Display control system, center apparatus, store apparatus, processing method for center apparatus, and processing method for store apparatus

Abstract

To effectively utilize an electronic shelf label installed in a store.SOLUTION: A center apparatus comprises control information acquisition means and output means. The control information acquisition means acquires, from an external terminal, electronic shelf label designation information for designating at least one of electronic shelf labels installed in a store and control information including content information for designating a content to be displayed on the designated electronic shelf label. The output means outputs information indicating the control information according to the control information. The electronic shelf label designation information includes information for identifying a product associated with the electronic shelf label as information for designating the electronic shelf label.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a display control system, a center device, a store device, a processing method of the center device, a processing method of the store device, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Technologies related to the present invention are disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 4.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique in which a printing device introduced into a retail store prints an updated advertising medium with update information transmitted from a manufacturer server. Patent Documents 2 to 4 disclose technologies related to electronic shelf labels.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Patent Document 4

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In recent years, an electronic shelf label has become a display medium capable of displaying various information as well as a product name and a price. And the electronic shelf label is installed for each product. For this reason, a large number of display media capable of displaying various information are installed in the store. It is desired to use such an electronic shelf label more effectively instead of simply using it as a display medium for displaying information determined by the store side.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a technique for effectively utilizing display terminals such as electronic shelf labels installed in stores by an unprecedented method.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] According to the present invention, authentication means for acquiring authentication information including manufacturer identification information from an external terminal and performing authentication based on the authentication information; control information acquisition means for, when the authentication is successful, acquiring control information including display terminal designation information for designating at least one of the display terminals installed in the store and content information for designating the content to be displayed on the designated display terminal from the external terminal; output means for outputting information indicating the control information according to the control information; A center device having the above is provided.

[0008] Also, according to the present invention, store acquisition means for acquiring control information including display terminal designation information for designating at least one of the display terminals installed in the store and content information for designating the content to be displayed on the designated display terminal from the center device; display control means for controlling the display of the display terminal installed in the store based on the control information; A store device having the above is provided.

[0009] Also, according to the present invention, a display control system having the center device and the store device is provided.

[0010] Also, according to the present invention, the center device acquires authentication information including manufacturer identification information from an external terminal and performs authentication based on the authentication information, when the authentication is successful, acquires control information including display terminal designation information for designating at least one of the display terminals installed in the store and content information for designating the content to be displayed on the designated display terminal from the external terminal, A processing method for a center device that outputs information indicating the control information according to the control information is provided.

[0011] Also, according to the present invention, A store device acquires control information including display terminal designation information for designating at least one of the display terminals installed in the store from the center device and content information for designating the content to be displayed on the designated display terminal, and a processing method for a store device that controls the display of the display terminals installed in the store based on the control information is provided.

[0012] Also, according to the present invention, A computer of a center device is caused to function as authentication means for acquiring authentication information including manufacturer identification information from an external terminal and performing authentication based on the authentication information, control information acquisition means for acquiring control information including display terminal designation information for designating at least one of the display terminals installed in the store and content information for designating the content to be displayed on the designated display terminal from the external terminal when the authentication is successful, and output means for outputting information indicating the control information according to the control information. A program is provided.

[0013] Also, according to the present invention, A computer of a store device is caused to function as store acquisition means for acquiring control information including display terminal designation information for designating at least one of the display terminals installed in the store and content information for designating the content to be displayed on the designated display terminal from the center device, and display control means for controlling the display of the display terminals installed in the store based on the control information. A program is provided.

Advantages of the Invention

[0014] According to the present invention, a technique is realized that effectively utilizes display terminals such as electronic shelf labels installed in stores by an unprecedented method.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0015]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0016] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In all the drawings, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description will be omitted as appropriate.

[0017] <First Embodiment> "Overview" The display control system of this embodiment is used in retail stores that utilize display terminals such as electronic shelf labels. According to the display control system, it is possible for the manufacturer of the products (products being sold) handled in the retail store to display desired information on the display terminals installed in the store of that retail store. The display control system has a configuration that realizes such an operation and effect.

[0018] "Overall Image" Next, the overall image of the display control system of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1. The display control system includes a center device 10 and a store device 20. The display control system may further include a display terminal 30. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the display terminal 30 is an electronic shelf label, but modification examples will be described below.

[0019] The center device 10 is installed in the headquarters that manages a plurality of stores. The store device 20 is installed in each of the plurality of stores. The display terminal 30 is installed in each of the plurality of stores. The display terminal 30 is installed at a predetermined position on the display shelf associated with each of the products handled in each store. The external terminal 40 is a terminal operated by the manufacturer of the products handled in the store.

