Information provision system and food products

Abstract

To provide an information provision system and food products, which enhance consumer confidence in food products and allow consumers to comfortably choose food products.SOLUTION: A food product A consisting of a plastic bottle 2 having a tea drink 1 hermetically sealed therein includes an identification information 4 shown on the plastic bottle 2. The identification information 4 enables access to a website with information on catechin content of the tea drink 1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information providing system and a food product. More specifically, it relates to an information providing system and a food product that enable consumers to safely select products.

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, providers of products describe information such as the ingredients, origin, and manufacturing date of the products and their raw materials on labels attached to the product packaging or record it on IC tags and then provide the products.

[0004] However, simply attaching information that is merely described or recorded to products is prone to information tampering and forgery. In fact, there are cases where information tampering and forgery have occurred, resulting in low credibility among consumers and making it difficult for consumers to safely select products.

[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 to the food instead of simply attaching information that is merely described or recorded (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] Incidentally, the quality of various products including food is strongly influenced by various factors in the process until the product is provided to consumers.

[0008] Therefore, although the raw material powder sample of food is a factor from which information about the quality of food can be obtained, it is only one factor. Just the technology described in Patent Document 1 of attaching the raw material powder sample to food and providing the food may not be sufficient to achieve the purpose of enabling consumers to safely select products in some cases.

[0009] The present invention was devised in view of the above points, and an object thereof is to provide an information providing system and a food product that enable consumers to more sufficiently and safely select products.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0010] To achieve the above object, the information providing system of the present invention is an information providing system that outputs information on catechins in a food product made from tea leaves in response to a request from a consumer, and includes tea leaf information recording means for recording tea leaf information including information on the variety of the tea leaves, the cultivation conditions of the tea leaves, and the picking time of the tea leaves; catechin content determination means for determining the catechin content of the food product by a machine learning model based on the information for specifying the food product transmitted from the consumer's terminal and the tea leaf information recorded in the tea leaf information recording means, on the condition that a request to output information on the catechins in the food product has been received from the consumer's terminal; and information output means for outputting the information on the catechin content of the food product determined by the catechin content determination means to the consumer's terminal.

[0011] Moreover, the information providing system of the present invention is an information providing system that outputs information on catechins in foods made from tea leaves in response to requests from consumers, and includes tea leaf information recording means for recording tea leaf information including information on the variety of the tea leaves, the cultivation conditions of the tea leaves, and the harvesting time of the tea leaves, catechin information recording means for recording information on catechins in the foods, and, on the condition that it has received a request to output information on catechins in the foods from the terminal of the consumer, based on the information for specifying the food transmitted from the terminal of the consumer and the tea leaf information recorded in the tea leaf information recording means, catechin information selection means for selecting, from the information on catechins in the foods recorded in the catechin information recording means, the information on catechins in the food that is a candidate for output, and information output means for outputting the information on catechins in the food selected by the catechin information selection means to the terminal of the consumer.

[0012] Furthermore, the information providing system of the present invention is an information providing system that outputs information on catechins in foods made from tea leaves in response to requests from consumers, and includes tea leaf information recording means for recording tea leaf information including information on the variety of the tea leaves, the cultivation conditions of the tea leaves, and the harvesting time of the tea leaves, catechin information retrieval means for retrieving information on catechins in the foods on the condition that it has received a request to output information on catechins in the foods from the terminal of the consumer, based on the information for specifying the food transmitted from the terminal of the consumer and the tea leaf information recorded in the tea leaf information recording means, and information output means for outputting the information on catechins in the foods retrieved by the catechin information retrieval means to the terminal of the consumer.

[0013] Further, the information providing system of the present invention is an information providing system that outputs catechin information of a food product made from tea leaves in response to a request from a consumer, and includes tea leaf information recording means for recording tea leaf information including information on the variety of the tea leaves, the cultivation conditions of the tea leaves, and the picking time of the tea leaves; and search signal output means for outputting a search signal for searching for catechin information of the food product to a predetermined catechin information search means based on information for specifying the food product transmitted from the consumer's terminal and the tea leaf information recorded in the tea leaf information recording means, on the condition that a request for outputting catechin information of the food product has been received from the consumer's terminal; and information output means for outputting the catechin information of the food product searched by the catechin information search means to the consumer's terminal.

[0014] Further, the information providing system of the present invention is an information providing system that outputs catechin information of a food product made from tea leaves in response to a request from a consumer, and includes tea leaf information recording means for recording tea leaf information including information on the variety of the tea leaves, the cultivation conditions of the tea leaves, and the picking time of the tea leaves; and catechin information generation means for generating catechin information of the food product based on information for specifying the food product transmitted from the consumer's terminal and the tea leaf information recorded in the tea leaf information recording means, on the condition that a request for outputting catechin information of the food product has been received from the consumer's terminal; and information output means for outputting the catechin information of the food product generated by the catechin information generation means to the consumer's terminal.

