Food product sales system

Abstract

To reduce food loss through sales promotion of food products.SOLUTION: A food product sales system 1 for selling food products A-C is provided, the system being configured to check best-before date information 4Ac-4Cc and then output a prompt with advertisement information and recipe information about the food products in stock to a purchaser terminal 3A.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a sales system for food products. Specifically, it relates to a sales system for food products capable of reducing food loss (food waste).

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, the safety of products centered on food has attracted the attention of consumers. When consumers select products, they have come to show interest even in aspects such as what the products themselves and their raw materials are.

[0003] Therefore, product providers provide products by describing information such as the components, origin, and manufacturing date of the products and their raw materials on labels attached to the product packaging or recording them on IC tags.

[0004] However, simply attaching information that is merely described or recorded to products makes it easy to tamper with or forge such information, and there is in fact a situation where information is being tampered with or forged. As a result, the credibility for consumers is low, and it has been difficult for consumers to select products with confidence.

[0005] Therefore, the inventor of the present invention has proposed a technique of providing food by attaching a sample of raw material powder obtained by powdering the raw materials of the food instead of simply attaching information that is merely described or recorded to the food (see Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] By the way, although realizing the "visualization" of food quality enables consumers to safely select food, it is difficult to directly contribute to reducing "food loss", which has been regarded as a problem in recent years.

[0008] The present invention was devised in view of the above points, and an object thereof is to provide a sales system for food products capable of reducing food loss.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0009] In order to achieve the above object, the sales system for food products of the present invention defines any one of the expiration date, the shipping date, or the remaining days until the expiration date reaches a predetermined number of days as a predetermined period, and is a sales system for food products for selling predetermined food, and includes food information recording means for recording food information including the information on the predetermined period of the food, the information on the purchaser of the food, and the information on the number of holdings, which is the quantity of the food held by the purchaser; food information writing means for reducing the information on the number of holdings recorded in the food information recording means in response to a request from the terminal of the purchaser recorded in the food information recording means; point giving means for giving points to the purchaser who made the request on the condition that the food information writing means has reduced the information on the number of holdings; instruction information creating means for creating instruction information for confirming the food information recorded in the food information recording means and inputting it to a predetermined recipe information generating means, the instruction information being for the recipe information generating means to generate recipe information using a first food, which is one of the foods, and expired food that has passed the predetermined period; and output means for outputting the advertisement information of the first food and the instruction information created by the instruction information creating means to the terminal of the specific purchaser among the specific purchasers recorded in the food information recording means as the purchaser of the first food, and whose number of holdings of the first food recorded in the food information recording means is less than a predetermined number.

[0010] Further, the food product sales system of the present invention defines any one of the expiration date, the shipping date, or the remaining number of days until the consumption date reaches a predetermined number of days as the predetermined period, and is a food product sales system for selling predetermined food products, including food information recording means for recording food information including information on the inventory quantity of the food, information on the predetermined period of the food, information on the purchaser of the food, and information on the quantity in possession, which is the quantity of the food held by the purchaser; food information writing means for reducing the information on the quantity in possession recorded in the food information recording means in response to a request from the terminal of the purchaser recorded in the food information recording means; point awarding means for awarding points to the purchaser who made the request on the condition that the food information writing means has reduced the information on the quantity in possession; instruction information creating means for creating instruction information to be input into a predetermined recipe information generating means, which is instruction information for generating recipe information using the first food, which is one of the foods, and the food in stock when there is no stock of expired food that has passed the predetermined period, and creating instruction information to be input into a predetermined recipe information generating means, which is instruction information for generating recipe information using the first food and the expired food when there is stock of the expired food; and output means for outputting the advertisement information of the first food and the instruction information created by the instruction information creating means to the terminal of the specific purchaser among the specific purchasers recorded in the food information recording means as the purchaser of the first food, and whose quantity in possession of the first food recorded in the food information recording means is less than a predetermined number.

[0011] Here, it can be expected that by outputting the advertisement information of the first food to the terminal of the specific purchaser among the specific purchasers recorded in the food information recording means as the purchaser of the first food (one of the foods sold by the food product sales system) and whose quantity in possession of the first food recorded in the food information recording means is less than a predetermined number, it will lead to the purchase of the "first food".

[0012] In addition, since specific purchasers who possess the "first food" (especially those who possess a large number of the "first food") are considered less likely to purchase the "first food" additionally, the marketability of the "first food" will vary depending on the quantity of the "first food" held. Therefore, instead of outputting advertising information to all specific purchasers, by configuring to output advertising information only to specific purchasers whose quantity of the "first food" held is below a predetermined number (for example, the quantity held is zero, etc.), it is possible to output highly efficient advertising information that is closely related to the marketability (sales performance) of the "first food".