[0020] The center device 10 and each of the plurality of store devices 20 can communicate with each other by wire and / or wirelessly. Also, each store device 20 installed in each store and each of the plurality of display terminals 30 can communicate with each other by wire and / or wirelessly. Also, the center device 10 and the external terminal 40 of each of the plurality of manufacturers can communicate with each other by wire and / or wirelessly.

[0021] The outline of the processing realized by these devices is as follows. First, the manufacturer operates the external terminal 40 to access the center device 10 and transmits authentication information including manufacturer identification information to the center device 10. After successful authentication, the manufacturer transmits control information including display terminal designation information designating at least one of the display terminals 30 installed in the store and content information designating the content to be displayed on the designated display terminal 30 to the center device 10 via the external terminal 40.

[0022] The center device 10 receives the above control information transmitted by a legitimate manufacturer with a successfully authenticated authority. Then, the center device 10 transmits the received control information to a predetermined store device 20. The store device 20 that has received the control information causes a predetermined content to be displayed on a predetermined display terminal 30 based on the control information.

[0023] "Hardware Configuration" Next, an example of the hardware configuration of the center device 10 and the store device 20 will be described. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the center device 10 and the store device 20. Each functional unit included in the center device 10 and the store device 20 is realized by an arbitrary combination of hardware and software centered around a CPU (Central Processing Unit) of an arbitrary computer, a memory, a program loaded into the memory, a storage unit such as a hard disk storing the program (in addition to a program stored in advance at the stage of shipping the device, a program downloaded from a storage medium such as a CD (Compact Disc) or a server on the Internet can also be stored), and a network connection interface. And it is understood by those skilled in the art that there are various modification examples for the realization method and device.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 2, each of the center device 10 and the store device 20 has a processor 1A, a memory 2A, an input / output interface 3A, a peripheral circuit 4A, and a bus 5A. The peripheral circuit 4A includes various modules. At least one of the center device 10 and the store device 20 may not have the peripheral circuit 4A.

[0025] Note that each of the center device 10 and the store device 20 may be composed of a plurality of physically and / or logically separated devices, or may be composed of one physically and logically integrated device. In the former case, each device can have the above hardware configuration.

[0026] The bus 5A is a data transmission path for the processor 1A, the memory 2A, the peripheral circuit 4A, and the input / output interface 3A to transmit and receive data to and from each other. The processor 1A is an arithmetic processing device such as a CPU or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). The memory 2A is a memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a ROM (Read Only Memory). The input / output interface 3A includes an interface for acquiring information from an input device, an external device, an external server, an external sensor, etc., and an interface for outputting information to an output device, an external device, an external server, etc. The input device is, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a microphone, etc. The output device is, for example, a display, a speaker, a printer, a mailer, etc. The processor 1A can issue commands to each module and perform operations based on their operation results.

[0027] "Functional Configuration" - Center Device 10 - As shown in the functional block diagram of FIG. 3, the center device 10 has an authentication unit 11, a control information acquisition unit 12, an output unit 13, and a storage unit 14. Note that the center device 10 may not have the storage unit 14. In this case, an external device configured to be communicable with the center device 10 includes the storage unit 14.

[0028] The authentication unit 11 acquires authentication information including manufacturer identification information from the external terminal 40 and performs authentication based on the authentication information. Any conventional authentication technology can be adopted for the authentication process performed by the authentication unit 11.

[0029] For example, the center device 10 provides a login page to the external terminal 40 that has accessed via the communication network. The external terminal 40 displays the login page on the display of its own terminal and accepts the input of authentication information including manufacturer identification information on the login page. Then, the external terminal 40 transmits the input authentication information to the center device 10. The center device 10 performs an authentication process by comparing the received authentication information with the reference information (authentication information of each manufacturer) stored in the storage unit 14 in advance.

[0030] The manufacturer identification information is information for distinguishing a plurality of manufacturers from each other. The authentication information may include, in addition to the manufacturer identification information, a password, a one-time password, biometric information (such as face information, fingerprint information, iris information, voiceprint information, etc.) of the person in charge of the manufacturer, a keyword, and the like.

[0031] When the authentication by the authentication unit 11 is successful, the control information acquisition unit 12 acquires control information for controlling the display of the display terminal 30 installed in the store from the external terminal 40.

[0032] For example, after the authentication by the authentication unit 11 is successful, the center device 10 provides a user page for inputting control information to the external terminal 40. The external terminal 40 displays the page on the display of its own terminal and accepts the input of control information on the page. Then, the external terminal 40 transmits the input control information to the center device 10.

[0033] The control information includes at least one of store designation information, display terminal designation information, content information, and display conditions.

