Detection system, detection method, and program

Abstract

To provide a technique capable of suppressing modification of an existing commodity registration device for acquiring the number of registered commodities.SOLUTION: The detection system includes a first acquisition unit that acquires the number of pieces of merchandise subjected to merchandise registration based on notification information for notifying a customer that merchandise registration is performed for each merchandise registration, a second acquisition unit that acquires the number of pieces of merchandise scheduled to be subjected to merchandise registration by the customer, a detection unit that detects a mismatch between the number of pieces of merchandise subjected to merchandise registration and the number of pieces of merchandise scheduled to be subjected to merchandise registration, and an output unit that outputs a detection result.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a technology for detecting a discrepancy in the number of products before and after product registration. [Background technology]

[0002] In stores such as supermarkets, cash register terminals that allow customers to scan and register the products they intend to purchase themselves are becoming widespread. However, fraudulent practices have been occurring at such cash register terminals, where customers take out some of the products they intend to purchase without scanning and registering them. Patent Document 1 discloses technology for detecting fraudulent practices in which some products are not scanned and registered. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-074082 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-053706 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In an existing product registration device that does not have such a fraud detection function, even when obtaining the number of products registered by a customer, modifications such as correction of the program used in the product registration device are required.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a technology that can reduce the need to modify an existing product registration device for obtaining the number of products registered by a customer. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a first acquisition unit that acquires the number of registered products based on notification information provided when a customer registers a product, a second acquisition unit that acquires the number of products that the customer plans to register, a detection unit that detects a discrepancy between the number of registered products and the number of products that the customer plans to register, and an output unit that outputs the detection result.

[0007] A detection method that is one form of the present disclosure obtains the number of registered products based on notification information notified when a customer registers a product, obtains the number of products that the customer plans to register, detects a discrepancy between the number of registered products and the number of products that are planned to be registered, and outputs the detection result.

[0008] A program according to an embodiment of the present disclosure causes a computer to obtain the number of registered products based on notification information provided when a customer registers a product, obtain the number of products that the customer plans to register, detect a discrepancy between the number of registered products and the number of products that the customer plans to register, and output the detection result. The program may be stored in a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to reduce the need to modify an existing product registration device in order to obtain the number of products registered by a customer. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an overview of a detection system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a commodity reading device, a commodity registration unit, and a notification device according to the first embodiment; FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of notification information related to product registration information. [Figure 4] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a human / commodity sensor and a detection sensor according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 5] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a detection system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a second acquisition unit of the detection system. [Figure 7] 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the detection system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a computer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] (First embodiment) A detection system according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The detection system according to the first embodiment acquires the number of registered products based on the number of products that a customer plans to register and the notification information notified by the customer when the customer registers the products, and detects a discrepancy between the number of products that are planned to be registered and the number of registered products.

[0012] An overview of the detection system according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing how a customer registers a product. Before the customer registers the product, the product is placed on a platform. After the product registration, the product is placed in a different position from the position before the product registration.

[0013] The human / product sensor 21 (product camera) photographs products before they are registered (products that the customer plans to register) and transmits the photographed product images to the detection system 20. The detection system 20, for example, acquires the number of products to be registered based on the product images from the human / product sensor 21.

[0014] When a customer registers a product on the mounting table using the product reading device 11, the product registration device 10 sends notification information (product registration information) associated with the product registration to the notification device 12 (display device). The product registration information of the notification device 12 is updated on the display screen of the display device each time a product is registered. The notification sensor 22 detects the notification information (product registration information) displayed on the notification device 12 (display device) and transmits the detected information to the detection system 20. The detection system 20 obtains the number of registered products based on the detected information. The detection system detects a discrepancy between the number of products planned to be registered and the number of registered products.

[0015] The configurations of the commodity registration device 10, commodity reading device 11, alarm device 12, detection system 20, human / commodity sensor 21, and alarm sensor 22 will be described below.

