Sales management system, method performed in sales management system, sales management program, and character recognition system

Abstract

To provide a sales management system that can efficiently use a control unit that executes processing of recognizing visual information written on a medium.SOLUTION: A sales management system acquires image data capturing a medium 1 on which sales data is printed from store-side terminals 30, 40, and performs recognition processing of recognizing visual information from the image data to acquire a store's sales information. The sales management system comprises: an acquisition unit 11 that acquires the image data from the store-side terminals; and a control unit 13 that selectively executes, on the image data, a first mode processing of, in response to the acquisition unit 11 acquiring the image data, executing the recognition processing on the image data, and second mode processing of retaining a plurality of pieces of image data acquired by the acquisition unit 11 and collectively executing the recognition processing on the pieces of image data.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a sales management system, a method performed in a sales management system, a sales management program, and a character recognition system. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, in the sales management system disclosed in Patent Document 1, a medium showing the results of tallying daily sales is submitted by a store (referred to as a "tenant" in the document). A control unit (referred to as an "OCR processing unit" in the document) recognizes the visual information written on the medium by performing OCR (optical character recognition) processing. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6404579 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, after closing time at a commercial complex, reports from stores flood in, and the control unit is unable to keep up with the visual information recognition processing, which can result in store staff having to wait to go home until the control unit's recognition processing is complete. While increasing the processing capacity of the control unit is one way to solve this problem, the control unit's utilization rate is often high only in the first few hours after closing, and low at other times. For this reason, businesses tend to be hesitant to invest in increasing the control unit's processing capacity to deal with the congestion during the first few hours after closing.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a sales management system that can effectively utilize a control unit that executes recognition processing of visual information written on a medium. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present disclosure relates to a sales management system that acquires store sales information by acquiring image data of a medium on which sales data is printed from a store terminal and performing a recognition process that recognizes visual information from the image data, and is equipped with an acquisition unit that acquires the image data from the store terminal, and a control unit that selectively executes, on the image data: a first mode process that executes the recognition process on the image data in response to the acquisition unit's acquisition of the image data; and a second mode process that reserves multiple image data acquired by the acquisition unit and executes the recognition process on the image data collectively.

[0007] The sales management system disclosed herein is equipped with a reception unit that receives operations from store staff, and the control unit determines whether to perform the first mode processing or the second mode processing on the acquired image data depending on the operation received by the reception unit.

[0008] The sales management system of the present disclosure is provided with a memory unit that stores processing selection conditions that determine whether the first mode processing or the second mode processing will be performed on the acquired image data, and the control unit determines whether the first mode processing or the second mode processing will be performed on the acquired image data based on the processing selection conditions.

[0009] In the sales management system disclosed herein, the acquisition unit is configured to acquire, along with the image data, device information indicating the device that generated the image data, and the control unit determines, based on the device information, whether to perform the first mode processing or the second mode processing on the acquired image data.

[0010] The sales management system disclosed herein is equipped with an alarm unit that notifies the user of the processing waiting time in the first mode processing for the image data acquired by the acquisition unit, and a reception unit that accepts operations from store staff, and the control unit is configured to change the processing to be performed on the image data between the first mode processing and the second mode processing depending on the operation accepted by the reception unit.

[0011] In the sales management system disclosed herein, the control unit is configured to, if the first mode processing on the image data is not completed within a predetermined time, cancel the first mode processing on the image data and change the processing to be performed on the image data to the second mode processing.

[0012] The sales management system disclosed herein is equipped with a queue management unit that manages waiting order information for the control unit to perform the recognition process on multiple image data in sequence in the first mode processing, and a memory unit that stores rank change conditions that define the conditions for changing the rank in the waiting order information, and the queue management unit is configured to be able to change the rank in the waiting order information in accordance with the rank change conditions.

[0013] In the sales management system of the present disclosure, the ranking change conditions include information about the store that sent the image data.

[0014] In the sales management system of the present disclosure, the ranking change conditions include information about the commercial facility in which the store that transmitted the image data is located.

[0015] In the sales management system of the present disclosure, the ranking change conditions include information regarding the number of times the first mode processing has been performed on the image data sent from the same store.

[0016] In the sales management system disclosed herein, when the control unit executes the first mode processing on the image data sent from the store terminal, it transmits the processing results of the recognition processing on the image data to the store terminal, and when the store terminal receives a correction operation for the processing result from a store staff member, it transmits the correction operation to the control unit.

[0017] The sales management system disclosed herein is equipped with an operation terminal connected to the control unit and accepting operations from an operator, and the control unit is configured to accept an operation to correct the processing result from the operation terminal if the operation to correct the processing result is not received from the store terminal even after a specified deadline has passed.

[0018] The present disclosure relates to a method carried out by a sales management system that acquires store sales information by acquiring image data of a medium on which sales data is printed from a store terminal and performing recognition processing to recognize visual information from the image data, and includes an acquisition step that acquires the image data from the store terminal, a first mode process that executes the recognition processing on the image data in response to acquiring the image data in the acquisition step, and a second mode process that reserves the multiple image data acquired in the acquisition step and executes the recognition processing on the image data collectively, and a control step that selectively executes these processes on the image data.

[0019] The sales management program disclosed herein causes a computer to execute an acquisition function that acquires image data of a medium on which sales data is printed from a store terminal, a first mode process that executes a recognition process to recognize visual information on the image data in response to the acquisition function's acquisition of the image data, and a control function that selectively executes a second mode process that reserves multiple image data acquired by the acquisition function and executes the recognition process on the image data in bulk on the image data.

[0020] The present disclosure relates to a character recognition system that acquires character information by acquiring image data from a terminal and performing character recognition processing to recognize characters from the image data, and includes an acquisition unit that acquires the image data from the terminal, and a control unit that selectively executes, on the image data, a first mode process that executes the character recognition processing on the image data in response to the acquisition unit's acquisition of the image data, and a second mode process that reserves multiple pieces of image data acquired by the acquisition unit and collectively executes the character recognition processing on the image data.

[0021] The present disclosure provides a sales management system that can effectively utilize a control unit that executes recognition processing of visual information printed on a medium. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a sales management system. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a process for capturing an image of a medium and generating image data. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a graph showing the operating rate of a conventional recognition control unit by time period. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating real-time mode control and batch mode control in the recognition control unit. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing how a store staff member checks the accuracy of a portable imaging terminal. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a visual information confirmation screen on the portable imaging terminal. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing the process of receiving confirmation information from a store staff member confirming whether the data is correct or not, in accordance with the recognition control unit; [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a visual information confirmation screen on the confirmation terminal. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the correctness check at the check terminal. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a graph illustrating the operating rate of the recognition control unit according to the present disclosure by time period. [Figure 11]FIG. 10 is a graph illustrating the operating rate of the recognition control unit according to the present disclosure by time period. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] The sales management system according to the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure.

[0024] [Basic configuration of sales management system] As shown in Figure 1, the sales management system includes a sales management server 10 ("visual information processing device"), a cash register 20, a scanner 30, a portable imaging terminal 40 with a camera function, and a confirmation terminal 50. The sales management server 10, cash register 20, scanner 30, portable imaging terminal 40, and confirmation terminal 50 are connected to one another via a wide area network (WAN). The scanner 30 and portable imaging terminal 40 correspond to "store terminals." The confirmation terminal 50 corresponds to an "operation terminal."

