Information processing method, information processing device, and program

Abstract

The objective is to provide an information processing method, information processing device, and program that enable more flexible logistics solutions by allowing flexible setting of the origin and destination of the delivery. [Solution] An information processing device comprising: an extraction unit that extracts first spatial information associated with the sender as at least one candidate source location for the source location, and second spatial information associated with the recipient as at least one candidate destination location for the destination location, based on delivery information; an acceptance unit that accepts the source location and destination location selected from the at least one candidate source location; and an instruction unit that issues delivery instructions to a logistics operator based on the source location and destination location selected from the at least one candidate destination location.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing method, an information processing apparatus, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] There is known an anonymous delivery service that can deliver a package without disclosing personal information such as the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of both the shipper who is the package's origin and the recipient who is the destination to each other (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, in recent years, the places for sending and receiving packages have diversified. In addition to home delivery, convenience store delivery and pickup, locker delivery and pickup, delivery and pickup in spaces available for other package exchanges such as leave-at-place delivery are being used. Along with the increase in such various delivery and pickup services, it is desired to be able to more flexibly specify these services. Also, leave-at-place delivery does not allow individuals to flexibly specify the location either, and they have no choice but to specify a location from predetermined options such as a garage or in front of the entrance, but it is also desired to be able to more flexibly specify the location.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide an information processing method, an information processing apparatus, and a program that can realize a more flexible logistics solution by flexibly setting the delivery origin and destination.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] An information processing device according to one aspect of the present invention includes: an extraction unit that extracts first spatial information associated with the sender as at least one candidate source location for the source location, and second spatial information associated with the recipient as at least one candidate destination location for the destination location, based on delivery information; an acceptance unit that accepts the source location and destination location selected from the at least one candidate source location; and an instruction unit that issues delivery instructions to a logistics operator based on the source location and destination location selected from the at least one candidate destination location.

[0007] An information processing method according to one aspect of the present invention involves an information processing device performing the following steps: extracting first spatial information associated with a sender as at least one candidate source location for a source location, based on delivery information; extracting second spatial information associated with a recipient as at least one candidate destination location for a destination location; receiving the source location selected from the at least one candidate source location and the destination location selected from the at least one candidate destination location; and issuing delivery instructions to a logistics operator based on the source location and the destination location.

[0008] A program according to one aspect of the present invention causes an information processing device to perform the following steps: extract first spatial information associated with the sender as at least one candidate source location for the source location, based on delivery information; extract second spatial information associated with the recipient as at least one candidate destination location for the destination location; accept the source location selected from the at least one candidate source location and the destination location selected from the at least one candidate destination location; and issue delivery instructions to a logistics operator based on the source location and the destination location. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an information processing method, an information processing device, and a program that enable more flexible logistics solutions by flexibly setting the origin and destination of the delivery. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This is a diagram showing the configuration of a logistics system, which is one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] An example of a functional block diagram of an information processing device according to one embodiment of the present invention is shown. [Figure 3] An example of user information is shown below. [Figure 4] An example of spatial information is shown. [Figure 5] An example of business information is shown below. [Figure 6] Here is an example of shipping information. [Figure 7] This figure shows an example of a sequence of information processing methods according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] One embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below. Note that the following embodiment is illustrative for explaining the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention to this embodiment alone. Furthermore, the present invention can be modified in various ways without departing from its essence. Moreover, those skilled in the art can adopt embodiments in which each of the elements described below is replaced with equivalent ones, and such embodiments are also included within the scope of the present invention. In addition, for the sake of ease of understanding, an embodiment in which the present invention is realized using an information processing device will be described as an example, but as stated above, the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0012] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating an overview of a logistics system, which is one embodiment of the present invention. The logistics system 1 may include an information processing device 100 (server) for setting the origin and destination points of packages, a terminal 200 used by the sender of the packages, a terminal 300 used by the recipient of the packages, and a terminal 400 used by a logistics business operator. These devices may be connected via a network.

