Information service system and food product

Abstract

To increase consumer trust in food and ensure consumers can select food with peace of mind.SOLUTION: A food product includes food 1 and identification information 4, and the identification information 4 allows access to a website that provides quality information corresponding to a production area and production time of the food 1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information provision system and a food product, and more particularly to an information provision system and a food product that enable consumers to select products with peace of mind. [Background technology]

[0002] Traditionally, consumers have focused on the safety of products, especially food, and when selecting a product, they have come to be interested in the product itself and what its ingredients are.

[0003] Therefore, product providers provide their products by recording information about the products they offer, such as the ingredients and origin of the product's raw materials, and the date of manufacture, on labels affixed to the product's packaging or by recording it on an IC tag.

[0004] However, simply providing written or recorded information attached to products makes it easy to tamper with or falsify that information, and in fact, falsification and falsification of information has actually been done, resulting in low trust among consumers and making it difficult for them to select products with confidence.

[0005] Therefore, the inventors of the present invention have proposed a technology in which, rather than simply attaching written or recorded information to food, a sample of raw material powder made from the food's ingredients is attached to the food (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2009-5656 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] The quality of various products, including food, is strongly influenced by various factors during the process of providing the product to the consumer.

[0008] Therefore, although food ingredient powder samples are a factor in obtaining information about the quality of food, they are only one factor, and the technology described in Patent Document 1, in which food is provided with ingredient powder samples attached, may not be sufficient to achieve the goal of allowing consumers to select products with confidence.

[0009] The present invention has been devised in consideration of the above points, and aims to provide an information provision system and food products that allow consumers to select products with greater peace of mind. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to achieve the above-mentioned objective, the information provision system of the present invention is an information provision system that outputs information useful for understanding the quality of a specified food in response to a request from a consumer's terminal, and comprises: a production information recording means for recording production information, which is at least one of the production place and production time of the food; a quality information search means for searching for information useful for understanding the quality of the food based on information for identifying the food and the production information recorded in the production information recording means, on the condition that a request for output of information useful for understanding the quality of the food is received from the consumer's terminal; and an information output means for outputting the information useful for understanding the quality of the food searched by the quality information search means to the consumer's terminal.

[0011] In addition, the information provision system of the present invention is an information provision system that outputs information useful for understanding the quality of a specified food in response to a request from a consumer's terminal, and comprises: a production information recording means for recording production information, which is at least one of the production place and production time of the food; a search signal output means for outputting a search signal to a specified quality information search means for searching for information useful for understanding the quality of the food based on information for identifying the food and the production information recorded in the production information recording means, on the condition that a request for output of information useful for understanding the quality of the food is received from the consumer's terminal; and an information output means for outputting the information useful for understanding the quality of the food searched by the quality information search means to the consumer's terminal.

[0012] Furthermore, the information providing system of the present invention is an information providing system that outputs information useful for understanding the quality of a specified food in response to a request from a consumer's terminal, and comprises: a production information recording means for recording production information, which is at least one of the production place and production time of the food; a quality information generating means for generating information useful for understanding the quality of the food based on information for identifying the food and the production information recorded in the production information recording means, on the condition that a request for output of information useful for understanding the quality of the food is received from the consumer's terminal; and an information output means for outputting the information useful for understanding the quality of the food generated by the quality information generating means to the consumer's terminal.

[0013] In addition, the information providing system of the present invention is an information providing system that outputs information useful for understanding the quality of a specified food in response to a request from a consumer's terminal, and comprises: a production information recording means for recording production information, which is at least one of the production place and production time of the food; a generation signal output means for outputting a generation signal to a specified quality information generation means for generating information useful for understanding the quality of the food based on information for identifying the food and the production information recorded in the production information recording means, on the condition that a request for output of information useful for understanding the quality of the food is received from the consumer's terminal; and an information output means for outputting the information useful for understanding the quality of the food generated by the quality information generation means to the consumer's terminal.

[0014] It is known from experience that food quality is affected by the "place of production" and "time of production." Therefore, it is important to provide consumers with "information that helps them understand food quality" according to the "place of production" and "time of production."

[0015] For example, if a substance (contaminant) that adversely affects food quality leaks into the Fukuoka region in October 2022, the "information that is useful for understanding food quality" will be different if the food was produced far away from the Fukuoka region or if it was produced up to September 2022, compared to if it was produced in the Fukuoka region or surrounding areas after October 2022.

[0016] Therefore, the information provision system of the present invention is configured to search for and generate "information useful for understanding the quality of food" based on the production information recorded in the production information recording means, and output "information useful for understanding the quality of food" according to the "production area of ​​the food" and "production time of the food."

[0017] Furthermore, by outputting "information useful for understanding food quality" according to "the place of production" and "the time of production," the quality of the food can be adequately communicated to consumers, allowing them to make food selections with even greater peace of mind.

[0018] In addition, information that may affect food quality (including both "information that has a positive impact" and "information that has a negative impact") cannot always be known in advance (and therefore it is difficult to record it in the information system in advance), so it is important to take into account the information that is available at the time of outputting the information from the information system (e.g., the latest available information).

[0019] Therefore, in the information provision system of the present invention, rather than outputting information that has been recorded in advance in the information provision system, a configuration is adopted in which, on the condition that a request for the output of "information useful for understanding food quality" is accepted (i.e., at the time when a request for the output of "information useful for understanding food quality" is accepted), the information provision system searches for and generates "information useful for understanding food quality" based on the "producing area of ​​the food" and "producing time of the food".