[0025] The cash register 20 and scanner 30 are located in the cash register of the commercial complex. The scanner 30 may also be located in a tenant store. The confirmation terminal 50 is located, for example, in the management office of the commercial complex. The confirmation terminal 50 may be a general-purpose PC (personal computer), a smartphone, or a tablet terminal. In addition, a commercial complex has multiple stores as tenants. In many cases, rent for tenants in a commercial complex is paid on a commission basis that varies depending on sales. In such cases, the tenant's daily sales are deposited into the cash register 20. After the owner (developer) accurately confirms the tenant's sales, the tenant receives the amount remaining after deducting the rent. In addition, the commercial complex may also be an amusement complex.

[0026] The cash register 20 counts the amount of sales proceeds and transmits the amount to the owner's sales management server 10. When a voucher is deposited in the cash register 20, the cash register 20 scans the voucher with an internal scanner and transmits image data of the voucher to the owner's sales management server 10. Alternatively, the cash register may be scanned with a scanner 30, and image data may be transmitted from the scanner 30 to the owner's sales management server 10.

[0027] A tenant's daily sales are recorded on Form 1 ("media"), such as receipts, and Form 1 is output from a cash register (not shown) in a POS (point-of-sale) system. The tenant's POS system is connected online to the tenant's own sales management system, but is not connected to the owner's sales management server 10. Furthermore, due to factors such as a lack of standardized communication standards and the inability of the tenant and the owner to reach an agreement due to concerns about the leakage of trade secrets, it is often not possible to connect the tenant's POS system and the owner's sales management system online. For this reason, the tenant separately submits the contents of Form 1 as evidence of daily sales.

[0028] As one specific means of submitting evidence of daily sales, the tenant operator (store staff) scans the form 1 with the scanner 30 and transmits the image data of the form 1 to the sales management server 10. As another means of submitting evidence of daily sales, the tenant operator takes an image of the form 1 with the portable imaging terminal 40 and transmits the image data of the image of the form 1 to the sales management server 10.

[0029] The portable imaging terminal 40 is, for example, a smartphone or tablet terminal, and is equipped with, for example, a CMOS camera module. A tenant operator or the like captures an image of the form 1 using the portable imaging terminal 40. The portable imaging terminal 40 generates image data of the image of the form 1 and transmits the image data to the sales management server 10. The touch panel display 41 in the portable imaging terminal 40 corresponds to the "notification unit" and the "reception unit." The portable imaging terminal 40 is equipped with a touch panel display 41 that receives operations from store staff (tenant operators or the like).

[0030] The sales management server 10 is equipped with an acquisition unit 11, a queue management unit 12, a recognition control unit 13, and a memory unit 14. The acquisition unit 11 acquires image data from the scanner 30 and the portable imaging terminal 40. The recognition control unit 13 has an OCR (optical character recognition) function that recognizes characters, graphic codes, etc. from image data and scanned image data. In other words, the recognition control unit 13 is configured to recognize visual information such as characters and graphics from both image data and image data. Therefore, the sales management server 10 functions as a so-called OCR server. The recognition control unit 13 corresponds to the "control unit."

[0031] Among visual information, the acquisition of text information in particular can be achieved using a so-called well-known OCR function and an AI-OCR function that utilizes artificial intelligence. For example, the OCR function may be used to acquire text information, and the AI-OCR function may be used to compare the acquired text information to determine whether there are any recognition errors.

[0032] The details will be described later, but the queue management unit 12 manages queue information for the recognition control unit 13 to execute recognition processing on a plurality of image data in order.

[0033] The storage unit 14 includes a storage medium (for example, a hard disk or flash memory). The storage unit 14 stores image data of the document 1, image data of the document 1 scanned by the scanner 30, and visual information of the document 1 recognized from the image data.

[0034] When the form 1 is imaged using the portable imaging terminal 40, the tenant operator or the like checks whether the visual information recognized by the recognition control unit 13 matches the content written on the form 1 after the image is captured. If the visual information does not match the content written on the form 1, it is possible that the OCR function of the recognition control unit 13 has failed to recognize the visual information (misreading or non-reading). A misreading means that a character or number is mistakenly recognized as another character. A non-reading means that a character or number is not recognized. The tenant operator or the like corrects the misreading or non-reading in the visual information using the portable imaging terminal 40. Then, when the tenant operator or the like has completed checking the accuracy of the visual information, the tenant reports the completion to the owner.

[0035] When the document 1 is scanned by the scanner 30, the owner's staff member uses the confirmation terminal 50 to confirm whether the amount of sales money deposited in the cash register 20 matches the sales amount based on the visual information stored in the memory unit 14. Also, when the document 1 is imaged by the portable imaging terminal 40, the tenant's operator or the like may confirm the accuracy of the visual information. When the tenant's operator or the like confirms the accuracy of the visual information, the owner's staff member uses the confirmation terminal 50 to confirm whether the amount of sales money deposited in the cash register 20 matches the sales amount based on the visual information stored in the memory unit 14 after the tenant's operator or the like has completed confirmation of the accuracy of the visual information.

[0036] If there is a discrepancy between the amount of sales money deposited in the cash register 20 and the sales amount based on the visual information, the owner's staff will check the image data of the document 1 and the image data of the document 1 on the display screen of the confirmation terminal 50 to check for misreadings or non-readings in the visual information and make corrections as necessary. In this case, the owner's staff will correct any misreadings or non-readings in the visual information while inquiring with the tenant as necessary.

[0037] 2, the flow of capturing an image of the form 1, generating image data, and transmitting the image data to the sales management server 10 will be described. The tenant operator or the like selects a method for reading the form 1 (medium) (step #01). In this embodiment, the form 1 is read using either the scanner 30 or the portable imaging terminal 40.

[0038] When the document 1 (medium) is read by the scanner 30 (step #01: reading by scanner), the tenant operator or the like places the document 1 in a predetermined position on the scanner 30, and the scanner 30 scans the document 1 (medium) (step #02). The scanner 30 transmits the image data of the scanned document 1 to the sales management server 10 (step #03).

[0039] When the document 1 (medium) is read by the portable imaging terminal 40 (step #01: reading by portable imaging terminal), when the tenant operator or the like operates the shutter button (including the touch button displayed on the display) while the document 1 (medium) is displayed on the touch panel display 41 of the portable imaging terminal 40, the document 1 (medium) is imaged by the camera module of the portable imaging terminal 40 (step #04).

[0040] When the processing of step #04 is completed, it is determined whether or not the imaging of the entire area of ​​the form 1 (medium) has been completed (step #05). For example, if the form 1 is a vertically long receipt that does not fit within the imaging range of the portable imaging terminal 40, the imaging of the form 1 by the portable imaging terminal 40 is divided into multiple times, for example, the upper, middle, and lower parts of the form 1. The process of determining whether or not the imaging of the entire area of ​​the form 1 has been completed is performed, for example, by a method of checking whether or not the outer frame of the form 1 exists (whether or not the form 1 is cut off) based on multiple still image data captured by the portable imaging terminal 40. Note that the entire area of ​​the form 1 is not limited to all areas of the form 1. The entire area of ​​the form 1 may be, for example, only the area where visual information of the necessary items to be obtained is displayed.