[0016] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a commodity reading device, a commodity registration device, and a notification device according to the first embodiment. The commodity registration device 10 is connected to a commodity reading device 11 and a notification device 12, respectively.

[0017] When a customer brings the product symbol (e.g., product code) of a product close to the product reading device 11, the product reading device 11 reads the product symbol (product code) of the product. The product reading device 11 decodes the read product symbol and sends the product identifier to the product registration device 10.

[0018] The commodity symbol may be, for example, a barcode, a two-dimensional code, or a character symbol. The character symbol includes information that identifies the commodity information. The commodity reading device 11 is, for example, a barcode reader (also simply called a scanner). The commodity reading device 11 shown in FIG. 2 includes a handheld scanner 111 or a fixed scanner 112. The handheld scanner 111 and the fixed scanner 112 may each be an image sensor type, a laser type, or the like. The commodity reading device 11 may be a type other than the handheld scanner 111 or the fixed scanner 112. Note that the description of the commodity reading device 11 is an example and is not limited to these.

[0019] 2 includes a product registration unit 101 and a notification control unit 102. The product registration device 10 is, for example, a product registration device included in a self-checkout register.

[0020] The product registration device 10 receives a product identifier from the product reading device 11. The product registration unit 101 searches for product information in a product database (not shown) using the received product identifier, extracts the product name and product unit price linked to the product identifier, generates product registration information, and executes product registration.

[0021] Product registration information includes, for example, a number, product name, unit price, quantity, subtotal, total quantity, and total price. The number is a number assigned to each different product in a single transaction. The quantity is the number of the same product registered. The total quantity is the sum of the quantities for each product. When the product registration unit 101 receives a different product identifier and extracts the product name and product unit price, it increments the number to generate and update the product registration information. When the product registration unit 101 receives the same product identifier, it increments the quantity of the same product name to generate and update the product registration information. The notification control unit 102 generates notification information and sends it to the notification device 12 each time product registration information is generated or updated.

[0022] The notification control unit 102 generates different notification information depending on the type of notification device 12. The notification device 12 shown in FIG. 2 receives notification information from the product registration device 10 each time a customer registers a product, and notifies the notification information. The notification device 12 is, for example, a display device 121, an indicator light 122, or a speaker 123. The display device 121 is, for example, a liquid crystal display. The indicator light 122 is, for example, an indicator lamp. The notification device 12 may be built into the product registration device 10, or may be connected externally.

[0023] When the notification device 12 is a display device 121, the notification control unit 102 generates notification information related to the product registration information and displays the notification information on the display device 121. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of notification information related to the product registration information. In FIG. 3, a screen display 1200 includes a product registration display 1201 and a total quantity display 1202. The product registration display 1201 includes items such as the product number, product name, unit price, quantity, and subtotal amount for each product registered by the customer. The total quantity display 1202 includes the total quantity and total amount. The notification control unit 102 generates the notification information by referring to the product registration information generated by the product registration unit 101 for each product registration.

[0024] When the notification device 12 is an indicator light 122, the notification information is the illumination of the indicator light 122 to notify the user of product registration. A light emission signal is transmitted from the product registration device 10 to the indicator light 122 for each product registration. Alternatively, when the notification device 12 is a speaker 123, the notification information is an alarm sound to notify the user of product registration. A alarm sound signal is transmitted from the product registration device 10 to the speaker 123 for each product registration.

[0025] Next, a detection system 20, a human / product sensor 21, and a notification sensor 22 according to the first embodiment will be described. Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the human / product sensor and notification sensor according to the first embodiment. The detection system 20 is connected to the human / product sensor 21 (also referred to as a first sensor) and the notification sensor 22 (also referred to as a second sensor).