[0013] By the way, the "quantity held information" recorded in the food information recording means needs to reflect the usage amount (consumption amount) of the food by the purchaser. Without the cooperation of the purchaser (cooperation in the sense of having them input information), accurate information cannot be recorded. And if the "quantity held information" is not accurate, the effect of the advertising information output by the output means cannot be fully exerted (for example, cases where advertising information is not output even though the first food is not held will occur). Therefore, a configuration is adopted in which points are given to purchasers who have requested to reduce the quantity held information by the point giving means (that is, those who have cooperated to reflect the consumption amount of the food in the "quantity held information"), thereby enhancing the incentive of purchasers to register (correct) the "quantity held information".

[0014] In addition, by including the information of the purchaser's terminal (output destination information) in the "information of the purchaser of the food" recorded in the food information recording means, based on the information recorded in the food information recording means, the output destination (output destination of the advertising information) by the output means can be specified.

[0015] Also, when the output means outputs, together with the advertising information of the "first food", the instruction information for generating the "recipe information using the 'first food' and the '(expired food with inventory)'", it can be expected to lead not only to the purchase of the "first food" but also to the purchase of the "expired food".

[0016] Furthermore, when there is no inventory of expired food (in other words, when there is no expired food for sale), by outputting the instruction information for generating "recipe information using 'the first food' and 'food with inventory'" together with the advertising information of "the first food", it can be expected to lead to the purchase of "food with inventory".

[0017] Here, "food with inventory", considering that there is no inventory of expired food, necessarily means "food that is not expired food".

[0018] Note that for "food that is not expired food (including the first food)" at any timing, since there is a possibility that it will become "expired food" in the future, it is also important to arouse consumers' purchasing desire for "food that is not expired food" in order to achieve the reduction of food loss.

[0019] Also, when the instruction information creating means uses the food product sales system to create the instruction information for generating "recipe information using the first food and the second food" in response to a request from the terminal of a consumer who has purchased the first food and the second food which is one of the expired foods, and the output means outputs such instruction information to the consumer's terminal, the consumer can obtain the instruction information for generating the recipe information of the purchased food even after the purchase. Therefore, it can be expected that the incentive of consumers to purchase "expired food" will increase.

[0020] By the way, "food" here includes both "primary products" and "secondary products", and of course includes food and beverages (animal foods, plant foods, processed foods, frozen foods, luxury foods, seasoning materials, health foods, supplements, beverages, processing materials, etc.) for the purpose of nutrient intake and taste, and also includes pharmaceuticals and quasi-drugs. For example, traditional Chinese medicines are also included. Also, it is intended to include those for fish and animals such as feeds, aquaculture feeds, and dog foods.

[0021] In addition, the "primary product" here refers to fresh food, animal food, and plant food before processing. For example, it includes vegetables such as daikon radish and cabbage, or raw meat such as chicken and beef itself. Also, for example, fruits, beans, shellfish, and fish are also applicable.

[0022] Furthermore, the "secondary product" here refers to a product obtained by processing unprocessed fresh food, unprocessed animal food, or unprocessed plant food, and includes, for example, mochi, pickles, stir-fried vegetables, steak, hamburger, ramen, bento, bread, milk, cheese, beer, wine, sake, whiskey, frozen food, canned food, tea, juice, coffee, soft drinks, etc. in PET bottles.

[0023] In addition, the "secondary product" here includes not only secondary products processed from primary products as raw materials, but also secondary products processed from secondary products as raw materials. For example, it includes tamagoyaki manufactured by purchasing seasoned eggs as raw materials and baking them. Furthermore, the "secondary product" here also includes secondary products purchased with secondary products as raw materials. For example, it includes a bento filled with purchased tamagoyaki using tamagoyaki as a raw material.

[0024] Also, the "first food" may be singular or plural, and the "second food" may also be singular or plural.

[0025] In addition, the "best before date" here means "the deadline within which it can be eaten deliciously without the quality changing", and it does not mean that it cannot be eaten immediately even after the best before date has passed.

[0026] Also, the "expiration date" here means "the deadline within which it can be eaten safely", and when the expiration date has passed, it means that it cannot be eaten.

[0027] Furthermore, the "shipping deadline" here means "the deadline within which a wholesaler or manufacturer can deliver goods to a retail store", and when the shipping deadline has passed, it means that, according to business practice, the retail store will return the goods to the wholesaler or manufacturer. Incidentally, as the "shipment deadline", it is often the case in business practice that it is set as "1 / 3 of the expiration date of food" (for example, in the case of food with an expiration date six months from the manufacturing date, the shipment deadline is two months from the manufacturing date), but the "shipment deadline" here may be "1 / 4 of the expiration date of food". Furthermore, it may be "two months before the expiration date of food" or "one year before the consumption deadline of food".

[0028] Also, the "points" here mean points that can be exchanged for prizes or products, discounted, or used as part of the purchase price for subsequent purchases, and include both points that can be cashed in and points that cannot be cashed in.