[0041] If imaging of the entire area of ​​the form 1 has not been completed (step #05: No), the processing of step #05 described above is repeated. Note that the determination of step #05 may be configured so that a Yes determination is made when the operator performs an operation to complete imaging. With this configuration, for example, when the operator determines that imaging of the necessary areas of the form 1 has been completed, it becomes possible to manually proceed to step #06.

[0042] When imaging of the entire area of ​​the form 1 is completed (step #05: Yes), the portable imaging terminal 40 combines the multiple image data of the form 1 into one image data of the entire form 1 (step #06).The portable imaging terminal 40 then transmits the one image data of the entire form 1 to the sales management server 10 (step #07).

[0043] [Management of processing order by information recognition unit] In a commercial complex, tenants typically report their sales to the owner after closing time. Therefore, immediately after closing time each day, image data tends to be simultaneously transmitted from the tenants' scanners 30 and portable imaging terminals 40 to the sales management server 10. As shown in FIG. 3 , when the utilization rate of the recognition control unit 13 reaches its maximum, it may take time for the image data transmitted from each tenant's scanner 30 or portable imaging terminal 40 to be processed by the recognition control unit 13 due to queueing. As a result, operators of each tenant may not be able to immediately verify the accuracy of the visual information, increasing the risk of having to wait a long time between transmitting the image data and receiving the visual information.

[0044] In order to address these issues, it is conceivable to increase the processing speed of the recognition control unit 13. However, as shown in FIG. 3, the operation rate of the recognition control unit 13 reaches its maximum only during a few hours after the closing time of a shopping complex each day, and the operation rate of the recognition control unit 13 is low during other times. Increasing the processing speed of the recognition control unit 13 often requires a large investment. For this reason, people tend to hesitate to increase the processing speed of the recognition control unit 13 just to deal with the congestion during the few hours after closing time.

[0045] In the present disclosure, in order to distribute the operation rate of the recognition control unit 13 to other time periods, priority is assigned to image data sent from the scanners 30 and portable imaging terminals 40 of each tenant. The control modes of the recognition control unit 13 are set to real-time mode processing and batch mode processing. The real-time mode processing corresponds to "first mode processing," and the batch mode processing corresponds to "second mode processing."

[0046] When real-time mode processing is requested, the recognition control unit 13 completes the recognition processing of visual information for image data transmitted from the portable imaging terminal 40 within a preset time, and transmits the visual information to the portable imaging terminal 40. In other words, as real-time mode processing, the recognition control unit 13 executes recognition processing to recognize visual information from image data in response to image data acquired by the acquisition unit 11. The recognition control unit 13 also transmits a response of visual information to the portable imaging terminal 40 within a preset time.

[0047] When batch mode processing is requested, the recognition control unit 13 executes visual information recognition processing on image data transmitted from the scanner 30 and the portable imaging terminal 40 during a time period when the operation rate is low. In other words, batch mode processing is processing in which a plurality of image data acquired by the acquisition unit 11 is reserved and a recognition processing for recognizing visual information from the image data is executed in a batch. Image data processed in batch mode processing is assigned a lower priority than image data processed in real time mode processing.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 1, the queue management unit 12 sets a real-time processing queue and a batch processing queue as queue information for sequentially executing recognition processing on multiple image data. Image data information is registered in each of the real-time processing queue and the batch processing queue. The real-time processing queue is divided into a high-priority real-time processing queue, a medium-priority real-time processing queue, and a low-priority real-time processing queue. The recognition control unit 13 executes processing to recognize visual information on image data registered in the real-time processing queue in the order of high priority, medium priority, and low priority. Specifically, when processing on a certain image data is completed, the next image data to be processed is selected from a queue with a higher priority. For example, if there is no image data in the high-priority queue, image data is selected from the medium-priority queue and recognition processing is executed on it. Then, when processing on the image data registered in the real-time processing queue is completed, the recognition control unit 13 executes processing to recognize visual information on the image data registered in the batch processing queue. For example, if memberships using a sales management system are ranked, such as premium memberships that pay a high fee and regular memberships that pay a flat rate, the configuration may be such that image data information is allocated to a real-time processing queue and a batch processing queue depending on the membership rank.

[0049] In this embodiment, the queue management unit 12 manages queue information for executing recognition processing on multiple image data in order in real-time mode processing at three levels: high priority, medium priority, and low priority. The storage unit 14 stores order change conditions that determine the conditions for changing the order in the queue information.

[0050] The ranking change conditions include information about the store that sent the image data, information about the commercial facility in which the store that sent the image data is located, etc. For example, image data sent from a major customer store or commercial facility may be registered in a high-priority real-time processing queue, and the recognition control unit 13 may perform recognition processing on the image data before other image data.

[0051] The ranking change conditions may include information regarding the number of times real-time mode processing has been performed on image data sent from the same store. For example, if the acquisition unit 11 acquires multiple pieces of image data from the same store on the same day, the queue management unit 12 registers up to a predetermined number of pieces of image data in a high-priority queue, and registers the subsequent image data in a low-priority queue (or batch processing queue). This prevents the real-time processing queue from becoming congested due to image data being sent consecutively from the same store.

[0052] That is, the queue management unit 12 is configured to be able to change the order in the waiting information in accordance with the order change conditions. The management of the waiting information may be performed in two stages, or four or more stages, instead of three stages. Also, the real-time processing queue may be a single queue. In this case, the queue management unit 12 changes the order in the waiting information by simply changing the order, rather than by changing the priority level as described above.

[0053] Based on FIG. 4, the cases where the recognition of visual information by the recognition control unit 13 is processed in real-time mode processing and in batch mode processing will be described.

[0054] When the acquisition unit 11 acquires image data from the scanner 30 and the portable imaging terminal 40, it acquires device information indicating the device that generated the image data and stores the image data and the device information in the storage unit 14 (step #11). For example, in the processing of steps #03 and #07 shown in FIG. 2, the device information is embedded in the header or footer of the image data before the image data is transmitted. Step #11 is an "acquisition step" in the method performed by the sales management system. The function of step #11 is an "acquisition function" in the sales management program.

[0055] In step #12, the recognition control unit 13 determines whether to execute real-time mode processing or batch mode processing on the image data based on the processing selection conditions.

[0056] Tenant information and owner information of the sender of the image data are stored in the storage unit 14. In addition, processing selection conditions regarding whether real-time mode processing or batch mode processing is to be performed are associated with at least one of the tenant information and the owner information and stored in the storage unit 14. That is, the storage unit 14 stores processing selection conditions that determine whether real-time mode processing or batch mode processing is to be performed on the image data acquired by the acquisition unit 11. Therefore, tenant information and owner information of the sender of the image data may be used as the processing selection conditions. In this case, in step #12, the recognition control unit 13 determines whether real-time mode processing or batch mode processing is to be performed on the image data based on the tenant information and owner information of the sender.

[0057] Furthermore, device information (information relating to the scanner 30, the portable imaging terminal 40, etc.) indicating the device that generated the image data is stored in the storage unit 14. In this case, the processing selection conditions for real-time mode processing or batch mode processing are stored in the storage unit 14 in association with the device information.