[0015] In addition, the information providing system of the present invention is an information providing system that outputs information on catechins in foods made from tea leaves in response to requests from consumers, and includes tea leaf information recording means for recording tea leaf information including information on the variety of the tea leaves, the cultivation conditions of the tea leaves, and the harvesting time of the tea leaves, and, on the condition that it has received from the consumer's terminal a request to output information on catechins in the food, generation signal output means for outputting, to predetermined catechin information generation means, a generation signal for generating information on catechins in the food based on information for specifying the food transmitted from the consumer's terminal and the tea leaf information recorded in the tea leaf information recording means, and information output means for outputting the information on catechins in the food generated by the catechin information generation means to the consumer's terminal.

[0016] In addition, the information providing system of the present invention is an information providing system that outputs information on catechins in foods made from tea leaves in response to requests from consumers, and includes tea leaf information recording means for recording tea leaf information including information on the variety of the tea leaves, the cultivation conditions of the tea leaves, and the harvesting time of the tea leaves, and, on the condition that it has received from the consumer's terminal a request to output information on catechins in the food, instruction information creating means for creating, based on information for specifying the food transmitted from the consumer's terminal and the tea leaf information recorded in the tea leaf information recording means, instruction information for inputting to predetermined catechin information generation means to generate information on catechins in the food, and information output means for outputting the instruction information created by the instruction information creating means to the consumer's terminal.

[0017] By the way, catechins contained in tea leaves have anti-cancer, antibacterial, and anti-arteriosclerotic effects, and the effects of such catechins have attracted attention (for example, there are cases where tea beverages are actively consumed in anticipation of the effects of catechins). Therefore, it is important to provide consumers with "information on catechin content" and "information on catechins (not limited to catechin content)".

[0018] Moreover, since the catechin content is strongly influenced by "tea leaf variety", "tea leaf cultivation conditions", and "tea leaf harvesting time", in the information providing system of the present invention, in various means, based on "tea leaf variety", "tea leaf cultivation conditions", and "tea leaf harvesting time", the output of catechin information is realized, and by fully conveying the catechin information to consumers, consumers can more safely select foods.

[0019] Here, when the information providing system includes "catechin content determination means" for determining the catechin content by a machine learning model, "information on the catechin content" can be output from the information output means to the consumer's terminal.

[0020] Also, when the information providing system includes "catechin information recording means" for recording catechin information, "catechin information" can be output from the information output means to the consumer's terminal without exchanging "catechin information" with the outside (outside the information providing system).

[0021] Furthermore, when the information providing system includes "catechin information search means" for searching for catechin information, even if "catechin information" is not recorded in the information providing system, by exchanging "catechin information" with the outside (outside the information providing system), "catechin information" can be output from the information output means to the consumer's terminal.

[0022] Similarly, when the information providing system includes "search signal output means" for outputting a search signal for searching for catechin information to a predetermined catechin information search means, even if "catechin information" is not recorded in the information providing system, by collaborating with an external catechin information search means and exchanging "catechin information" with the outside (outside the information providing system), "catechin information" can be output from the information output means to the consumer's terminal.

[0023] Here, when the catechin information retrieval means retrieves the "catechin information" recorded in an external information recording means separate from the information providing system (for example, when retrieving a recording means that records only the "catechin information"), since the search target is limited, rapid retrieval can be realized and the "catechin information" can be retrieved smoothly.

[0024] Also, when the catechin information retrieval means retrieves the "catechin information" publicly available on the Internet, it can conduct a search from a huge amount of information including the latest "catechin information", and it is expected that the "catechin information" corresponding to the needs of consumers can be found.

[0025] Furthermore, when the catechin information retrieval means retrieves the "catechin information" recorded in an Internet information recording means that records information publicly available on the Internet, in terms of the fact that only the information recorded in the Internet information recording means is the search target, compared with the case of taking the "catechin information (not limited to the information recorded in the Internet information recording means, the information publicly available on the Internet)" publicly available on the Internet as the search target, although it is inferior in terms of the amount of information to be searched, through creating an index for search, the search results can be obtained faster.

[0026] Also, when the information providing system includes a "catechin information generation means" for generating catechin information, even if the "catechin information" is not recorded inside the information providing system and outside (outside the information providing system), the "catechin information" can be generated and the "catechin information" can be output from the information output means to the consumer's terminal.

[0027] Similarly, even when the information providing system includes "generation signal output means" for outputting a generation signal for generating catechin information, and when "catechin information" is not recorded in the information providing system or externally (outside the information providing system), it is possible to generate "catechin information" in cooperation with external catechin information generation means, and output "catechin information" from the information output means to the consumer's terminal.

[0028] Also similarly, even when the information providing system includes "instruction information creation means" for creating instruction information for generating catechin information, and when "catechin information" is not recorded in the information providing system or externally (outside the information providing system), it is possible to output "instruction information for generating 'catechin information'" from the information output means to the consumer's terminal.