[0034] "Store-specifying information" is information that specifies the stores to be subject to the display control of the display terminal 30. At least one of a plurality of stores is specified by the store-specifying information. If the control information does not include such store-specifying information, all stores may be specified as the targets of the display control of the display terminal 30. Hereinafter, examples of store specification will be described.

[0035] - Example 1 of Store Specification - The store-specifying information may be, for example, information that specifies a desired store using store identification information such as a store name. In this case, the manufacturer inputs the store identification information of the desired store into the external terminal 40 as the store-specifying information.

[0036] - Example 2 of Store Specification - Alternatively, the store-specifying information may be information that specifies a desired store by store attributes. Examples of store attributes include, but are not limited to, the location of the store, the surrounding environment of the store, the products handled by the store, the operation form (head office directly managed store / franchise store), etc.

[0037] In this case, the manufacturer inputs the desired store attributes into the external terminal 40 as the store-specifying information. Then, based on the pre-generated store information, the center device 10 searches for stores corresponding to the specified store attributes and identifies the searched stores as the targets of the display control of the display terminal 30. The above store information is information indicating the store attributes of each of the plurality of stores and is stored in the storage unit 14 and / or the storage unit 23 of each store device 20.

[0038] Examples of the specification of store attributes by the manufacturer include conditions such as "stores located in Tokyo", "stores with a station within 100 m nearby", "stores handling product A", "head office directly managed stores", etc., and conditions in which a plurality of such conditions are connected by a predetermined logical operator. Note that this is merely an example and is not limited thereto.

[0039] - Example 3 of Store Specification - Alternatively, the store-specifying information may be information that specifies all stores. In this case, the manufacturer inputs an input specifying all stores into the external terminal 40 as the store-specifying information.

[0040] The "display terminal specification information" is information for specifying the display terminal 30 that is the target of display control. At least one of the plurality of display terminals 30 installed in the store is specified by the display terminal specification information. When the control information does not include such display terminal specification information, all the display terminals 30, or all the display terminals 30 associated with the products of each manufacturer, may be specified as the targets of display control. Note that the input of the display terminal specification information by the manufacturer may be performed for each store, or may be performed collectively for a plurality of stores. Hereinafter, examples of display terminal specification will be described.

[0041] - Example 1 of display terminal specification - The display terminal specification information may include, for example, information for identifying the associated product (product identification information such as product name and product code) as information for specifying the display terminal 30. In the store, a plurality of display terminals 30 are installed in association with each of the plurality of products, and information on the associated product (product name, unit price, etc.) is displayed on each display terminal 30 associated with each product. Therefore, the display terminal 30 can be specified by the product identification information.

[0042] In this case, the manufacturer inputs the desired product identification information into the external terminal 40 as the display terminal specification information. Then, at least one of the center device 10 and the store device 20 specifies the display terminal 30 associated with the display terminal specification information (product identification information) as the target of display control based on the pre-generated display terminal attribute information. As shown in FIG. 4, the display terminal attribute information is information indicating the association relationship between each of the plurality of display terminals 30 and the product, and is stored in the storage unit 14 and / or the storage unit 23 of each store device 20. The display terminal attribute information is generated for each store. The display terminal attribute information shown in FIG. 4 associates the display terminal identification information with the product identification information.

[0043] - Example 2 of display terminal specification - In addition, the display terminal specification information may include information indicating the installation position within the store as information for specifying the display terminal 30. In this case, the manufacturer inputs the desired installation position into the external terminal 40 as the display terminal specification information. Then, at least one of the center device 10 and the store device 20 specifies, as the target of display control, the display terminal 30 that matches the display terminal specification information (installation position) based on the pre-generated display terminal attribute information. As shown in FIG. 4, the display terminal attribute information is information indicating the installation position of each of the plurality of display terminals 30, and is stored in the storage unit 14 and / or the storage unit 23 of each store device 20. The display terminal attribute information is generated for each store. The display terminal attribute information shown in FIG. 4 associates the display terminal identification information with the position information indicating the installation position of each display terminal 30 with each other.

[0044] In the case of the illustrated example, the installation position of the display terminal 30 is indicated by the passage number, shelf number, and shelf level, but it may be indicated by other methods. Although not shown, information indicating the attributes of each display shelf and each passage (in front of the cash register, near the entrance, the passage leading to the cash register, etc.) may further be included.

[0045] Examples of the manufacturer's specification of the installation position include conditions such as "the second display area from the top of the display shelf", "the display area facing the passage leading to the cash register", "the display shelf in front of the cash register", "the display shelf near the entrance", etc., and conditions in which a plurality of such conditions are connected by a predetermined logical operator, etc. It should be noted that this illustration is merely an example and is not limited thereto.

