Production and sales information notification device

Abstract

To reduce opportunity loss and waste loss by producing and stocking each product according to the sales situation and the like on each day.SOLUTION: A production and sales information notification device is provided, comprising production quantity acquisition means for acquiring a production quantity of a product for a day, sales quantity acquisition means for acquiring a sales quantity of the product for the day, production and sales information computation means for computing production and sales information of the product based on the production quantity and the sales quantity, and notification means for notifying the production and sales information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a production and sales information notification device, a production and sales information notification system, and a program for notifying product production and sales information in cooperation with POS devices used in mass retailers, supermarkets, etc. [Background technology]

[0002] In the prepared food sections of retail stores such as supermarkets, in order to always provide fresh products to customers, prepared foods and fresh fish are prepared in the back room, prepared, priced, and put on the shelves several times a day (for example, when the store opens at 10:00, 15:00, and 17:00).

[0003] Conventionally, there has been known a product sales data management system that performs rational production and clearance processing based on the sales information of products on the day in cooperation with a POS system (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2001-109960 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the production and stocking of fresh produce in quantities and at what timings relied heavily on the user's intuition based on their own experience, and required many years of experience.

[0006] In addition, when production or stocking instructions are given by inexperienced users, there is a possibility of opportunity losses occurring when production numbers are low compared to demand, or waste occurring when production numbers are high compared to demand.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and has an object to minimize opportunity loss and waste loss in stores where products are manufactured and stocked in a back yard or the like. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] One embodiment of the present invention is a production and sales information notification device having a production number acquisition means for acquiring the production quantity of a product on that day, a sales number acquisition means for acquiring the sales quantity of the product on that day, a production and sales information calculation means for calculating production and sales information of the product based on the production quantity and the sales quantity, and a notification means for notifying the production and sales information. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the above embodiment, production and stocking of each product can be carried out in response to the sales situation of the day, etc., and the occurrence of opportunity loss and waste can be prevented. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a POS linked system including a price setting device (sales status notifying device) according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a price setter according to one embodiment of the invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a price setter according to one embodiment of the invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a pricing screen during pricing work displayed on the display means of a price setting device according to an embodiment of the invention. [Diagram 5] 13 is a diagram showing a production and sales data screen displayed on the display means of a price setting device according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing items of a production and sales data screen displayed on the display means of a price setting device according to an embodiment of the invention. [Figure 7] 13 is a diagram showing a manufacturing work instruction screen displayed on the display means of a price setting device according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. [Figure 8]13 is a diagram showing a manufacturing work instruction screen displayed on the display means of a price setting device according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a product registration screen displayed on the display means of a price setting device according to an embodiment of the invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a diagram of an alert setting screen displayed on the display means of a pricing device according to an embodiment of the invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a diagram of an alert setting screen displayed on the display means of a pricing device according to an embodiment of the invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a flowchart of a price maker refill alert according to one embodiment of the invention. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a flowchart of a price maker timed alert according to one embodiment of the invention. [Figure 14] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an alert display screen displayed on the display means of the pricing device according to the embodiment of the invention. [Figure 15] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing another example of an alert display screen displayed on the display means of the pricing device according to an embodiment of the invention. [Figure 16] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing another example of an alert display screen displayed on the display means of the pricing device according to an embodiment of the invention. [Figure 17] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing another example of an alert display screen displayed on the display means of the pricing device according to an embodiment of the invention. [Figure 18] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing another example of an alert display screen displayed on the display means of the pricing device according to an embodiment of the invention. [Figure 19] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a 17:00 display quantity alert screen displayed on the display means of a price setting device according to an embodiment of the invention. [Figure 20] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an alert setting screen displayed on the display means of a pricing device according to an embodiment of the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The production and sales information notification system equipped with the production and sales information notification device 2 of this embodiment is a registered sales device for goods purchased by customers, and is equipped with a POS system 1 including a POS terminal 11 and a memory means 12 connected to the POS terminal 11, one or more pricing devices 2 arranged in the back room of a store or the like for packing and pricing fresh food products (fresh fish, meat, etc.), and a mobile terminal 3 carried by a worker for inputting the status of goods in the store.

[0012] In this embodiment, the price setting device 2 functions as a production and sales information notification device. Hereinafter, the price setting device 2 will be used as the production and sales information notification device.

[0013] The POS system 1, the price marking device 2, and the mobile terminal 3 are connected via a wireless or wired network, and the price marking device 2 acquires information on the sales and display quantities of products from the POS system 1 and the mobile terminal 3, etc., and manages the production and stocking of products in the back yard of the store. The POS system 1 may be connected to a server such as a host computer (not shown).

[0014] The POS terminal 11 executes a registration process to register the products purchased by the customer, and executes a payment process based on the registered product information. Product registration is performed, for example, by reading a barcode attached to the product using an input means such as a scanner, or by operating a preset button displayed on a product registration screen of a display means.

[0015] In addition, the POS terminal 11 stores information used in the settlement process of the registered products (hereinafter referred to as "settlement information") in the storage means 12. The settlement information includes settlement information identification information for identifying the settlement information, the JAN code of the registered product, the quantity of the product (sales amount), the selling price at the register, the date and time of sale, product identification information of the product, the product name of the product, the total amount of the products to be purchased (total price), etc.

[0016] The pricing device 2 may be a weighing label printer equipped with a weighing device for weighing the weight of a product and issuing a product label to be affixed to the weighed product, an automatic weighing pricing device that automatically affixes the issued label to the product, or a weighing and packaging pricing device that weighs and packages the product and manually or automatically affixes the issued label to the product.

[0017] The pricing device 2 stores information used in the pricing process of the products (hereinafter referred to as "pricing information") in the storage means. The pricing information includes pricing information identification information for identification, product identification information of the priced product, the product name of the product, the pricing date and time of the product, the selling price of the product, the priced quantity of the product (production quantity), etc.