[0026] The human / commodity sensor 21 shown in FIG. 4 is a commodity camera 211, a human camera 212, or a distance sensor 213. The commodity camera 211, for example, photographs a commodity before the customer registers it (a commodity that the customer plans to register) and transmits the photographed commodity image to the detection system 20. The human camera 212, for example, photographs the customer's action of having the commodity reading device 11 read the commodity symbol of the commodity and transmits the photographed action image to the detection system 20. The distance sensor 213, for example, senses the top of a platform including the commodity before registration from a predetermined position and transmits distance measurement information of the top of the platform to the detection system 20. The distance sensor 213 may be, for example, an optical type or a radio wave type. Note that the description of the human / commodity sensor 21 is an example and is not limited to this.

[0027] 4 captures notification information (e.g., the total quantity of registered products) related to product registration information displayed on the screen of notification device 12 (e.g., display device 121). Notification sensor 22 may also capture an image of a change in product registration information that is updated in response to product registration, and use the image as notification information.

[0028] The notification sensor 22 is, for example, a device camera 221 that captures an image of the notification device 12 of the merchandise registration device 10. The notification sensor 22 sends the captured notification information (first notification information) to the detection system 20. The notification sensor 22 (device camera 221) also captures an image of the notification device 12 (indicator light 122) that the merchandise registration device 10 turns on each time a merchandise is registered, and sends the captured notification information (second notification information) regarding the lighting of the notification device 12 to the detection system 20.

[0029] Alternatively, the notification sensor 22 (for example, microphone 222) records the notification sound that the product registration device 10 causes to be output from the notification device 12 (for example, speaker 123) every time a product is registered. The notification sensor 22 sends notification information (third notification information) relating to the recorded notification sound of the notification device 12 to the detection system 20. Note that the description of the notification sensor 22 is an example and is not limited to this.

[0030] Next, a detection system 20 according to the first embodiment will be described. Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the detection system according to the first embodiment. The detection system 20 shown in Fig. 5 includes a first acquisition unit 201, a second acquisition unit 202, a detection unit 203, and an output unit 204.

[0031] The first acquisition unit 201 acquires the number of products that the customer plans to register. For example, the first acquisition unit 201 performs image recognition processing on the received product images to acquire the number of products that the customer plans to register from the product images. The first acquisition unit 201 also performs motion detection processing on the received motion images to extract the number of times the customer causes the product reading device 11 to read the product symbols of the products (product scanning operations). The first acquisition unit 201 acquires the number of product scanning operations as the number of products that the customer plans to register. Alternatively, the first acquisition unit 201 may acquire the number of products that the customer plans to register based on the received distance measurement information. Specifically, the first acquisition unit 201 extracts the number of convex shapes on the mounting table included in the distance measurement information to determine the number of products. The first acquisition unit 201 sends the number of products that the customer plans to register to the detection unit 203. Note that the description of the first acquisition unit 201 is merely an example and is not limited thereto.

[0032] The second acquisition unit 202 acquires the number of registered products based on the notification information notified by the customer's product registration. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the second acquisition unit of the detection system. The second acquisition unit 202 includes a display information processing unit 2021, an optical information processing unit 2022, or a sound information processing unit 2023. The notification information from the notification sensor 22 is first notification information, second notification information, or third notification information.

[0033] When the notification information received by the second acquisition unit 202 is the first notification information, the display information processing unit 2021 acquires the number of registered products by performing image recognition on image information related to the product registration information displayed on the screen of the display device 121. Specifically, when the image information is the screen display 1200 shown in Fig. 3, the display information processing unit 2021 performs character recognition on the numbers in the total quantity column of the total number display 1202 to acquire the number of registered products.

[0034] Alternatively, by utilizing the fact that the product registration information screen displayed on the display device 121 changes each time a product is registered by a customer, the display information processing unit 2021 may obtain the number of times the screen display 1200 changes due to product registration by the customer as the number of registered products.

[0035] When the alarm information received by the second acquisition unit 202 is second alarm information, the optical information processing unit 2022 acquires the number of registered products based on video information related to the indicator light 122, which turns on and off each time a product is registered. Specifically, the indicator light 122 turns on and off each time a product is registered by a customer. The optical information processing unit 2022 counts the number of times the indicator light 122 turns on and acquires the number of registered products.