[0029] Further, when the reference information generation means generates reference information (reference information for "catechin information") based on the selection criteria information, it is possible to obtain the reference information to be referred to when selecting the "catechin information" to be output from among the "catechin information" generated by the catechin information generation means.

[0030] Note that the reference information generated by the reference information generation means is not only referred to when selecting the "catechin information" to be output from among the "catechin information" generated by the catechin information generation means, but may also be referred to when selecting the "catechin information" to be output from among the "catechin information" retrieved by the catechin information retrieval means or the "catechin information" selected by the catechin information selection means.

[0031] Also, when the information selection means selects the "catechin information" to be output based on the reference information (the reference information generated by the reference information generation means or the reference information transmitted from the consumer's terminal), it becomes possible to select the "catechin information" to be output based on the information transmitted by the consumer (the selection criteria information or the reference information) without the consumer having to select a specific "catechin information". Note that the "catechin information" to be output selected by the information selection means may be singular or plural.

[0032] Also, when the consumer transmits selection criterion information as the "criterion for the information they want to select", the reference information generated based on the selection criterion information (criterion for the information they want to select) can be regarded as "exemplary information as the information to be output (that is, the information the consumer wants to select)". Therefore, when transmitting selection criterion information as the "criterion for the information they want to select", "catechin information" with a high similarity to the reference information (exemplary information) will be selected.

[0033] Similarly, when the consumer transmits reference information as the "reference information for the information they want to select", "catechin information" with a high similarity to the reference information (exemplary information) will also be selected.

[0034] On the other hand, when the consumer transmits selection criterion information as the "criterion for the information they do not want to select", the reference information generated based on the selection criterion information (criterion for the information they do not want to select) can be regarded as "anti-teacher information for the information to be output (that is, the information the consumer does not want to select)". Therefore, when transmitting selection criterion information as the "criterion for the information they do not want to select", "catechin information" with a low similarity to the reference information (anti-teacher information) will be selected.

[0035] Note that compared with the case of transmitting "criterion for the information they do not want to select" as the selection criterion information, when transmitting "criterion for the information they want to select" as the selection criterion information, the consumer's desired information can be identified more directly. Therefore, considering the point of fully reflecting the consumer's intention, it is more preferable to transmit "criterion for the information they want to select" as the selection criterion information.

[0036] Similarly, considering the point of more directly identifying the information the consumer wants to select and fully reflecting the consumer's intention, it is more preferable to transmit "reference information for the information they want to select" as the reference information.

[0037] In addition, when the catechin information generation means reads the "identification information displayed on the food" or the "identification information displayed corresponding to the food" on the consumer's terminal, identifies the food based on the information transmitted from the consumer's terminal, and generates the "catechin information" used for the identified food, even if the consumer does not identify the "target food" (the food for which the "catechin information" is generated), the "target food" can be identified based on the information transmitted from the consumer's terminal. That is, just by the consumer reading the identification information, the "target food" can be identified.

[0038] Similarly, when the "catechin information selection means" reads the "identification information displayed on the food" or the "identification information displayed corresponding to the food" on the consumer's terminal, identifies the food based on the information transmitted from the consumer's terminal, and selects the "catechin information" used for the identified food, just by the consumer reading the identification information, the "target food" can be identified.

[0039] Also similarly, when the "catechin information search means" reads the "identification information displayed on the food" or the "identification information displayed corresponding to the food" on the consumer's terminal, identifies the food based on the information transmitted from the consumer's terminal, and searches for the "catechin information" used for the identified food, just by the consumer reading the identification information, the "target food" can be identified.

[0040] In addition, when the "generated signal output means" reads the "identification information displayed on the food" or the "identification information displayed corresponding to the food" on the consumer's terminal, identifies the food based on the information transmitted from the consumer's terminal, and outputs a generated signal for generating the "catechin information" for the identified food, just by the consumer reading the identification information, the "target food" can be identified.

[0041] Similarly, when the "search signal output means" identifies a food based on the information transmitted from the consumer's terminal by reading the "identification information displayed on the food" or the "identification information displayed corresponding to the food" on the consumer's terminal, and outputs a search signal for retrieving the "catechin information" about the identified food, the consumer can identify the "target food" just by reading the identification information.

[0042] In addition, to achieve the above object, the food product of the present invention is a food product comprising a food made from tea leaves and identification information displayed on the food, wherein the identification information is accessible to a website on which information about the catechin content of the food is posted.

[0043] Moreover, the food product of the present invention is a food product comprising a food made from tea leaves and identification information displayed on the food, wherein the identification information is accessible to a website on which information about the catechins of the food is posted.

[0044] Here, when the identification information enables access to a website on which the "information on catechin content" is posted, the "catechin content of the food" can be made known to the consumer. Also, when the identification information enables access to a website on which the "information on catechins" is posted, the "information on catechins of the food" can be made known to the consumer. By informing the consumer of the "catechin content of the food" and the "information on catechins of the food", the consumer can choose food with even greater peace of mind.

