the unit weight of item E is 800 grams, so the quotient is 0.625. Therefore, in either case, the number of returned items P cannot be calculated.

[0143] If the number of returned items P cannot be calculated, the integration processing unit 67 determines NO in ACT 585 and proceeds to ACT 586. The integration processing unit 67 outputs voice data indicating an incorrect return error to the voice synthesis unit 66 in ACT 586. As a result, the voice synthesis unit 66 synthesizes a voice indicating an incorrect return error. Then, a voice such as "The product is being returned to the wrong place" is output from the speaker 5. Then, the integration processing unit 67 ends the single-item processing.

[0144] If the number of returned items P can be calculated, the integrated processing unit 67 determines YES in ACT585 and proceeds to ACT587. In ACT587, the integrated processing unit 67 outputs a purchase quantity request command to the sales management device 7. The purchase quantity request command includes the member ID acquired in the processing of ACT581 and the product code of the product data acquired in the processing of ACT583.

[0145] Upon receiving the purchase quantity request command, the sales management device 7 detects the purchase quantity Q stored in association with the product code from the purchase list 71 in which the member ID is set, and responds to the integrated processing unit 67. At this time, if the data for the product code is not stored in the purchase list 71, the sales management device 7 responds with "0" as the purchase quantity Q.

[0146] The integration processing unit 67, which has output the purchase quantity request command, waits for the purchase quantity Q to be returned in response in ACT 588. When the purchase quantity Q is returned, the integration processing unit 67 subtracts the returned quantity P from the purchase quantity Q in ACT 589 to calculate the difference value R. The integration processing unit 67 checks whether the difference value R is negative in ACT 590.

[0147] For example, assume that consumer SA has taken out product A from shelf 10 but has not taken out product B. In this case, data on product A (purchased quantity = 1) is stored in consumer SA's purchase list 711, but data on product B is not stored. Now, let's assume that consumer SA mistakenly returns product A to section 202 for product B. In this case, the unit weight of product A and product B is the same, so the number of returned items P is calculated as "1." However, data on product B is not stored in purchase list 711, so the purchased quantity Q is "0." Therefore, the difference value R is "-1." Incidentally, if consumer SA returns product A to section 201, the purchased quantity Q is "1," so the difference value R is "0."

[0148] If the difference value R is negative, the integration processing unit 67 determines YES in ACT 590 and proceeds to ACT 586. The integration processing unit 67 outputs voice data with a return error to the voice synthesis unit 66. Thus, the integration processing unit 67 ends the single-person processing.

[0149] If the difference value R is equal to or greater than "0" or "1", the integration processing unit 67 determines NO in ACT590 and proceeds to ACT591. The integration processing unit 67 outputs a returned goods notification command to the sales management device 7 in ACT591. The returned goods notification command includes the member ID acquired in the processing of ACT581, the product code, product name and unit price of the product data read in the processing of ACT583, and the number of returned items P calculated in the processing of ACT584. Then, the integration processing unit 67 ends the single-person processing.

[0150] In this way, the processing of ACT581, ACT582, ACT583, ACT584, and ACT591 corresponds to a return processing means that, when the number of people is one, identifies the consumer who performed the return behavior and subtracts the data of the returned product from the purchase list of the purchased items of that consumer.

[0151] In the case of single-person processing, it is highly likely that the consumer who returned the product is the consumer who intended to purchase the product. Therefore, it is possible to output a return notification command without checking for mistakes such as returning the product.

[0152] Returning to the explanation of FIG. If the number M of consumers in the purchasing area 112 is two or more, the integration processing unit 67 determines NO in ACT 564 and proceeds to ACT 571. In ACT 571, the integration processing unit 67 acquires tracking position information of the flow line data corresponding to the current time from all of the object tracking files 68. In ACT 572, the integration processing unit 67 counts the number N of consumers who are capable of returning the product based on the tracking position information acquired from the object tracking files 68 and the behavioral position information stored in ACT 522 of Fig. 14 .

[0153] In other words, the number of people N includes both consumers who have returned products and consumers who have not. The number of people N is the number of consumers who are capable of returning products among the consumers in the area where the product is estimated to be returned. Therefore, counting the number of people N is equivalent to obtaining the number of consumers in the area who are capable of returning products.

[0154] In ACT 573, the integration processing unit 67 checks whether the number N of consumers who are capable of returning the product is 0. If the number N is 0, the integration processing unit 67 determines YES in ACT 573 and proceeds to ACT 563. In ACT 563, the integration processing unit 67 outputs audio data of a tracking error to the audio synthesis unit 66. Thus, the integration processing unit 67 ends the return processing.

[0155] If the number N of consumers who can perform return behavior is not 0, the integration processing unit 67 determines NO in ACT573 and proceeds to ACT574. In ACT574, the integration processing unit 67 checks whether the number N of consumers who can perform return behavior is 1. If the number N is 1, that one consumer can be identified as a returner. The integration processing unit 67 determines YES in ACT574 and proceeds to ACT567. The integration processing unit 67 then executes the processing of ACT567 to ACT570 in the same manner as described above.