[0058] In the case of a scanner 30, multiple tenants often share one scanner 30, which often results in a waiting line because tenant staff and others use the scanner 30 immediately after closing time. If the scanner 30 is set to real-time mode, it may take time for tenant staff and others to confirm the visual information recognized by OCR, further prolonging the waiting time and potentially irritating the staff waiting in line. To avoid such issues, for example, if the device that generated the image data is the scanner 30, the recognition control unit 13 may be configured to execute batch mode processing regardless of tenant information or owner information. In this case, in step #12, the recognition control unit 13 determines whether to execute real-time mode processing or batch mode processing on the image data acquired by the acquisition unit 11 based on the device information.

[0059] When the recognition control unit 13 recognizes visual information in real-time mode processing (step #12: real-time mode processing), the queue management unit 12 registers information linked to image data in the real-time processing queue (step #13). That is, in step #13, the queue management unit 12 enqueues information about image data awaiting processing by the recognition control unit 13 in the real-time processing queue. The enqueued image data information is in a queue waiting state, and the determinations of steps #14 to #16 described below are repeated.

[0060] In step #14, it is determined whether the information registered in the real-time processing queue has its turn and has been extracted from the head of the real-time processing queue. That is, in step #14, it is determined whether the image data information waiting to be processed by the recognition control unit 13 has been dequeued.

[0061] If the image data information has not been dequeued (step #14: No), the image data information continues to wait in the queue. At this time, the touch panel display 41 displays the estimated waiting time until the image data is dequeued. The touch panel display 41 also accepts a change operation by the tenant operator or the like as to whether or not to change to batch mode processing (step #15). Therefore, if the tenant operator or the like cannot wait any longer, the operator or the like can change to batch mode processing at any time. If the operator or the like changes to batch mode processing (step #15: Yes), the process proceeds to step #21, which will be described later. If the operator or the like does not change to batch mode processing (step #15: No), the process proceeds to step #16.

[0062] That is, the recognition control unit 13 is configured to change the processing to be executed on the image data between real-time mode processing and batch mode processing in accordance with the operation accepted by the touch panel display 41.

[0063] In step #16, it is determined whether the queue waiting state has continued for a predetermined time or longer. If the queue waiting state has not continued for a predetermined time or longer (step #16: No), the process returns to step #14.

[0064] If the queue wait state continues for a preset time or longer (Step #16: Yes), the sales management server 10 executes a timeout process to prevent the tenant's operator or other personnel from having to wait for a long time. Specifically, the sales management server 10 sends data indicating timeout information to the target portable imaging terminal 40 (Step #17). As a result, a timeout message is displayed on the touch panel display 41 of the portable imaging terminal 40, allowing the tenant's operator or other personnel to recognize that they cannot immediately confirm the accuracy of the visual information. In this case, the information registered in the real-time processing queue in Step #17 is discarded, and in Step #21 described below, the queue management unit 12 re-registers the information in the batch processing queue.

[0065] In this way, the recognition control unit 13 is configured to stop real-time mode processing on the image data and change the processing to be performed on the image data to batch mode processing if real-time mode processing on the image data is not completed within a preset time.

[0066] When the turn of the information registered in the real-time processing queue comes and the information is removed (dequeued) from the top of the real-time processing queue (Step #14: Yes), the recognition control unit 13 recognizes visual information from the image data using the OCR function (Step #18). The sales management server 10 then stores the recognized visual information in the storage unit 14 (Step #19). The sales management server 10 also transmits the visual information to the portable imaging terminal 40 (Step #20). This causes the visual information to be displayed on the touch panel display 41 of the portable imaging terminal 40, allowing the tenant operator or the like to verify the accuracy of the visual information. In other words, when the recognition control unit 13 performs real-time mode processing on image data transmitted from the portable imaging terminal 40, it is configured to transmit the processing result of the recognition processing on the image data to the portable imaging terminal 40.

[0067] When the recognition control unit 13 recognizes visual information in batch mode (step #12: batch mode processing), the queue management unit 12 registers information linked to image data in a batch processing queue (step #21). That is, in step #21, the queue management unit 12 enqueues information about image data awaiting processing by the recognition control unit 13 in the batch processing queue. The enqueued image data information is in a queue waiting state.

[0068] In step #22, it is determined whether processing of other image data registered in the real-time processing queue (including high priority, medium priority, and low priority) has been completed (i.e., whether the real-time processing queue is empty). If information of other image data remains in the real-time processing queue, the recognition control unit 13 prioritizes recognition processing of visual information for the other image data. Therefore, if the recognition control unit 13 has not completed recognition processing of visual information for the other image data (step #22: No), the determination of step #22 is repeated. When processing of other image data registered in the real-time processing queue is completed (step #22: Yes), the recognition control unit 13 transitions to batch mode processing.

[0069] In step #23, it is determined whether the information registered in the batch processing queue has its turn and has been extracted from the head of the batch processing queue, i.e., whether the image data information waiting to be processed by the recognition control unit 13 has been dequeued.

[0070] If the image data information has not been dequeued (step #14: No), the image data information continues to wait in the queue. At this time, in step #24, it is determined whether new image data information has been registered in the real-time processing queue. If new image data information has not been registered in the real-time processing queue (step #24: No), the process returns to step #23.

[0071] When new image data information is registered in the real-time processing queue (step #24: Yes), the recognition control unit 13 must prioritize the recognition processing of visual information for the new image data. Therefore, the process returns to step #22, and the recognition control unit 13 waits in step #22 until the recognition processing for the new image data by the recognition control unit 13 is completed.

[0072] When the information registered in the batch processing queue is dequeued from the head of the batch processing queue (step #23: Yes), the recognition control unit 13 recognizes the visual information from the image data using the OCR function (step #25).The sales management server 10 then stores the recognized visual information in the storage unit 14 (step #26).

[0073] After the visual information is stored in the storage unit 14, the recognition control unit 13 determines whether or not the tenant side needs to check the accuracy (step #27). If the tenant side needs to check the accuracy (step #27: Yes), the tenant side checks the accuracy as shown in Fig. 5. If the tenant side does not need to check the accuracy (step #27: No), the owner side checks the accuracy as shown in Fig. 8.

[0074] Whether or not the tenant side needs to check for accuracy is determined based on the processing selection conditions stored in the storage unit 14. The processing selection conditions include tenant information and owner information of the sender of the image data, device information indicating the device that generated the image data, etc. Therefore, whether or not the tenant side needs to check for accuracy is determined based on the tenant information, owner information, device information, etc.

[0075] Thus, in steps #12 to #26, the recognition control unit 13 selectively performs, on the image data, a real-time mode process (first mode process) in which recognition processing is performed on the image data in response to the acquisition unit 11 acquiring the image data, and a batch mode process (second mode process) in which multiple pieces of image data acquired by the acquisition unit 11 are reserved and recognition processing is performed on the image data collectively. Steps #12 to #26 are "control steps" in the method performed in the sales management system. Furthermore, the functions of steps #12 to #26 are "control functions" in the sales management program.

[0076] [Tenant's confirmation of accuracy] Even when the above-mentioned AI-OCR function is utilized, the recognition control unit 13 cannot completely prevent misreading or non-reading of characters. For this reason, the tenant operator or the like who captures the image of the form 1 with the portable imaging terminal 40 must confirm, after capturing the image, whether the visual information recognized by the recognition control unit 13 matches the actual content written on the form 1.