[0018] In addition, a single price marking device 2 may be placed in one store, or multiple price marking devices 2 may be placed in each department, such as the fresh fish department and the meat department, or multiple price marking devices 2 may be placed in one department.

[0019] The user can carry the mobile terminal 3 around the store and input the status of displayed products, etc. For example, when the user counts the products displayed on the shelves and inputs the count into the mobile terminal 3, the mobile terminal 3 stores the input product identification information and the actual number of displayed products, and transmits the information to the pricing device 2, etc. as necessary.

[0020] (Price Maker) The pricing device 2 of this embodiment will now be described in more detail. FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of the pricing device 2 of this embodiment. The pricing device 2 includes a CPU 21 , a ROM 22 , a RAM 23 , a memory 24 , a network I / F 25 , an input means I / F 26 , and a display means I / F 27 .

[0021] The CPU 21 executes instructions of a software program. The ROM 22 prestores programs and the like for operating on the CPU 21. The programs and the like may be stored in a portable storage medium such as a CD-ROM and read by an external device such as a CD-ROM drive.

[0022] The RAM 23 is used as a work storage area necessary for storing programs and for the software to operate. The memory 24 is composed of a hard disk drive or the like and stores information about products. The network I / F 25 is a circuit for exchanging data with means connected to a network. The input means I / F 26 is a circuit for performing input / output with the input means 221 such as a barcode scanner. The display means I / F 27 is a circuit for performing input / output with the display means 222 such as a touch panel.

[0023] FIG. 3 shows a functional block diagram of the pricing device 2 of this embodiment. The pricing device 2 functions as a device equipped with a pricing device control means 201, a production number acquisition means 202, a sales number acquisition means 203, an actual display number acquisition means 204, a production number storage means 211, a planned production number storage means 212, a display number at designated time 1 storage means 213, a display number at designated time 2 storage means 214, a display number at designated time 3 storage means 215, etc.

[0024] The pricing device control means 201 is a means for controlling the pricing device 2 as a whole, and weighs products based on instructions input by the user through the input means 221, and prints labels relating to the weighed products through the printing means 223.

[0025] The production number acquisition means 202 accumulates the number of production units of each commodity priced based on the instruction input by the user and acquires the information on the production quantity of each commodity. The production number acquisition means 202 may acquire not only the information on the production quantity of the price tagger 2, but also the total of the production quantities of each commodity priced by a plurality of price taggers 2 as the production quantity, or may acquire the production number directly input by the user as the information on the production quantity of the commodity.

[0026] The sales volume acquisition means 203 acquires information on the sales volume of each product for which the price is set by the pricing device 2 from the memory means 12 of the POS terminal 11, for example, at a specified time or at a specified time interval specified by the user.

[0027] The actual display number acquisition means 204 acquires information such as the actual display number of products inputted when a user carries a mobile terminal 3 and looks around the store, counts the products displayed on the shelves, and inputs the actual display number and other information.

[0028] The pricing device control means 201 has a function as a production and sales information calculation means that calculates information such as additional production numbers based on information regarding the production quantity acquired by the production number acquisition means 202 and the sales quantity acquired by the sales number acquisition means 203, and information stored in each storage means. Furthermore, data is exchanged between the POS terminal 11 and the mobile terminal 3 via the network.

[0029] In addition, information on quantities related to the production and sales of goods, such as the production quantity (A) acquired by the production quantity acquisition means 202, the sales quantity (B) acquired by the sales quantity acquisition means 203, the actual display quantity (C) acquired by the actual display quantity acquisition means 204 (or the display quantity (C) of the goods obtained by dividing the sales quantity from the production quantity), and the additional production quantity (I) calculated by the pricing device control means 201, is referred to as production and sales information.

[0030] The production quantity storage means 211 stores the production quantity (A) of each commodity acquired by the production quantity acquisition means 202. The planned production quantity storage means 212 stores the planned production quantity (D) for the business day set by the user. The designated time 1 display quantity storage means 213, designated time 2 display quantity storage means 214, and designated time 3 display quantity storage means 215 store the planned display quantities (F1 to F3) at designated time 1 to designated time 3 set by the user.

[0031] The pricing device control means 201 has a function as a notification means for notifying the user, for example, by displaying the production and sales information stored in each storage means and the production and sales information calculated by the production and sales information calculation means on the display means 222, to encourage additional production of goods.

[0032] (Display of production and sales information) Next, the production and sales information managed by the display means 222 of the price assigner 2 of this embodiment will be specifically described. The price tagger control means 201 of the price tagger 2 of this embodiment displays the production and sales information on the display means 222, and provides or notifies the user of the production and sales information of the product. A production and sales list screen 5, which is an example of the production and sales information displayed on the display means 222, is shown in FIG.

[0033] The user sets prices for each product and creates labels to be affixed to the products on the pricing operation screen 4 shown in Fig. 4. In the example shown in Fig. 4, the pricing operation screen 4 for the product "thinly sliced ​​Japanese black beef loin" is shown, and an image of the label to be affixed to the product is displayed. The barcode printed on the label records information such as the product code, price, and sales date, but in addition to this information, it is also possible to manage individual products by adding additional information to be handed over to other systems, such as place of origin, weight, ingredients, allergens, etc., as a unique code for each label, based on the manufacturing machine number and a serial number, to the barcode. The production and sales list screen 5 is displayed by operating the “production and sales list” key 4 a arranged on the pricing operation screen 4 . The method of displaying the production and sales list screen 5 is not particularly limited.

[0034] The production and sales list screen 5 of this embodiment has a "sorting method" column 501, a "display item" column 502, a "display target" column 503, a "manufacturing work instruction" key 504a, and a "production and sales list display" column 510, and the production and sales information is displayed in the "production and sales list display" column 510.

[0035] When the user selects an arbitrary sorting method from the "sorting method" key 501a in the "sorting method" column 501, the pricing device control means 201 rearranges the production and sales information displayed in a list in the "production and sales list display" column 510. Types of sorting methods include "by product number," "by production quantity," and "by sales quantity."