[0156] If the number N of consumers who can perform return behavior is 2 or more, the returner cannot be identified. The integration processing unit 67 determines NO in ACT 574 and proceeds to ACT 575. The integration processing unit 67 executes multiple person processing in ACT 575.

[0157] FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing the main steps of the multi-person processing. The integration processing unit 67 acquires the sensor number from the return notification command in ACT 601. Then, in ACT 602, the integration processing unit 67 reads the product data, including the product code, product name, and unit weight, stored together with the sensor number from the product data file 61. In ACT 603, the integration processing unit 67 calculates the number of returned items P. The integration processing unit 67 calculates the number of returned items P in the same manner as in ACT 584 for single-person processing.

[0158] The integration processing unit 67 checks whether or not the number of returned items P has been calculated in ACT 604. If the number of returned items P cannot be calculated, the integration processing unit 67 determines NO in ACT 604 and proceeds to ACT 605. The integration processing unit 67 outputs voice data indicating an incorrect return error to the voice synthesis unit 66 in ACT 605. As a result, the voice synthesis unit 66 synthesizes a voice indicating an incorrect return error. Then, a voice such as "The product is being returned to the wrong place" is output from the speaker 5. Then, the integration processing unit 67 ends the multi-user processing.

[0159] If the number of returned items P can be calculated, the integration processing unit 67 determines YES in ACT604 and proceeds to ACT606. In ACT606, the integration processing unit 67 determines one of the N consumers who are capable of returning items in the purchasing area 112 as the returner. For example, the integration processing unit 67 determines the consumer whose tracking location information is closest to the coordinate position specified by the behavioral location information as the returner. In ACT607, the integration processing unit 67 acquires the member ID associated with the tracking ID of the returner.

[0160] The integrated processing unit 67 outputs a purchase quantity request command to the sales management device 7 in ACT608. The purchase quantity request command includes the member ID acquired in the processing of ACT607 and the product code of the product data acquired in the processing of ACT602.

[0161] Upon receiving the purchase quantity request command, the sales management device 7 detects the purchase quantity Q stored in association with the product code from the purchase list 71 in which the member ID is set, as described above, and responds to the integrated processing unit 67.

[0162] The integration processing unit 67 waits for the purchase quantity Q to be returned in ACT609. When the purchase quantity Q is returned, the integration processing unit 67 subtracts the return quantity P from the purchase quantity Q in ACT610 to calculate the difference value R. The integration processing unit 67 checks whether the difference value R is negative in ACT611. If the difference value R is equal to or greater than "0" or "1", the integration processing unit 67 determines NO in ACT611 and proceeds to ACT612. The integration processing unit 67 outputs a return notification command to the sales management device 7 in ACT612. The integration processing unit 67 then ends the multi-person processing.

[0163] In this way, even if there are multiple consumers who are eligible for return, it is possible to resolve inconsistencies between the products actually purchased by the consumer and the products registered in the purchase list as the consumer's purchase items before payment. That is, one of the multiple consumers who are eligible for return is selected as the returner. The return is confirmed to be possible based on the number of purchases and the number of returns of the consumer identified as the returner. A return notification command is output to the sales management device 7 to notify that the number of returns will be subtracted from the number of purchases. By performing this process before payment, the above-mentioned effects are achieved.

[0164] If the difference value R is negative, the integration processing unit 67 determines YES in ACT 611 and proceeds to ACT 613. In ACT 613, the integration processing unit 67 checks whether the number N of consumers who are capable of returning the product is 2. If the number N is 2, the integration processing unit 67 determines YES in ACT 613 and proceeds to ACT 614.

[0165] If the difference value R is negative, the consumer determined to be a returner in the processing of ACT606 is not a returner. Therefore, if there are two potential returners, the other one is determined to be a returner. That is, in ACT614, the integration processing unit 67 acquires the member ID associated with the tracking ID of the other consumer. Then, in ACT615, the integration processing unit 67 outputs a purchase quantity request command to the sales management device 7. The purchase quantity request command includes the member ID acquired in the processing of ACT614 and the product code of the product data acquired in the processing of ACT602.

[0166] Upon receiving the purchase quantity request command, the sales management device 7 detects the purchase quantity Q stored in association with the product code from the purchase list 71 in which the member ID is set, as described above, and responds to the integrated processing unit 67.

[0167] The integration processing unit 67 waits for the purchase quantity Q to be returned in ACT 616. When the purchase quantity Q is returned, the integration processing unit 67 subtracts the return quantity P from the purchase quantity Q in ACT 617 to calculate the difference value R. The integration processing unit 67 checks whether the difference value R is negative in ACT 618. If the difference value R is equal to or greater than "0" or "1", the integration processing unit 67 determines NO in ACT 618 and proceeds to ACT 612. The integration processing unit 67 outputs a return notification command to the sales management device 7 in ACT 612. The integration processing unit 67 then ends the multi-person processing.

[0168] If the difference value R is negative, the integration processing unit 67 determines YES in ACT 618 and proceeds to ACT 605. In ACT 605, the integration processing unit 67 outputs voice data indicating a return error to the voice synthesis unit 66. Thus, the integration processing unit 67 ends the multi-person processing.