[0020] Here, if the information providing system is equipped with a "quality information search means" for searching for information useful for understanding food quality, even if the "information useful for understanding food quality" is not recorded within the information providing system, the "information useful for understanding food quality" can be exchanged with the outside (outside the information providing system) and output from the information output means to the consumer's terminal.

[0021] Similarly, if the information provision system is equipped with a "search signal output means" that outputs a search signal to a specified quality information search means for searching for information useful for understanding food quality, even if the "information useful for understanding food quality" is not recorded within the information provision system, the information provision system can cooperate with an external quality information search means and exchange "information useful for understanding food quality" with the outside (outside the information provision system), thereby outputting "information useful for understanding food quality" from the information output means to a consumer's terminal.

[0022] Here, when the quality information search means searches for "information useful for understanding food quality" recorded in an external information recording means separate from the information provision system (for example, when searching a recording means that records only "information useful for understanding food quality"), since the search targets are limited, a quick search can be achieved and "information useful for understanding food quality" can be smoothly searched for.

[0023] In addition, when the quality information search means searches for "information useful for understanding food quality" published on the Internet, it can search through a huge amount of information, including the latest "information useful for understanding food quality," and it is expected that consumers will be able to find "information useful for understanding food quality" that meets their needs.

[0024] Furthermore, when the quality information search means searches for "information useful for understanding food quality" recorded in the Internet information recording means which records information that has been published on the Internet, the search targets only information recorded in the Internet information recording means, which is less in terms of the amount of information searched compared to when the search targets information useful for understanding food quality published on the Internet (information published on the Internet, not limited to information recorded in the Internet information recording means). However, by creating a search index, search results can be obtained more quickly.

[0025] In addition, if the information providing system is equipped with a "quality information generation means" that generates information useful for understanding food quality, even if the "information useful for understanding food quality" is not recorded within the information providing system or externally (outside the information providing system), the "information useful for understanding food quality" can be generated and the "information useful for understanding food quality" can be output from the information output means to the consumer's terminal.

[0026] Similarly, if the information providing system is equipped with a "generation signal output means" that outputs a generation signal to a specified quality information generation means to generate information useful for understanding food quality, even if the "information useful for understanding food quality" is not recorded within the information providing system or externally (outside the information providing system), the information providing system can generate "information useful for understanding food quality" in cooperation with an external quality information generation means, and can output "information useful for understanding food quality" from the information output means to a consumer's terminal.

[0027] In addition, if a "basic quality information recording means" is provided for recording basic information useful for understanding food quality, and the quality information generating means generates "information useful for understanding food quality" based on "information for identifying food", "production information" recorded in the production information recording means, and "basic information useful for understanding food quality" recorded in the basic quality information recording means, the quality of the food can be communicated to consumers more fully. In other words, "information that is known in advance (information that is useful for understanding food quality)" is recorded as "basic information that is useful for understanding food quality," and the quality information generation means can generate "information that is useful for understanding food quality" based not only on the "place of origin of the food" and "time of production of the food," but also on the "information that is known in advance (information that is useful for understanding food quality)," so that the quality of the food can be communicated to consumers more fully.

[0028] Similarly, if a "basic quality information recording means" is provided for recording basic information useful for understanding food quality, and a quality information search means searches for "information useful for understanding food quality" based on "information for identifying food," "production information" recorded in the production information recording means, and "basic information useful for understanding food quality" recorded in the basic quality information recording means, the quality of the food can be communicated to consumers more fully. In other words, "information that is known in advance (information that is useful for understanding food quality)" is recorded as "basic information that is useful for understanding food quality," and the quality information search means can search for "information that is useful for understanding food quality" based not only on the "place of origin of the food" and "time of production of the food," but also on the "information that is known in advance (information that is useful for understanding food quality)," so that food quality can be communicated to consumers more fully.

[0029] In addition, if a "basic quality information recording means" is provided for recording basic information useful for understanding the quality of food, and the generation signal output means outputs a generation signal for generating "information useful for understanding the quality of food" based on the "information for identifying the food", the "production information" recorded in the production information recording means, and the "basic information useful for understanding the quality of food" recorded in the basic quality information recording means, the quality of the food can be communicated to consumers more fully. In other words, "information that is known in advance (information that is useful for understanding food quality)" is recorded as "basic information that is useful for understanding food quality," and the quality information generation means can generate "information that is useful for understanding food quality" based not only on the "place of origin of the food" and "time of production of the food," but also on the "information that is known in advance (information that is useful for understanding food quality)," so that the quality of the food can be communicated to consumers more fully.

[0030] Similarly, if a "basic quality information recording means" is provided for recording basic information useful for understanding food quality, and the search signal output means outputs a search signal for searching for "information useful for understanding food quality" based on the "information for identifying the food", the "production information" recorded in the production information recording means, and the "basic information useful for understanding food quality" recorded in the basic quality information recording means, the quality of the food can be communicated to consumers more fully. In other words, "information that is known in advance (information that is useful for understanding food quality)" is recorded as "basic information that is useful for understanding food quality," and the quality information search means can search for "information that is useful for understanding food quality" based not only on the "place of origin of the food" and "time of production of the food," but also on the "information that is known in advance (information that is useful for understanding food quality)," so that food quality can be communicated to consumers more fully.

