Programs, information processing methods

The system automates the process of checking product and service restrictions using a store terminal device, allowing users to confirm compliance with user constraints efficiently and accurately.

JP2026057232APending Publication Date: 2026-04-02JCB CO LTD
View PDF 1 Cites 0 Cited by

Patent Information

Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Applications
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2024-09-20
Publication Date
2026-04-02

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing systems require users to manually read product tags to check for allergens or other restrictions, which is cumbersome and prone to errors, and also involve complex tag replacement processes for stores.

Method used

A system comprising a store terminal device with units to acquire product and service information, user constraint information, and determine whether user constraints are met, using electronic certificates and network communication to facilitate seamless restriction checking.

Benefits of technology

Enables users to easily confirm product and service restrictions without manual reading, simplifying the process for both users and store staff, ensuring accurate compliance with user constraints.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

Smart Images

  • Figure 2026057232000001_ABST
    Figure 2026057232000001_ABST
Patent Text Reader

Abstract

This will facilitate the process of users confirming any restrictions they may need to consider when purchasing goods or receiving services. [Solution] The program implements the following in a store's terminal device: a first acquisition unit that acquires product and service information indicating products or services that the store sells or provides to users; a second acquisition unit that acquires product and service constraint information indicating product and service constraints indicating limitations on products and services from an external device; a third acquisition unit that acquires user constraint information indicating limitations on users when purchasing products or receiving services from a user's terminal device; and a constraint determination unit that determines whether user constraints are met when selling or providing products or services to a user, based on the product and service constraint information and the user constraint information.
Need to check novelty before this filing date? Find Prior Art

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] When a user purchases a product or receives a service, it is important to confirm whether there is any problem with the product or service for the user. For example, when a user with an allergy tries to purchase a product, it is necessary to confirm whether the product contains an allergen that causes the user's allergy. Such confirmation is performed, for example, by the user who is trying to purchase the product reading the description on the label attached to the product or asking the store clerk verbally. However, it is cumbersome to accurately confirm the presence or absence of a problem without omission by such a method. Therefore, in recent years, a mechanism for easily determining the presence or absence of the influence of allergens and the like has been studied. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a system that determines whether a product contains an allergen source that should be avoided by reading allergen source information indicating the allergen source contained in the product from a tag.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the system described in Patent Document 1, the user needs to consciously read the tag of each product by himself / herself, which is cumbersome and there is a risk of reading omission. Also, for the store, it is necessary to replace the tag in accordance with the replacement of the product, and the operation becomes complicated.

[0005] This invention was made in view of these circumstances and aims to facilitate the confirmation of restrictions that users need to know when purchasing goods or receiving services. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A program according to one embodiment of the present invention provides a store terminal device with: a first acquisition unit that acquires product and service information indicating products or services that the store sells or provides to users; a second acquisition unit that acquires product and service constraint information indicating product and service constraints indicating constraints on products and services from an external device; a third acquisition unit that acquires user constraint information indicating constraints on users when purchasing products or receiving services from a user's terminal device; and a constraint determination unit that determines whether or not user constraints are met when selling or providing products or services to a user, based on the product and service constraint information and the user constraint information.

[0007] In an information processing method according to one embodiment of the present invention, a store terminal device acquires product and service information indicating products or services that the store sells or provides to users, acquires product and service restriction information indicating product and service restrictions that are constraints on products and services from an external device, acquires user restriction information indicating user restrictions that are constraints on when a user purchases products or receives services from a user's terminal device, and determines whether or not user restrictions are met when selling or providing products or services to a user based on the product and service restriction information and the user restriction information. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] This will facilitate the process of users confirming any restrictions they may need to consider when purchasing goods or receiving services. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] A block diagram showing the schematic configuration of the information processing system of the embodiment. [Figure 2] A block diagram showing the schematic configuration of the information processing device of the embodiment. [Figure 3] A diagram showing an example of product / service constraint information for an embodiment. [Figure 4] A diagram showing an example of user constraint information for an embodiment. [Figure 5] A block diagram showing the schematic configuration of the store terminal in the embodiment. [Figure 6] A block diagram showing the schematic configuration of the user terminal in the embodiment. [Figure 7] A sequence chart showing an example of the operation of the information processing system of the embodiment. [Figure 8] A block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the computer in this embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The following describes an embodiment of an information processing system, an information processing method, and a program with reference to the drawings. To facilitate understanding of the explanation, the same reference numerals are used for identical components in each drawing whenever possible, and redundant explanations are omitted.