[0036] When the notification information received by the second acquisition unit 202 is the third notification information, the sound information processing unit 2023 acquires the number of registered products based on sound information related to the notification sound issued from the speaker 123 each time a product is registered. Specifically, each time a product is registered by a customer, the notification sound is output from the speaker 123. The sound information processing unit 2023 counts the number of notification sounds to acquire the number of registered products.

[0037] The second acquisition unit 202 sends the number of products registered by the customer to the detection unit 203. The detection unit 203 detects a discrepancy between the number of products the customer intends to register and the number of products actually registered by the customer. The detection unit 203 may detect a discrepancy only when the number of registered products is less than the number of products actually registered. In this case, for example, at a self-checkout register equipped with the product registration device 10, it is possible to detect fraudulent behavior in which a customer removes some of the products they intended to purchase without scanning and registering them, or cases in which the customer failed to properly scan and register the products due to a scanning error or the like. The detection unit 203 may also detect a discrepancy only when the number of registered products is greater than the number of products actually registered. In this case, it is possible to detect cases in which a customer mistakenly registers products that they did not intend to purchase. In this embodiment, it detects both or at least one of cases in which the number of registered products is less than the number of products actually registered and cases in which the number of registered products is greater than the number of products actually registered. The detection unit 203 sends the detection result to the output unit 204.

[0038] The output unit 204 outputs the detection result. For example, the detection result may be that the number of products that the customer plans to register does not match the number of products that the customer has registered. The output unit 204 may notify an error if there is a mismatch, and as an example, may output a message urging the customer to redo the product registration or a message urging the customer to confirm the details of the product registration. Alternatively, the output unit 204 may output a message indicating that the customer has successfully completed product registration. Different messages may be output depending on whether the number of registered products is greater or less than the number of products that the customer planned to register.

[0039] FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the detection system according to the first embodiment.

[0040] The commodity camera 211 of the human commodity sensor 21 photographs the commodities on the mounting table before registration (the commodities that the customer plans to register) and transmits the photographed commodity images to the detection system 20. The first acquisition unit 201 of the detection system 20 acquires the number of commodities to be registered based on the commodity images from the commodity camera 211 (step S101). Specifically, the first acquisition unit 201 performs image recognition processing on the commodity images to extract the number of commodities in the image and acquires the number of commodities to be registered. The acquisition of the number of commodities to be registered by the first acquisition unit 201 is not limited to this.

[0041] For example, the human camera 212 of the human commodity sensor 21 captures an image of a customer's action of having the commodity reading device 11 read the commodity symbol of a commodity, and transmits the captured image of the action to the detection system 20. The first acquisition unit 201 performs an action detection process on the received image of the action, and extracts the number of actions (commodity scanning actions) by the customer of having the commodity reading device 11 read the commodity symbol. The first acquisition unit 201 acquires the number of commodity scanning actions as the number of commodities to be registered.

[0042] Alternatively, the distance sensor 213 of the human / product sensor 21 senses the top of the platform including the products before registration from a predetermined position and sends distance measurement information on the platform to the detection system 20. The first acquisition unit 201 may acquire the number of products that the customer plans to register based on the received distance measurement information. Specifically, the first acquisition unit 201 extracts the number of convex shapes on the platform included in the distance measurement information and uses this as the number of products that the customer plans to register. The first acquisition unit 201 sends the number of products that the customer plans to register to the detection unit 203.

[0043] When a customer registers a product on the mounting table using the product reading device 11, the product registration device 10 sends notification information associated with the product registration to the notification device 12. For example, if the notification device 12 is a display device 121, the display screen of the display device 121 is updated in response to the notification information each time a product is registered. If the notification device 12 is an indicator light 122, the indicator light is turned on and off in response to the notification information each time a product is registered. Alternatively, if the notification device 12 is a speaker 123, a notification sound is output in response to the notification information.