[0031] Here, when the reference information generating means generates reference information (reference information for "information useful for understanding food quality") based on the selection criteria information, it is possible to obtain reference information to be referred to when selecting "information useful for understanding food quality" to be output from the "information useful for understanding food quality" generated by the quality information generating means.

[0032] In addition, the reference information generated by the reference information generation means may be referred to not only when selecting "information useful for understanding food quality" to be output from the "information useful for understanding food quality" generated by the quality information generation means, but also when selecting "information useful for understanding food quality" to be output from the "information useful for understanding food quality" searched by the quality information search means.

[0033] In addition, when the information selection means selects the "information useful for understanding food quality" to be output based on reference information ("reference information generated by the reference information generation means" or "reference information sent from the consumer's terminal"), the "information useful for understanding food quality" to be output can be selected based on the information sent by the consumer ("selection criteria information" or "reference information"), even if the consumer does not select a specific "information useful for understanding food quality." The "information useful for understanding food quality" selected by the information selection means as the output target may be singular or plural.

[0034] In addition, when a consumer sends selection criteria information as the "criteria for information to be selected," the reference information generated based on the selection criteria information (criteria for information to be selected) can be regarded as "model information to be output (i.e., the information the consumer wants to select)." Therefore, when selection criteria information is transmitted as the "criteria for the information to be selected," "information useful for understanding the quality of food" that has a high similarity to the reference information (model information) will be selected.

[0035] Similarly, when consumers submit reference information as "reference information for the information they want to select," they will select "information that is useful for understanding the quality of food" that is highly similar to the reference information (model information).

[0036] On the other hand, when a consumer sends selection criteria information as a "criteria for information that the consumer does not want to select," the reference information generated based on the selection criteria information (criteria for information that the consumer does not want to select) can be regarded as "negative example information for the information to be output (i.e., information that the consumer does not want to select)." Therefore, if selection criteria information is sent as the "criteria for information you do not want to select," then "information that is useful for understanding food quality" that has low similarity to the reference information (bad example information) will be selected.

[0037] Similarly, even when consumers submit reference information as "reference information for information they do not want to select," they will select "information that is useful for understanding food quality" that has a low similarity to the reference information (bad example information).

[0038] In addition, compared to sending "criteria for information you do not want to select" as selection criteria information, sending "criteria for information you want to select" as selection criteria information allows consumers to more directly identify the information they want to select, so in terms of fully reflecting the consumer's wishes, sending "criteria for information you want to select" as selection criteria information is preferable.

[0039] Similarly, in order to more directly specify the information that the consumer wants to select and fully reflect the consumer's wishes, it is preferable to transmit "reference information for the information to be selected" as the reference information.

[0040] Furthermore, when the quality information generating means reads the identification information displayed on the food with the consumer's terminal, identifies the food based on the information sent from the consumer's terminal, and generates "information useful for understanding food quality" for the identified food, the "target food" can be identified based on the information sent from the consumer's terminal, without the consumer having to identify the "target food (food for which "information useful for understanding quality" is output)". In other words, the consumer can identify the "target food" simply by reading the identification information.

[0041] Similarly, when the "quality information search means" reads the identification information displayed on a food product using the consumer's terminal, identifies the food product based on the information sent from the consumer's terminal, and searches for "information useful for understanding the quality of the food product" for the identified food product, the consumer can identify the "target food product" simply by reading the identification information.

[0042] In addition, when the generation signal output means reads the identification information displayed on the food with the consumer's terminal, identifies the food based on the information sent from the consumer's terminal, and outputs a generation signal for generating "information useful for understanding the quality of the food" for the identified food, the consumer will be able to identify the "target food" simply by reading the identification information.

[0043] Similarly, when the "search signal output means" reads the identification information displayed on a food product with the consumer's terminal, identifies the food product based on the information sent from the consumer's terminal, and outputs a search signal to search for "information useful for understanding the quality of the food product" for the identified food product, the consumer will be able to identify the "target food product" simply by reading the identification information.

[0044] In addition, in order to achieve the above-mentioned objective, the food product of the present invention is a food product comprising a specified food and identification information displayed on the food, wherein the identification information is accessible to a website that contains information useful for understanding the quality of the food according to at least one of the place of production and the time of production of the food.

[0045] In addition, the food product of the present invention is a food product comprising a specified food, an accessory provided with the food for understanding the quality of the food, and identification information displayed on the accessory, wherein the identification information provides access to a website containing information useful for understanding the quality of the food according to at least one of the place of production and the time of production of the food.

[0046] Here, by using the identification information that enables access to a website that lists "information useful for understanding the quality of food" according to at least one of the food's place of production and production time, consumers can be made aware of "information useful for understanding the quality of food" according to the "food's place of production" and / or "food's production time." Furthermore, by providing "information that is useful for understanding food quality" according to "the place where the food was produced" and "the time of production," consumers will be able to make food selections with even greater peace of mind.

[0047] Incidentally, the term "food" here includes both "primary products" and "secondary products." In addition, "food" here includes not only foods and drinks (fresh foods, animal foods, plant foods, processed foods, frozen foods, luxury foods, seasoning ingredients, health foods, supplements, beverages, processed ingredients, etc.) intended for the intake of nutrients or for personal enjoyment, but also medicines and quasi-drugs. For example, herbal medicines are included. It also includes feed, aquaculture feed, dog food, and other foods intended for fish and animals.

[0048] In this context, "food (primary products)" refers to unprocessed fresh foods, animal foods, and plant foods themselves, such as vegetables such as radishes and cabbage, and raw meats such as chicken and beef. Other examples include fruits, beans, shellfish, and fish.