[0045] Incidentally, the "food made from tea leaves" here includes not only "raw tea leaves" and "tea leaves", but also tea in tea bags, tea in PET bottles, tea sold in cup-type vending machines, etc.

Advantages of the Invention

[0046] In the information providing system and food product of the present invention, consumers can choose products with peace of mind.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0047]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0048] Hereinafter, modes for carrying out the invention (hereinafter referred to as "embodiments") will be described. The description will be made in the following order. 1. First Embodiment 2. Second Embodiment 3. Third Embodiment 4. Fourth Embodiment

[0049] <1. First Embodiment> [Description of Configuration] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of a food product to which the present invention is applied. The food product A shown here is a PET bottle 2 that hermetically contains a tea beverage 1.

[0050] In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, the PET bottle 2 displays identification information 4 (for example, a two-dimensional barcode or the like) that can access "information on the catechin content of the tea beverage 1".

[0051] The identification information 4 (such as a two-dimensional barcode) here records a URL. By reading the identification information 4 with a consumer terminal such as a smartphone, it is possible to access, through the Internet, the website where the "catechin content of tea beverage 1" is posted.

[0052] Note that the "catechin content of tea beverage 1" here is the determination result determined by a predetermined catechin content determination means based on the information of tea beverage 1 at the timing when the identification information 4 displayed on the PET bottle 2 is read by the consumer terminal.

[0053] In addition, the website accessible via the identification information 4 also posts information about catechins (information other than the content) contained in tea beverage 1.

[0054] In an example of a food product to which the above-described present invention is applied, by posting the "catechin content" on the website accessible via the identification information 4, the "catechin content" can be conveyed to consumers, and consumers can more confidently select food product A, and the reliability of the food product will be improved.

[0055] <2. Second Embodiment> [Description of Configuration] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining a configuration example of a food information providing system, which is an example of an information providing system to which the present invention is applied.

[0056] The food information providing system 11 shown in FIG. 2 is configured to be able to communicate with a consumer terminal 13 used by consumers via the Internet 12.

[0057] In addition, the food information providing system 11 includes a food information recording means 14, a catechin content determination means 15, a catechin information recording means 16, a catechin information selection means 17, a selection criterion information recording means 18, a model information generation means 19, an information selection means 20, an information output means 21, and a tea leaf information recording means 22.

[0058] Here, food information recording means 14 records information about tea beverage 1 transmitted from consumer terminal 13 used by the consumer.

[0059] In addition, the tea leaf information recording means 22 records information on the "variety," "cultivation conditions," and "harvesting time" for various types of tea leaves (specifically, tea leaves for which the catechin content is output by the food information providing system 11). The information recorded in the tea leaf information recording means 22 (information on the "variety," "cultivation conditions," and "harvesting time" of each type of tea leaf) is referred to as "tea leaf information."

[0060] In addition, the catechin content determination means 15 determines the “catechin content” of tea beverage 1 based on the “information about tea beverage 1” recorded in the food information recording means 14 and the “tea leaf information about tea beverage 1” recorded in the tea leaf information recording means 22. Specifically, it is determined based on a machine learning model which "catechin content" the "information on tea drink 1" sent from consumer terminal 13 corresponds to.

[0061] Moreover, the catechin information recording means 16 records information about catechins (hereinafter referred to as "catechin information"). For example, "The effects (benefits) of catechins," "Tea that contains a lot of catechins," "Tea that does not contain catechins," "Factors that affect the catechin content," and "Foods that contain catechins" are recorded.

[0062] In addition, the catechin information selection means 17 selects "catechin information" to be output candidates from the "catechin information" recorded in the catechin information recording means 16 based on the "information on tea beverage 1" recorded in the food information recording means 14 and the "tea leaf information on tea beverage 1" recorded in the tea leaf information recording means 22.

[0063] Furthermore, the selection criteria information recording means 18 records "selection criteria information for selecting information on catechins (hereinafter simply referred to as "selection criteria information")" transmitted from the consumer terminal 13 used by the consumer. In addition, in the present embodiment, in the selection criterion information recording means 18, as selection criterion information, "the criteria for the information of catechins that consumers want to select" is recorded.

[0064] Further, the exemplary information generation means 19 generates exemplary information of catechin information (hereinafter simply referred to as "exemplary information"). Note that the exemplary information generation means 19 is an example of a "reference information generation means".

[0065] Here, when the selection criterion information is recorded in the selection criterion information recording means 18, the "selection criterion information" is input to a general-purpose generative AI (generative AI) (not shown), and the exemplary information is generated by obtaining the output result of the generative AI. When new exemplary information is generated, it will be registered (overwritten) in place of the previous exemplary information.

[0066] For example, when the following are recorded in the selection criterion information: (1) Explanation is made using plain expressions without using technical terms (2) Explanation is made using specific data (3) Explanation of the influence on pregnant women is included such contents of (1) to (3) are input to the generative AI to generate exemplary information.