[0077] The confirmation of accuracy by the tenant side will be explained with reference to Fig. 5. The operator or the like who has taken an image of the form 1 with the portable imaging terminal 40 receives visual information from the sales management server 10 with the portable imaging terminal 40 (step #31).

[0078] When the portable imaging terminal 40 receives visual information from the sales management server 10, the visual information is displayed in a list by item on the touch panel display 41 of the portable imaging terminal 40. The visual information on the form 1 includes multiple items such as sales amount, VAT (Value Added Tax, which may be Japanese consumption tax), total sales, sales by product category or service category, product price, service price, discount amount, amount received in cash, amount received in gift certificates, etc., amount received through cashless payment, etc. These items are categorized and displayed on the touch panel display 41 of the portable imaging terminal 40 (see FIG. 6).

[0079] The tenant operator or the like checks whether there is any item that the recognition control unit 13 failed to recognize as visual information (step #32). If the operator or the like finds an item that the recognition control unit 13 failed to recognize (step #32: Yes), the operator or the like operates the portable imaging terminal 40 to correct the visual information of the target item (step #33). At this time, the portable imaging terminal 40 counts the number of corrected items (step #34). The routine of steps #32 to #34 is repeated until no more items that failed to be recognized are found.

[0080] At this time, visual information as shown in Fig. 6 is displayed item by item on the touch panel display 41 of the portable imaging terminal 40. Specifically, the touch panel display 41 shown in Fig. 6 displays an image display section 42 and a plurality of item display sections 43. In Fig. 6, the image display section 42 displays an actual image of the image data of the form 1. The plurality of item display sections 43 display the visual information recognized from the form 1 item by item.

[0081] The correction history of the visual information is stored for each tenant and for each item in the storage unit 14. Among the multiple item display units 43 on the touch panel display 41, items are displayed from the top in descending order of frequency of misreading or non-reading by the recognition control unit 13 and frequency of correction. This allows the tenant operator or the like to focus on checking items that are likely to be frequently misread or non-read by the recognition control unit 13.

[0082] 5, if there are no items that the recognition control unit 13 failed to recognize as visual information, or if they have been corrected (step #32: No), the portable imaging terminal 40 transmits confirmation result data indicating that the confirmation work by the tenant operator or the like has been completed to the sales management server 10 (step #35). The confirmation result data includes the corrected visual information, a history of the corrected items, and the number of corrected items. In this way, the portable imaging terminal 40 is configured to transmit the correction operation to the recognition control unit 13 when it receives a correction operation for the processing result (the processing result of the recognition processing by the recognition control unit 13) from the tenant staff member.

[0083] As shown in Figure 7, the sales management server 10 waits to receive confirmation result data from the portable imaging terminal 40 (step #41: No). When the sales management server 10 receives the confirmation result data from the portable imaging terminal 40 (step #41: Yes), it stores the corrected (updated) visual information in the storage unit 14 (step #42). The sales management server 10 then generates completion report data for the tenant (step #43). The completion report data is sent from the sales management server 10 to the confirmation terminal 50.

[0084] After transmitting the visual information to the portable imaging terminal 40 in step #20, if the confirmation result data is not received from the portable imaging terminal 40 within a predetermined time limit (for example, 30 minutes to 1 hour) in step #41 (step #41: timeout), the sales management server 10 transmits timeout information from the sales management server 10 to the confirmation terminal 50 (step #44). That is, if the recognition control unit 13 does not receive an operation to correct the processing result from the portable imaging terminal 40 even after the predetermined time limit (for example, 30 minutes to 1 hour) has passed, the recognition control unit 13 is configured to accept an operation to correct the processing result by the owner side from the confirmation terminal 50, which will be described later.

[0085] [Check by the owner] After the confirmation terminal 50 receives the completion report data or timeout information, the owner's operator or the like checks whether the visual information recognized by the recognition control unit 13 matches the actual content written on the form 1. The visual information from the scanner 30 is checked for accuracy by the owner's operator or the like without being checked by the tenant side.

[0086] At this time, a list 52 of forms submitted by tenants and the like is displayed on the browser screen 51 of the confirmation terminal 50, as shown in Fig. 8. The list 52 of forms can be rearranged; for example, the list 52 of forms can be arranged from top to bottom in descending order of frequency of misreading or non-reading by the recognition control unit 13. With this arrangement, the owner's operator or the like can focus on checking forms 1 that are likely to be frequently misread or non-read by the recognition control unit 13. The list 52 of forms can also be arranged from top to bottom in descending order of sales volume. With this arrangement, the owner's operator or the like can focus on checking forms 1 of tenants with high sales volume.

[0087] The owner's confirmation of accuracy will be described with reference to FIG. 9. The owner's operator or the like uses the browser screen 51 of the confirmation terminal 50 to request the sales management server 10 to send visual information (step #51). Specifically, when the operator or the like selects the desired case from a list of forms linked to the completion report data on the browser screen 51 of the confirmation terminal 50 and touches an icon button 53 such as "Read" or "Confirm," a request signal is sent from the confirmation terminal 50 to the sales management server 10. In response to the request from the confirmation terminal 50, the sales management server 10 sends visual information and image data or image data to the confirmation terminal 50 (step #52). Until then, the confirmation terminal 50 repeatedly determines in step #53 (step #53: No) and waits to receive data from the sales management server 10. After executing step #52, the sales management server 10 enters a waiting state in step #60.

[0088] When the confirmation terminal 50 receives the visual information from the sales management server 10 (step #53: Yes), the visual information is displayed in a list for each item on the display of the confirmation terminal 50. The owner's operator or the like checks whether all the necessary items are present (step #54).

[0089] Reports from tenants who have recently moved in or opened, or from tenants where the person in charge has not properly handed over their duties, may not include all the necessary items. Therefore, if the necessary items are not included (step #54: No), the owner's operator or other person will inquire with the tenant's person in charge by phone or email (step #55). When the owner's operator or other person obtains information about the items from the tenant's person in charge, they operate the confirmation terminal 50 to input the necessary information (visual information) about the missing items (step #57). At this time, the confirmation terminal 50 counts the number of corrected items (step #58).

[0090] The owner's operator or the like checks whether there are any items that the scanner 30 failed to recognize as visual information or whether the tenant's operator or the like has overlooked any misreading or non-reading (step #56). If the operator or the like finds any items that failed to be recognized (step #56: Yes), the operator or the like operates the confirmation terminal 50 to correct the visual information for the target items (step #57). At this time, the confirmation terminal 50 counts the number of corrected items (step #58). The routine of steps #54 to #58 is repeated until no more defective items are found.

[0091] If there are no errors in the visual information or if there are no errors (step #54: Yes and step #56: No), the confirmation terminal 50 sends confirmation result data indicating that the confirmation work by the owner's operator or the like has been completed to the sales management server 10 (step #59). The confirmation result data includes the corrected visual information, the history of the corrected items, and the number of items corrected.

[0092] After executing step #52, the sales management server 10 determines whether or not confirmation result data has been received from the confirmation terminal 50 (step #60). Until the processing of step #59 is executed in the confirmation terminal 50, the sales management server 10 waits for the completion of the confirmation work by an operator or the like.