[0049] Additionally, "food (secondary products)" here refers to products made from unprocessed fresh foods, unprocessed animal foods, or unprocessed plant foods, such as mochi (rice cakes), buns, pickles, stir-fried vegetables, steaks, hamburgers, ramen, bento boxes, bread, milk, cheese, beer, wine, sake, whiskey, frozen foods, canned foods, bottled tea and juice, coffee, and soft drinks.

[0050] Furthermore, "secondary products" here not only include secondary products processed using primary products as raw materials, but also secondary products processed using secondary products as raw materials. For example, it includes tamagoyaki (Japanese rolled eggs) made by purchasing seasoned eggs as raw materials and baking them. Furthermore, "secondary products" here also include secondary products purchased using secondary products as raw materials. For example, it includes boxed lunches filled with purchased tamagoyaki (Japanese rolled eggs). Effect of the Invention

[0051] The information providing system and food products of the present invention allow consumers to select products with peace of mind. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0052] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of a food product. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram (1) for explaining a configuration example of a food information providing system. [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining a production information recording means. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining a quality information recording means. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining how to use the food information providing system. [Figure 6]FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram (2) for explaining a configuration example of a food information providing system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0053] Hereinafter, modes for carrying out the invention (hereinafter, referred to as "embodiments") will be described. The description will be made in the following order. 1. First embodiment 2. Second embodiment 3. Third embodiment

[0054] <1. First embodiment> [Configuration Description] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of a food product to which the present invention is applied, and food product A shown here is configured to include food 1. Specifically, food product A is food 1 wrapped in plastic 2 with sticker 3 affixed to plastic 2.

[0055] In addition, as shown in Figure 1, the sticker 3 displays identification information 4 (e.g., a two-dimensional barcode) that allows access to quality information of the food 1 (here, "quality information" is the same as "information useful for understanding the quality"). The identification information 4 (e.g., two-dimensional barcode) here has a URL recorded therein, and by reading the identification information 4 with a consumer terminal such as a smartphone, it is possible to access a website via the Internet that lists the “quality information of Food 1.”

[0056] Specifically, by scanning the identification information 4 displayed on the sticker 3 with a consumer terminal, the consumer can access a website that lists "quality information of food 1" according to the "producing area of ​​food 1" and the "producing period of food 1."

[0057] In this case, the "quality information of food 1" is the search result obtained by a specified quality information search means based on the "production place of food 1" and the "production period of food 1" at the time the identification information 4 displayed on the sticker 3 is read by the consumer terminal, or the generated result obtained by a specified quality information generation means.

[0058] [effect] In the example of a food product to which the present invention is applied described above, "quality information of food 1" according to the "producing area of ​​food 1" and "producing period of food 1" is posted on a website accessed via identification information 4, so that the "quality information of food 1" can be adequately communicated to consumers, allowing them to select foods with even greater peace of mind.

[0059] Incidentally, even when "quality information of food 1" is posted on a website without taking into consideration the "place of production of food 1" or the "time of production of food 1" (for example, when certain "quality information of food 1" is posted regardless of where the "place of production of food 1" is and when the "time of production of food 1" is), it is possible to convey a certain degree of "quality information of food 1." However, the "production place of Food 1" and "production time of Food 1" have a significant impact on the "quality information of Food 1," so it is important to communicate the "quality information of Food 1" according to the "production place of Food 1" and "production time of Food 1." Therefore, in one example of a food product according to this embodiment, "quality information of food 1" is displayed according to the "production area of ​​food 1" and the "production time of food 1" so as to adequately communicate the "quality information of food 1" to consumers.

[0060] [Variation 1] In the first embodiment described above, an example has been given of displaying "quality information of food 1" according to the "place of production of food 1" and the "time of production of food 1", but "quality information of food 1" according to the "place of production of food 1" or "time of production of food 1" may also be used.

[0061] [Variation 2] In the first embodiment described above, an example is given of displaying "quality information of food 1" according to the "place of production of food 1" and the "production period of food 1". However, in addition to the "place of production of food 1" and the "production period of food 1", it is also possible to display "quality information of food 1" according to "basic quality information of food 1 that is known in advance". Specifically, when the identification information 4 displayed on the sticker 3 is read by the consumer terminal, the search results obtained by a specified quality information search means based on the "place of production of food 1," "time of production of food 1," and "basic quality information of food 1 that is known in advance," or the generated results obtained by a specified quality information generation means may be posted on a website.

[0062] <2. Second embodiment> FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining a configuration example of a food information providing system, which is an example of an information providing system to which the present invention is applied.

[0063] A food information providing system 11 shown in FIG. 2 is configured to be capable of exchanging various types of information with a consumer terminal 13 used by a consumer via the Internet 12.

[0064] The food information providing system 11 also has a production information recording means 14, a basic quality information recording means 15, a quality information search means 16, a selection criteria information recording means 17, a model information generating means 18, an information selection means 19, and an information output means 20.

[0065] Here, the production information recording means 14 is configured to be able to record "information on food aaa," "information on food bbb," and "information on food ccc."

[0066] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the place and time of production of food aaa are recorded as "control number 1." Specifically, information such as the name "aaa," the place of production "Fukuoka," and the production period "January 2022" is recorded.