Advantages of the Invention

[0029] In the food product sales system of the present invention, it is possible to achieve a reduction in food loss by reducing the inventory of food. reduction can be achieved.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0030]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0031] Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the invention (hereinafter referred to as "embodiments") will be described. Here, in the present embodiment, the explanation will be made based on the time point of April 21, 2022. Therefore, if the expiration date is before April 20, 2022, the expiration date has passed, and if the expiration date is after April 21, 2022, the expiration date has not arrived. The explanation will be made in the following order. 1. First Embodiment 2. Modification Example

[0032] <1. First Embodiment> [Configuration of the Present Invention] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the configuration of a food product sales system to which the present invention is applied, and is an example of a system configuration for providing (selling) Food A, Food B, and Food C. Hereinafter, the food products sold in the food product sales system shown in FIG. 1 (that is, at least one of Food A, Food B, and Food C) will be referred to as "food products".

[0033] Here, Food A is a food product produced by Producer A, with a best - before date of May 31, 2022, an expiration date of September 30, 2022, and a list price of 1,000 yen. Also, Food B is a food product produced by Producer B, with a best - before date of October 31, 2022, an expiration date of January 31, 2023, and a list price of 1,200 yen. Furthermore, Food C is a food product produced by Producer A, with a best - before date of April 20, 2022, an expiration date of August 20, 2022, and a list price of 1,000 yen.

[0034] Also, the food product sales system 1 shown in FIG. 1 is configured to enable communication of various information between a purchaser terminal 3A used by a consumer (purchaser) who has purchased a food product via the Internet 2, a consumer terminal 3B used by a consumer (prospective purchaser) who wishes to purchase a food product.

[0035] The food product sales system 1 also includes food information recording means 4A, 4B, 4C, food information confirmation means 5, prompt creation means 6 (an example of instruction information creation means), information output means 7, food information writing means 10, point awarding means 11, and point recording means 12. Then, various information described later is recorded in the food information recording means 4A, 4B, 4C by the food information writing means 10, and the points awarded by the point awarding means 11 are recorded in the point recording means 12.

[0036] Here, the food information recording means 4A is configured to be able to record at least the information 4Aa of the name of food A (an example of a food product), the information 4Ab of the inventory quantity of food A, the information 4Ac of the expiration date of food A, the information 4Ad of the shelf life of food A, the information 4Ae of the price (list price) of food A, the information 4Af of the purchaser of food A, the information 4Ag of the quantity in possession of food A by the purchaser who purchased food A (in other words, the number of food A that the purchaser has purchased but has not yet consumed), and the information 4Ah of the producer of food A (in other words, it is configured to be writable by the food information writing means 10).

[0037] That is, as shown in FIG. 2, for food A, information such as the management number (No), name, expiration date, shelf life, price, purchaser, producer, and status is recorded. Note that the information of "management number", "name", "expiration date", "shelf life", "price", and "producer" is recorded before the sale of food A. On the other hand, for "purchaser", when the food product sales system 1 provides (sells) food A, the information of the purchaser is recorded. Also, when food A is provided (sold), "in possession" is recorded in the "status". After that, when food A is used (consumed), in response to a request from the purchaser terminal 3A by the purchaser himself (transmission of information indicating that food A has been used), the "status" is corrected (recorded) to "used".

[0038] In FIG. 2, management numbers such as "A-1" to "A-10" are assigned to food A, and information such as "food A" as the name, "May 31, 2022" as the expiration date, "September 30, 2022" as the shelf life, "1,000 yen" as the price, and "producer A" as the producer is recorded. Furthermore, information such as "purchaser A" as the purchaser of food A with management numbers "A-1" and "A-2", "purchaser B" as the purchaser of food A with management number "A-3", and "purchaser C" as the purchaser of food A with management numbers "A-4" and "A-5" is recorded. In addition, information such as "used" is recorded for Food A with management numbers "A-1" and "A-3", and "in possession" is recorded for Food A with management numbers "A-2", "A-4", and "A-5" (that is, Food A with management number "A-1" means that Purchaser A recorded "used" through Purchaser Terminal 3A, and Food A with management number "A-3" means that Purchaser B recorded "used" through Purchaser Terminal 3A).

[0039] Although the inventory quantity of Food A is not explicitly shown as a number in FIG. 2, it means that Food A for which purchaser information has not been recorded (Food A with management numbers "A-6" to "A-10") is unsold, and the inventory quantity is "5". Also, although the number of Food A in stock is not explicitly shown as a number in FIG. 2, since the quantity of Food A with the status of "in possession" corresponds, it means "Number in stock of Purchaser A: 1", "Number in stock of Purchaser B: 0", "Number in stock of Purchaser C: 2".

[0040] In addition, the food information recording means 4B is configured to be able to record at least information 4Ba on the name of Food B (an example of a food product), information 4Bb on the inventory quantity of Food B, information 4Bc on the expiration date of Food B, information 4Bd on the shelf life of Food B, information 4Be on the price (list price) of Food B, information 4Bf on the purchaser of Food B, information 4Bg on the number of Food B in possession by the purchaser who purchased Food B (in other words, the number of Food B that the purchaser has purchased but has not yet consumed), and information 4Bh on the producer of Food B (in other words, it is configured to be writable by the food information writing means 10).