[0013] When the sender and recipient are not distinguished, they are simply referred to as "users." Furthermore, there are no particular restrictions on what constitutes a "logistics-related business operator," but it may include, for example, delivery companies, warehousing companies, businesses that handle the exchange between delivery personnel and recipients, managers of exchange locations, and businesses that act as intermediaries and issue delivery instructions, among other businesses participating in this function.

[0014] Logistics system 1 may be a system for managing the logistics of goods that constitutes part of another system such as an e-commerce system, or it may be a system independent of the e-commerce system.

[0015] The information processing device 100 is not particularly limited and may be, for example, a server, desktop, laptop, or other computer. Furthermore, the information processing device 100 is a general-purpose computer and may consist of a single computer or multiple computers on a network N.

[0016] As shown in Figure 2A, the information processing device 100 includes, for example, a processor 110, a communication interface 120, an input / output interface 130, a memory 140, storage 150, and one or more communication buses 160 for interconnecting these components.

[0017] The processor 110 may implement various processes, functions, or methods in the information processing device by executing programs stored in the storage 150. For example, the processor 110 may be configured to function as a transmitting / receiving unit 111, a management unit 112, an extraction unit 113, a receiving unit 114, and a settlement unit 116, as shown in Figure 2.

[0018] The communication interface 120 transmits and receives various data with other devices via the network N. This communication may be performed either by wire or wirelessly, and any communication protocol may be used as long as mutual communication can be executed. For example, the communication interface 120 is implemented as hardware such as a network adapter, various communication software, or a combination thereof.

[0019] The input / output interface 130 may include an input device for inputting various operations to the information processing device 100 and an output device for outputting the processing results processed by the information processing device 100. For example, the input / output interface 130 may include information input devices such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a touch panel, and information output devices such as a display. Note that the information processing device 100 may receive a predetermined input or execute a predetermined output by connecting an external input / output interface 130.

[0020] The memory 140 temporarily stores the program loaded from the storage 150 and provides a working area for the processor 110. Various data generated while the processor 110 is executing the program are also temporarily stored in the memory 140. The memory 140 may be, for example, a high-speed random access memory such as DRAM, SRAM, DDR RAM, or other random access solid-state storage devices, and these may be combined.

[0021] The storage 150 may store a program, each functional unit, models for various estimation processes, and various data such as user information 151, carrier information 152 related to logistics, and delivery information 153. The storage 150 may be, for example, a non-volatile memory such as one or more magnetic disk storage devices, optical disk storage devices, flash memory devices, or other non-volatile solid-state storage devices, and these may be combined. Another example of the storage 150 may include one or more storage devices installed remotely from the processor 110.

[0022] The transmitting / receiving unit 111 transmits and receives various types of information with terminals 200, 300, 400, or other external systems. For example, the transmitting / receiving unit 111 may acquire transaction information from terminals 200, 300, or an external system. The transmitting / receiving unit 111 may also transmit candidate source locations and destination locations to one or both of terminals 200 and 300, or receive selected source locations and destination locations from one or both of terminals 200 and 300, as instructed by the extraction unit 113. Furthermore, the transmitting / receiving unit 111 may transmit the source locations and destination locations to logistics operators as instructed by the instruction unit 115.

[0023] The management unit 112 manages the registration, updating, and deletion of information about users who may be senders and recipients of the logistics system 1. For example, the management unit 112 may register or update user attribute information, such as name, company name, trade name, spatial information such as address, location, contact information such as telephone number and email address, or payment information in user information 151 based on information received from terminals 200 and 300 used by the user. Alternatively, it may delete this information based on information received from terminals 200 and 300.

[0024] Alternatively, instead of using terminals 200 and 300 used by users, the management unit 112 may manage user information based on information from terminals 400 used by logistics operators.

[0025] Here, spatial information includes, for example, the user's address and location, spaces that can be used for sending and receiving packages such as delivery spaces and package drop-off points, package drop-off and transit points for delivery companies, and package storage locations, as well as other specific locations related to delivery and receiving.

[0026] Such spatial information may be general address information such as addresses, floor numbers, and room numbers, or location information such as latitude, longitude, and altitude, which can specify a location in space. In addition to such location information, this spatial information may also have digital identifiers attached to it. For example, if there are multiple different recipients or spaces in the same space, identifiers to identify individuals may be attached in addition to the address.