[0169] If the number N of consumers who can return the product is 3 or more, the returner cannot be identified. The integrated processing unit 67 determines NO in ACT613 and proceeds to ACT619.

[0170] The integrated processing unit 67 may determine, for a number N of consumers capable of returning goods, consumers one by one as returners, starting with the consumer whose tracking location information is closest to the coordinate location specified by the behavioral location information. For example, the integrated processing unit 67 executes the processes of ACT606 to ACT611 for the relevant consumers. However, if the number N is large, it takes time to process the number N. Therefore, the process of determining one of multiple consumers capable of returning goods as a returner is limited to a predetermined number of times. For example, if the number N exceeds a threshold of two, return registration is provisionally performed for all consumers capable of returning goods.

[0171] The integrated processing unit 67 acquires the member IDs of all consumers who are eligible to return products in ACT 619. Then, the integrated processing unit 67 outputs a temporary return notification command to the sales management device 7 in ACT 620. The temporary return notification command includes all member IDs acquired in the processing of ACT 619, the product code, product name, and unit price of the product data read in the processing of ACT 602, and the number of returned products P calculated in the processing of ACT 603. In this way, the processing of ACT619 and ACT620 corresponds to an abnormality processing means that executes an abnormality processing when there are multiple people.

[0172] The integrated processing unit 67 outputs, as ACT 621, voice data to the voice synthesis unit 66 indicating that the return registration has been provisionally registered. As a result, the voice synthesis unit 66 synthesizes a voice indicating that the return registration has been provisionally registered. Then, a voice such as "The return data has been provisionally registered. Please notify a store clerk" is output from the speaker 5. Then, the integrated processing unit 67 ends the multi-person processing. When the single-person processing or multiple-person processing is completed in this manner, the integrated processing unit 67 ends the returned goods processing.

[0173] In addition to outputting the voice data indicating that provisional registration has been performed in ACT 621, information indicating that provisional registration has been performed may be output to a terminal operated by a store clerk. By doing so, a notification that provisional registration has been performed is issued from the terminal, allowing the store clerk to take appropriate action regarding the provisional registration.

[0174] Furthermore, the abnormality processing in which the returner cannot be identified may be performed in the following situations. For example, it may be performed when it is determined that the number M of consumers in the purchasing area 112 is two or more. That is, all consumers in the purchasing area 112 may be provisionally registered. Alternatively, when it is determined that the number N of consumers in the purchasing area 112 who are capable of returning a product is two or more, all consumers who are capable of returning a product may be provisionally registered without determining one of the N consumers who are capable of returning a product as the returner. In either case, when a return behavior is recognized, it corresponds to performing the abnormality processing when there is more than one consumer in the area where the returner is estimated to be.

[0175] In this way, the integrated processing unit 67 executes return processing for the consumer's return behavior, thereby identifying one consumer in the purchasing area 112 as a returner who has returned products to the shelf 10. The integrated processing unit 67 then checks whether the consumer identified as the returner has purchased the products they have returned to the shelf, i.e., the returned products. If the consumer has purchased the returned products, that is, if the difference value R obtained by subtracting the number of returned products P from the number of purchased products Q is equal to or greater than 0, the integrated processing unit 67 sends a return notification command to the sales management device 7, which includes the member ID of the consumer identified as the returner and data on the returned products.

[0176] On the other hand, if the consumer has not purchased the returned product, that is, if the difference value R obtained by subtracting the number of returned products P from the number of purchased products Q is negative, the integration processing unit 67 notifies an error of wrong return.

[0177] If there are two consumers in the purchasing area 112 and it is determined that the first consumer has not purchased any returned products, the processing unit 67 checks whether the second consumer has purchased any returned products. If the second consumer has purchased any returned products, i.e., if the difference R obtained by subtracting the number of returned products P from the number of purchased products Q is equal to or greater than 0, the integration processing unit 67 sends a return notification command including the member ID of the second consumer and data on the returned products to the sales management device 7.

[0178] On the other hand, if the second consumer also did not purchase the returned product, that is, if the difference value R obtained by subtracting the number of returned products P from the number of purchased products Q is negative, the integration processing unit 67 notifies an error of wrong return.

[0179] If there are three or more consumers in the purchasing area 112, the integrated processing unit 67 transmits to the sales management device 7 a provisional return notification command including the member ID of each consumer and data on the returned product.

[0180] Next, the operation of the sales management device 7 that has received a return notification command or a temporary return notification command will be described with reference to FIGS. 21 is a flowchart showing the operating procedure of the sales management device 7 when it receives a return product notification command. The sales management device 7 acquires the member ID from the return product notification command in ACT711. The sales management device 7 creates returned product data in ACT712 based on the product data included in the return product notification command, that is, the product code, product name, unit price, and number of returned products P. The returned product data is obtained by replacing the number of purchased products in the purchased product data with the number of returned products P.