[0067] In addition, when the exemplary information is generated, the information selection means 20 selects "catechin information" with a high similarity to the "exemplary information" from the "catechin information" selected by the catechin information selection means 17.

[0068] That is, when the "selection criterion information" is recorded, the exemplary information is generated by the exemplary information generation means 19, and then the "catechin information" with a high similarity to the exemplary information is selected as the output target by the information selection means 20.

[0069] In addition, the information output means 21 outputs the information on the "catechin content" determined by the catechin content determination means 15 and the "catechin information" selected by the information selection means 20 to the consumer terminal 13. Specifically, on the website that can be accessed by the consumer terminal 13 reading the identification information 4, the information on the "catechin content" determined by the catechin content determination means 15 and the "catechin information" selected by the information selection means 20 are posted.

[0070] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the usage method of the food information providing system 11 described above. In the following, it is assumed that the consumer (new customer) 40 is collecting information when considering whether to receive the food product A provided by the food provider 10, and the explanation will be given on this premise.

[0071] [1. Recording of various information] In an example of the usage method of the food information providing system 11 of the present invention, in order for the consumer 40 to obtain the catechin information, various information needs to be recorded in the food information providing system 11. Therefore, the recording of various information in the food information providing system 11 will be described.

[0072] In an example of the usage method of the food information providing system 11 of the present invention, first, the food provider 10 uses a food provider terminal (not shown) to transmit "tea leaf information" and "catechin information" to the food information providing system 11 (step indicated by reference numeral (1) in FIG. 3).

[0073] Specifically, the "variety", "cultivation conditions", and "harvesting time" of various tea leaves are transmitted to the tea leaf information recording means 22, and the "catechin information" is transmitted to the catechin information recording means 16.

[0074] After the recording of various information as described above, it becomes possible to provide various information to the consumer 40.

[0075] Here, only the case of recording various information about food product A provided by food provider 10 is described. However, the information recorded in food information providing system 11 is not limited to that related to "food product A provided by food provider 10", but also includes that related to "other foods provided by food provider 10" and "foods provided by food providers other than food provider 10". That is, in this embodiment, the case where consumer 40 obtains information about food product A provided by food provider 10 (specifically, the catechin information of tea beverage 1) is taken as an example for explanation (described later). However, food information providing system 11 can also provide information related to "foods other than food product A provided by food provider 10" and "foods provided by food providers other than food provider 10".

[0076] [2. Provision of Various Information] Regarding food product A (tea beverage 1) provided by food provider 10, consumer 40 who wishes to obtain various information accesses food information providing system 11 via the Internet 12 using consumer terminal 13 (not shown in FIG. 3) (step indicated by reference numeral (2) in FIG. 3).

[0077] Specifically, when consumer terminal 13 reads identification information (identifiers such as two-dimensional barcodes and color codes) 4 displayed on PET bottle 2 of food product A (here, it means food A lined up in the store), information on food product A (tea beverage 1) is transmitted from consumer terminal 13 to food information providing system 11, and the transmitted information on food product A (tea beverage 1) is recorded in food information recording means 14. Note that based on the information transmitted to food information providing system 11 (the information recorded in food information recording means 14), tea beverage 1 that consumer 40 desires information about will be identified.

[0078] Subsequently, when information on food product A (tea beverage 1) is recorded in food information recording means 14, based on the recorded information on food product A (tea beverage 1) and "the tea leaf information of tea beverage 1", catechin content determination means 15 determines the "catechin content".

[0079] Also, when the information of food product A (tea beverage 1) is recorded in the food information recording means 14, based on the recorded information of food product A (tea beverage 1) and the "tea leaf information of tea beverage 1", the catechin information selection means 17 selects "catechin information (output candidate catechin information)" that becomes an output candidate from the "catechin information" recorded in the catechin information recording means 16.

[0080] Next, when the identification information 4 is read by the consumer terminal 13, the "selection criterion information" pre-recorded in the consumer terminal 13 is transmitted to the food information providing system 11 and recorded in the selection criterion information recording means 18. For example, "selection criterion information" such as "(1) explaining using plain expressions without using technical terms, (2) explaining using specific data, (3) including an explanation of the impact on pregnant women" is transmitted.

[0081] In addition, when the "selection criterion information" is not recorded in the consumer terminal 13, when the identification information 4 is read, the user will be prompted to input the "selection criterion information".

[0082] Subsequently, when the "selection criterion information" is recorded in the selection criterion information recording means 18, the exemplary information generation means 19 generates exemplary information, and the information selection means 20 selects "catechin information" to be the output target from the "output candidate catechin information".

[0083] Then, when the information selection means 20 selects the "catechin information", the information output means 21 outputs the "catechin information" of the output target together with the "information on the catechin content" (the "catechin information" and the "information on the catechin content" are posted on the website and displayed on the consumer terminal 13).