[0067] Also, for food bbb under "Management Number 2", its production location and production time are recorded. Specifically, information such as "bbb" as the name, "Fukuoka" as the production location, and "March 2021" as the production time is recorded.

[0068] Furthermore, for food ccc under "Management Number 3", its production location and production time are recorded. Specifically, information such as "ccc" as the name, "Saga" as the production location, and "October 2021" as the production time is recorded.

[0069] Also, the quality basic information recording means 15 records "the quality basic information of food aaa", "the quality basic information of food bbb", and "the quality basic information of food ccc". Note that the "quality basic information" means the "quality information of food" that has already been determined when recording various information in the food information providing system 11 (when entering data).

[0070] Also, the quality information search means 16 is configured to be able to access the quality information recording means 21 provided separately from the food information providing system 11. The quality information search means 16 accesses the quality information recording means 21 and searches for various quality information recorded in the quality information recording means 21.

[0071] As shown in FIG. 4, the quality information recording means 21 in this embodiment includes a quality information recording means 21A for recording "quality information with the production location being Fukuoka", a quality information recording means 21B for recording "quality information with the production location being Saga", a quality information recording means 21C for recording "quality information with the production location being Nagasaki", a quality information recording means 21D for recording "quality information with the production location being Kumamoto", a quality information recording means 21E for recording "quality information with the production location being Oita", a quality information recording means 21F for recording "quality information with the production location being Miyazaki", a quality information recording means 21G for recording "quality information with the production location being Kagoshima", and a quality information recording means 21H for recording "quality information with the production location being Okinawa".

[0072] In addition, the quality information recording means 21A distinguishes and records “quality information 21Aa produced in 2022,” “quality information 21Ab produced in 2021,” and “quality information 21Ac produced in 2020.”

[0073] Similarly, the quality information recording means 21B distinguishes and records “quality information 21Ba produced in 2022,” “quality information 21Bb produced in 2021,” and “quality information 21Bc produced in 2020.”

[0074] Similarly, the quality information recording means 21C distinguishes and records "quality information 21Ca for production period 2022," "quality information 21Cb for production period 2021," and "quality information 21Cc for production period 2020."

[0075] Similarly, the quality information recording means 21D distinguishes and records “quality information 21Da produced in 2022,” “quality information 21Db produced in 2021,” and “quality information 21Dc produced in 2020.”

[0076] Similarly, the quality information recording means 21E distinguishes and records “quality information 21Ea produced in 2022,” “quality information 21Eb produced in 2021,” and “quality information 21Ec produced in 2020.”

[0077] Similarly, quality information recording means 21F distinguishes and records “quality information 21Fa produced in 2022,” “quality information 21Fb produced in 2021,” and “quality information 21Fc produced in 2020.”

[0078] Similarly, the quality information recording means 21G distinguishes and records “quality information 21Ga produced in 2022,” “quality information 21Gb produced in 2021,” and “quality information 21Gc produced in 2020.”

[0079] Similarly, the quality information recording means 21H distinguishes and records “quality information 21Ha produced in 2022,” “quality information 21Hb produced in 2021,” and “quality information 21Hc produced in 2020.”

[0080] In this embodiment, when a consumer requests quality information on food 1 (specifically, when the identification information 4 shown in Figure 1 is read), the information on "production place" and "production time" recorded in the production information recording means 14 is checked, and "quality information of food 1" is searched for according to the checking results. Specifically, the following applies:

[0081] (1. In the case of food AAA) First, if the food 1 shown in FIG. 1 is "food aaa," the "Fukuoka (place of production)" and "2022 (year of production)" recorded in the production information recording means 14 are confirmed. Then, based on the confirmation results such as "Fukuoka (production location)" and "2022 (production period)", a search is performed in the quality information recording means 21, and "quality information 21Aa with a production period of 2022" is determined as the output candidate quality information.

[0082] (2. In the case of food bbb) Next, if the food 1 shown in Figure 1 is "food bbb", the "Fukuoka (production location)" and "2021 (production period)" recorded in the production information recording means 14 are confirmed. Then, based on the confirmation results such as "Fukuoka (production location)" and "2021 (production period)", a search is performed in the quality information recording means 21, and "quality information 21Ab produced in 2021" is determined as the output candidate quality information.

[0083] (3. In the case of food ccc) Furthermore, if the food 1 shown in Figure 1 is "food ccc", the "Saga (production location)" and "2021 (production period)" recorded in the production information recording means 14 are confirmed. Then, based on the confirmation results such as "Saga (production location)" and "2021 (production period)", a search is performed in the quality information recording means 21, and "quality information 21Bb produced in 2021" is determined as the output candidate quality information.

[0084] Furthermore, the selection criteria information recording means 17 records "selection criteria information for selecting quality information of food 1 (hereinafter simply referred to as "selection criteria information")" transmitted from the consumer terminal 13 used by the consumer. In this embodiment, the selection criteria information recording means 17 records, as the selection criteria information, "criteria for quality information of food that the consumer wants to select."

[0085] Moreover, the model information generating means 18 generates “model information of the quality information of the food 1 (hereinafter simply referred to as “model information”).” The model information generating means 18 is an example of a “reference information generating means.”

[0086] Here, when the selection criteria information is recorded in the selection criteria information recording means 17, the model information generating means 18 generates model information by inputting the "selection criteria information" to a general-purpose generative AI (generation AI) (not shown) and obtaining an output result of the generation AI. Note that when new model information is generated, it is registered in place of the previous model information (overwritten).