[0181] In ACT 713, the sales management device 7 selects purchased product data whose product code matches the returned product data from the purchase list 71 in which the member ID acquired in the processing of ACT 701 is set. Then, in ACT 714, the sales management device 7 subtracts the number of returned items P of the returned product data from the number of purchased items of the selected purchased product data. With this, the sales management device 7 ends the operation of the procedure shown in the flowchart of FIG. 21.

[0182] In this way, when the sales management device 7 receives a return product notification command from the integrated processing unit 67, it subtracts the purchased quantity of the purchased product data related to the returned product in the purchase list 71 for which the member ID included in the return product notification command is set by the returned product quantity P. At this time, the provisional registration flag of the purchased product data after subtracting the purchased quantity is "0".

[0183] Figure 22 is a flowchart showing the operating procedure of the sales management device 7 when it receives a provisional registration notification command. The sales management device 7 creates a list of member IDs included in the provisional registration notification command in ACT 721. Hereinafter, this list will be referred to as the member ID list. The sales management device 7 counts the number V of member IDs included in the member ID list in ACT 722. The sales management device 7 also resets the counting counter W to "0" in ACT 723. Next, the sales management device 7 counts up the counting counter W by "1" in ACT 724. Then, the sales management device 7 checks whether the counting counter W has exceeded the number V in ACT 725.

[0184] If the count W does not exceed the number V, the sales management device 7 acquires the Wth member ID from the member ID list as ACT726. The Wth "W" is the value of the count W. The sales management device 7 subtracts the product data included in the temporary return notification command from the purchase list 71 in which the Wth member ID is set as ACT727. Specifically, if the purchase list 71 contains purchased product data for the product code included in the temporary return notification command, the sales management device 7 subtracts the purchased quantity from that purchased product data by the returned quantity P included in the temporary return notification command. If the purchase list 71 does not contain purchased product data for that product code, the sales management device 7 creates purchased product data based on the product code, product name, unit price, and returned quantity P included in the purchase notification command. In this case, the returned quantity P is included in the purchased product data as a negative purchased quantity. The sales management device 7 adds the purchased product data to the purchase list 71.

[0185] The sales management device 7 sets the provisional registration flag of the purchased product data in which the purchased quantity has been subtracted by the returned product quantity P or the purchased product data including a negative purchased quantity to "1" as ACT 728. In addition, the sales management device 7 sets the member ID of another person registered in the member ID list in the other person member ID area of ​​the purchased product data as ACT 729.

[0186] After that, the sales management device 7 returns to the processing of ACT 724. The sales management device 7 counts up the counting counter W by another "1". Then, if it is confirmed that the counting counter W does not exceed several V, the sales management device 7 executes the processing of ACT 726 to ACT 729 again.

[0187] In this way, the sales management device 7 repeatedly executes the processes of ACT724 to ACT729 until the count of the counting counter W exceeds several V. If the count of the counting counter W exceeds several V, the sales management device 7 determines YES in ACT725 and proceeds to ACT730. The sales management device 7 clears the member ID list. With this, the sales management device 7 ends the process of receiving the temporary return notification command.

[0188] In this way, when the sales management device 7 receives the provisional registration notification command from the integrated processing unit 67, the data of the returned products is subtracted from each purchase list 71 in which all member IDs included in the provisional registration notification command are set. The provisional registration flag of the purchased product data from which the data of the returned products has been subtracted is set to "1".

[0189] The integrated processing unit 67, which executes return processing in cooperation with the tracking processing unit 62, product monitoring processing unit 64, and behavior monitoring processing unit 65, functions as a recognition means for recognizing a consumer's product return behavior, an identification means for identifying the consumer who performed the return behavior, a return processing means, and an abnormality processing means. That is, when the integrated processing unit 67 recognizes a product return behavior and identifies the consumer who performed the return behavior, it outputs a return notification command to the sales management device 7 to subtract the product data from the purchase list 71 of that consumer. However, if subtracting the product data from the purchase list 71 causes the data in the purchase list 71 to become abnormal, the integrated processing unit 67 does not output the return notification command. The integrated processing unit 67 executes abnormality processing.

[0190] Specifically, if the difference value R between the number of purchased items Q and the number of returned items P is negative, that is, if the number of purchased items after subtracting the number of returned items P is negative, the data in the purchase list 71 becomes an abnormal value. When the integrated processing unit 67 determines YES in ACT 590 of the single-person processing, it executes the processing of ACT 586. That is, if a second consumer who performed the return behavior cannot be identified other than the first consumer identified by the identification means, the integrated processing unit 67 executes the processing of notifying that the return location is incorrect as an abnormality processing.

[0191] Furthermore, if the integration processing unit 67 determines YES in ACT611 of the multiple consumer processing and then determines YES in ACT613, it executes the processes of ACT614 to ACT618. If the integration processing unit 67 determines NO in ACT618, it executes the process of ACT612. That is, if only one second consumer is identified, the integration processing unit 67 checks whether subtracting the data of the product from the purchase list 71 of that second consumer will result in the data of that purchase list 71 becoming an abnormal value. If the data does not become an abnormal value, the integration processing unit 67 executes the process of subtracting the data of the product from the purchase list of that second consumer as an abnormality processing.