[0041] That is, as shown in FIG. 3, for Food B, information on the management number (No), name, expiration date, shelf life, price, purchaser, producer, and status is recorded. Note that the information on "management number", "name", "shelf life", "expiration date", "price", and "producer" has been recorded since before the sale of Food B. On the other hand, the "purchaser" records the information of the purchaser when the food product sales system 1 provides (sells) Food B. Also, when Food B is provided (sold), "in possession" is recorded in the "status". After that, when Food B is used (consumed), in response to a request from the purchaser's terminal 3A by the purchaser himself / herself (transmission of information indicating that Food B has been used), the "status" is corrected (recorded) to "used".

[0042] In Figure 3, management numbers such as "B-1" to "B-10" are assigned to Food B, and information such as "Food B" as the name, "October 31, 2022" as the shelf life, "January 31, 2023" as the expiration date, "1,200 yen" as the price, and "Producer B" as the producer is recorded. Furthermore, information such as "Purchaser A" as the purchaser of Food B with the management number "B-1", "Purchaser B" as the purchaser of Food B with the management numbers "B-2" and "B-3", and "Purchaser D" as the purchaser of Food B with the management numbers "B-4" and "B-5" is recorded. Also, information such as "used" as the status of Food B with the management numbers "B-1", "B-2", and "B-3", and "in possession" as the status of Food B with the management numbers "B-4" and "B-5" is recorded (that is, it means that Food B with the management number "B-1" has been recorded as "used" by Purchaser A through the purchaser's terminal 3A, and Food B with the management numbers "B-2" and "B-3" has been recorded as "used" by Purchaser B through the purchaser's terminal 3A).

[0043] Note that although the inventory quantity of Food B is not explicitly stated as a number in Figure 3, it means that Food B for which the purchaser's information has not been recorded (Food B with the management numbers "B-6" to "B-10") is unsold, and the inventory quantity is "5". Also, in FIG. 3, although the quantity of Food B in stock is not explicitly shown as a number, since the quantity of Food B in the "in stock" situation corresponds, it means that "Quantity in stock of Purchaser A: 0", "Quantity in stock of Purchaser B: 0", and "Quantity in stock of Purchaser D: 2".

[0044] Furthermore, the food information recording means 4C is configured to be able to record at least the information 4Ca of the name of Food C (an example of a food product), the information 4Cb of the stock quantity of Food C, the information 4Cc of the expiration date of Food C, the information 4Cd of the consumption deadline of Food C, the information 4Ce of the price (list price) of Food C, the information 4Cf of the purchaser of Food C, the information 4Cg of the quantity in stock of Food C by the purchaser who purchased Food C (in other words, the number of Food C that the purchaser has purchased but has not yet consumed), and the information 4Ch of the producer of Food C (in other words, it is configured to be writable by the food information writing means 10).

[0045] That is, as shown in FIG. 4, for Food C, information such as the management number (No), name, expiration date, consumption deadline, price, purchaser, producer, and status is recorded. Note that the information of "management number", "name", "expiration date", "consumption deadline", "price", and "producer" has been recorded since before the sale of Food C. On the other hand, the "purchaser" records the information of the purchaser when the food product sales system 1 provides (sells) Food C. Also, when Food C is provided (sold), "in stock" is recorded in the "status". After that, when Food C is used (consumed), in response to a request from the purchaser terminal 3A by the purchaser himself / herself (transmission of information indicating that Food C has been used), the "status" is corrected (recorded) to "used".

[0046] In FIG. 4, management numbers such as "C-1" to "C-10" are assigned to Food C, and information such as "Food C" as the name, "2022 / 4 / 20" as the expiration date, "2022 / 8 / 20" as the consumption deadline, "1,000 yen" as the price, and "Producer A" as the producer is recorded. Furthermore, information such as "Purchaser C" as the purchaser of Food C with management numbers "C-1" and "C-2", and "Purchaser D" as the purchaser of Food C with management number "C-3" is recorded. Also, information such as "used" for Food C with management numbers "C-1" and "C-2" and "in possession" for Food C with management number "C-3" is recorded (that is, it means that purchaser C recorded "used" through purchaser terminal 3A for Food C with management numbers "C-1" and "C-2").

[0047] Although the inventory quantity of Food C is not explicitly stated as a number in FIG. 4, it means that Food C for which purchaser information is not recorded (Food C with management numbers "C-4" to "C-10") is unsold, and the inventory quantity is "7". Also, although the quantity in possession of Food C is not explicitly stated as a number in FIG. 4, since it corresponds to the quantity of Food C with the status of "in possession", it is "Quantity in possession of purchaser C: 0" and "Quantity in possession of purchaser D: 1".