[0084] After that, when the consumer 40 receives the food product A provided by the food provider 10 (when purchasing the food product A of the food provider 10), the food provider 10 provides the food product A to the consumer.

[0085] [Effect] In the food information providing system 11 to which the above-described present invention is applied, when a consumer requests information on the catechins in the tea beverage 1, by outputting "information on the catechin content" and "information on catechins", "information on the catechins in the tea beverage 1" can be sufficiently conveyed to the consumer, and the consumer can more securely select food products.

[0086] Also, since the consumer 40 only transmits "selection criterion information" and the information selection means 20 selects "information on catechins" having a high degree of similarity to "information on the catechins that the consumer 40 wants to select", there is no need for the consumer to select specific "information on catechins" from among a plurality of "information on catechins". And since the information selection means 20 can select the optimal (i.e., in line with the selection intention of the consumer 40) "information on catechins", it can be expected that the "information on the catechins in the tea beverage 1" will be more fully conveyed to the consumer.

[0087] [Modification Example 1] In the above-described second embodiment, the case where "selection criterion information" is transmitted from the consumer terminal 13 and the exemplary information generation means 19 generates exemplary information is taken as an example, but "exemplary information" may be transmitted from the consumer terminal 13. In this case, instead of the "selection criterion information recording means 18 and the exemplary information generation means 19", an "exemplary information recording means" is provided, the "exemplary information" transmitted from the consumer terminal 13 is recorded in the exemplary information recording means, and based on the "exemplary information" recorded in the exemplary information recording means, the information selection means 20 selects "information on catechins".

[0088] [Modification Example 2] In the above-described second embodiment, the case where the information selection means 20 selects "information on catechins" based on "exemplary information" is taken as an example for explanation, but the information output means 21 may output the "information on catechins" selected by the catechin information selection means 17. That is, instead of selecting from among the "output candidate catechin information", the information output means 21 may output all of the "output candidate catechin information".

[0089] [Modification Example 3] In the above-described second embodiment, the tea beverage 1 is specified by reading the identification information 4 displayed on the PET bottle 2. However, it is sufficient if the tea beverage 1 can be specified, and it is not limited to the method of reading the identification information 4. The consumer 40 who has accessed the food information providing system 11 may select the food product A (tea beverage 1). Specifically, by accessing the food information providing system 11 from the consumer terminal 13, a list of food providers capable of providing information is displayed on the consumer terminal 13, and the consumer 40 selects "Food Provider 10" from the displayed list. Then, when "Food Provider 10" is selected, a list of foods provided by Food Provider 10 is displayed, and the consumer 40 selects "Food Product A (tea beverage 1)" from the displayed list, and so on.

[0090] [Modification Example 4] In the above-described second embodiment, the case where the PET bottle 2 (food product A as shown in FIG. 1) on which the identification information 4 is displayed is sold is taken as an example for explanation. However, the identification information 4 does not necessarily have to be displayed on the PET bottle 2. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the identification information 4 may be displayed on the vending machine B that sells the PET bottles 2 in correspondence with each PET bottle 2 (the identification information 4 is displayed on the vending machine B instead of the PET bottle 2). Note that FIG. 6 shows a vending machine of a type that sells PET bottles 2 and cans, but it may also be a cup-type vending machine.

[0091] <3. Third Embodiment>[ [Configuration of the Present Invention] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining a configuration example of a food information providing system that is another example of an information providing system to which the present invention is applied. Hereinafter, the description will be centered on the points different from the second embodiment, and the description of the parts common to the second embodiment will be omitted.

[0092] In the food information providing system 31 shown in FIG. 4, it has catechin information retrieval means 32 (in the third embodiment, it has "catechin information retrieval means 32" instead of "catechin information recording means 16" and "catechin information selection means 17" in the second embodiment).

[0093] Here, the catechin information retrieval means 32 is configured to be able to access a catechin information recording means 33 provided separately from the food information providing system 31. And in the catechin information recording means 33, information on various catechins (the information on catechins recorded in the "catechin information recording means 16" in the second embodiment) is recorded, and the catechin information retrieval means 32 accesses the catechin information recording means 33 to search for the "information on catechins".

[0094] That is, when the consumer requests the "information on catechins" of the tea beverage 1 (specifically, when the identification information 4 shown in FIG. 1 is read), the catechin information retrieval means 32 searches for the "information on catechins (output candidate catechin information)" that is a candidate for output from among the "information on catechins" recorded in the catechin information recording means 33 based on the "information on food product A (tea beverage 1)" and the "tea leaf information of tea beverage 1".

[0095] [Effect] In the food information providing system 31 to which the present invention described above is applied, since the catechin information retrieval means 32 can search for the "information on catechins", even when the "information on catechins" is not recorded in the food information providing system 31, the information output means 21 can output the "information on catechins" to the consumer terminal 13.

[0096] <4. Fourth Embodiment> [Configuration of the Present Invention] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining a configuration example of a food information providing system which is yet another example of an information providing system to which the present invention is applied. In the following, the description will be centered on the points different from the second embodiment, and the description of the parts common to the second embodiment will be omitted.