[0036] In addition, when the user selects an arbitrary display item from the "Display Item" key 502a in the "Display Item" column 502, the pricing device control means 201 selects the production and sales information item to be displayed in the "Production and Sales List Display" column 510. Types of display items include "Latest Display Count" and "Display Count (All Time Specified)".

[0037] When "Latest display number" is selected from the "Display item" keys 502a, the price setter control means 201 displays the latest detailed production and sales information of the product in the "Production and sales list display" field 510. When "Display number (all time specified)" is selected from the "Display item" keys 502a, the price setter control means 201 displays the display status of the product in all time periods.

[0038] In FIG. 5, "Number of items currently on display" is selected as the display item, and a "Production and sales list display" field 510 is displayed in which the latest production and sales information for each product is displayed.

[0039] In addition, when the user selects an arbitrary display target from the "display target" key 503a in the "display target" column 503, the price setter control means 201 selects the target product to be displayed in the "production and sales list display" column 510. The types of display target include "all," "display quantity," "planned production quantity," and "production quantity forecast."

[0040] When "All" is selected as the display target from the "Display target" key 503a, the pricing device control means 201 displays in the "Production and sales list display" column 510 the production and sales information of all products that have been produced by the pricing device 2, i.e., all products that exist in the product master of each storage means of the pricing device 2.

[0041] Furthermore, when "display number" is selected as the display object from the "display object" key 503a, the pricing device control means 201 displays production and sales information of products for which the planned display number (F) at the most recent specified time has been set by the user in the "production and sales list display" column 510. The planned display number (F) at a specified time is the number of products to be displayed at a certain specified time specified by the user, and is information input and set by the input means 221 when the user predicts an appropriate display number at a certain specified time from past sales information, etc.

[0042] In addition, when "Planned production quantity" is selected as the display object from the "Display object" key 503a, the pricing device control means 201 displays the production and sales information of the product for which the planned production quantity (D) has been set by the user in the "Production and sales list display" column 510. The planned production quantity (D) is the quantity planned to be produced for a given product on a given business day, and is information that is input and set by the user using the input means 221 after predicting the required production quantity based on past sales information, etc.

[0043] The display object set in the "display object" key 503a in the "display object" column 503 is not limited to the above example, and it is preferable to allow the user to set the display object. In addition, multiple display objects can be set, and when multiple display objects are set, the price setter control means 201 displays the production and sales information of all products related to the set display object in the "production and sales list display" column 510.

[0044] In the "Production and sales list display" column 510 shown in FIG. 5, the user selects "by product number" from the "sort method" key 501a, "number of most recent displays" from the "display items" key 502a, and "all" from the "display target" key 503a, and as a result, the price setter control means 201 displays the production and sales information for all products in the product master of the price setter 2 as of 3:00 p.m., the time of the most recent information update, sorted in order of product number.

[0045] FIG. 6(a) shows the production and sales information in the "production and sales list display" column 510 shown in FIG. The production and sales information displayed in the "production and sales list display" column 510 by the pricing device control means 201 includes the following items: "Product number", "Product name", "Production quantity (A)", "Sales quantity (B)", "Number of items on display at 15: excess or shortage (F2)", "Number of items on display at 15: planned number (E2)", "Additional production quantity (forecast for 15:) (G)", and "Additional production quantity (I)". Note that information on the number of items on display (C), planned production quantity (D), and forecasted sales quantity (H) are also listed in Fig. 6(a).

[0046] The pricing device control means 201 displays the product identification information of the product in the "product number" field, and displays the product name of the product in the "product name" field. In addition, in the "production quantity" field, it displays information on the production quantity (A) produced by the pricing device 2 most recently (as of 3 p.m.) acquired by the production quantity acquisition means 202, and in the "sales quantity" field, it displays information on the sales quantity (B) of each product acquired by the sales quantity acquisition means 203 from the POS terminal 11, etc. The products displayed in the "Production and Sales List Display" column 510 may only include products that exist in the product master of the pricing device 2 in question, or may include all products that exist in the product master of other pricing devices 2 or pricing devices 2 in other departments.

[0047] In addition, the pricing device control means 201 displays the planned display quantity (E2) at specified time 2 (15:00) that has been set in advance by the user in the "Display quantity at 15:00: Planned quantity" field, and displays the surplus or shortage quantity (F2) (=display quantity (C2) - planned display quantity (E2)) obtained by subtracting the display quantity at 15:00 (C2) (=production quantity (A2) - sales quantity (B2)) from the planned display quantity (E2) at specified time 2 (15:00). The method for setting the planned number of items to be displayed (E2) at designated time 2 (15:00) will be described later.

[0048] If the surplus / deficiency number (F2) in the "Number of items on display at 15:00: surplus / deficiency" item is positive (+), it means that the actual number of items on display (C2) at 15:00 is more than the number planned to be on display (E2) at the specified time (15:00); if it is negative (-), it means that the number of items on display (C2) is less than the number planned to be on display (E2) at 15:00.

[0049] For example, in the example shown in Figure 6(a), for the product name "Usugiri Kuroge Wagyu Beef Loin," the "Number of items on display at 3 p.m.: Planned number" field displays "30," and the "Number of items on display at 3 p.m.: Excess or shortage" field displays "-15." This shows that although the user set "30" as the appropriate number of products to be displayed at 3 p.m. (planned number of products to be displayed at specified time 2: E2), there are only "15" (=60-45)" products on the shelves, meaning there is a shortage of "15" products.

[0050] In addition, the pricing device control means 201 predicts the production quantity that should be produced on a business day based on the sales status of the product as of 3 p.m. on that business day in the "Additional Production Quantity (Predicted at 3 p.m.)" item, and displays the required additional production quantity (predicted at 3 p.m.) (G). For example, in the example shown in Figure 6(a), for the product name "Usugiri Japanese Black Beef Loin," the predicted sales volume for the day (H) (=68) is predicted from the sales volume as of 3 p.m. (B) of "45," and the production volume as of 3 p.m. (A) is subtracted to calculate the additional production quantity (predicted at 3 p.m.) (G) of "+8."