[0192] Furthermore, if the integrated processing unit 67 determines NO in ACT613 of the multiple-person processing, it executes the processes of ACT619 to ACT621. That is, if multiple second consumers are identified, the integrated processing unit 67 cooperates with the sales management device 7 to subtract the data of the relevant product from the purchase list 71 of each second consumer, and executes a process indicating that the data after subtraction is provisional data as an abnormality process.

[0193] Next, the operation of the integrated processing unit 67 when an exit notification command is input will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The integration processing unit 67 acquires a tracking ID from the exit notification command in ACT 631. In ACT 632, the integration processing unit 67 searches the association table 69 to check whether a member ID is associated with the tracking ID. If a member ID is not associated, the consumer managed by the tracking ID is a consumer who left the store without undergoing personal authentication. Therefore, the integration processing unit 67 determines NO in ACT 632 and ends this process.

[0194] If a member ID is associated with the tracking ID, the integration processing unit 67 determines YES in ACT 632 and proceeds to ACT 633. The integration processing unit 67 acquires the member ID associated with the tracking ID in ACT 633. Then, the integration processing unit 67 requests the sales management device 7 to confirm the purchase list 71 in which the member ID is set in ACT 634.

[0195] In response to this confirmation request, the sales management device 7 checks whether or not purchased product data with the provisional registration flag set to "1" exists in the purchase list 71 to which the member ID is set. Hereinafter, purchased product data with the provisional registration flag set to "1" will be referred to as provisional purchased product data. The sales management device 7 then responds with the confirmation result to the integrated processing unit 67.

[0196] The integration processing unit 67 determines whether or not temporary purchase product data exists in the purchase list 71 in which the member ID is set in ACT635. If temporary purchase product data does not exist, the integration processing unit 67 determines NO in ACT635 and proceeds to ACT636. The integration processing unit 67 outputs a payment permission notification command to the sales management device 7 in ACT636. The payment permission notification command includes the member ID acquired in the processing of ACT633.

[0197] On the other hand, if temporary purchase product data exists, the integration processing unit 67 determines YES in ACT635 and proceeds to ACT637. The integration processing unit 67 outputs a payment confirmation notification command to the sales management device 7 in ACT637. The payment confirmation notification command includes the member ID acquired in the processing of ACT633. When the integrated processing unit 67 outputs the payment permission notification command or the payment confirmation notification command, the operation of the procedure shown in the flowchart of FIG. 19 ends.

[0198] In this way, when the integrated processing unit 67 receives an exit notification command, it determines that a payment instruction has been made. The integrated processing unit 67 then outputs a payment permission notification to the sales management device 7 for consumers whose purchase list 71 does not contain purchased product data with a provisional registration flag of "1". In response to this, the integrated processing unit 67 outputs a payment confirmation notification to the sales management device 7 for consumers whose purchase list 71 contains purchased product data with a provisional registration flag of "1".

[0199] 23 is a flow chart showing the operation of the sales management device 7 that has received the payment permission notification command. The sales management device 7 acquires the member ID from the payment permission notification command as ACT 741. The sales management device 7 selects the purchase list 71 in which the member ID is set as ACT 742. The sales management device 7 also requests, from the member server 8, information related to the payment registered by the consumer identified by the member ID as ACT 743.

[0200] In response to this request, the member server 8 searches the member database 81 to obtain the payment-related information registered by the consumer, and returns this information to the sales management device 7. The sales management device 7 waits for a response containing information related to the payment in ACT 744. When the member server 8 responds with information related to the payment, the sales management device 7 determines YES in ACT 744 and proceeds to ACT 745. In ACT 745, the sales management device 7 outputs the purchased product data registered in the purchase list 71 along with the information related to the payment to the payment server 9, and requests payment. In response to this request, the payment server 9 executes payment processing. For example, if the information related to the payment is information related to credit card payment, credit card payment processing is executed. For example, if the information related to the payment is information required for electronic payment using a barcode, two-dimensional code, or the like, electronic payment processing is executed. With this, the sales management device 7 ends processing for the payment permission notification command.

[0201] 24 is a flow chart showing the operation of the sales management device 7 that has received a payment confirmation notification command. The sales management device 7 acquires the member ID from the payment confirmation notification command as ACT 751. The sales management device 7 selects the purchase list 71 in which the member ID is set as ACT 752. The sales management device 7 also requests information related to the user terminal TM of the consumer identified by the member ID from the member server 8 as ACT 753.

[0202] In response to this request, the member server 8 searches the member database 81 to obtain the terminal information registered by the consumer, and returns the information to the sales management device 7. The sales management device 7 waits for a response of terminal information in ACT 754. When the member server 8 responds with the terminal information, the sales management device 7 determines YES in ACT 754 and proceeds to ACT 755. In ACT 755, the sales management device 7 communicates with the user terminal TM identified by the terminal information and requests confirmation of the purchase quantity of the provisionally purchased product data.