[0097] The food information providing system 41 shown in FIG. 5 has catechin information generation means 42 (in the fourth embodiment, it has "catechin information generation means 42" instead of "catechin information recording means 16" and "catechin information selection means 17" in the second embodiment).

[0098] Here, the catechin information generation means 42 is configured to be able to access a generation AI 43 provided separately from the food information providing system 41.

[0099] For example, regarding "the catechin information of tea beverage 1", taking "the name information of tea beverage 1", "the tea leaf variety information of tea beverage 1", "the tea leaf cultivation condition information of tea beverage 1", and "the tea leaf picking time information of tea beverage 1" as input information, input them into a general-purpose generative AI (generation AI) 43, and by obtaining the output result of the generation AI 43, "the catechin information of tea beverage 1" is generated. In addition, by adding the information (preferences) of the consumer who is the destination (output destination) of "the catechin information of tea beverage 1" to the input information, "catechin information" more in line with the needs of the consumer can be generated.

[0100] That is, when the consumer requests the catechin information of tea beverage 1 (specifically, when reading the identification information 4 shown in FIG. 1), the catechin information generation means 42 generates "catechin information (output candidate catechin information)" that is a candidate for output based on "the information of food product A (tea beverage 1)" and "the tea leaf information of tea beverage 1".

[0101] [Effect] In the food information application system 41 to which the above-described present invention is applied, since the catechin information generation means 42 can generate "catechin information", even when "catechin information" is not recorded inside or outside the food information providing system 41, the information output means 21 can output "catechin information" to the consumer terminal 13.

[0102] [Modification Example 5] In the above-described fourth embodiment, the case where the "catechin information" generated by the catechin information generation means 43 is output has been described as an example. However, the catechin information generation means 43 may output instruction information (prompt) for generating the "catechin information". Note that the consumer can input the instruction information (prompt) into a general-purpose generative AI (generating AI) and obtain the "catechin information" as the output result of the generative AI.

Explanation of Signs

[0103] 1 Tea beverage 2 PET bottle 4 Identification information 10 Food provider 11 Food information providing system 12 Internet 13 Consumer terminal 14 Food information recording means 15 Catechin content determination means 16 Catechin information recording means 17 Catechin information selection means 18 Selection criterion information recording means 19 Model information generation means 20 Information selection means 21 Information output means 22 Tea leaf information recording means 31 Food information providing system 32 Catechin information search means 33 Catechin information recording means 41 Food information providing system 42 Catechin information recording means 43 Generative AI

Claims

1. An information providing system that outputs catechin information of a food product made from tea leaves in response to a request from a consumer, comprising: tea leaf information recording means for recording tea leaf information including information on the variety of the tea leaves, the cultivation conditions of the tea leaves, and the harvesting time of the tea leaves; catechin content determination means for determining the catechin content of the food product by a machine learning model based on information for specifying the food product transmitted from the consumer's terminal and the tea leaf information recorded in the tea leaf information recording means, on the condition that a request for outputting the catechin information of the food product has been received from the consumer's terminal; information output means for outputting the catechin content information of the food product determined by the catechin content determination means to the consumer's terminal. The information providing system.

2. An information providing system that outputs catechin information of a food product made from tea leaves in response to a request from a consumer, comprising: tea leaf information recording means for recording tea leaf information including information on the variety of the tea leaves, the cultivation conditions of the tea leaves, and the harvesting time of the tea leaves; catechin information recording means for recording the catechin information of the food product; catechin information selection means for selecting, from among the catechin information of the food product recorded in the catechin information recording means, the catechin information of the food product that is a candidate for output based on information for specifying the food product transmitted from the consumer's terminal and the tea leaf information recorded in the tea leaf information recording means, on the condition that a request for outputting the catechin information of the food product has been received from the consumer's terminal; information output means for outputting the catechin information of the food product selected by the catechin information selection means to the consumer's terminal. The information providing system.