[0051] The method for predicting the number of products to be produced on a business day is not particularly limited, and may be calculated appropriately based on sales information from the past few days, weather information, etc. The method for setting the predicted production number will be described later.

[0052] Furthermore, the pricing device control means 201 displays the additional production quantity (I) (= planned production quantity (D) - production quantity (A)) obtained by subtracting the value of the production quantity (A) from the planned production quantity (D) in the "additional production quantity" item. In this way, by selecting "Current Display Quantity" from the "Display Item" key 502a to display the production and sales list screen 5, the user can grasp the overall production and sales information of the products, check the surplus or shortage of products at the most recent specified time (15:00), and review plans such as production and stocking of products after 15:00. In addition, by checking the "additional production quantity" item, users can confirm the planned number of products to be produced and put on display on each business day based on the sales plan.

[0053] On the other hand, on the production and sales list screen 5, when the user selects "Display quantity (all time specifications)" from the "Display item" key 502a, the pricing device control means 201 displays the items "Product number", "Product name", "Number of displays at 10:00: excess or shortage", "Number of displays at 10:00: planned number", "Number of displays at 15:00: excess or shortage", "Number of displays at 15:00: planned number", "Number of displays at 17:00: excess or shortage", and "Number of displays at 17:00: planned number" shown in Figure 6(b) in the "Production and sales list display" column 510. FIG. 6(b) shows information displayed in the "production and sales list display" column 510 as of 15:00.

[0054] The pricing device control means 201 displays the planned display quantity (E1) at specified time 1 (10:00) that has been set in advance by the user in the "10:00 display quantity: planned quantity" column, and displays the surplus / deficiency quantity (F1) (=display quantity (C1) - planned display quantity (E1)) obtained by dividing the display quantity at 10:00 (C1) from the planned display quantity (E1) at specified time 1 (10:00).

[0055] In addition, the pricing device control means 201 displays the planned display quantity (E3) at specified time 3 (17:00) that has been set in advance by the user in the "Display quantity at 17:00: planned quantity" field, and displays the surplus or shortage quantity (F3) obtained by dividing the display quantity at 15:00 (C3) (=display quantity (C3) - planned display quantity (E3)) in the "Display quantity at 17:00: planned quantity" field. In the example shown in FIG. 5(b), the number of items on display at 17:00: surplus or shortage has not been determined as of 15:00, so the number of items on display at 17:00 is not displayed (F3).

[0056] In this way, by selecting "Display quantity (all time specifications)" from the "Display item" key 502a to display the production and sales list screen 5, the user can grasp the production and sales information of the products for all time periods on the business day, and can review plans for future production and stocking of the products.

[0057] (Manufacturing work instruction function) Depending on the business day, there may be cases where the planned production quantity is clearly insufficient or conversely, clearly excessive, depending on the weather, events, etc. Even in such cases, the pricing device 2 of this embodiment allows the user to modify the number of additional production orders for the product at their discretion. The following describes a manufacturing work instruction function that allows you to modify the additional production quantity of an item.

[0058] Specifically, when the user operates the “Manufacturing Work Instructions” key 504a on the production and sales list screen 5, the pricing device control means 201 switches the “Production and sales list display” column 510 to a state in which the “Additional production quantity” shown in FIG. 7 can be edited.

[0059] The user can select a product in the switched “Production / Sales List Display” field 510 and enter any number in the “Additional Production Quantity” field 510a for the selected product to modify the additional production quantity to be produced thereafter on that business day.

[0060] For example, after correcting the additional production quantity for "thinly sliced ​​Japanese black beef loin" and "Japanese black beef thigh for shabu-shabu," for which "display quantity at 15:00: excess / shortage" indicates "-15," when the user operates the "end registration" key 504b, the price setter control means 201 displays a pop-up screen 550 as shown in Fig. 8. When the user operates the "save" key 550a on the pop-up screen 550, the price setter control means 201 additionally registers the corrected additional production quantity in the manufacturing work instruction reservation file.

[0061] The manufacturing work instruction reservation file is a file that records the additional production quantity for issuing manufacturing instructions, and records the additional production quantity (I) based on the planned production quantity (D) of the product, production quantity (A), etc. By registering the additional production quantity by the user as described above, it is possible to issue an appropriate additional production quantity instruction for products whose sales performance on the day differs significantly from the sales forecast or for products for which a planned production quantity (D) is not set.

[0062] As described above, in the pricing device 2 of this embodiment, various production and sales information of products is displayed on the display means 222 by utilizing the information (production quantity) acquired by the pricing device 2 and the sales performance data (sales quantity) acquired from the POS terminal 11, thereby making it possible to improve the efficiency of production of products in the back room and the work of stocking products on display shelves.

[0063] (Alert function) The price marking device 2 of this embodiment has an alert function that prompts production, stocking, etc. of each product according to the production and sales status of the above-mentioned products, thereby making it possible to further improve the efficiency of backroom operations. The price setting device 2 of this embodiment has three types of alert functions: a product replenishment alert function, a designated time alert function, and a production quantity prediction function. The alert function of the pricing device 2 of this embodiment will be described in detail below.

[0064] The alert function of the price setting device 2 of this embodiment can be set by the user using the "production / sales alert setting" screen 7, and an appropriate alert function can be set for each product from among the above three types of alert functions. Note that multiple alert functions can also be set for one product.

[0065] First, when the user operates the "product sales alert" key 6a or the like on the product registration screen 6 (FIG. 9) where the settings and registration of each product in the price setter 2 are performed, the price setter control means 201 displays on the display means 222 a "production and sales alert setting" screen 7 for the product that has been set and registered on the product registration screen 6. An example of the "production and sales alert setting" screen 7 is shown in FIGS. 10 and 11.