[0048] Also, the point awarding means 11 is linked to the food information writing means 10, and points are awarded to purchasers who have modified the "status" of Foods A to C from "in possession" to "used" through purchaser terminal 3A. The points awarded by the point awarding means 11 are recorded in the point recording means 12.

[0049] Specifically, points are awarded to purchaser A who has modified Food A with management number "A-1" to "used" and purchaser B who has modified Food A with management number "A-3" to "used". Also, points are awarded to purchaser A who has modified Food B with management number "B-1" to "used" and purchaser B who has modified Foods B with management numbers "B-2" and "B-3" to "used". Furthermore, points are awarded to purchaser C who has modified Food C with management numbers "C-1" and "C-2" to "used".

[0050] In addition, the food information confirmation means 5, the prompt creation means 6, and the information output means 7 are configured to be able to output various information in cooperation with each other.

[0051] Here, the prompt creation means 6 is configured to be able to create a "prompt" for generating recipe information of foods (Food A to Food C) sold by the food product sales system 1 using general-purpose generative AI (generative AI).

[0052] Then, by inputting the "prompt" created by the prompt creation means 16 as input information into general-purpose generative AI (generative AI), recipe information of foods (Food A to Food C) sold by the food product sales system 1 can be obtained as the output result of the generative AI.

[0053] In the following, 1. When a consumer requests information on the selling price of a food product 2. When a purchaser of a food product requests information on the expiration date or consumption period 3. When advertising information is output to a purchaser of a food product will be described.

[0054] [1. When a consumer requests information on the selling price of a food product] When a consumer (here, the consumer includes purchasers who have purchased food products in the past) requests information on the selling price of a food product, the food information confirmation means 5 checks the inventory quantity recorded in the food information recording means 4 (4A to 4C). In addition, the food information confirmation means 5 calculates the price of the food product based on the price information (4Ae, 4Be, 4Ce) and the expiration date information (4Ac, 4Bc, 4Cc) recorded in the food information recording means 4 (4A to 4C).

[0055] Specifically, when information indicating a desire to "output the selling price of Food A" is received from the consumer terminal 3B (or the purchaser terminal 3A), the food information confirmation means 5 accesses the inventory quantity information 4Ab of Food A to check the inventory quantity. In addition to the information 4Ab on the inventory quantity of Food A, the food information confirmation means 5 also confirms the information 4Ad on the expiration date of Food A. If the expiration date 4Ad of Food A has passed, it is determined that Food A is out of stock.

[0056] Furthermore, the food information confirmation means 5 calculates the price of Food A according to the number of days elapsed from the information 4Ac on the best-before date of Food A and the information 4Ae on the price (list price) of Food A.

[0057] For example, if the best-before date has not expired, the price is 1,000 yen (list price); if the best-before date has passed by 1 day, the price is 200 yen (20% off the list price); if the best-before date has passed by 2 days, the price is 100 yen (10% off the list price); if the best-before date has passed by 3 days, the price is 50 yen (5% off the list price); if the best-before date has passed by 4 days or more, the price is 10 yen (1% off the list price).

[0058] The number of days elapsed from the information 4Ac on the best-before date of Food A is calculated by comparing it with the information 4Ac on the best-before date of Food A based on the date when the consumer requested the information (in other words, based on the date when the food information confirmation means 5 calculates the price). In the case of this embodiment, based on the time point of April 21, 2022, for Food A, since the best-before date has not expired, the price of Food A is calculated as "1,000 yen".

[0059] Similarly, when information indicating a request for "output of the selling price of Food B" is received from the consumer terminal 3B (or the purchaser terminal 3A), the food information confirmation means 5 accesses the information 4Bb on the inventory quantity of Food B to confirm the inventory quantity. In addition to the information 4Bb on the inventory quantity of Food B, the food information confirmation means 5 also confirms the information 4Bd on the expiration date of Food B. If the expiration date 4Bd of Food B has passed, it is determined that Food B is out of stock.

[0060] Furthermore, the food information confirmation means 5 calculates the price of Food B according to the number of days elapsed from the information 4Bc on the best-before date of Food B and the information 4Be on the price (list price) of Food B.

[0061] For example, when the expiration date has not passed, the price is 1,200 yen (list price); when the expiration date has passed by 1 day, the price is 240 yen (20% off the list price); when the expiration date has passed by 2 days, the price is 120 yen (10% off the list price); when the expiration date has passed by 3 days, the price is 60 yen (5% off the list price); when the expiration date has passed by 4 days or more, the price is 12 yen (1% off the list price).

[0062] Note that the "number of days elapsed from the expiration date information 4Bc of Food B" is calculated in comparison with the expiration date information 4Bc of Food B based on the date when the consumer requested the information (in other words, based on the date when the food information confirmation means 5 calculates the price). In the case of this embodiment, as of April 21, 2022, for Food B, since the expiration date has not passed, the price of Food B is calculated as "1,200 yen".