[0044] The notification sensor 22 detects notification information notified when a customer registers a product, and transmits the detected information to the detection system 20. The detection system 20 acquires the number of registered products based on the detected information (step S102). For example, the display information processing unit 2021 of the second acquisition unit 202 performs image recognition on image information related to the product registration information displayed on the screen of the display device 121. Specifically, the display information processing unit 2021 performs character recognition on the numbers in the total quantity column of the total number display 1202, and acquires the number of registered products.

[0045] Alternatively, by utilizing the fact that the product registration information screen displayed on the display device 121 changes each time a product is registered by a customer, the display information processing unit 2021 may obtain the number of times the screen display 1200 changes due to product registration by the customer as the number of registered products.

[0046] Furthermore, the optical information processing unit 2022 of the second obtaining unit 202 obtains the number of registered products based on the video information related to the indicator light 122 that turns on and off each time a product is registered. Specifically, the optical information processing unit 2022 counts the number of times the indicator light 122 turns on each time a product is registered by a customer, and obtains the number of registered products.

[0047] Furthermore, the sound information processing unit 2023 of the second obtaining unit 202 obtains the number of registered products based on sound information relating to the notification sound issued from the speaker 123 each time a product is registered. Specifically, the sound information processing unit 2023 counts the number of notification sounds issued from the speaker 123 each time a product is registered by a customer, and obtains the number of registered products.

[0048] The second acquisition unit 202 sends the number of products registered by the customer to the detection unit 203. The detection unit 203 detects a mismatch between the number of products that the customer plans to register and the number of products registered by the customer (step S103). The detection unit 203 sends the detection result to the output unit 204.

[0049] The output unit 204 outputs the detection result (step S104). The detection result is whether the number of products that the customer plans to register and the number of products that the customer has registered match or do not match. (Effects of the first embodiment) According to the first embodiment, it is possible to reduce the need to modify an existing product registration device in order to obtain the number of products registered by a customer, because the first obtaining unit 201 obtains the number of registered products based on notification information notified when a customer registers a product.

[0050] (Hardware configuration) 8 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a computer. The functions of the first acquisition unit 201, the second acquisition unit 202, the detection unit 203, and the output unit 204 of the detection system 20 are realized by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 21 executing a program 94. The functions of the detection system 20 may also be configured in an external device (not shown) and provided to the detection system 20 from the external device via a network. In the detection system 20, the CPU 91 may read the program 94 from a ROM (Read Only Memory) 92 or a storage device 95, and the program 94 may be executed by the CPU 91 and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 93.

[0051] The present disclosure, described using the above-described embodiments as examples, can be understood as being configured by code representing a computer program or a computer-readable storage medium on which the code representing the computer program is stored. The computer-readable storage medium may be, for example, a storage device 95, a removable magnetic disk medium (not shown), an optical disk medium, or a memory card. Note that the configuration of each embodiment may be dedicated hardware using an integrated circuit. The detection system 20 may be realized by cloud computing.

[0052] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the configurations, operations, and processes disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0053] The present disclosure has been described above using the above-described embodiments as exemplary examples. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments. That is, the present disclosure can be applied in various aspects that can be understood by a person skilled in the art within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0054] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-051942, filed on March 25, 2021, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety.

[0055] Some or all of the above embodiments can be described as, but are not limited to, the following supplementary notes.

[0056] [Note] [Appendix 1] a first acquiring means for acquiring the number of registered products based on notification information notified by product registration by a customer; A second acquisition means for acquiring the number of products that the customer plans to register; a detection means for detecting a discrepancy between the number of registered products and the number of products to be registered; an output means for outputting the detection result; A detection system comprising:

[0057] [Appendix 2] The notification information is product registration information that is displayed on a display screen of the product registration device every time the customer registers a product. 10. The detection system of claim 1.

[0058] [Appendix 3] The first acquisition means acquires, as the number of registered products, the total quantity of products included in the product registration information and updated each time a product is registered by the customer. 10. The detection system of claim 2.