[0066] The “production / sales alert setting” screen 7 of the pricing device 2 of this embodiment includes a “product replenishment alert setting” field 701 , a “specified time alert setting” field 702 , and a “production forecast setting” field 703 . In the "Production / Sales Alert Settings" screen 7 shown in Fig. 10, no settings have been made in the setting fields for all three types of alert functions, and the settings for each alert function are disabled. On the other hand, in the "Production / Sales Alert Settings" screen 7 shown in Fig. 11, settings have been made in the setting fields for all three types of alert functions, and all alert functions are enabled.

[0067] (Product replenishment alert) First, the product replenishment alert function will be described. The product replenishment alert is a function that notifies the user that a product needs to be replenished each time the sales volume of that product exceeds a specified threshold.

[0068] When the user inputs an arbitrary numerical value into the “Product replenishment alert number” column 701a of the “Product replenishment alert setting” column 701 as shown in FIG. 11, the pricing device control means 201 sets the product replenishment alert number (J) that serves as the basis for the product replenishment alert and enables the product replenishment alert function. Furthermore, when the user inputs an arbitrary numerical value into the "Planned production quantity" column 701b of the "Product replenishment alert setting" column 701, the price setter control means 201 sets the planned production quantity (D) for the relevant product per day.

[0069] Then, for example, each time the sales volume acquisition means 203 acquires the sales volume of a product from the POS terminal 11, the pricing device control means 201 determines whether or not to issue a product replenishment alert for a product for which the product replenishment alert function is enabled, based on the production volume (A) acquired by the production volume acquisition means 202, the sales volume (B) acquired by the sales volume acquisition means 203, and the set product replenishment alert number (J). The product replenishment alert function will be described below with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0070] First, the pricing device control means 201 checks at predetermined time intervals whether the sales amount obtaining means 203 has obtained data on the sales amount (B) from the POS terminal 11 (s101). If the sales volume acquisition means 203 has not acquired the data on the sales volume (B), the process ends and waits for the next predetermined time to come.

[0071] When the sales quantity acquisition means 203 acquires data on the current sales quantity (Bn), the pricing device control means 201 subtracts the sales quantity (Bm) acquired by the sales quantity acquisition means 203 when the previous product replenishment alert was notified from the acquired current sales quantity (Bn) to calculate the sales quantity (Bk=Bn-Bm) since the previous product replenishment alert (s102). At the same time, the production quantity acquisition means 202 acquires the current production quantity (An).

[0072] Next, the pricing device control means 201 compares the sales quantity (Bk) since the previous product replenishment alert with the number of product replenishment alerts (J) set by the user, and determines whether the sales quantity (Bk) since the previous product replenishment alert is greater than or equal to the number of product replenishment alerts (J) (s103).

[0073] For products whose sales quantity (Bk) after the product replenishment alert is less than the product replenishment alert number (J), the pricing device control means 201 ends the process without issuing a product replenishment alert. On the other hand, for products whose sales quantity (Bk) after the product replenishment alert is equal to or greater than the product replenishment alert count (J), the system switches to a mode in which a product replenishment alert is notified.

[0074] In the mode of notifying a product replenishment alert, the pricing device control means 201 checks whether the user has set the planned production quantity (D) for the product in question per day in the “Planned Production Quantity” column 601b of the “Product Replenishment Alert Setting” column 601 (s104).

[0075] If it is confirmed in s104 that the planned production quantity (D) has been set, the pricing device control means 201 issues a replenishment alert 1 (s105) and ends the process.

[0076] An example of replenishment alert 1 will now be described with reference to FIG. 14. Replenishment alert 1 is performed by displaying a pop-up display 801 that prompts the user to produce additional products. The pop-up display 801 has a comment section 801a that instructs additional production including the number of additional products to be produced, such as "The following products are running low. Please produce 20 more packs.", a "production instruction" key 801b, a sales status display section 801c that displays the sales performance status of the products, such as the cumulative sales quantity and the last sales time, a "list" key 801d, a "confirm" key 801e, a "call product number" key 801f, etc.

[0077] When the user operates the "production instruction section" key 801b, the pricing device control means 201 prints on a label a barcode or the like that records the product number and additional production quantity of the product for which replenishment alert 1 has been issued. The user can read the bar code or the like on the printed label with an input means such as a scanner of another price labeling device, and thereby transfer information such as the products that need to be replenished and the additional production quantities to another device.

[0078] The transfer of product sales information to another device is not limited to printing a label on which a barcode is printed, but can be performed by outputting the information to a medium to which input can be made by another device. That is, the price assigner 2 of this embodiment only needs to be provided with some kind of output means for outputting the production and sales information so that the production and sales information can be passed on to other price assigners or the like.

[0079] When the user operates the "list" key 801d, the price setter control means 201 displays the production and sales list screen 5 shown in Fig. 5 on the display means 222. Although only very limited production information such as sales quantity is displayed on the pop-up display 801 of replenishment alert 1, the display of the display means 222 can be switched to the production and sales list screen 5 by a simple operation such as operating the "list" key 801d, and the user can check detailed production information of the product for which replenishment alert 1 was notified.

[0080] When the user operates the "Confirm" key 801e, the price setter control means 201 closes the pop-up display 801 and returns to the display before the replenishment alert 1 was notified. In the case of this embodiment shown in Figure 14, the price setting operation screen 4 for product number 000201 and product name "domestic pork offal" is displayed.

[0081] When the user operates the "item number call" key 801f, the price setter control means 201 closes the pop-up display 801 and transitions to the pricing operation screen 4 for the product for which the replenishment alert 1 was notified. In the case of this embodiment shown in Fig. 14, the pricing operation screen 4 for the product number 000101 and the product name "thinly sliced ​​Japanese black beef loin" is displayed. This allows the user to easily check detailed information about the product for which replenishment alert 1 has been issued. The pop-up display 801, which is an example of the replenishment alert 1 shown in FIG.