[0063] Similarly, when the food information confirmation means 5 receives information from the consumer terminal 3B (or the purchaser terminal 3A) indicating a request for "output of the selling price of Food C", the food information confirmation means 5 accesses the inventory quantity information 4Cb of Food C to confirm the inventory quantity. Note that in addition to the "inventory quantity information 4Cb of Food C", the food information confirmation means 5 also confirms the "expiration date information 4Cd of Food C". If the expiration date 4Cd of Food C has passed, it is determined that Food C is out of stock.

[0064] In addition, the food information confirmation means 5 calculates the price of Food C according to the "number of days elapsed from the expiration date information 4Cc of Food C" and the "price (list price) information 4Ce of Food C".

[0065] For example, when the expiration date has not passed, the price is 1,000 yen (list price); when the expiration date has passed by 1 day, the price is 200 yen (20% off the list price); when the expiration date has passed by 2 days, the price is 100 yen (10% off the list price); when the expiration date has passed by 3 days, the price is 50 yen (5% off the list price); when the expiration date has passed by 4 days or more, the price is 10 yen (1% off the list price).

[0066] Note that the "number of days elapsed from the expiration date information 4Cc of Food C" is calculated in comparison with the expiration date information 4Cc of Food C based on the date when the consumer requested the information (in other words, based on the date when the food information confirmation means 5 calculates the price). In the case of this embodiment, as of April 21, 2022, for Food C, it means that "one day has elapsed since the expiration date", and the price of Food C is calculated as "200 yen".

[0067] After that, the information output means 7 outputs the price of the food product calculated by the food information confirmation means 5 to the consumer terminal 3B (or the purchaser terminal 3A). Note that when the food product is out of stock, the information output means 7 outputs "the food product is out of stock" instead of "the price of the food product".

[0068] Here, in this embodiment, the explanation is given based on the time point of April 21, 2022. That is, an example is given where the information of foods whose expiration dates have not arrived is recorded in the food information recording means 4A and 4B, and the information of foods whose expiration dates have passed is recorded in the food information recording means 4C. However, whether the expiration date has arrived (whether the expiration date has passed) will change depending on the judgment reference date. Therefore, considering the judgment reference date, it is necessary to judge whether the food recorded in the food information recording means has passed its expiration date.

[0069] Specifically, if the food with an expiration date of August 31, 2022 is designated as Food X and the food with an expiration date of April 20, 2022 is designated as Food Y, then (1) before April 20, 2022, both Food X and Food Y fall under the category of "foods whose expiration dates have not arrived", (2) from April 21, 2022 to August 31, 2022, Food X falls under the category of "foods whose expiration dates have not arrived", and Food Y falls under the category of "foods whose expiration dates have passed", and (3) after September 1, 2022, both Food X and Food Y fall under the category of "foods whose expiration dates have passed".

[0070] Therefore, even when the information recorded in the food information recording means 4 (4A to 4C) does not change (specifically, when the expiration date information of food A, food B, and food C does not change), due to the difference in the reference date such as (1), (2), and (3), the calculation results by the food information confirmation means 5 will be different, and the information output by the information output means 7 will change.

[0071] [When the purchaser of the food product requests information on the expiration date or consumption deadline] [2-1. In the case of the expiration date] When the purchaser of the food product requests information on the expiration date of the purchased product, the food information confirmation means 5 confirms the expiration date information (4Ac, 4Bc, 4Cc) recorded in the food information recording means 4 (4A to 4C).

[0072] Specifically, when receiving information indicating a desire for "output of the expiration date of the food product" from purchaser A via the purchaser terminal 3A, the food information confirmation means 5 accesses the "information on the purchaser of the food product (4Af to 4Cf)" and the "status of food A to food C", and confirms that purchaser A holds food A with the management number "A-2". Then, it accesses the expiration date information 4Ac of food A to confirm the expiration date.

[0073] Also, when receiving information indicating a desire for "output of the expiration date of the food product" from purchaser B via the purchaser terminal 3A, the food information confirmation means 5 accesses the "information on the purchaser of the food product (4Af to 4Cf)" and the "status of food A to food C", and for purchaser B, confirms that they do not hold any of the foods.

[0074] Furthermore, when the information indicating the desire for "output of the expiration date of food products" is received from the purchaser C via the purchaser terminal 3A, the food information confirmation means 5 accesses the "information of the purchaser of food products (4Af to 4Cf)" and the "status of food products A to C", and confirms that the purchaser C holds food product A with the management numbers "A-4" and "A-5". Then, it accesses the expiration date information 4Ac of food product A to confirm the expiration date.