[0011] <Embodiment> First, an overview of the information processing system of this embodiment will be described.

[0012] (Overview of the Information Processing System) The information processing system 10 of this embodiment, shown in Figure 1, is a system for providing payment services to stores and their customers. Hereinafter, the customers of the stores will be referred to as "users". As shown in Figure 1, the information processing system 10 includes a user terminal 20, a store terminal 30, a business terminal 40, and an information processing device 50. In this embodiment, the user terminal 20 is an example of a user's terminal device, and the store terminal 30 is an example of a store's terminal device.

[0013] The user terminal 20, the store terminal 30, the business terminal 40, and the information processing device 50 are connected to each other via the communication network N10 so that they can communicate with one another. The communication network N10 includes mobile phone networks, wireless LAN (Local Area Network), LTE (Long Term Evolution), wired LAN, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (registered trademark), BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) (registered trademark), UWB (Ultra-Wide Band) communication, and cloud-based connections via the display and reading of QR codes (registered trademark).

[0014] The store terminal 30 is installed, for example, in the store of a designated business operator. The store terminal 30 is a device for users to settle payments when purchasing goods or receiving services at the store. The store terminal 30 is, for example, a POS register terminal, a tablet terminal, or a handheld terminal. The store terminal 30 may have POS register functions such as receiving input of goods or services and calculating the total amount (payment amount) of the accepted goods or services. In the following, "goods or services" may be collectively referred to as "goods and services." In this embodiment, the POS register function is realized in the store terminal 30 by installing a store application dedicated to the store's payment system. The store terminal 30 stores product and service constraint information that indicates product and service constraints, which are constraints on the sale of goods or provision of services. Restrictions on goods and services include, for example, allergens contained in the goods, drug contraindications, restrictions on the facilities and equipment that provide the services (e.g., restrictions due to the physical structure of the facility or restrictions on sound equipment), religious restrictions (e.g., restrictions on ingredients or manufacturing methods), and restrictions on age or qualifications (e.g., special qualifications required to use a particular service).

[0015] The user terminal 20 is a device used by a user. The user terminal 20 is a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or the like that can communicate with the store terminal 30 and the information processing device 50. An electronic certificate issued by the information processing device 50 is stored in the user terminal 20. The electronic certificate contains user restriction information indicating user restriction items, which are the restriction items of the user himself / herself when purchasing goods or receiving services. The user restriction items are, for example, the user's allergies, medical history, physical restrictions (e.g., use of a wheelchair, vision or hearing restrictions, etc.), religious restrictions (e.g., restrictions due to the religion the user believes in), and restrictions on age, qualifications, etc. (e.g., possession of special qualifications required to use a specific service). As a method for managing the electronic certificate in the user terminal 20, for example, a digital ID wallet can be used.

[0016] The business operator terminal 40 is a device used by a business operator who uses the information processing system 10. The business operator terminal 40 is a personal computer, a tablet terminal, or the like. The business operator is, for example, the manager of a store.

[0017] In the information processing system 10, when a user attempts to purchase goods or services at a store or receive their provision, a determination is made as to whether the user restriction items are satisfied based on the restriction information pre-registered for each of the store and the user. This enables a smooth confirmation of the restriction items required when the user attempts to purchase goods or services or receive their provision. Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of the information processing system 10 will be described in detail.

[0018] (Configuration of the Information Processing Device) The configuration of the information processing device 50 will be specifically described. In this embodiment, the information processing device 50 is an example of an external device.

[0019] The information processing device 50 is a device for managing information about users and information about stores. The information processing device 50 also has functions for managing information about businesses that use the information processing system 10. The information processing device 50 is used by specialized institutions such as medical institutions, including hospitals and testing laboratories, and other organizations. As shown in Figure 2, the information processing device 50 comprises a communication unit 51, a storage unit 52, and a control unit 53.