[0027] Figure 3 shows an example of user information 151. In Figure 3, the "User ID" stores identification information that the logistics system 1 uses to uniquely identify the user who is the sender or recipient. As shown in Figure 3, spatial information, payment information, and other personal data may be recorded for each user in association with the user ID. Here, "payment information" may include account information that can be used for settlement, such as bank accounts, cards, and other payment accounts.

[0028] Next, Figure 4 shows an example of spatial information associated with each user. The upper part of Figure 4 shows an image of how user-registered spatial information looks on a map, and the lower part shows an example of the data structure of the spatial information.

[0029] As shown in the lower part of Figure 4, spatial information registered by a user may be recorded with a "space ID" which is an identifier to uniquely identify it, a name indicating the location, and information that identifies the location. As shown in the lower part of Figure 4, spatial information may include specific location information such as the home address, the location of home delivery, and spots such as convenience stores where packages can be picked up. In addition, conditions for identifying a spot to send or receive packages may be recorded instead of specific location information, such as "any pick-up space within 100m of home." Furthermore, the upper part of Figure 4 shows an image of spatial information associated with a user displayed on a map. For example, locker A is not specified as a specific location such as home or home delivery, but it corresponds to any pick-up space within 100m of home.

[0030] In this way, the user may register multiple spatial locations as candidate origin or destination locations for packages.

[0031] Furthermore, the management unit 112 may manage the registration, updating, and deletion of information related to logistics businesses. For example, based on information received from the terminal 400 used by the business, the management unit 112 may register or update the business information 152, including business attribute information such as employee names, company name / trade name, address, and contact information, as well as business license information, system connection information, types of services handled, settlement methods, and contract information in cases where there are special agreements between businesses or with this function. Alternatively, it may delete this information based on information received from the terminal 400.

[0032] Figure 5 shows an example of business information 152. In Figure 5, the "Business ID" stores identification information that the logistics system 1 uses to uniquely identify the business. As shown in Figure 5, payment information, usage fees, and other personal data may be recorded for each business in association with the business ID.

[0033] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 5, spatial information may also be associated with and recorded for businesses. When a logistics route involves passing through multiple businesses, the goods are handed over between those businesses. For example, from the perspective of a business that receives a package from a sender and hands it over to another business, the point where the package is received from the sender can be considered the origin point, and the point where the package is handed over to another business can be considered the destination point. Therefore, just like users, businesses can manage spatial information associated with them, allowing for more flexible handling of goods between businesses. Also, similar to user information 151, in business information 152, businesses can register multiple spatial points as candidates for origin points or destination points of packages.

[0034] The extraction unit 113 extracts first spatial information associated with the sender as at least one candidate origin location for the origin location, and extracts second spatial information associated with the recipient as at least one candidate destination location for the destination location. In this case, the extraction unit 113 may obtain the first spatial information and the second spatial information by referring to user information 151 based on the sender information and recipient information included in the delivery information.

[0035] Here, an example of delivery information is shown in Figure 6. The "Delivery ID" contains identification information that allows the logistics system 1 to uniquely identify the contents of the delivery. The "Sender" and "Recipient" fields contain identification information (User ID) that allows the logistics system 1 to uniquely identify the user who is the sender or recipient. The selected "Originating Point" and "Destination Point" fields contain information that allows the reception unit 114, described later, to identify the originating point or destination point that it has received. Furthermore, the "Business Operator" field contains identification information that allows the logistics system 1 to uniquely identify the business operator involved in the logistics. The "Information about the Package" field contains information about the package to be delivered.

[0036] Furthermore, the "Transaction Status" field stores information about the status of the transaction. In addition, the "Transaction Status" field may also include information related to tracking the transaction, such as the delivery date and time of the package, the arrival date and time of the package, and the payment completion date and time.