[0082] Returning to the flowchart, for products for which it is confirmed in s104 that the user has not set a planned production quantity (D), the pricing device control means 201 determines whether the current number of products on display (Cn=An-Bn) is less than the product replenishment alert number (J) (s106).

[0083] If it is determined that the number of displayed products (Cn) is less than the number of product replenishment alerts (J), then since the product is not sufficiently displayed, a replenishment alert 2 is sent to the user (s107) to prompt additional production of the product, and the process ends.

[0084] On the other hand, for products whose number of products on display (Cn) is determined to be equal to or greater than the product replenishment alert number (J), the product has been sold but there is still enough product on display, so replenishment alert 3 is issued to notify that a certain number of products have been sold (s108), and the process ends.

[0085] Here, examples of the replenishment alert 2 and the replenishment alert 3 are shown in FIGS. 15, replenishment alert 2 is performed by displaying a pop-up display 802 that prompts the user to replenish products. The pop-up display 802 has a comment section 802a that instructs additional production, such as "The following products are running low. Please produce more," a "production instruction" key 802b, a sales status display section 802c, a "list" key 802d, a "confirm" key 802e, and a "call product number" key 802f.

[0086] 16 is issued by displaying a pop-up display 803 to the user indicating the sales quantity of the product. The pop-up display 803 has a comment section 803a that displays a message such as "The following products have been sold," a sales status display section 803c, a "List" key 803d, a "Confirm" key 803e, and a "Call item number" key 803f. The functions of the keys and the like in the pop-up displays shown in FIGS. 15 and 16 are similar to those of the pop-up display 801 shown in FIG. 14, and therefore the description thereof will be omitted.

[0087] It should be noted that the above replenishment alerts 1 to 3 are not limited to the pop-up displays. For example, as shown in Fig. 17, the pop-up display 802 may be made movable for each product, and a "previous" key 802g and a "next" key 802h may be provided in the pop-up display 802. The user can switch between products for which a replenishment alert has been notified and check them by operating the "previous" key 802g and the "next" key 802h in the pop-up display 802.

[0088] Also, as shown in FIG. 18, a slide bar 802i may be provided in the sales status display section 802c of the pop-up display 802 so that information on the product that is the subject of the replenishment alert can be displayed in a continuous scrolling manner. In addition, for the pop-up display instructing additional production as shown in FIG. 14 and FIG. 15, the background color of the display may be changed to draw the user's attention.

[0089] It is preferable that the pop-up displays 801 to 803 are not displayed when the user is performing a pricing operation or the like, but are displayed when no operation is performed on the screen for a predetermined time (e.g., 10 seconds), thereby giving priority to the operation performed by the user and displaying the pop-up displays only when the operation is completed.

[0090] In addition, if the notification conditions for the next product replenishment alert are met without the user confirming the pop-up display, the previous product replenishment alert may be reset once and the pop-up display may be erased, and the next product replenishment alert may be notified. At this time, the content of the previous product replenishment alert may be included in the pop-up display of the next product replenishment alert.

[0091] (Specified time alert) Next, the specified time alert function will be described. The designated time alert function is a function that notifies the user at a designated time whether the number of items to be displayed is insufficient or excessive compared to the planned number of items previously set for each item.

[0092] When the user inputs any numerical value into the "Number of items to be displayed at designated time 1" column 702a through "Number of items to be displayed at designated time 3" column 702c of the "Designated time alert setting" column 702 shown in FIG. 11, the pricing device control means 201 sets the planned number of items to be displayed at designated time 1 (E1) through the planned number of items to be displayed at designated time 3 (E3). It is possible to input values ​​in some of the "display quantity at designated time 1" column 702a through the "display quantity at designated time 3" column 702c, and it is not necessary to set all of the planned display quantities at designated times.

[0093] Then, when the time passes any one of designated times 1 to 3, the pricing device control means 201 automatically displays a "production and sales list screen" 5 which includes the designated time n planned display quantity (En) for the exceeded designated time n for products for which a designated time display quantity (E) is set, and the surplus or shortage quantity (Fn) of products at the designated time n (=display quantity (Cn) - planned display quantity (En)). The specified time alert function will be described below with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0094] First, the pricing device control means 201 judges whether the current time (T) has exceeded the designated time 3 (t3) (s201). If it is judged that the time (T) has not exceeded the designated time 3 (t3), the pricing device control means 201 judges whether the time (T) has exceeded the designated time 2 (t2) (s202). If it is judged that the time (T) has not exceeded the designated time 2 (t2), the pricing device control means 201 judges whether the time (T) has exceeded the designated time 1 (t1) (s203).

[0095] If it is determined in s203 that the time (T) does not exceed the designated time 1 (t1), the process ends. On the other hand, if it is determined in s203 that the time (T) has exceeded the designated time 1 (t1), the pricing device control means 201 determines whether or not the planned display quantity for designated time 1 (E1) has been set (s204).

[0096] If it is determined in s204 that the planned display quantity at specified time 1 (E1) has not been set, the processing is terminated, and if it is determined that the planned display quantity at specified time 1 (E1) has been set, the pricing device control means 201 determines whether or not "1" has been assigned to the time 1 flag (f1) (s205). The time n flag (fn) is a flag that indicates whether or not a specified time alert has already been made at the specified time n. If the time n flag (fn) is set to "1", this means that a specified time alert has already been made at the specified time n.

[0097] If it is determined that "1" has been assigned to the time 1 flag (f1), the specified time alert at specified time 1 has already been issued, and so the process ends. On the other hand, if it is determined that the time 1 flag (f1) is not set to "1", the production number obtaining means 202 obtains data on the production quantity (A1) at the specified time 1 (t1), and the sales number obtaining means 203 obtains data on the sales quantity (B1) from the POS terminal 11 and stores it in the storage means (s206).