[0046] - Display Terminal Specification Example 3 - In addition, the center device 10 may transmit an image showing the in-store layout (indicating the layout of the display shelves) of each store to the external terminal 40 for display. Then, the manufacturer may perform an input for specifying the desired installation position (input for specifying the display shelf, input for specifying the level, etc.) on this in-store layout.

[0047] - Display Terminal Specification Example 4 - Note that each manufacturer may be able to specify only the display terminal 30 associated with the products of each manufacturer. That is, the display terminal specification information input by each manufacturer may be information that specifies at least one of the display terminals 30 associated with the products of each manufacturer. In this case, the control information acquisition unit 12 determines whether the display terminal specification information acquired in any of the above display terminal specification examples 1 to 3 satisfies the condition. And when the condition is not satisfied, error information is returned to the external terminal 40.

[0048] For example, when product identification information is acquired as the display terminal specification information, the control information acquisition unit 12 determines whether the product identified by the acquired product identification information is a product of that manufacturer based on the product information (see FIG. 5) stored in the storage unit 14 and / or the storage unit 23 of each store device 20 in advance. And when the product identified by the acquired product identification information is not a product of that manufacturer, error information is returned to the external terminal 40. In the product information shown in FIG. 5, the product identification information, the product name, the manufacturer identification information, and the unit price are associated with each other.

[0049] In addition, for example, when information indicating the installation position in the store is acquired as the display terminal specification information, the control information acquisition unit 12 determines whether the products of that manufacturer are displayed at the position specified by the acquired display terminal specification information based on the above-described display terminal attribute information (see FIG. 4) and product information (see FIG. 5). And when the products of that manufacturer are not displayed at the position specified by the acquired display terminal specification information, error information is returned to the external terminal 40.

[0050] - Display Terminal Specification Example 5 - Note that the display terminal specification information input by the manufacturer may be information that specifies all the display terminals 30 associated with the products of each manufacturer. In this case, the manufacturer makes an input to the external terminal 40 to specify all the display terminals 30 associated with the products of its own manufacturer as the display terminal specification information.

[0051] "Content information" is information that specifies the content to be displayed on the display terminal 30 designated as the target of display control. The content is, for example, an advertisement, campaign information, a coupon, product-related information, etc. The product-related information may include the URL of a web page (such as a product introduction page) related to the product prepared by the manufacturer. The URL may be displayed as a QR code (registered trademark). Note that the content of product A may be displayed not only on the display terminal 30 associated with product A but also on the display terminals 30 associated with other products.

[0052] Note that the input of content information by the manufacturer may be performed for each store or for a plurality of stores together. Also, the input of content information by the manufacturer may be performed for each display terminal 30 designated as the target of display control or for a plurality of display terminals 30 together. Hereinafter, examples of content specification will be described.

[0053] - Content Specification Example 1 - The content information may be the content file itself (such as a still image file, a video file, an audio file, etc.). In this case, the manufacturer prepares (generates) the content by itself and causes it to be transmitted (uploaded) from the external terminal 40 to the center device 10 as content information.

[0054] - Content Specification Example 2 - Alternatively, the content information may be information (such as a file name) that specifies any one of the content files stored in the storage unit 14 in advance. In this case, the manufacturer may cause the content file (such as a still image file, a video file, an audio file, etc.) prepared (generated) by itself to be transmitted (uploaded) from the external terminal 40 to the center device 10 in advance and registered in the storage unit 14. Alternatively, the content file that was previously transmitted to the center device 10 as content information may be stored in the storage unit 14 as it is. The manufacturer designates any one of the content files stored in the storage unit 14 in advance in this way, for example.

[0055] The "display condition" is a condition for causing the display terminal 30 designated as the target of display control to display the content specified by the content information (hereinafter referred to as the "display condition"). The content is displayed on the display terminal 30 at a timing that meets the display condition.

[0056] Note that the input of the display condition by the manufacturer may be performed for each store, or may be performed collectively for a plurality of stores. Further, the input of the display condition by the manufacturer may be performed for each display terminal 30 designated as the target of display control, or may be performed collectively for a plurality of display terminals 30.

[0057] For example, in the display condition, a period for displaying the content such as "from March 1, 2020 to March 14, 2020" may be specified.

[0058] In addition, in the display condition, the day of the week for displaying the content may be specified.

[0059] In addition, in the display condition, a time zone for displaying the content such as "from 11:00 to 17:00" may be specified.

[0060] In addition, in the display condition, the weather, temperature, congestion status of the store, etc. on the day when the content is to be displayed may be specified.

[0061] The control information acquisition unit 12 may collectively store the acquired control information in the storage unit 14 for each manufacturer. FIG. 6 schematically shows an example of the control information registered in the storage unit 14. In the illustrated example, a control information number for identifying the acquired control information from each other, a registration date and time indicating the date and time when each control information was registered in the center device 10, store designation information, display terminal designation information, display condition, and content information are associated with each other.