[0087] For example, the selection criteria information may include (1) Explanations are given in simple terms, without using technical terms. (2) Explanations are given using concrete data (3) Information on the soil of the production area is included. (4) Information on the pesticides used in production is included. If the above information is recorded, the contents of (1) to (4) are input into the generation AI to generate model information.

[0088] Furthermore, the information selection means 19 selects the "quality information of food 1" to be output based on the model information. The "quality information of food 1" selected by the information selection means 19 may be one or two or more.

[0089] Here, when model information is generated, the information selection means 19 selects the "quality information of food 1" that has a high similarity to the "model information" from the "output candidate quality information" searched by the quality information search means 16.

[0090] In other words, when the "selection criteria information" is recorded, model information is generated by the model information generation means 18, and then the information selection means 19 selects the "output candidate quality information" that has a high similarity to the model information as the output target. Specifically, the following applies:

[0091] (1. In the case of food AAA) First, when the food 1 shown in Figure 1 is "Food aaa," the quality information that has a high similarity to the model information is selected as the output target from the quality information recorded in "Quality information 21Aa produced in 2022" that the quality information search means 16 has determined as the output candidate quality information.

[0092] (2. In the case of food bbb) Next, when the food 1 shown in Figure 1 is "food bbb," the quality information that is highly similar to the model information is selected as the output target from the quality information recorded in "quality information 21Ab produced in 2021" that the quality information search means 16 has determined as the output candidate quality information.

[0093] (3. In the case of food ccc) Furthermore, when the food 1 shown in Figure 1 is "food ccc," the quality information that is highly similar to the model information is selected as the output target from the quality information recorded in "quality information 21Bb produced in 2021" that the quality information search means 16 has determined as the output candidate quality information.

[0094] Moreover, the information output means 20 outputs the quality information selected by the information selection means 19 to the consumer terminal 13 . Furthermore, the information output means 20 also outputs the basic quality information recorded in the basic quality information recording means 15 (if the food 1 shown in Figure 1 is "food aaa", the basic quality information of food aaa is output, if the food 1 shown in Figure 1 is "food bbb", the basic quality information of food bbb is output, and if the food 1 shown in Figure 1 is "food ccc", the basic quality information of food ccc is output).

[0095] Specifically, the "quality information" selected by the information selection means 19 and the "basic quality information" recorded in the basic quality information recording means 15 are posted on a website that can be accessed by the consumer terminal 13 reading the identification information 4.

[0096] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a method of using the above-mentioned food information providing system 11. In the following, the explanation will be given on the assumption that the consumer (new customer) 40 has collected information when considering whether or not to receive food product A (food 1) from the food provider 30.

[0097] [1. Recording of various information] In one example of a method of using the food information providing system 11 of the present invention, in order for consumers 40 to obtain quality information, various information needs to be recorded in the food information providing system 11. For this purpose, the recording of various information in the food information providing system 11 will be described.

[0098] In one example of a method of using the food information providing system 11 of the present invention, first, the food provider 30 uses a food provider terminal (not shown) to input “food aaa” and “food The information on "bbb" and "food ccc" is transmitted (step indicated by reference symbol (1) in FIG. 5).

[0099] Specifically, it will transmit "information on the production location of food AAA," "information on the production time of food AAA," "basic quality information for food AAA," "information on the production location of food BBB," "information on the production time of food BBB," "basic quality information for food BBB," "information on the production location of food CCC," "information on the production time of food CCC," and "basic quality information for food CCC."

[0100] After the various information is recorded as described above, it becomes possible to provide the various information to the consumer 40.

[0101] Note that, here, we have only explained the case of recording various information about "Food aaa," "Food bbb," and "Food ccc" provided by food provider 30, but the information recorded in the food information provision system 11 does not only relate to "Food aaa, Food bbb, Food ccc provided by food provider 30," but also includes information related to "other foods provided by food provider 30" and "foods provided by a food provider other than food provider 30." That is, in this embodiment, an example will be given of a case in which consumer 40 obtains quality information regarding food aaa, food bbb, and food ccc provided by food provider 30 (described later), but the food information providing system 11 can also provide information regarding "foods other than food aaa, food bbb, and food ccc provided by food provider 30" and "foods provided by a food provider other than food provider 30."

[0102] [2. Provision of various information] A consumer 40 who wishes to receive various information related to food product A (food 1) provided by a food provider 30 uses a consumer terminal 13 (not shown in Figure 5) to access the food information provision system 11 via the Internet 12 (step indicated by the symbol (2) in Figure 5).

[0103] Specifically, when the identification information (identifier such as a two-dimensional barcode or color code) 4 displayed on the food 1 is read by the consumer terminal 13, information about the food 1 (food information) is sent from the consumer terminal 13 to the food information providing system 11, and based on the food information, the food 1 for which the consumer 40 wants quality information is identified.

[0104] Then, when the food product 1 is identified, the quality information search means 16 checks the information on the "production place" and "production time" recorded in the production information recording means 14, and determines the "output candidate quality information" based on the confirmation results.

[0105] In addition, when the identification information 4 displayed on the food 1 is read by the consumer terminal 13, the “selection criteria information” pre-recorded in the consumer terminal 13 is transmitted to the food information providing system 11 and recorded in the selection criteria information recording means 17. For example, selection criteria information such as "(1) the explanation is given in simple terms without using technical jargon, (2) the explanation uses concrete data, (3) information on the soil of the production area is included, and (4) information on the pesticides used in production" is sent.