[0203] In response to this confirmation request, the touch panel of the user terminal TM displays the product name and purchase quantity of the provisionally purchased product data. The consumer checks whether or not they have purchased the displayed number of products. If they have purchased the purchased number, the consumer performs an operation to notify the sales management device 7 that the purchased quantity is correct. If they have not purchased the displayed product or if the purchased quantity is incorrect, the consumer corrects the purchased quantity. In other words, if they have not purchased the product, the consumer sets the purchased quantity to "0". If the purchased quantity is incorrect, the consumer corrects it to the correct number.

[0204] In ACT 756, the sales management device 7 waits for a notification that the purchased quantity is correct or for the purchased quantity to be corrected. If the purchased quantity has been corrected, the sales management device 7 determines NO in ACT 756 and proceeds to ACT 757. The sales management device 7 corrects the purchase list 71 in ACT 757. Specifically, the sales management device 7 changes the purchased quantity of the corresponding purchased product data to the corrected quantity and sets the provisional registration flag to "0". Thereafter, the sales management device 7 proceeds to the processing of ACT 743 in Figure 23. The sales management device 7 then executes the processing of ACT 743 to ACT 745 in the same manner as described above.

[0205] If a notification is received that the purchased quantity is correct, the sales management device 7 determines YES in ACT756 and proceeds to ACT758. The sales management device 7 sets the provisional registration flag of the corresponding purchased product data to "0" in ACT758. The sales management device 7 also acquires the other person's member ID of the corresponding purchased product data in ACT759. Then, the sales management device 7 corrects the purchase list 71 in which the other person's member ID has been set in ACT760. Specifically, the sales management device 7 returns the purchased product data registered in the other person's purchase list 71 with the provisional registration flag set to "1" to the state before the provisional registration flag was set to "1". Then, the sales management device 7 sets the provisional registration flag to "0". Thereafter, the sales management device 7 proceeds to the processing of ACT743 in FIG. 23. The sales management device 7 then executes the processing of ACT743 to ACT745 in the same manner as described above.

[0206] Here, the integrated processing unit 67 functions as a payment control means in cooperation with the sales management device 7. That is, in response to a payment instruction, the integrated processing unit 67 checks with the sales management device 7 whether or not temporary purchase product data exists in the consumer's purchase list 71. If data indicated to be temporary data, that is, temporary purchase product data, does not exist, the integrated processing unit 67 outputs a payment permission notice to the sales management device 7. As a result, the purchase list data is sent from the sales management device 7 to the payment server 9, and payment processing is executed.

[0207] On the other hand, if temporary purchase product data exists, the integrated processing unit 67 outputs a payment confirmation notice to the sales management device 7. As a result, the sales management device 7 executes a process to have the consumer confirm the purchase quantity of the temporary purchase product data. Then, once confirmation of the purchase quantity is completed, the sales management device 7 transmits the purchase list data to the payment server 9, and payment processing is executed.

[0208] This concludes the explanation of the operation of the store system 100. The store system 100 of this embodiment can provide the following advantageous effects. First, suppose that when consumer SA returns product A to the shelf 10, he or she mistakenly returns it to the section 203 of product C, which has a different unit weight. In this case, the integrated processing unit 67 determines NO in ACT 585 of the single-person processing shown in FIG. 17. Alternatively, it determines NO in ACT 604 of the multiple-person processing shown in FIG. 18. As a result, a voice such as "You are returning the product to the wrong place" is output from the speaker 5. Therefore, the mistake of returning a product to a section of another product with a different unit weight can be easily discovered.

[0209] Next, suppose that consumer SA returns product A to section 202 for product B, which has the same unit weight. In this case, the process is divided depending on the number of consumers who are able to return the product within the purchasing area 112. If the number of consumers is one, the integrated processing unit 67 executes ACT587 to ACT590 of the single-person process shown in FIG. 17. Here, if we assume that consumer SA did not purchase product B, the difference value R calculated in ACT589 will be negative. As a result, the integrated processing unit 67 determines YES in ACT590, and outputs a voice message from the speaker 5 saying, for example, "The product is being returned to the wrong section." Therefore, it is easy to discover the mistake of returning a product to a section for another product with the same unit weight.

[0210] On the other hand, if consumer SB is present in addition to consumer SA as a consumer who is capable of returning the product, the integrated processing unit 67 executes ACT606 to ACT618 of the multiple person processing shown in Fig. 18. Here, assuming that neither consumer SA nor consumer SB purchased product B, the difference value R calculated in ACT610 and ACT618 will be negative. As a result, the integrated processing unit 67 determines YES in ACT618, and outputs a voice message from the speaker 5 saying, for example, "The product is being returned to the wrong place." Therefore, it is easy to discover the mistake of returning a product to a section containing another product with the same unit weight.

[0211] Next, assume that there are consumers SA and SB who are capable of returning a product, and that consumer SB returns product B to section 202. In this case, if consumer SA is closer to section 202 than consumer SB, the integrated processing unit 67 first identifies consumer SA as the returner in ACT606 of the multiple person processing. Here, assuming that consumer SA did not purchase product B, the integrated processing unit 67 determines YES in ACT611 of the multiple person processing, also determines YES in ACT613, and proceeds to ACT614. In ACT614, consumer SB is identified as the returner. As a result, a NO determination is made in ACT618, and a return notification command is output to the sales management device 7. Thus, the purchased product data for product B is reduced by the number of returned items from consumer SB's purchase list 712.