[0093] When the sales management server 10 receives the confirmation result data from the confirmation terminal 50 (step #60: Yes), it stores the corrected (updated) visual information in the memory unit 14 as confirmed visual information (step #61).

[0094] In a conventional system, as shown in FIG. 3, the utilization rate of the recognition control unit 13 peaked during the first few hours of each day after closing at a commercial complex. However, with the configuration of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. 10, batch mode processing is executed late at night or before dawn, distributing the utilization rate of the recognition control unit 13 to other time periods other than immediately after closing. This allows the sales management server 10 to be effectively utilized without increasing the processing speed of the recognition control unit 13. Also, as shown in FIG. 11, a configuration may be adopted in which real-time mode processing is executed from after closing at a commercial complex until midnight, and batch mode processing is possible after midnight. In the example shown in FIG. 11, the determination in step #22 of FIG. 4 is a determination of whether the current time has reached a specified time, such as midnight.

[0095] [Effects of the embodiment] The present disclosure relates to a sales management system that acquires sales information of a store (tenant) by acquiring image data of a medium on which sales data is printed from a portable imaging terminal 40 (store terminal) and performing recognition processing to recognize visual information from the image data. The sales management system includes an acquisition unit 11 that acquires image data from the portable imaging terminal 40 (store terminal), and a recognition control unit 13 (control unit) that selectively executes, on image data, a real-time mode process (first mode process) that executes recognition processing on the image data in response to the acquisition of the image data by the acquisition unit 11, and a batch mode process (second mode process) that reserves multiple image data acquired by the acquisition unit 11 and collectively executes recognition processing on the image data.

[0096] According to the above configuration, the recognition process of visual information by the recognition control unit 13 is divided into real-time mode processing (first mode processing) and batch mode processing (second mode processing). Therefore, the recognition control unit 13 (control unit) can be configured to execute real-time mode processing (first mode processing) for image data from stores that urgently need to confirm sales information, and execute batch mode processing (first mode processing) for image data from stores that do not urgently need to confirm sales information. This realizes a sales management system that can effectively utilize the control unit that executes recognition process of visual information printed on a medium.

[0097] The sales management system of the present disclosure is equipped with a touch panel display 41 (reception unit) that accepts operations from store staff. The recognition control unit 13 (control unit) determines whether to perform real-time mode processing (first mode processing) or batch mode processing (second mode processing) on ​​the acquired image data, depending on the operation accepted by the touch panel display 41 (reception unit).

[0098] With the above configuration, the store staff can select whether they want real-time mode processing (first mode processing) or batch mode processing (second mode processing).

[0099] The sales management system of the present disclosure is provided with a memory unit 14 that stores processing selection conditions that determine whether real-time mode processing (first mode processing) or batch mode processing (second mode processing) should be performed on the acquired image data. A recognition control unit 13 (control unit) determines whether real-time mode processing (first mode processing) or batch mode processing (second mode processing) should be performed on the acquired image data based on the processing selection conditions.

[0100] With the above configuration, processing selection conditions regarding whether the recognition control unit 13 (control unit) will execute the recognition processing on image data in real-time mode processing (first mode processing) or batch mode processing (second mode processing) are stored in the storage unit 14. Therefore, the recognition control unit 13 (control unit) can smoothly select either the real-time mode processing (first mode processing) or the batch mode processing (second mode processing) based on the processing selection conditions stored in the storage unit 14.

[0101] In the sales management system of the present disclosure, the acquisition unit 11 is configured to acquire image data as well as device information indicating the device that generated the image data. The recognition control unit 13 (control unit) determines whether to perform real-time mode processing (first mode processing) or batch mode processing (second mode processing) on ​​the acquired image data based on the device information.

[0102] With the above configuration, the recognition control unit 13 (control unit) can smoothly select either real-time mode processing (first mode processing) or batch mode processing (second mode processing) based on the device information.

[0103] The sales management system of the present disclosure is equipped with a touch panel display 41 (notification unit) that notifies the user of a processing wait time in real-time mode processing (first mode processing) for image data acquired by the acquisition unit 11, and a touch panel display 41 (reception unit) that accepts operations from store staff. The recognition control unit 13 (control unit) is configured to switch the processing to be performed on the image data between real-time mode processing (first mode processing) and batch mode processing (second mode processing) in accordance with the operation accepted by the touch panel display 41 (reception unit).

[0104] With the above configuration, the store staff can select whether they want to perform real-time mode processing (first mode processing) or batch mode processing (second mode processing) after recognizing the waiting time for real-time mode processing (first mode processing). In other words, with the present disclosure, the touch panel display 41 (notification unit) can prompt the store staff to select whether to perform real-time mode processing (first mode processing) or batch mode processing (second mode processing).

[0105] In the sales management system disclosed herein, the recognition control unit 13 (control unit) is configured to, if real-time mode processing (first mode processing) for image data is not completed within a preset time, stop real-time mode processing (first mode processing) for the image data and change the processing to be performed on the image data to batch mode processing (second mode processing).

[0106] With the above configuration, a timeout for real-time mode processing (first mode processing) is set in advance, so that store staff can recognize that they cannot immediately confirm the accuracy of the visual information, and store staff can avoid being kept waiting for long periods of time.

[0107] The sales management system of the present disclosure includes a queue management unit 12 that manages queue information for a recognition control unit 13 (control unit) to execute recognition processing on multiple image data in order in real-time mode processing (first mode processing), and a storage unit 14 that stores order change conditions that determine conditions for changing the order in the queue information. The queue management unit 12 is configured to be able to change the order in the queue information in accordance with the order change conditions.

[0108] With the above configuration, the order of image data to be recognized in real-time mode processing (first mode processing) is changed according to the order change conditions, so that the recognition control unit 13 (control unit) processes multiple image data in an order that meets the conditions.

[0109] In the sales management system of the present disclosure, the ranking change conditions include information about the store that sent the image data.

[0110] With the above configuration, the plurality of image data are processed by the recognition control unit 13 (control unit) in order according to the conditions related to the store that transmitted the image data.

[0111] In the sales management system of the present disclosure, the ranking change conditions include information about the commercial facility in which the store that transmitted the image data is located.

[0112] With the above configuration, the recognition control unit 13 (control unit) processes a plurality of image data in order in accordance with the conditions related to the commercial facility in which the store that transmitted the image data is located.

[0113] In the sales management system of the present disclosure, the ranking change conditions include information about the number of times real-time mode processing (first mode processing) has been performed on image data sent from the same store.

[0114] With the above configuration, the recognition control unit 13 (control unit) processes multiple image data in order according to the condition regarding the number of transmissions from the same store. This prevents congestion in the queue due to image data being sent consecutively from the same store.

[0115] In the sales management system disclosed herein, when the recognition control unit 13 (control unit) performs real-time mode processing (first mode processing) on ​​image data sent from the portable imaging terminal 40 (store terminal), it transmits the processing results of the recognition processing on the image data to the portable imaging terminal 40 (store terminal), and when the portable imaging terminal 40 (store terminal) receives a correction operation for the processing result from a store staff member, it transmits the correction operation to the recognition control unit 13 (control unit).