[0062] Returning to FIG. 3, the output unit 13 outputs information indicating the control information to the store device 20 according to the control information. For example, the output unit 13 transmits the control information to the store device 20 of the store designated by the store designation information included in the control information.

[0063] Next, an example of the processing flow performed by the center device 10 will be described using the flowchart of FIG. 7. As shown in the figure, when the center device 10 acquires control information from the external terminal 40 and registers it in the storage unit 14 (S10), it transmits the control information to the store device 20 (S11). Note that the center device 10 may perform the process of S11 in real time in response to acquiring control information from the external terminal 40 and registering it in the storage unit 14. Alternatively, the process of S11 may be performed at predetermined time intervals. In this case, the center device 10 collectively transmits the control information registered in the storage unit 14 from the previous transmission timing to the current transmission timing to the store device 20.

[0064] - Store device 20 - As shown in the functional block diagram of FIG. 8, the store device 20 includes a store acquisition unit 21, a display control unit 22, and a storage unit 23. Note that the store device 20 may not have the storage unit 23. In this case, an external device configured to be communicable with the store device 20 includes the storage unit 23.

[0065] The store acquisition unit 21 acquires control information from the center device 10. Further, the store acquisition unit 21 acquires the file of the content specified by the content information included in the acquired control information from the center device 10. Note that the store device 20 may acquire only the file of the content specified by the content information, or may acquire all the content files stored in the storage unit 14 of the center device 10.

[0066] The display control unit 22 controls the display of the display terminal 30 installed in the store based on the control information. That is, the display control unit 22 causes the display terminal 30 specified by the display terminal specification information included in the control information to display the content specified by the content information included in the control information. Further, the display control unit 22 causes the content specified by the content information to be displayed at a timing that matches the display condition included in the control information.

[0067] In addition, when there are multiple contents to be displayed on one display terminal 30, the display control unit 22 can determine the content to be displayed on the display terminal 30 based on a predetermined priority order. A specific example of this process will be described. Note that this is merely an example and is not limited thereto.

[0068] In this specific example, the control of the display terminal 30 is classified into five patterns shown in FIG. 9.

[0069] "1. Normal display" is a normal control pattern without manufacturer control or temporary control. The determination of the content during this control is performed by the head office of the retail store. Note that each product manufacturer may also determine the content during this control. During this control, for example, it includes the product name, unit price, simple POP information, etc. of each product, with little or no promotional information, and relatively simple content is displayed. When there is no control based on other control patterns, the content is displayed on the display terminal 30 in this normal control pattern.

[0070] "2. Conditional promotion display" is one pattern of manufacturer control. The manufacturer performs this control by specifying a relatively long period. The determination of the content during this control is performed by the manufacturer. The manufacturer sets various display conditions as shown in the figure, for example, to perform this control.

[0071] "3. Planned promotion display switching" is one pattern of manufacturer control. The manufacturer performs this control by specifying a relatively short period. The determination of the content during this control is performed by the manufacturer. The manufacturer sets various display conditions as shown in the figure, for example, to perform this control.

[0072] "4. Manufacturer immediate promotion display" is one pattern of manufacturer control. This control is to immediately change the content displayed on the display terminal 30 by the manufacturer. The determination of the content during this control is performed by the manufacturer. The manufacturer performs control to immediately change the content displayed on the display terminal 30 based on reasons as shown in the figure, for example.

[0073] "5. Store Instant Sales Promotion Display" is a control that allows the store manager, store employees, or the retail store headquarters to immediately change the content displayed on the display terminal 30. For example, in the control information, a plurality of options may be specified as the content to be displayed on each display terminal 30. Then, the store manager, store employees, or the retail store headquarters may specify and display any one of the options, or change the currently displayed content to other content (options). Also, the store manager, store employees, or the retail store headquarters may change the content of a certain control pattern being displayed to the content of another control pattern. The input of these controls by the store manager, store employees, or the retail store headquarters may be performed via the input device of the store device 20, via the display terminal 30, or via other devices.

[0074] And in this example, as shown in FIG. 9, priority is assigned to five control patterns. When there is content of a plurality of control patterns as the content to be displayed on one display terminal 30, the display control unit 22 displays the content of the control pattern with a higher priority at that time.

[0075] Next, an example of the processing flow performed by the store device 20 will be described using the flowchart of FIG. 10. As shown in the figure, when the store device 20 acquires control information from the center device 10 (S20), it controls the display of the display terminal 30 based on the control information (S21).