[0075] Also, when the information indicating the desire for "output of the expiration date of food products" is received from the purchaser D via the purchaser terminal 3A, the food information confirmation means 5 accesses the "information of the purchaser of food products (4Af to 4Cf)" and the "status of food products A to C", and confirms that the purchaser D holds food product B with the management numbers "B-4" and "B-5" and food product C with the management number "C-3". Then, it accesses the expiration date information 4Bc of food product B and the expiration date information 4Cc of food product C to confirm the expiration date.

[0076] After that, the information output means 7 outputs to the purchaser terminal 3A the expiration date of the food product confirmed by the food information confirmation means 5. In addition, when the purchaser who has requested the "output of the expiration date of food products" does not hold the food product, the information output means 7 outputs "not holding the food product" instead of the "expiration date of the food product".

[0077] [2-2. In the case of the expiration date] Regarding the case where the purchaser of food products requests the expiration date information of the purchased goods, it is the same as [2-1. In the case of the expiration date], except that the food information confirmation means 5 confirms the expiration date information (4Ad, 4Bd, 4Cd) instead of the expiration date information (4Ac, 4Bc, 4Cc).

[0078] [3. When advertising information is output to the purchaser of food products] The food information confirmation means 5 regularly (for example, once a day, once every two days, etc.) checks the expiration date information (4Ac to 4Cc) and the inventory status recorded in the food information recording means 4 (4A to 4C).

[0079] Specifically, the food information confirmation means 5 periodically accesses the "purchaser" of the food information recording means 4 (4A to 4C), and when there is unsold food (food for which the purchaser's information is not recorded), it checks the expiration date information (4Ac to 4Cc). For example, since the management numbers "A-6" to "A-10" of food A are unsold, the expiration date information 4Ac is checked. Also, for example, since "B-6" to "B-10" of food B are unsold, the expiration date information 4Bc is checked. Furthermore, for example, since "C-4" to "C-10" of food C are unsold, the expiration date information 4Cc is checked.

[0080] Then, as a result of the confirmation by the food information confirmation means 5, when the number of days until the expiration date of the unsold food is less than a predetermined number of days (for example, less than 40 days), the information output means 7 outputs "advertising information" and "prompt" to the purchaser terminal 3A. Note that the "advertising information" and "prompt" are output to purchasers who have purchased food in the past but do not possess the food (already used).

[0081] Hereinafter, taking the case where the information about foods A to C is as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 on "April 22, 2022" and "September 22, 2022" as an example, an explanation will be given.

[0082] [3-1. Case of April 22, 2022] When it becomes April 22, 2022, since the number of remaining days until the expiration date of food A is 39 days (less than 40 days), "advertising information of food A" is output to purchaser B.

[0083] Here, food A corresponds to "the first food", purchasers A to C correspond to "specific purchasers", and purchaser B corresponds to "a specific purchaser whose stock of the first food is less than a predetermined number". In addition, purchaser A holds Food A with the management number "A-2", purchaser C holds Food A with the management numbers "A-4" and "A-5", and purchaser D has not purchased Food A in the past, so purchaser D is excluded from the output targets.

[0084] Also, for purchaser B, "Prompts" created by the prompt creation means 6 are output together with "Advertising information of Food A".

[0085] Here, as of April 22, 2022, although the expiration date of Food B has not passed, the expiration date of Food C has passed (however, the expiration date for consumption has not passed). Therefore, for the purpose of promoting the sales of Food C, a prompt for generating "Recipe information using 'Food A (the food for which advertising information is output)' and 'Food C (the food with an expired expiration date)'" is output to purchaser B. In addition, if Food C is out of stock as of April 22, 2022, a prompt for generating "Recipe information using Food A and Food B" is output.

[0086] Note that the prompt can be input into the generation AI8, and recipe information can be obtained as the output result of the generation AI8.

[0087] [Case of September 22, 2022] When it comes to September 22, 2022, since the number of remaining days until the expiration date of Food B is 39 days (less than 40 days), "Advertising information of Food B" is output to purchaser A and purchaser B.

[0088] Here, Food B corresponds to "the first food", purchasers A, B, and D correspond to "specific purchasers", and purchasers A and B correspond to "specific purchasers whose inventory of the first food is less than a predetermined number". In addition, purchaser C has not purchased Food B in the past, and purchaser D holds Food B with the management numbers "B-4" and "B-5", so purchaser D is excluded from the output targets.

[0089] Also, for purchaser A and purchaser B, the "prompt" created by the prompt creation means 6 is output together with the "advertising information of Food B".

[0090] Here, based on the time point of September 22, 2022, since Food C has passed its expiration date and cannot be sold, a prompt for generating "recipe information using Food A and Food B" is output for purchaser A and purchaser B.

[0091] Note that the prompt can be input into the generation AI 8, and recipe information can be obtained as the output result of the generation AI 8.

[0092] [Effect] In the food product sales system 1 to which the above-described present invention is applied, when the number of remaining days until the expiration date of the food product decreases, by outputting advertising information to purchasers who have purchased in the past but do not currently possess the product, the remaining inventory of the food product can be suppressed, and as a result, a reduction in food loss can be achieved.