[0116] With the above configuration, the store staff can quickly check whether or not there is an error in the visual information recognized by the recognition control unit 13 (control unit), and transmit the confirmation result to the recognition control unit 13 (control unit).

[0117] The sales management system of the present disclosure is provided with a confirmation terminal 50 (operation terminal) that is connected to the recognition control unit 13 (control unit) and accepts operations from an operator. The recognition control unit 13 (control unit) is configured to accept an operation to correct the processing result from the confirmation terminal 50 (operation terminal) when an operation to correct the processing result is not received from the portable imaging terminal 40 (store terminal) even after a predetermined time limit has passed.

[0118] With the above configuration, even if the confirmation work by the portable imaging terminal 40 (store terminal) is left unattended, the recognition control unit 13 (control unit) can proceed to the next process without waiting for the confirmation work by the portable imaging terminal 40 (store terminal).

[0119] The present disclosure relates to a method implemented in a sales management system that acquires store sales information by acquiring image data of a medium on which sales data is printed from a portable imaging terminal 40 (store terminal) and performing recognition processing that recognizes visual information from the image data. The method implemented in the sales management system includes an acquisition step that acquires image data from a portable imaging terminal 40 (store terminal), a real-time mode process (first mode process) that executes recognition processing on the image data in response to acquisition of the image data in the acquisition step, and a batch mode process (second mode process) that reserves multiple image data acquired in the acquisition step and executes recognition processing on the image data collectively, for the image data, and a control step that selectively executes the above-mentioned steps on the image data.

[0120] According to this configuration, the visual information recognition process by the control step is divided into real-time mode processing (first mode processing) and batch mode processing (second mode processing). Therefore, the control step can be configured to execute real-time mode processing (first mode processing) for image data from stores that urgently need to confirm sales information, and execute batch mode processing (first mode processing) for image data from stores that do not urgently need to confirm sales information. This realizes a method that can effectively utilize the control unit that executes the recognition process for visual information printed on a medium.

[0121] The sales management program disclosed herein causes a computer to execute an acquisition function that acquires image data of a medium on which sales data is printed from a portable imaging terminal 40 (store terminal), a real-time mode process (first mode process) that executes recognition processing to recognize visual information on the image data in response to the acquisition of the image data by the acquisition function, and a batch mode process (second mode process) that reserves multiple image data acquired by the acquisition function and executes recognition processing on the image data in bulk, and a control function that selectively executes these on image data.

[0122] According to this configuration, the visual information recognition process by the control function is divided into real-time mode processing (first mode processing) and batch mode processing (second mode processing). Therefore, the control function can be configured to execute real-time mode processing (first mode processing) for image data from stores that urgently need to confirm sales information, and execute batch mode processing (first mode processing) for image data from stores that do not urgently need to confirm sales information. This realizes a sales management program that can effectively utilize the control unit that executes recognition processing of visual information printed on a medium.

[0123] [Another embodiment] The present disclosure is not limited to the configurations exemplified in the above-described embodiments, and other representative embodiments of the present disclosure will be exemplified below.

[0124] (1) The present disclosure may also be a character recognition system. In this case, the character recognition system acquires character information by acquiring image data from a terminal and performing character recognition processing to recognize characters from the image data. The character recognition system includes an acquisition unit 11 that acquires image data from the terminal, and a recognition control unit 13 (control unit) that selectively performs, on image data, a real-time mode process (first mode process) that executes character recognition processing on the image data in response to acquisition by the acquisition unit 11, and a batch mode process (second mode process) that reserves multiple image data acquired by the acquisition unit 11 and collectively executes character recognition processing on the image data.

[0125] According to this configuration, the recognition process of visual information by the recognition control unit 13 (control unit) is divided into real-time mode processing (first mode processing) and batch mode processing (second mode processing). Therefore, the recognition control unit 13 (control unit) can be configured to execute real-time mode processing (first mode processing) for image data from stores that urgently need to confirm sales information, and execute batch mode processing (first mode processing) for image data from stores that do not urgently need to confirm sales information. This realizes a character recognition system that can effectively utilize the control unit that executes the recognition process of visual information printed on a medium. In this case, the recognition control unit 13 (control unit) may be configured independent of the sales management server 10.

[0126] (2) In the embodiment described above based on step #12 of FIG. 4, the recognition control unit 13 determines whether to perform real-time mode processing or batch mode processing on the image data based on the processing selection conditions stored in the storage unit 14. The processing selection conditions include tenant information and owner information about the sender of the image data, device information indicating the device that generated the image data, and the like. This embodiment is not limited to this. The recognition control unit 13 may be configured to select whether to perform real-time mode processing or batch mode processing based on an operator's operation received by the touch panel display 41 of the portable imaging terminal 40. For example, in the processing of steps #04 to #07 shown in FIG. 2, a selection screen for selecting either real-time mode processing or batch mode processing may be displayed on the touch panel display 41, and the tenant operator may perform the selection operation. In this case, in step #12, the recognition control unit 13 determines whether to perform real-time mode processing or batch mode processing on the image data based on the operation received by the touch panel display 41. Furthermore, with regard to the selection process in step #27 of FIG. 4, i.e., whether or not the tenant needs to confirm the accuracy of the visual information, a selection screen may be displayed on the touch panel display 41 in the processing of steps #04 to #07 shown in FIG. 2, and the tenant operator may perform the selection operation in advance.

[0127] In addition, instead of the configuration in which the operator selects either real-time mode processing or batch mode processing in steps #04 to #07 shown in FIG. 2 , a configuration in which the operator selects either real-time mode processing or batch mode processing in step #12 may be used. For example, a configuration in which the processing wait time for executing real-time processing mode is displayed on the touch panel display 41 of the portable imaging terminal 40, and the tenant operator confirms the processing wait time and then selects either real-time mode processing or batch mode processing may be used. In this case, the touch panel display 41 notifies the processing wait time for real-time mode processing for the image data acquired by the acquisition unit 11. The recognition control unit 13 is configured to switch the processing to be executed on the image data between real-time mode processing and batch mode processing in response to an operation received by the touch panel display 41. In this case, a configuration in which the tenant operator, etc., selects on the touch panel display 41 whether or not the tenant needs to verify the accuracy of the visual information may be used.

[0128] (3) In the above-described embodiment, the medium is a document 1. However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and the medium may be a gift certificate. The gift certificate may be imaged by the portable imaging terminal 40 or scanned by the scanner 30. The recognition control unit 13 recognizes visual information from both the image data of the gift certificate and the image data of the gift certificate scanned by the scanner 30.

[0129] (4) In the above-described embodiment, a smartphone or a tablet terminal is exemplified as the store terminal (portable imaging terminal 40). However, the store terminal is not limited to this configuration, and may be, for example, a laptop computer with a camera module, a business PDA (personal digital assistant), or a feature phone.

[0130] (5) In the above-described embodiment, the sales management server 10 is equipped with an acquisition unit 11, a queue management unit 12, a recognition control unit 13, and a memory unit 14. This embodiment is not limited to this, and the sales management server may be configured, for example, by a first server having the acquisition unit 11, a second server having the queue management unit 12, a third server having the recognition control unit 13, and a fourth server having the memory unit 14.