[0106] In addition, if the "selection criteria information" is not recorded in the consumer terminal 13, when the identification information 4 displayed on the food 1 is read, the consumer will be prompted to input the "selection criteria information".

[0107] Next, when the "selection criteria information" is recorded in the selection criteria information recording means 17, the model information generating means 18 generates model information, and the information selecting means 19 selects quality information to be output from the "output candidate quality information".

[0108] Then, when the information selection means 19 selects the quality information, the information output means 20 outputs the quality information to be output together with the basic quality information (the quality information and the basic quality information are posted on a website, and the quality information is displayed on the consumer terminal 13).

[0109] Thereafter, when the consumer 40 receives food product A from the food provider 30 (when purchasing food product A from the food provider 30), the food provider 30 provides food product A to the consumer 40.

[0110] [effect] In the food information providing system 11 to which the present invention is applied described above, when a consumer requests quality information on food 1, quality information according to the "producing area of ​​food 1" and the "producing time of food 1" is output, so that the "quality information of food 1" can be adequately communicated to the consumer, allowing the consumer to select foods with even greater peace of mind.

[0111] Furthermore, since the consumer 40 simply transmits the "selection criteria information", the information selection means 19 selects quality information that is highly similar to the "quality information that the consumer 40 wants to select", so the consumer does not need to select specific quality information from multiple "output candidate quality information". Furthermore, since the information selection means 19 can select optimal quality information (that is, in line with the selection intention of the consumer 40), it is expected that the "quality information of food 1" can be conveyed to the consumer more satisfactorily.

[0112] [Variation 3] In the above-mentioned second embodiment, an example is given in which "selection criteria information" is transmitted from the consumer terminal 13 and the model information generation means 18 generates model information, but the "model information" may also be transmitted from the consumer terminal 13. In this case, an "exemplary information recording means" is provided instead of the "selection criteria information recording means 17 and exemplary information generating means 18", the "exemplary information" transmitted from the consumer terminal 13 is recorded in the exemplary information recording means, and the information selection means 19 selects quality information based on the "exemplary information" recorded in the exemplary information recording means.

[0113] [Variation 4] In the above-mentioned second embodiment, an example has been given in which the information selection means 19 selects quality information based on “model information”, but the information output means 20 may output the “output candidate quality information” determined by the quality information search means 16. That is, instead of selecting from among the "candidate output quality information", the information output means 20 may output all of the "candidate output quality information".

[0114] [Variation 5] In the above-mentioned second embodiment, an example has been described in which the food information providing system 11 is accessed by reading the identification information 4 displayed on the food 1, but it is sufficient if the food information providing system 11 can be accessed. For example, the food information providing system 11 may be accessed by reading identification information displayed on an accessory provided together with the food product A (an accessory provided to grasp the quality of the food product 1).

[0115] [Variation 6] In the second embodiment described above, the food 1 is identified by reading the identification information 4 displayed on the food 1, but it is sufficient if the food 1 can be identified, and the method is not limited to reading the identification information 4, and a consumer who accesses the food information providing system 11 may select the food 1. Specifically, by accessing the food information provision system 11 from the consumer terminal 13, a list of food providers who can provide information is displayed on the consumer terminal 13, and the consumer 40 selects "food provider 30" from the displayed list. Then, when "food provider 30" is selected, a list of foods provided by the food provider 30 is displayed, and the consumer 40 selects "food 1" from the displayed list, and so on.

[0116] <3. Third embodiment> [Configuration of the present invention] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram for explaining a configuration example of a food information providing system, which is another example of the information providing system to which the present invention is applied. In the following, the differences from the second embodiment will be mainly described, and a description of the points in common with the second embodiment will be omitted.

[0117] A food information providing system 31 shown in FIG. 6 has a quality information generating means 32 (instead of the "quality information searching means 16" in the second embodiment, the third embodiment has a "quality information generating means 32").

[0118] Here, the quality information generating means 32 is configured to be able to access a generating AI 33 provided separately from the food information providing system 31.

[0119] For example, for "quality information of food aaa," "information on the name of food aaa," "information on the place of production of food aaa," "information on the production time of food aaa," and "basic quality information of food aaa" are input as input information to a general-purpose generative AI (generation AI) 33, and the output result of the generation AI 33 is obtained to generate "quality information of food aaa." Note that by adding information (preferences) of the consumer who is the recipient (output destination) of the quality information to the input information, it is possible to generate quality information that is more in line with the consumer's needs.

[0120] That is, when a consumer requests quality information for food 1 (specifically, when identification information 4 shown in Figure 1 is read), the quality information generating means 32 checks the information on "production place" and "production time" recorded in the production information recording means 14, and also checks the "basic quality information" recorded in the basic quality information recording means 15, and generates "quality information of food 1" according to the confirmation results (generates "output candidate quality information").