[0076] "Function and Effect" According to the display control system of this embodiment, the manufacturer of the products (products being sold) handled by the retail store can display desired information on the display terminal 30 installed in the store of the retail store. As a result, it becomes possible to effectively utilize the display terminal 30 installed in the store by an unprecedented method.

[0077] <Second Embodiment> The store device 20 of this embodiment has a function of notifying the store manager and store clerks of the display of content based on control information. For example, the store device 20 may cause the display terminal 30 that is displaying content based on the control information to execute an output indicating the same. For example, the store device 20 may turn on the light of the display terminal 30, blink it, or turn it on / blink it in a predetermined color.

[0078] In addition, the store device 20 may cause other output devices to display a list of the display terminals 30 that are displaying content based on the control information. Further, the store device 20 may cause other output devices to display information regarding the display terminal 30 on which the display of the content based on the control information has started (the position of the display terminal 30, identification information of the associated product, manufacturer name, etc.) at the timing when the display of the content based on the control information is started. Also, the store device 20 may cause other output devices to display information regarding the display terminal 30 on which the display of the content based on the control information has ended (the position of the display terminal 30, identification information of the associated product, manufacturer name, etc.) at the timing when the display of the content based on the control information is ended.

[0079] Examples of other output devices include POS (point of sales) registers installed in the store and computers installed in the store. These devices and the store device 20 are configured to be communicable by wire and / or wirelessly. The other output device may be a portable device such as a smartphone, tablet terminal, mobile phone, or smartwatch. Then, the store device 20 may transmit the above information to these devices using e-mail, an application, or the like.

[0080] Other configurations of the display control system are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0081] According to the display control system of this embodiment, the same operational effects as those in the first embodiment are achieved. Also, according to the display control system of this embodiment, the store manager and store clerks can grasp which display terminal 30 is displaying content under manufacturer control.

[0082] <Embodiment 3> In the display control system of this embodiment, the manufacturer can change the unit price of its own products and cause the changed unit price to be displayed on the display terminal 30. Similar to the input of control information, the manufacturer designates a store and designates a product (designation of the display terminal 30), and then further designates the unit price of the designated product, and transmits control information indicating them to the center device 10. The center device 10 transmits the control information to the store device 20 of the designated store.

[0083] Based on the received control information, the store device 20 updates the product master stored in the storage unit 23. Specifically, the store device 20 changes the unit price of the product specified by the received control information to the unit price specified by the received control information. Then, the store device 20 changes the unit price displayed on the display terminal 30 associated with the product to the changed unit price.

[0084] Other configurations of the display control system are the same as those in the first and second embodiments.

[0085] According to the display control system of this embodiment, the same operational effects as those in the first and second embodiments are realized. Also, according to the display control system of this embodiment, the manufacturer can freely set the unit price of its own products.

[0086] <Embodiment 4> The store device 20 of this embodiment can store in the storage unit 23, for each manufacturer, history information indicating the history of controlling the display of the display terminal 30 based on control information. FIG. 11 shows an example of the history information. In the illustrated example, the date and time when the display control (content display) of the display terminal 30 based on the control information started (control start date and time) and the date and time when the display control ended (control end date and time), the control information number for identifying the control information, the display terminal identification information for identifying the display terminal 30 whose display was controlled, and the content type indicating the type of the displayed content are associated with each other.

[0087] The content type may be a classification according to the content of the content, such as an advertisement, campaign information, product-related information, price change, etc. Alternatively, the content type may indicate the control pattern described with reference to FIG. 9.

[0088] As shown in FIG. 12, the center device 10 of the present embodiment further includes a calculation unit 15. The calculation unit 15 calculates the usage fee of the display terminal 30 to be claimed from the manufacturer based on the display control content of the display terminal 30 based on the control information. The manufacturer pays the usage fee calculated here to the retailer as a consideration for the use of the display terminal 30. The calculation unit 15 can calculate the usage fee based on, for example, the history information shown in FIG. 11.

[0089] Note that the calculation unit 15 may calculate the usage fee based on the number of used display terminals 30. In this case, the usage fee increases as the number increases. Alternatively, the calculation unit 15 may calculate the usage fee based on the control time (content display time) of the display terminal 30. In this case, the usage fee increases as the control time becomes longer. The fee per unit or the fee per hour may be according to the content type displayed. Also, the fee per unit or the fee per hour may vary for each display terminal 30 according to the installation position of the display terminal 30. For example, for a display terminal 30 installed at a position that is more likely to catch the customer's eye, such as in front of the cash register, near the entrance, or at the height of a person's line of sight, the fee per unit or the fee per hour can be set higher.