[0212] Next, assume that consumers SA, SB, and SC are consumers who are capable of returning goods, and that consumer SB returns product B, which he or she purchased only once, to section 202. In this case, if consumer SA is closest to section 202, the integrated processing unit 67 first identifies consumer SA as the returner in ACT606 of the multiple person processing. Here, if it is assumed that consumer SA did not purchase product B, the integrated processing unit 67 determines YES in ACT611 of the multiple person processing and NO in ACT613, and executes the processes of ACT619 to ACT621. As a result, purchased product data in which the purchased quantity of product B is set to "-1" is provisionally registered in consumer SA's purchase list 711. Furthermore, purchased product data in which the purchased quantity of product B is set to "0" is provisionally registered in consumer SB's purchase list 712. Furthermore, if it is assumed that consumer SC purchased two units of product B, purchased product data in which the purchased quantity of product B is set to "1" is provisionally registered in consumer SC's purchase list 713.

[0213] After that, for example, suppose that consumer SA leaves tracking area 111 first. Then, a screen is displayed on consumer SA's user terminal TM, asking whether the number of purchased items of product B is "-1". In this case, since the actual number of purchased items is "0", consumer SA corrects the number of purchased items to "0". The payment server 9 executes payment processing based on the data in purchase list 711 with the corrected number of purchased items.

[0214] Next, suppose that consumer SB leaves the tracking area 111. Then, a screen is displayed on consumer SB's user terminal TM, asking whether the number of purchased units of product B is "0". In this case, since the actual number of purchased units is "0", consumer SB does not correct the number of purchased units. The payment server 9 executes the payment process based on the data in the purchase list 712. At this time, the number of purchased units in the purchased product data of product B stored in consumer SC's purchase list 713 is changed back from "1" to "2". The provisional registration flag for this purchased product data then becomes "0". Therefore, if consumer SC subsequently leaves the tracking area 111, the payment server 9 executes the payment process based on the data in the purchase list 713.

[0215] As described above in detail, this embodiment makes it possible to easily detect the mistake of returning a product to a section for another product. It also makes it possible to subtract the number of returned items from the purchase list of a consumer who has returned a product. It is also possible to determine whether the return process has been completed from the purchase list data. It also makes it possible to prevent payments using a purchase list that includes temporary data. Furthermore, if the purchaser cannot be identified, the purchase list is not changed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent inconsistencies between the actual purchased items and the purchased items in the purchase list before payment. It also makes it possible to prevent inconsistencies in the purchase list data that accompany product returns. If it is difficult to identify the returner, it is also possible to prevent inconsistencies in the purchase list data that accompany product returns. It is also possible to narrow down the number of consumers who have returned a product. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate inconsistencies between the products actually purchased by a consumer and the products registered as the consumer's purchased items.

[0216] A modification of this embodiment will now be described. The tracking processing unit 62 analyzes the image data captured from the tracking sensors 21 and 22 to track the movement of consumers within the tracking area 111. The tracking processing unit 62 may track the movement of consumers based on information from a receiver that receives a beacon transmitted from a transmitter carried by the consumer.

[0217] The personal authentication processing unit 63 may authenticate the consumer by biometric authentication. In this case, the personal authentication devices 41 and 42 are devices that read biometric information such as face, iris, and fingerprint.

[0218] The product monitoring processing unit 64 may monitor the movement of products from images captured by a camera. In this case, it is possible to detect that a product has been returned to the wrong location based on the similarity between the product image captured by the camera and a preset product image. The merchandise monitoring sensor 1 may detect an increase or decrease in the quantity of merchandise on display. In this case, when the quantity data from the merchandise monitoring sensor 1 decreases, the merchandise monitoring processing unit 64 recognizes that a merchandise has been removed from the section where the merchandise monitoring sensor 1 is installed. When the quantity data from the merchandise monitoring sensor 1 increases, the merchandise monitoring processing unit 64 recognizes that a merchandise has been placed in the section where the merchandise monitoring sensor 1 is installed.

[0219] An image processing unit may be used instead of the voice synthesis unit 66, and notification may be made by displaying an image. Alternatively, notification may be made by using both voice and image.

[0220] In this embodiment, the integrated processing unit 67 executes the processing steps shown in the flowchart of Fig. 19 in response to an exit notification command. In this regard, when the integrated processing unit 67 receives a payment notification command including a member ID from a POS terminal connected to the communication network, it may execute the processing from ACT632 onwards in Fig. 19.

[0221] In this embodiment, a shelf control device 6 is exemplified as a data processing device. The data processing device is not limited to the shelf control device 6 having the configuration shown in FIG. 3. For example, the data processing device may be configured by connecting a first computer device including a tracking processing unit 62, a personal authentication processing unit 63, a product monitoring processing unit 64, and a behavior monitoring processing unit 65 with a second computer device including an integrated processing unit 67 and a voice synthesis unit 66 via a communications network. Alternatively, the first computer device may be further subdivided, or the voice synthesis unit 66 may be excluded from the second computer device.