[0059] [Appendix 4] The first acquisition means acquires, as the number of registered products, the number of changes in the product registration information that is updated each time the customer registers a product. 10. The detection system of claim 2.

[0060] [Appendix 5] The notification information is the number of times that the indicator light of the product registration device lights up each time the customer registers a product. 5. The detection system of any one of claims 1 to 4.

[0061] [Appendix 6] The notification information is the number of notification sounds to be issued from the speaker of the product registration device each time the customer registers a product. 6. The detection system of any one of clauses 1 to 5.

[0062] [Appendix 7] The second acquisition means acquires the number of products that the customer plans to register based on product images taken of the products before the customer registers the products. 7. The detection system of any one of clauses 1 to 6.

[0063] [Appendix 8] The second acquisition means acquires the number of products that the customer plans to register based on an action image captured of the customer registering the products. 7. The detection system of any one of clauses 1 to 6.

[0064] [Appendix 9] The number of registered products is obtained based on notification information notified by product registration by customers; Obtain the number of products that the customer plans to register; Detects discrepancies between the number of registered products and the number of products planned to be registered, Output the detection results, Detection method.

[0065] [Appendix 10] The number of registered products is obtained based on notification information notified by product registration by customers; Obtain the number of products that the customer plans to register; Detects discrepancies between the number of registered products and the number of products planned to be registered, Output the detection results, A storage medium that non-temporarily stores a program that causes a computer to execute the program. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 10 Product registration device 11 Product reader 12 Alarm devices 20 Detection System 21 Human and Product Sensor 22 Alarm sensor 101 Product Registration Department 102 Notification control unit 111 Handy Scanner 112 Fixed Scanner 121 Display device 122 Indicator light 123 Speaker 201 First acquisition part 202 Second Acquisition Department 203 Detection unit 204 Output section 211 Product Camera 212 people camera 213 Distance Sensor 221 Equipment Camera 222 Mike 2021 Display Information Processing Unit 2022 Optical Information Processing Department 2023 Sound Information Processing Section

Claims

1. a first acquiring means for acquiring the number of registered products based on notification information that notifies the customer that the product has been registered for each product registration; a second acquisition means for acquiring the number of products that the customer plans to register; a detection means for detecting a discrepancy between the number of registered products and the number of products to be registered; and an output means for outputting the detection result. Detection system.

2. The first acquisition means acquires, as the number of registered products, a total quantity of products displayed on a display screen and updated each time a product is registered. The detection system of claim 1 .

3. The first acquisition means acquires, as the number of registered products, the number of changes in product registration information that is displayed on a display screen and updated for each product registration. The detection system of claim 1 .

4. the first acquisition means acquires the number of registered products by performing image recognition of the notification information from an image captured of a display screen of the product registration device; 3. The detection system according to claim 1 or 2.

5. the first acquisition means counts the number of times an indicator light of the product registration device lights up for each product registration as the notification information, and acquires the number of registered products. The detection system of claim 1 .

6. the first acquisition means counts the number of notification sounds output from a speaker of the product registration device for each product registration as the notification information, and acquires the number of registered products; The detection system of claim 1 .

7. When a mismatch is detected, the output means outputs a message prompting the user to redo the product registration or a message prompting the user to confirm the contents of the product registration. A detection system according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. the output means outputs a message indicating that product registration has been completed successfully when no mismatch is detected. A detection system according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. The computer The number of registered products is obtained based on notification information that notifies the customer that a product has been registered for each product registration. Obtain the number of products that the customer plans to register; Detects discrepancies between the number of registered products and the number of products planned to be registered, Output the detection results, Detection method.

10. The number of registered products is obtained based on notification information that notifies the customer that a product has been registered for each product registration. Obtain the number of products that the customer plans to register; Detects discrepancies between the number of registered products and the number of products planned to be registered, Output the detection results, A program that makes a computer do something.

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