[0093] Also, by awarding points, the incentive of purchasers to record the information on the quantity held in the food information recording means 4 is increased, and efficient advertising can be expected.

[0094] Furthermore, by outputting the "prompt" together with the "advertising information", the sales promotion of Food A to Food C can be further realized.

[0095] Also, when there is inventory of food that has passed its expiration date, by preferentially outputting a prompt for generating recipe information using the food that has passed its expiration date, the sales promotion of expired food can be realized, and further reduction in food loss can be expected.

[0096] <2. Modification Example> [Modification Example 1] In the above-described first embodiment, the case where the prompt for generating recipe information using foods whose expiration dates have passed is preferentially output based on the expiration date has been described as an example. However, based on the "shipment deadline" or "reference date", a prompt for generating recipe information using foods whose "shipment deadline" or "reference date" has passed may be preferentially output. Here, the "reference date" means the date when the remaining number of days until the expiration date becomes a predetermined number of days (for example, 30 days).

[0097] [Modification Example 2] In the above-described first embodiment, the case where the information output means 7 outputs a "prompt" has been described as an example. However, "recipe information" may be provided together with such a "prompt". Specifically, the "prompt" created by the prompt creation means 6 is input into the generation AI 8, and after obtaining "recipe information" as the output result of the generation AI 8, the information output means 7 may output the "prompt" and the "recipe information" to the purchaser terminal 3A.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0098] 1 Food product sales system 2 Internet 3A Purchaser terminal 3B Consumer terminal 4A Food information recording means 4B Food information recording means 4C Food information recording means 5 Food information confirmation means 6 Prompt creation means 7 Information output means 8 Generation AI 10 Food information writing means 11 Point awarding means 12 Point recording means

Claims

1. Define any one of the expiration date, the shipping date, or the remaining number of days until the expiration date arrives as the predetermined date, A food product sales system for selling a predetermined food, Food information recording means for recording food information including the information on the predetermined date of the food, the information on the purchaser of the food, and the information on the quantity of the food held by the purchaser, which is the number of holdings, Food information writing means for reducing the information on the number of holdings recorded in the food information recording means in response to a request from the terminal of the purchaser recorded in the food information recording means, Point awarding means for awarding points to the purchaser who made the request on the condition that the food information writing means has reduced the information on the number of holdings, Instruction information creation means for checking the food information recorded in the food information recording means and inputting it into a predetermined recipe information generation means, and creating instruction information for the recipe information generation means to generate recipe information using a first food which is one of the foods and the expired food that has passed the predetermined date, Output means for outputting the advertisement information of the first food and the instruction information created by the instruction information creation means to the terminal of the specific purchaser among the specific purchasers recorded in the food information recording means as the purchaser of the first food, where the number of holdings of the first food recorded in the food information recording means is less than a predetermined number, A food product sales system.

2. The output means, Outputs the recipe information generated by inputting the instruction information into the recipe information generation means together with the advertisement information and the instruction information. The food product sales system according to Claim 1.

3. Define any one of the expiration date, the shipping date, or the remaining number of days until the expiration date arrives as the predetermined date, A food product sales system for selling a predetermined food, Food information recording means for recording food information including the information on the inventory quantity of the food, the information on the predetermined date of the food, the information on the purchaser of the food, and the information on the quantity of the food held by the purchaser, which is the number of holdings, Food information writing means for reducing the information on the number of holdings recorded in the food information recording means in response to a request from the terminal of the purchaser recorded in the food information recording means, A point awarding means for awarding points to the purchaser who made the request on the condition that the food information writing means has reduced the information on the stock quantity; Instruction information for inputting into a predetermined recipe information generation means, which is to be confirmed by the food information recording means. When there is no stock of expired food that has passed the predetermined period, the instruction information is for generating recipe information using a first food that is one of the foods and the food with stock. When there is stock of the expired food, the instruction information is for generating recipe information using the first food and the expired food. An instruction information creating means for creating the instruction information for the recipe information generation means to generate; An output means for outputting the advertisement information of the first food and the instruction information created by the instruction information creating means to the terminal of the specific purchaser among the specific purchasers recorded in the food information recording means, where the stock quantity of the first food recorded in the food information recording means is less than a predetermined number. A food product sales system.

4. The output means: Outputs the recipe information generated by inputting the instruction information into the recipe information generation means together with the advertisement information and the instruction information. The food product sales system according to claim 3.

5. The instruction information creating means uses the food product sales system to respond to a request from the terminal of a consumer who purchased the first food and a second food that is one of the expired foods, and creates instruction information for the recipe information generation means to generate recipe information using the first food and the second food. The output means outputs the instruction information created by the instruction information creating means. The food product sales system according to claim 1, claim 2, claim 3 or claim 4.

6. The recipe information generation means is a general-purpose generative AI. The food product sales system according to claim 1, claim 2, claim 3 or claim 4.

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