[0098] Next, the pricing device control means 201 calculates the number of displays (C1=A1-B1) and the number of excesses and shortages (F1=C1-E1) at the specified time 1 (t1) and stores them in the storage means (s207). Then, the pricing device control means 201 reads out the surplus / deficiency quantity (F1), the planned quantity (E1), the planned quantity (E2), and the planned quantity (E3) from the storage means, creates and displays the production / sales list screen 5 (s208), assigns "1" to the time 1 flag (f1) (s209), and ends the process.

[0099] Returning to S202, if it is determined that the time (T) has exceeded the designated time 2 (t2), the pricing device control means 201 determines whether the planned display quantity at the designated time 2 (E2) has been set (s214).

[0100] If it is determined in S214 that the planned display quantity at specified time 2 (E2) has not been set, the processing is terminated, and if it is determined that the planned display quantity at specified time 2 (E2) has been set, the pricing device control means 201 determines whether or not "1" has been assigned to the time 2 flag (f2) (s215).

[0101] If it is determined that the time 2 flag (f2) is set to "1", the specified time alert at specified time 2 has already been issued, and so the process ends. On the other hand, if it is determined that the time 1 flag (f2) is not set to "1", the production number obtaining means 202 obtains data on the production quantity (A2) at the specified time 2 (t2), and the sales number obtaining means 203 obtains data on the sales quantity (B2) from the POS terminal 11 and stores it in the storage means (s216).

[0102] Next, the pricing device control means 201 calculates the number of displays (C2=A2-B2) and the number of excesses and shortages (F2=C2-E2) at the specified time 2 (t2), and stores them in the storage means (s217). Then, the pricing device control means 201 reads out the surplus / deficiency quantity (F1), the planned quantity (E1), the surplus / deficiency quantity (F2), the planned quantity (E2) and the planned quantity (E3) from the storage means, creates and displays the production / sales list screen 5 (s218), assigns "1" to the time 2 flag (f2) (s219), and ends the process.

[0103] Returning to S201, if it is determined that the time (T) has exceeded the designated time 3 (t3), the pricing device control means 201 determines whether the planned display quantity for designated time 3 (E3) has been set (s224).

[0104] If it is determined in s224 that the planned display quantity at specified time 3 (E3) has not been set, the processing is terminated, and if it is determined that the planned display quantity at specified time 3 (E3) has been set, the pricing device control means 201 determines whether or not "1" has been assigned to the time 3 flag (f3) (s225).

[0105] If it is determined that the time 3 flag (f3) is set to "1", the specified time alert at specified time 3 has already been issued, and so the process ends. On the other hand, if it is determined that the time 1 flag (f3) is not set to "1", the production number obtaining means 202 obtains data on the production quantity (A3) at the specified time 3 (t3), and the sales number obtaining means 203 obtains data on the sales quantity (B3) from the POS terminal 11 and stores it in the storage means (s226).

[0106] Next, the pricing device control means 201 calculates the number of displays (C3=A3-B3) and the number of excesses and shortages (F3=C3-E3) at designated time 3 (t3), and stores them in the storage means (s227). Then, the pricing device control means 201 reads out the surplus / deficiency quantity (F1), the planned quantity (E1), the surplus / deficiency quantity (F2), the planned quantity (E2), the surplus / deficiency quantity (F3) and the planned quantity (E3) from the storage means, creates and displays the production / sales list screen 5 (s228), assigns "1" to the time 3 flag (f3) (s229), and terminates the processing.

[0107] As described above, the price setting device control means 201 of this embodiment automatically displays a “production and sales list screen” 5 including the planned display quantity at the designated time (E) and the surplus or shortage quantity of the product at the designated time (F) (= actual display quantity (C) - planned display quantity (E)) once designated time 1 or 3 has passed for a product for which the designated time alert function is set.

[0108] An example of the designated time alert display is shown in Fig. 18. This display example shows the notification state of the designated time alert at designated time 3 (17:00), and at designated time 3 (17:00), for thinly sliced ​​Japanese black beef loin (product number: 000101), the planned number of items to be displayed at designated time 3 (E3) is "20", and the surplus or shortage is "-5".

[0109] In addition, for "Usugiri Kuroge Wagyu Beef Shoulder Loin (Product Number: 000102)," the planned number of items to be displayed at the specified time 3 (E3) is "10," and the surplus or shortage is "+8." A user who sees this display example can see that the number of "thinly sliced ​​Japanese black beef loin" displayed on the store's shelves is five units less than the planned number of items to be displayed, and that the number of "thinly sliced ​​Japanese black beef shoulder loin" displayed is eight units more than the planned number of items to be displayed. These displays allow users to review the production and stocking processes of products after the specified time (5 p.m.).

[0110] It is preferable that the automatic display of the "Production / Sales List Screen" 5 using the specified time alert function not be displayed when the user is performing tasks such as pricing products, but be displayed when no operations are performed on the screen for a specified period of time (e.g., 10 seconds), thereby giving priority to the user's operations while they are working, and displaying the alert when the work is completed. The designated time for displaying the alert for the designated time alert can be set appropriately using an alert setting screen, which will be described later.

[0111] When a product replenishment alert or a specified time alert is issued, for example, if there are many products on display that are close to their expiration date or best before date at the time of the alert, a pop-up may be displayed encouraging customers to attach discount stickers to the products, or a message such as "Please check the expiration dates in the sales area." may be displayed.

[0112] (Production forecast) The production quantity prediction function is a function that predicts the number of sales for the current day based on, for example, past sales performance and the sales performance for that day, and based on that value, notifies the additional quantity that should be produced from that time onwards.

[0113] The method for predicting the production volume is not particularly limited. For example, the production volume may be predicted based on short-term predictions such as sales records for each business hour on each day of the week over the past few weeks. Also, the production volume may be predicted based on the results of analyzing seasonal changes in product sales over the past few years, as well as changes in sales due to weather and temperature on business days. It is also possible to analyze the increase or decrease in sales volume for each product due to events such as Christmas and Setsubun, and to predict the production volume of special products based on the results of the analysis.