[0131] (6) In the above-described embodiment, the recognition control unit 13 is implemented in the sales management server 10. However, this is not limiting, and the recognition control unit 13 may be implemented in the portable imaging terminal 40 or the scanner 30. For example, the image data acquired by the portable imaging terminal 40 or the scanner 30 may be visually recognized by a recognition process on the same terminal, and a store staff member or the like may check the accuracy on the same terminal.

[0132] (7) Immediately after closing time each day at a commercial complex, image data tends to be simultaneously transmitted from the scanners 30 and portable imaging terminals 40 of tenants to the sales management server 10 (steps #03 and #07 shown in FIG. 2). Therefore, communication lines are likely to be temporarily congested during the time period immediately after closing time at a commercial complex. However, if communication lines are reinforced to accommodate the congestion, the maintenance costs of the communication lines will increase, even though most of the communication bandwidth is unused during other times. Therefore, the image data transmitted from the scanner 30 and the image data transmitted from the portable imaging terminal 40 for which visual information is recognized by batch mode processing may be transmitted during a time period after closing time when communication lines are not congested. Alternatively, the sales management server 10 may be configured to specify a transmission time for each terminal, such as the scanner 30 and the portable imaging terminal 40, and the scanner 30 and the portable imaging terminal 40 transmit the image data to the sales management server 10 at the transmission time. This allows image data to be transmitted in order from the scanner 30 and the portable imaging terminal 40, thereby reducing congestion on communication lines.

[0133] (8) In step #06 of Figure 2, when the portable imaging terminal 40 has completed capturing an image of the entire area of ​​the form 1, it combines the multiple image data of the form 1 into a single image data of the entire form 1. This embodiment is not limited to this, and the portable imaging terminal 40 may separately transmit the multiple image data of the form 1 to the sales management server 10 without combining them at that time, and the sales management server 10 may combine the multiple image data into a single image data of the entire form 1.

[0134] (9) The "store terminal" in this disclosure may be a terminal owned by a tenant of a commercial complex, a terminal loaned to a tenant by the owner of the commercial complex, a terminal provided as a leased item by a sales management system vendor (including developers, distributors, trading companies, third parties, etc.), or a substitute for a terminal personally owned by a tenant staff member. It is also conceivable that the owner of a commercial complex may install the scanner 30 in a cashier's room or the like and permit its use by tenant staff members. Such a scanner 30 is also included in the "store terminal" in this disclosure.

[0135] The configurations disclosed in the above-described embodiments (including other embodiments, the same applies hereinafter) can be applied in combination with configurations disclosed in other embodiments, as long as no contradiction occurs. Furthermore, the embodiments disclosed in this specification are merely examples, and the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto and can be appropriately modified within the scope of the present disclosure. [Industrial Applicability]

[0136] The present disclosure is applicable to a sales management system, a method performed in a sales management system, a sales management program, and a character recognition system. [Explanation of symbols]

[0137] 1: Report 10: Sales management server 11: Acquisition part 12: Queue Management Unit 13: Recognition control unit (control unit) 14: Storage section 30: Scanner (store terminal) 40: Portable imaging terminal (store terminal) 41: Touch panel display (notification unit, reception unit) 50: Confirmation terminal (operation terminal)

Claims

1. A sales management system that acquires store sales information by acquiring image data of a medium on which sales data is printed from a store terminal and performing recognition processing to recognize visual information from the image data, an acquisition unit that acquires the image data from the store terminal; A sales management system comprising a control unit that selectively executes, on the image data, a first mode process that executes the recognition process on the image data in response to the acquisition unit acquiring the image data, and a second mode process that reserves the image data acquired by the acquisition unit and executes the recognition process on the image data in a batch.

2. It is equipped with a reception desk that accepts operations from store staff, The sales management system described in claim 1, wherein the control unit determines whether to perform the first mode processing or the second mode processing on the acquired image data depending on the operation accepted by the acceptance unit.

3. a storage unit that stores a processing selection condition that determines whether the first mode processing or the second mode processing is to be performed on the acquired image data; The sales management system according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit determines whether to perform the first mode processing or the second mode processing on the acquired image data based on the processing selection conditions.

4. the acquisition unit is configured to acquire, together with the image data, device information indicating a device that generated the image data; The sales management system according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit determines whether to perform the first mode processing or the second mode processing on the acquired image data based on the device information.

5. a notification unit that notifies a processing wait time in the first mode processing for the image data acquired by the acquisition unit; a reception unit that receives operations from store staff, The sales management system described in claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to change the processing to be performed on the image data between the first mode processing and the second mode processing depending on the operation accepted by the accepting unit.

6. The sales management system described in claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to cancel the first mode processing on the image data and change the processing to be performed on the image data to the second mode processing if the first mode processing on the image data is not completed within a predetermined time.

7. a queue management unit that manages queue information for the control unit to execute the recognition process on the plurality of image data in order in the first mode process; a storage unit that stores a rank change condition that determines a condition for changing the rank in the waiting information, 7. The sales management system according to claim 1, wherein the queue management unit is configured to be able to change the order in the waiting information in accordance with the order change condition.

8. The sales management system according to claim 7 , wherein the ranking change conditions include information about a store that is a source of the image data.

9. The sales management system according to claim 7 , wherein the ranking change conditions include information about a commercial facility in which the store that transmitted the image data is located.

10. The sales management system according to claim 7 , wherein the ranking change conditions include information regarding the number of times the first mode processing has been performed on the image data transmitted from the same store.

11. when the control unit executes the first mode processing on the image data transmitted from the store terminal, it transmits a processing result of the recognition processing on the image data to the store terminal; The sales management system according to claim 1 , wherein the store terminal is configured to transmit, when a correction operation for the processing result is received from a store staff member, the correction operation to the control unit.

12. an operation terminal connected to the control unit and configured to receive operations from an operator; The sales management system described in claim 11, wherein the control unit is configured to accept a correction operation for the processing result from the operation terminal if the correction operation for the processing result is not received from the store terminal even after a predetermined deadline has passed.

13. A method performed by a sales management system that acquires store sales information by acquiring image data of a medium on which sales data is printed from a store terminal and performing recognition processing to recognize visual information from the image data, an acquisition step of acquiring the image data from the store terminal; A method comprising a control step of selectively executing, on the image data, a first mode process that executes the recognition process on the image data in response to the image data being acquired in the acquisition step, and a second mode process that reserves the multiple image data acquired in the acquisition step and executes the recognition process on the image data collectively.

14. An acquisition function for acquiring image data of the medium on which the sales data is printed from the store terminal; A sales management program that causes a computer to execute a first mode process that executes a recognition process to recognize visual information on the image data in response to the acquisition function acquiring the image data, and a second mode process that reserves multiple image data acquired by the acquisition function and executes the recognition process on the image data in bulk, and a control function that selectively executes these processes on the image data.

15. A character recognition system that acquires character information by acquiring image data from a terminal and performing character recognition processing to recognize characters from the image data, an acquisition unit that acquires the image data from the terminal; a control unit that selectively performs, on the image data, a first mode process that executes the character recognition process on the image data in response to the acquisition unit acquiring the image data, and a second mode process that reserves the image data acquired by the acquisition unit and collectively executes the character recognition process on the image data.

Images