[0090] Alternatively, the calculation unit 15 may calculate the usage fee based on the effect achieved by the control of the display terminal 30. For example, based on the normal sales performance (sales amount per unit time, number of sales, profit rate, etc.) and the sales performance when the manufacturer control of the display terminal 30 is being performed, an index (increase amount, increase rate, etc.) indicating how much the sales performance has increased from the normal time may be calculated. Then, the calculation unit 15 may calculate the usage fee based on this index. In this case, the more favorable the effect achieved by the control of the display terminal 30 (the larger the increase amount or increase rate), the higher the usage fee.

[0091] In addition, when the unit price of a product is changed by control information, the calculation unit 15 may calculate the usage fee based on the difference in the unit price before and after the change. For example, the calculation unit 15 may calculate, as the usage fee, a value obtained by multiplying the difference by the number of products sold during that period.

[0092] Further, the calculation unit 15 may calculate the usage fee based on the number of accesses from the QR code (registered trademark) displayed on the display terminal 30 to the manufacturer's website under manufacturer control. In this case, the higher the number of accesses, the higher the usage fee. Note that the means for grasping the number of accesses to a predetermined site is not particularly limited, and any technology can be adopted.

[0093] Also, the calculation unit 15 may calculate the usage fee based on the product purchase record from the manufacturer's website. In this case, the larger the purchase record (number of purchases, purchase amount, profit, etc.), the higher the usage fee.

[0094] Further, the calculation unit 15 may calculate the usage fee based on the usage status of the coupon displayed on the display terminal 30 under manufacturer control. In this case, the higher the usage frequency (number of uses, etc.) of the coupon, the higher the usage fee.

[0095] Other configurations of the display control system are the same as those in the first to third embodiments.

[0096] According to the display control system of the present embodiment, the same operational effects as those in the first to third embodiments are achieved. Further, according to the display control system of the present embodiment, it is possible to calculate the consideration (usage fee) for the manufacturer's use of the display terminal 30. By the retailer obtaining the usage fee from the manufacturer, both the manufacturer and the retailer can obtain benefits from the manufacturer's use of the display terminal 30.

[0097] <Modification Example> Here, a modification applicable to all embodiments will be described. In the above embodiment, it was assumed that the display terminal 30 installed in the store is an electronic shelf label. As a modification, the display terminal 30 may be a device other than an electronic shelf label, for example, a digital shelf (shelf label, in-store display terminal, etc.). Further, the display terminal 30 may include an electronic shelf label and a device other than the electronic shelf label. Even in this modification, the same processing as in the above embodiment realizes the same operational effects.

[0098] Also, in the above embodiment, the center device 10 transmits control information to the store device 20, and the store device 20 controls the display of a predetermined display terminal 30 based on the control information. As a modification, the center device 10 may control the display of a predetermined display terminal 30 based on control information without going through the store device 20. That is, the center device 10 may transmit a content file to the display terminal 30 without going through the store device 20. And the output unit 13 of the center device 10 may have the function of the display control unit 22 of the store device 20 described above.

[0099] As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the drawings, but these are examples of the present invention, and various configurations other than the above can also be adopted.

[0100] In this specification, "acquisition" means, based on user input or based on a program instruction, "the act of the own device going to retrieve data stored in another device or storage medium (active acquisition)", for example, making a request or inquiry to another device and receiving the data, accessing another device or storage medium and reading it out, etc., and, based on user input or based on a program instruction, "the act of the own device inputting data output from another device (passive acquisition)", for example, receiving data distributed (or transmitted, push-notified, etc.), also, selecting and acquiring from the received data or information, and, "generating new data by editing (textualizing, rearranging data, extracting partial data, changing file format, etc.) the data and acquiring the new data", including at least any one of these.