[0114] When the user sets "Yes" in the "production forecast setting" column 803 shown in Fig. 10, the pricing device control means 201 predicts the number of units to be sold on that day, calculates the number of units to be additionally produced on that day, and displays it in the "additional production quantity (predicted at 15:00)" column of the production and sales list screen 5 as shown in Fig. 5. At this time, the pricing device control means 201 functions as a production quantity prediction means.

[0115] The pricing device 2 of this embodiment has a production quantity prediction alert function that predicts and displays additional production quantities based on the sales situation on each business day, allowing the user to produce and stock products according to the sales situation on that day.

[0116] As described above, the pricing device 2 of this embodiment has multiple alert functions, such as a product replenishment alert (first alert) that notifies when product production and sales information meets specified conditions, a specified time alert (second alert) that notifies product production and sales information at specified times, and a production quantity forecast (third alert) that predicts and notifies the required production quantity based on the sales situation on the day of a business day, allowing the user to set an alert function appropriate for each product, thereby making work in the back yard more efficient.

[0117] FIG. 20 shows an example of the alert setting screen 9 for setting basic information about the alert function. The alert setting screen 9 includes a "production quantity forecast" column 901, a "product replenishment alert display" column 902, a "specified time 1" column 903, a "production quantity forecast at specified time 1" column 904, a "specified time 2" column 905, a "production quantity forecast at specified time 2" column 906, a "specified time 3" column 907, a "production quantity forecast at specified time 3" column 908, and a "Confirm" button 99.

[0118] When the user inputs values ​​or the like into each field of the alert setting screen 9, the pricing device control means 201 functions as a notification method setting means, and sets an alert function for each product or each attribute (department) of the product.

[0119] Whether or not to perform the production number prediction, which is the third notification, is set in the "production number prediction" column 901. When the user inputs "Yes" in the "production number prediction" column 901, the pricing device control means 201 (third notification means) calculates the additional production number (prediction at 15:00) (G) and displays it on the production and sales list screen 5.

[0120] In the "Product replenishment alert display" field 902, a target product for which the price setter control means 201 (first notification means) is to exercise the product replenishment alert function is set. In the pricing device 2 of this embodiment, the “Product replenishment alert display” column 902 is provided with the options “No,” “Yes (only products with low stock),” and “Yes (all products),” and one of these is set.

[0121] By selecting “Yes (only products with low remaining)” in the “Product replenishment alert display” column 902, the pricing device control means 201 (first notification means) will use the product replenishment alert function to provide a pop-up notification only for products with low numbers on display. In addition, by selecting “Yes (all products)” in the “Product replenishment alert display” column 902, the pricing device control means 201 (first notification means) will use the product replenishment alert function to notify by pop-up display of all products, including products with sufficient display numbers.

[0122] By inputting information into the "Designated time 1" column 903, "Designated time 2" column 905, "Designated time 3" column 907, and "Production volume forecast for designated time 1" column 904, "Production volume forecast for designated time 3" column 906, and "Production volume forecast for designated time 3" column 908, the pricing device control means 201 (second notification means) sets whether or not to issue a notification using the designated time alert function.

[0123] Specifically, the time of the alert for the designated time alert can be set using the "Designated time 1" column 903, "Designated time 2" column 905, and "Designated time 3" column 907. Also, the "Production volume forecast for designated time 1" column 904, "Production volume forecast for designated time 3" column 906, and "Production volume forecast for designated time 3" column 908 can be used to set whether or not to display an alert at each designated time.

[0124] In the example shown in FIG. 20, it is set that no designated time alert display will be performed at designated time 1 (10:00), but designated time alerts will be displayed at designated time 2 (15:00) and designated time 3 (17:00).

[0125] As described above, the pricing device 2 of this embodiment is equipped with multiple alert functions with different alert conditions, and an appropriate alert function can be set for each product. This makes it possible to set appropriate notifications according to the characteristics of the product, and also to eliminate unnecessary notifications, thereby providing necessary and sufficient notifications to the user.

[0126] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment. For example, in the above embodiment, the sales volume acquisition means 203 acquired the sales quantity from the POS system 1, but it may also be configured to acquire the actual display quantity of the product in the sales area (display location) input by the user using a portable mobile terminal 3. In addition, the notification means may also notify other production and sales information devices (pricing devices) connected to the production and sales information notification device (pricing device), and the pricing device control means 201 may function as an output means for outputting the production and sales information to other production and sales information notification devices (pricing devices). [Explanation of symbols]

[0127] 1: POS system 11: POS terminal 12: Storage means 2: Price maker 201: Price setting device control means 202: Means of obtaining production numbers 203: Sales volume acquisition method 204: Display actual number acquisition method 211: Production quantity storage means 212: Planned production quantity storage means 213: Predetermined time 1 display number storage means 214: Predetermined time 2 display number storage means 215: Predetermined time 3 display number storage means 221: Input method 222:Display means 223:Printing means 3: Mobile devices 4: Pricing operation screen 5: Production and sales list screen 6: Product registration screen 7: Production and sales alert setting screen

Claims

[Claim 1] a production quantity acquisition means for acquiring the production quantity of the product on that day; a sales quantity acquisition means for acquiring the sales quantity of the product on that day; a production and sales information calculation means for calculating production and sales information of the commodity based on the production quantity and the sales quantity; a shortage determination means for determining a shortage for each product based on the production and sales information each time the production and sales information calculation means calculates the production and sales information; a notification means for notifying the production and sales information, the production and sales information calculation means calculates the production and sales information in response to the acquisition of the sales volume; When the shortage determination means determines that there is a shortage of a product, the notification means notifies the user of the shortage and outputs an alert to prompt production or stocking of the product. A production and sales information notification device.

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