[0222] Furthermore, the shelf control device 6 recognizes purchasing behavior and return behavior regarding products displayed on the shelf 10. From the perspective of product hygiene, the shelf 10 may be divided into shelves that display products exclusively for purchase and shelves that display products exclusively for return. In this case, the shelf control device that displays products exclusively for purchase has functions related to purchases. On the other hand, the shelf control device (data processing device) that displays products exclusively for return has functions related to returns. The configuration of the shelf that displays products exclusively for return may be the same as the configuration of the shelf 10 described in this embodiment, and may be placed, for example, inside the fourth boundary line 104, next to the shelf that displays products exclusively for purchase.

[0223] Although several 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 embodied 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 within the scope of the invention and the scope of the inventions and their equivalents as defined in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0224] 1...product monitoring sensor, 21, 22...tracking sensor, 3...behavior monitoring sensor, 41, 42...personal authentication device, 5...speaker, 6...shelf control device, 7...sales management device, 8...member server, 9...payment server, 10...shelf, 61...product data file, 62...tracking processing unit, 63...personal authentication processing unit, 64...product monitoring processing unit, 65...behavior monitoring processing unit, 66...voice synthesis unit, 67...integration processing unit, 68...tracking file, 69...association table, 71...purchase list, 81...member database, 100...store system.

Claims

1. A recognition means for recognizing a consumer's product purchasing behavior or return behavior; A means for identifying a consumer who has performed the purchasing behavior or the returning behavior; a purchase processing means for adding data of the product to a purchase list of the consumer identified by the identification means as having engaged in the purchasing behavior of the product when the purchasing behavior of the product is recognized by the recognition means; a return processing means for, when the recognition means recognizes a return behavior of a product, deducting data of the product from a purchase list of the consumer identified by the identification means as having performed the return behavior; an abnormality processing means for executing an abnormality processing when the data of the purchase list becomes an abnormal value due to subtraction of the data of the product from the purchase list; A data processing device comprising:

2. 2. The data processing device according to claim 1, wherein the abnormality processing means executes a process of notifying an incorrect return location as an abnormality processing when a second consumer who has performed a return behavior other than the first consumer identified by the identification means is not identified.

3. 3. A data processing device as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein, when a second consumer who has performed return behavior other than the first consumer identified by the identification means is identified, the abnormality processing means checks whether subtracting the data of the product from the purchasing list of the second consumer will cause the data of the purchasing list to become an abnormal value, and if the data is not an abnormal value, executes a process of subtracting the data of the product from the purchasing list of the second consumer as abnormality processing.

4. The data processing device according to claim 3, wherein when multiple second consumers who have performed return behavior other than the first consumer identified by the identification means are identified, the abnormality processing means subtracts the data of the relevant product from the purchasing list of each second consumer and executes a process indicating that the data after subtraction is provisional data as abnormality processing.

5. a payment control means for checking whether or not the data indicated as provisional data exists in the consumer's purchase list in response to a payment instruction, and allowing the payment if the data does not exist; 5. The data processing apparatus of claim 4, further comprising:

6. a notification means for notifying the occurrence of a purchase error without adding the data of the product to a purchase list when the identification means is unable to identify the consumer who made the purchase; The data processing apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

7. A recognition means for recognizing a product return behavior by a consumer; A means for identifying a consumer who has performed the return behavior; a return processing means for subtracting data of the returned product from the purchase list of the consumer identified by the identification means when the recognition means recognizes a product return behavior; an abnormality processing means for executing an abnormality processing when the data of the purchase list becomes an abnormal value as a result of subtracting the data of the product from the purchase list; A data processing device comprising:

8. A recognition means for recognizing a product return behavior by a consumer; A means for identifying a consumer who has performed the return behavior; a number-of-people acquisition means for acquiring the number of consumers in an area in which the consumer is estimated to be located when returning the product when the recognition means recognizes a return behavior; A return processing means for identifying the consumer who performed the return behavior by the identification means when the number of the consumers is one, and subtracting the data of the returned product from the purchase list of the consumer; and an abnormality processing means for executing an abnormality process when the number of the consumers is two or more. A data processing device comprising:

9. 9. The data processing device according to claim 8, wherein said number-of-consumers acquiring means acquires the number of consumers in said area who are capable of returning the product.

10. A computer as a data processing device A recognition means for recognizing a consumer's purchase or return behavior; A means for identifying a consumer who has performed the purchasing behavior or return behavior; a purchase processing means for adding data of the product to a purchase list of the consumer identified by the identification means as having engaged in the purchasing behavior of the product when the purchasing behavior of the product is recognized by the recognition means; a return processing means for, when the recognition means recognizes a return behavior of a product, deducting data of the product from a purchase list of the consumer identified by the identification means as having performed the return behavior; and an abnormality processing means for executing an abnormality processing when the data of the purchase list becomes an abnormal value as a result of subtracting the data of the product from the purchase list; A control program that functions as a

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