[0037] Furthermore, the extraction unit 113 may extract spatial information corresponding to a search query from the sender or recipient as at least one candidate source location or at least one candidate destination location. This makes it possible to narrow down candidates from the first and second spatial information, and to extract locations other than those in the first and second spatial information through the search. For example, if a wider area is searched using a search query, locker B and convenience store B on the map shown in the upper part of Figure 4 may be extracted as candidate source locations or destination locations.

[0038] Search queries may be received from user terminals 200 and 300, or via terminal 400 used by the business operator. Furthermore, if the logistics route involves coordination with other delivery operators or storage operators by delivery operators or delivery instruction operators, the search queries may be received from terminal 400, and the extraction unit 113 may extract candidate locations for handing over goods between businesses.

[0039] Furthermore, the extraction unit 113 may identify combinations of candidate source locations and candidate destination locations based on the first spatial information and the second spatial information, and extract the identified candidate source locations and candidate destination locations. Specifically, for example, the extraction unit 113 may identify combinations of candidate source locations and candidate destination locations for delivery from convenience stores to convenience stores from the first spatial information and the second spatial information, from the viewpoint of delivery time or delivery fee. Alternatively, from the viewpoint of flexibility in storage period, it may identify combinations of candidate source locations and candidate destination locations for delivery from any space to any space from the first spatial information and the second spatial information. The combinations identified in this way may be displayed with a higher priority among the candidates.

[0040] By selecting a logistics route from any space to any other space, a usage fee may be incurred for selecting that space or logistics route.

[0041] The extraction unit 113 may transmit the extracted source location candidate and destination location candidate to the sender terminal 200 and / or recipient terminal 300 via the transmission / reception unit 111.

[0042] The reception unit 114 may receive the originating location selected from at least one candidate originating location and the destination location selected from at least one candidate destination location from the sender terminal 200 and / or recipient terminal 300, and record them in the delivery information 153. Based on this record, the reception unit 114 may accept the delivery reservation.

[0043] In addition, instead of the terminals 200 and 300 used by the user, the reception unit 114 may accept a source location selected from at least one candidate source location and a destination location selected from at least one candidate destination location from a terminal 400 used by a logistics business operator.

[0044] The instruction unit 115 issues delivery instructions to the logistics operator's terminal 400 based on the origin and destination locations. The instruction unit 115 may also update the delivery status of the delivery information 153 based on information received from the operator's terminal 400, etc. For example, when a delivery company collects a package from the origin, or when a delivery company delivers a package to the destination, the instruction unit 115 may update the delivery status of the delivery information 153 when it receives information regarding each status such as receiving, receiving completed, storage, delivery, in transit, arrival, handover, and completion.

[0045] The settlement unit 116 performs settlement processing for shipping charges from the sender and / or recipient to the logistics provider based on the origin and destination locations.

[0046] The settlement unit 116 may calculate the settlement amount with the sender, recipient, and logistics businesses based on the delivery instructions from the instruction unit 115 and the delivery completion notification from the terminal 400. In this case, if the logistics businesses include not only delivery companies but also providers of space for sending and receiving, delivery instruction businesses acting as intermediaries, storage businesses involved in delivery, etc., the settlement amount may be calculated for each business. Furthermore, the settlement may include the usage fee for the logistics system 1 of this embodiment.

[0047] Settlement processing may be performed for each individual transaction, or transactions over a certain period may be settled collectively. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the logistics system 1 may, based on settlement information in user information 151 and business information 152, receive payments from users, recover funds, and execute payments to businesses via settlement instructions to financial institutions, or it may issue invoices to users to prompt payment to businesses.

[0048] Figure 7 shows an example of a sequence of information processing methods according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0049] As shown in Figure 7, when the transmitting / receiving unit 111 of the information processing device 100 receives the first spatial information and the second spatial information from the terminals 200 and 300 (S01, S02), the management unit 112 registers that spatial information in the user information 151 (S03).

[0050] Next, when the transmitting / receiving unit 111 of the information processing device 100 receives delivery information from terminals 200, 300, 400 or an external system, the management unit 112 records that information in the delivery information 153 (S04). Then, the extraction unit 113 extracts first spatial information associated with the sender as at least one candidate source location for the source location, and extracts second spatial information associated with the recipient as at least one candidate destination location for the destination location (S05). At this time, the extraction unit 113 may identify a combination of candidate source locations and candidate destination locations based on the first spatial information and the second spatial information.