[0101] Some or all of the above embodiments can also be described as follows in the appended claims, but are not limited thereto. 1. Authentication means for acquiring authentication information including manufacturer identification information from an external terminal and performing authentication based on the authentication information; When the authentication is successful, control information acquisition means for acquiring, from the external terminal, control information including display terminal designation information for designating at least one of the display terminals installed in the store and content information for designating the content to be displayed on the designated display terminal; Output means for outputting information indicating the control information according to the control information; A center device having the above. 2. The center device according to 1, wherein the control information acquisition means acquires the control information further including store designation information for designating the store in which the content is to be displayed. 3. The center device according to 1 or 2, wherein the control information acquisition means acquires the control information further including display conditions for displaying the content on the display terminal designated by the display terminal designation information. 4. The display terminal is an electronic shelf label, In the store, a plurality of the electronic shelf labels are installed in association with each of a plurality of products, The center device according to any one of 1 to 3, wherein the display terminal designation information includes information for identifying the product with which the display terminal is associated as information for designating the display terminal. 5. The center device according to any one of 1 to 4, wherein the display terminal designation information includes information indicating an installation position in the store as information for designating the display terminal. 6. The display terminal is an electronic shelf label, In the store, a plurality of the electronic shelf labels are installed in association with each of a plurality of products, The center device according to any one of 1 to 5, wherein the display terminal designation information input by each manufacturer is information for designating at least one of the display terminals associated with the products of each manufacturer. 7. The center device according to any one of 1 to 6, further comprising a calculating means for calculating a usage fee of the display terminal to be claimed from the manufacturer according to the display control content of the display terminal based on the control information. 8. A store acquisition means for acquiring control information including display terminal designation information for designating at least one of the display terminals installed in the store and content information for designating content to be displayed on the designated display terminal from the center device according to any one of 1 to 7, A display control means for controlling the display of the display terminal installed in the store based on the control information; A store device having the same. 9. The store device according to 8, wherein when there are a plurality of contents to be displayed on one display terminal, the display control means determines the contents to be displayed on the display terminal based on a predetermined priority order. 10. A display control system having the center device according to any one of 1 to 7 and the store device according to 8 or 9. 11. The center device, acquires authentication information including manufacturer identification information from an external terminal, performs authentication based on the authentication information, when the authentication is successful, acquires control information including display terminal designation information for designating at least one of the display terminals installed in the store and content information for designating content to be displayed on the designated display terminal from the external terminal, A processing method of the center device for outputting information indicating the control information according to the control information. 12. The store device, acquires control information including display terminal designation information for designating at least one of the display terminals installed in the store and content information for designating content to be displayed on the designated display terminal from the center device according to any one of 1 to 7 in any one of the items, A processing method of the store device for controlling the display of the display terminal installed in the store based on the control information. 13. The computer of the center device, Authentication means for obtaining authentication information including manufacturer identification information from an external terminal and performing authentication based on the authentication information. When the authentication is successful, control information acquisition means for acquiring, from the external terminal, control information including display terminal designation information for designating at least one of the display terminals installed in the store and content information for designating the content to be displayed on the designated display terminal. Output means for outputting information indicating the control information according to the control information. A program that functions as such. 14. A computer of a store device Store acquisition means for acquiring, from the center device according to any one of 1 to 7, control information including display terminal designation information for designating at least one of the display terminals installed in the store and content information for designating the content to be displayed on the designated display terminal. Display control means for controlling the display of the display terminals installed in the store based on the control information. A program that functions as such.

Explanation of Signs

[0102] 10 Center device 11 Authentication unit 12 Control information acquisition unit 13 Output unit 14 Storage unit 15 Calculation unit 20 Store device 21 Store acquisition unit 22 Display control unit 23 Storage unit 30 Display terminal 40 External terminal

Claims

1. a control information acquiring means for acquiring control information including electronic shelf label designation information for designating at least one of electronic shelf labels installed in a store and content information for designating content to be displayed on the designated electronic shelf label from an external terminal; an output means for outputting information indicating the control information in accordance with the control information; having The electronic shelf label designation information includes information for identifying a product linked to the electronic shelf label as information for designating the electronic shelf label.

2. 2. The center device according to claim 1, wherein the control information acquiring means acquires the control information further including store designation information that designates the store in which the content is to be displayed.

3. 3. The center device according to claim 1, wherein the control information acquisition unit acquires the control information further including a display condition for displaying the content on the electronic shelf label designated by the electronic shelf label designation information.

4. The center apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the electronic shelf label designation information includes information indicating an installation position within the store as information designating the electronic shelf label.

5. 5. The center device according to claim 1, further comprising a calculation unit that calculates a usage fee for the electronic shelf label to be charged to a manufacturer in accordance with a display control content of the electronic shelf label based on the control information.

6. a store acquiring unit that acquires control information including electronic shelf label designation information that designates at least one of electronic shelf labels installed in a store and content information that designates content to be displayed on the designated electronic shelf label from the center device according to any one of claims 1 to 5; a display control means for controlling display of the electronic shelf labels installed in the store based on the control information; A store device having the above configuration.

7. A center device according to any one of claims 1 to 5; The store device according to claim 6 ; A display control system having the following:

8. The central device acquiring, from an external terminal, control information including electronic shelf label designation information that designates at least one of the electronic shelf labels installed in the store and content information that designates content to be displayed on the designated electronic shelf label; outputting information indicating the control information in accordance with the control information; The processing method of the center device, wherein the electronic shelf label designation information includes information for identifying a product linked to the electronic shelf label as information for designating the electronic shelf label.

9. Store equipment, 6. A method for acquiring control information including electronic shelf label designation information for designating at least one of electronic shelf labels installed in a store and content information for designating content to be displayed on the designated electronic shelf label, from the center device according to claim 1, A processing method for a store device that controls display of the electronic shelf labels installed in the store based on the control information.

Images