3. An information providing system that outputs catechin information of a food product made from tea leaves in response to a request from a consumer, comprising: tea leaf information recording means for recording tea leaf information including information on the variety of the tea leaves, the cultivation conditions of the tea leaves, and the harvesting time of the tea leaves; catechin information search means for searching for the catechin information of the food product based on information for specifying the food product transmitted from the consumer's terminal and the tea leaf information recorded in the tea leaf information recording means, on the condition that a request for outputting the catechin information of the food product has been received from the consumer's terminal; An information output means for outputting information on catechins in the food retrieved by the catechin information retrieval means to the consumer's terminal. An information providing system. **Claim 4** An information providing system that outputs information on catechins in foods made from tea leaves in response to a request from a consumer, A tea leaf information recording means for recording tea leaf information including information on the variety of the tea leaves, the cultivation conditions of the tea leaves, and the picking time of the tea leaves. A search signal output means for outputting a search signal for retrieving information on catechins in the food to a predetermined catechin information retrieval means based on information for specifying the food transmitted from the consumer's terminal and the tea leaf information recorded in the tea leaf information recording means, on the condition that a request for outputting information on catechins in the food has been received from the consumer's terminal. An information output means for outputting information on catechins in the food retrieved by the catechin information retrieval means to the consumer's terminal. An information providing system. **Claim 5** An information providing system that outputs information on catechins in foods made from tea leaves in response to a request from a consumer, A tea leaf information recording means for recording tea leaf information including information on the variety of the tea leaves, the cultivation conditions of the tea leaves, and the picking time of the tea leaves. A catechin information generation means for generating information on catechins in the food based on information for specifying the food transmitted from the consumer's terminal and the tea leaf information recorded in the tea leaf information recording means, on the condition that a request for outputting information on catechins in the food has been received from the consumer's terminal. An information output means for outputting information on catechins in the food generated by the catechin information generation means to the consumer's terminal. An information providing system. **Claim 6** An information providing system that outputs information on catechins in foods made from tea leaves in response to a request from a consumer, A tea leaf information recording means for recording tea leaf information including information on the variety of the tea leaves, the cultivation conditions of the tea leaves, and the picking time of the tea leaves. A generation signal output means for outputting a generation signal for generating information on catechins in the food to a predetermined catechin information generation means based on information for specifying the food transmitted from the consumer's terminal and the tea leaf information recorded in the tea leaf information recording means, on the condition that a request for outputting information on catechins in the food has been received from the consumer's terminal. An information output means for outputting information on the catechins of the food generated by the catechin information generation means to the consumer's terminal. An information providing system. **Claim 7** An information providing system that outputs information on the catechins of a food made from tea leaves in response to a request from a consumer, A tea leaf information recording means for recording tea leaf information including information on the variety of the tea leaves, the cultivation conditions of the tea leaves, and the harvesting time of the tea leaves. Instruction information that is input to a predetermined catechin information generation means on the condition that it has received a request from the consumer's terminal to output information on the catechins of the food, and is information for specifying the food transmitted from the consumer's terminal and the tea leaf information recorded by the tea leaf information recording means. Based on this, an instruction information creating means for creating the instruction information for the catechin information generation means to generate the information on the catechins of the food. An information output means for outputting the instruction information created by the instruction information creating means to the consumer's terminal. An information providing system. **Claim 8** Reference information generation means for generating reference information on the catechins of the food based on the selection criteria information transmitted from the consumer's terminal, which is the selection criteria information for selecting the information on the catechins of the food. An information selection means for selecting the information on the catechins of the food to be output from the information on the catechins of the food generated by the catechin information generation means based on the reference information generated by the reference information generation means. The information output means Outputs the information on the catechins of the food selected by the information selection means. The information providing system according to claim 5 or claim 6. **Claim 9** An information selection means for selecting the information on the catechins of the food to be output from the information on the catechins of the food generated by the catechin information generation means based on the reference information transmitted from the consumer's terminal, which is the reference information for selecting the information on the catechins of the food. The information output means Outputs the information on the catechins of the food selected by the information selection means. The information providing system according to claim 5 or claim 6. **Claim 10** The catechin information generation means By reading the identification information displayed on the food or the identification information displayed corresponding to the food on the consumer's terminal, the food is specified based on the information transmitted from the consumer's terminal, and the catechin information of the specified food is generated. The information providing system according to claim 5.

11. The generation signal output means By reading the identification information displayed on the food or the identification information displayed corresponding to the food on the consumer's terminal, the food is specified based on the information transmitted from the consumer's terminal, and a generation signal for generating the catechin information of the specified food is output. The information providing system according to claim 6.

12. On the condition that it has received a request to output the catechin information of the food from the consumer's terminal, based on the information for specifying the food transmitted from the consumer's terminal and the tea leaf information recorded in the tea leaf information recording means, a catechin content determination means for determining the catechin content of the food by a machine learning model is provided. The information output means outputs the catechin content information of the food determined by the catechin content determination means. The information providing system according to claim 2, claim 3, claim 4, claim 5 or claim 6.

13. A food product comprising a food made from tea leaves and the identification information displayed on the food, wherein the identification information is accessible to a website on which information on the catechin content of the food is posted. Food product.

14. The information on the catechin content of the food posted on the website is information determined based on the variety of the tea leaves, the cultivation conditions of the tea leaves, and the information on the picking time of the tea leaves at the timing of accessing the website. The food product according to claim 13.

15. A food product comprising a food made from tea leaves and the identification information displayed on the food, wherein the identification information is accessible to a website on which information on the catechin of the food is posted. Food product.

16. The information on the catechin of the food posted on the website is information selected, searched, or generated based on the variety of the tea leaves, the cultivation conditions of the tea leaves, and the information on the picking time of the tea leaves at the timing of accessing the website. The food product according to claim 15.

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