[0051] Then, the transmitting / receiving unit 111 of the information processing device 100 transmits the candidate source location and the candidate destination location to the user terminals 200 and 300 (S07, S08). Subsequently, the receiving unit 114 of the information processing device 100 receives from the user terminals 200 and 300 via the transmitting / receiving unit 111 a source location selected from at least one candidate source location and a destination location selected from at least one candidate destination location (S09, S10).

[0052] Subsequently, the instruction unit 115 sends a delivery instruction to the logistics company via the transmitting / receiving unit 111 to the business terminal 400 based on the source location and the destination location (S11). The instruction unit 115 may also receive information regarding the progress of delivery from the business terminal 400 via the transmitting / receiving unit 111 and update the delivery status. Furthermore, when the instruction unit 115 receives a delivery completion notification from the business terminal 400 via the transmitting / receiving unit 111, the settlement unit 116 may execute settlement processing.

[0053] Although the present invention has been described in detail based on embodiments above, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and can be modified in various ways without departing from its essence. Furthermore, the above embodiments have been described in detail in order to explain the present invention in an easy-to-understand manner and are not necessarily limited to those having all the configurations described. In addition, it is possible to add, delete, or replace some of the configurations of the above embodiments with other configurations.

[0054] For example, in the above embodiment, the user at the end of the distribution chain was described as the sender and recipient. However, if multiple businesses are involved in the logistics route, at least one of the sender and recipient in this embodiment may be a business operator.

[0055] Furthermore, although the above embodiments describe a configuration in which the sender selects a source location from a list of candidate source locations and the recipient selects a destination location from a list of candidate destination locations, the invention is not limited to this configuration. The sender may also select a destination location from a list of candidate destination locations, or the recipient may select a source location from a list of candidate source locations. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0056] 1...Logistics system, 100...Information processing device, 110...Processor, 111...Transmit / receive unit, 112...Management unit, 113...Extraction unit, 114...Reception unit, 115...Instruction unit, 116...Settlement unit, 120...Communication interface, 130...Input / output interface, 140...Memory, 150...Storage, 151...User information, 152...Business operator information, 153...Delivery information, 160...Communication bus, 200...Sender terminal, 300...Recipient terminal, 400...Business operator terminal

Claims

1. An extraction unit extracts first spatial information associated with the sender as at least one candidate originating location for the originating location, and second spatial information associated with the recipient as at least one candidate destination location for the destination location, based on the delivery information. A receiving unit that receives the source location selected from the at least one candidate source location and the destination location selected from the at least one candidate destination location, It has an instruction unit that issues delivery instructions to logistics operators based on the aforementioned origin and destination locations. Information processing device.

2. The extraction unit extracts spatial information corresponding to a search query from the sender or recipient as at least one candidate source location or at least one candidate destination location. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The extraction unit identifies combinations of candidate source locations and candidate destination locations based on the first spatial information and the second spatial information, and extracts the identified candidate source locations and candidate destination locations. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

4. The system has a settlement unit that performs settlement processing for shipping charges from the sender and / or recipient to the logistics business operator based on the aforementioned source location and destination location. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

5. Information processing device, Based on the delivery information, the first spatial information associated with the sender is extracted as at least one candidate origin location for the origin location, and the second spatial information associated with the recipient is extracted as at least one candidate destination location for the destination location. A step of receiving the source location selected from the at least one candidate source location and the destination location selected from the at least one candidate destination location, The process involves the steps of issuing delivery instructions to a logistics provider based on the aforementioned origin and destination points. Information processing methods.

6. In an information processing device, Based on the delivery information, the first spatial information associated with the sender is extracted as at least one candidate origin location for the origin location, and the second spatial information associated with the recipient is extracted as at least one candidate destination location for the destination location. A step of receiving the source location selected from the at least one candidate source location and the destination location selected from the at least one candidate destination location, The steps include: causing a logistics company to issue delivery instructions based on the aforementioned origin and destination points; program.

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