[0121] [effect] In the food information providing system 31 to which the present invention is applied as described above, the quality information generating means 32 can generate "quality information for food aaa," "quality information for food bbb," and "quality information for food ccc," so that even if the quality information is not recorded inside or outside the food information providing system 31, the information output means 20 can output the quality information to the consumer terminal 13. [Explanation of symbols]

[0122] 1 food 2. Vinyl 3. Seal 4. Identification 11 Food Information System 12. Internet 13 Consumer Devices 14 Production information recording means 15. Recording method for basic quality information 16 Quality information search tools 17. Means of recording selection criteria information 18 Model information generation means 19 Information Selection Methods 20 Information output means 21 Quality information recording means 31 Food Information System 32 Quality information generation means 33 Generation AI

Claims

1. An information providing system that outputs information useful for understanding the quality of a specific food product in response to a request from a consumer's terminal, a production information recording means for recording production information, which is at least one of the place of production and the time of production of the food; a quality information retrieval means for retrieving information useful for understanding the quality of the food based on information for identifying the food and the production information recorded in the production information recording means, on condition that a request for output of information useful for understanding the quality of the food is received from the consumer's terminal; and an information output means for outputting information useful for understanding the quality of the food searched for by the quality information search means to a terminal of the consumer. Information provision system.

2. An information providing system that outputs information useful for understanding the quality of a specific food product in response to a request from a consumer's terminal, a production information recording means for recording production information, which is at least one of the place of production and the time of production of the food; a search signal output means for outputting a search signal to a predetermined quality information search means for searching for information useful for understanding the quality of the food, based on information for identifying the food and the production information recorded in the production information recording means, on condition that a request for output of information useful for understanding the quality of the food is received from the consumer's terminal; and an information output means for outputting information useful for understanding the quality of the food searched for by the quality information search means to a terminal of the consumer. Information provision system.

3. An information providing system that outputs information useful for understanding the quality of a specific food product in response to a request from a consumer's terminal, a production information recording means for recording production information, which is at least one of the place of production and the time of production of the food; a quality information generating means for generating information useful for understanding the quality of the food based on information for identifying the food and the production information recorded in the production information recording means, on condition that a request for output of information useful for understanding the quality of the food is received from the consumer's terminal; and an information output means for outputting information useful for understanding the quality of the food generated by the quality information generation means to a terminal of the consumer. Information provision system.

4. An information providing system that outputs information useful for understanding the quality of a specific food product in response to a request from a consumer's terminal, a production information recording means for recording production information, which is at least one of the place of production and the time of production of the food; a generation signal output means for outputting a generation signal for generating information useful for understanding the quality of the food to a predetermined quality information generation means, based on information for identifying the food and the production information recorded in the production information recording means, on condition that a request for output of information useful for understanding the quality of the food is received from the consumer's terminal; and an information output means for outputting information useful for understanding the quality of the food generated by the quality information generation means to a terminal of the consumer. Information provision system.

5. A quality basic information recording means for recording basic information useful for understanding the quality of the food, The quality information generating means Based on the information for identifying the food, the production information recorded in the production information recording means, and the basic information recorded in the quality basic information recording means, information useful for understanding the quality of the food is generated. The information providing system according to claim 3.

6. A quality basic information recording means for recording basic information useful for understanding the quality of the food, The generated signal output means A generation signal is output for generating information useful for understanding the quality of the food, based on information for identifying the food, the production information recorded in the production information recording means, and the basic information recorded in the quality basic information recording means.

5. The information providing system according to claim 4.

7. a reference information generating means for generating reference information for information useful for understanding the quality of the food based on selection criteria information transmitted from the consumer's terminal, the selection criteria information being for selecting information useful for understanding the quality of the food; an information selection means for selecting information useful for understanding the quality of the food to be output from information useful for understanding the quality of the food generated by the quality information generation means based on the reference information generated by the reference information generation means; The information output means includes: The information selection means outputs information useful for understanding the quality of the food selected by the information selection means.

5. The information providing system according to claim 3 or 4.

8. an information selection means for selecting information useful for understanding the quality of the food to be output from the information useful for understanding the quality of the food generated by the quality information generation means based on reference information transmitted from the consumer's terminal, the reference information being for selecting information useful for understanding the quality of the food; The information output means includes: The information selection means outputs information useful for understanding the quality of the food selected by the information selection means.

5. The information providing system according to claim 3 or 4.

9. The quality information generating means The identification information displayed on the food is read by the consumer's terminal, and the food is identified based on the information transmitted from the consumer's terminal, and information useful for understanding the quality of the identified food is generated. The information providing system according to claim 3.

10. The generated signal output means The identification information displayed on the food is read by the consumer's terminal, and the food is identified based on the information transmitted from the consumer's terminal, and a generation signal is output for generating information useful for understanding the quality of the identified food.

5. The information providing system according to claim 4.

11. The quality information generating means The identification information displayed on an accessory provided with the food in order to understand the quality of the food is read by the consumer's terminal, and the food is identified based on the information transmitted from the consumer's terminal, and information useful for understanding the quality of the identified food is generated. The information providing system according to claim 3.

12. The generated signal output means The identification information displayed on an accessory provided with the food in order to understand the quality of the food is read by the consumer's terminal, and the food is identified based on the information transmitted from the consumer's terminal, and a generation signal is output for generating information useful for understanding the quality of the identified food.

5. The information providing system according to claim 4.

13. A prescribed food; and identification information displayed on the food product, The identification information can be used to access a website that provides information useful for understanding the quality of the food according to at least one of the place of production and the time of production of the food. food products.

14. A prescribed food; an accessory provided with the food product to ascertain the quality of the food product; and identification information displayed on the attachment, The identification information can be used to access a website that provides information useful for understanding the quality of the food according to at least one of the place of production and the time of production of the food. food products.

15. The information posted on the website that is useful for understanding the quality of the food is as follows: The information is searched or generated based on at least one of the information on the place of production and the production time of the food at the time of accessing the website.

15. A food product according to claim 13 or claim 14.

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