[0020] The communication unit 51 sends and receives various information to and from the user terminal 20 and the store terminal 30 via the communication network N10.

[0021] The memory unit 52 stores various types of information that the information processing device 50 possesses. For example, the memory unit 52 stores various programs for operating the information processing device 50. The memory unit 52 also stores store setting information 54, user setting information 55, and business operator setting information 56, etc.

[0022] The store configuration information 54 includes basic store information 540 and product / service restriction information 541. This information 540 and 541 is stored in the storage unit 52, for example, associated with the store's identification number (store ID).

[0023] The store basic information 540 includes the store's identification number and the connection method used when communicating between the user terminal 20 and the store terminal 30.

[0024] Product and service constraint information 541, as shown in Figure 3, is data indicating product and service constraints, which are restrictions for each product or service handled by the store. For example, it includes a product and service ID, which is the identification information for the product or service, and restrictions on selling or providing the product or service to the user. Figure 3 shows allergens contained in each product (e.g., food) as an example of constraints. Specifically, product P1 is shown to contain allergen A1 (e.g., buckwheat) and allergen A2 (e.g., eggs), and product P2 contains allergen A3 (e.g., wheat). As mentioned above, product and service constraint information is not limited to information about allergens. Also, product and service constraint information may be included in the product and service information described later.

[0025] As shown in Figure 2, the user setting information 55 includes user basic information 550 and user constraint information 551. This information 550 and 551 is stored in the storage unit 52, for example, associated with the user's identification number (user ID).

[0026] User Basic Information 550 includes the user's identification number, user attribute information, and authentication method. User attribute information includes the user's name, address, and date of birth. The authentication method is the authentication method used when using the user application.

[0027] User constraint information 551 is data that lists the constraints on a user when purchasing goods or receiving services, as shown in Figure 4. Figure 5 shows user allergies as an example of a constraint. Specifically, allergy B1 (e.g., buckwheat allergy) and allergy B3 (wheat allergy) are shown as examples.

[0028] The business operator configuration information 56 includes the type of business and business name of the business operator using the information processing system 10. Furthermore, when a business operator or multiple store groups handle the same goods or services, the goods and services restriction information may be registered at the business operator or multiple store group level, rather than at the store level. In this case as well, the goods and services restriction information includes, for example, the goods and services ID and the restrictions. Even if goods or services are treated as the same, if the restrictions differ from store to store, the goods and services restriction information for the business operator or multiple store groups may be registered in the business operator configuration information 56, and goods and services restriction information 541 may be registered in the store configuration information 54 for stores with different restrictions. If goods and services restriction information exists in both the store configuration information 54 and the business operator configuration information 56 for the same goods or services, the store configuration information 54 may take precedence.

[0029] The control unit 53 shown in Figure 2 controls the information processing device 50. The control unit 53 has a functional configuration realized by executing a program stored in the storage unit 52, and includes a first setting information acquisition unit 530, a second setting information acquisition unit 531, a setting information transmission unit 532, an electronic certificate issuance unit 533, a location information acquisition unit 534, and a location determination unit 535.

[0030] The first setting information acquisition unit 530 acquires registration information of the store's goods and services from the store terminal 30 or business terminal 40, and creates goods and service constraint information 541 based on the acquired registration information of the store's goods and services. When a store employee or business operator operates the store terminal 30 or business terminal 40 to input the registration information of the store's goods and services, or when a barcode corresponding to a product or service in the store is scanned by the store terminal 30, the registration information of the goods and services is transmitted from the store terminal 30 to the information processing device 50. The registration information of goods stores the product identification number, product name, and detailed product information, etc. Detailed product information includes information on the raw materials contained in the product. The registration information of services stores the service identification number, service name, and detailed service information, etc. For example, if the service is a food service or food provision, the detailed service information includes information on the menu offered and the ingredients used. Furthermore, if the service is, for example, the provision of some kind of service, the detailed information of the service includes information on matters that may be restricted by the user's physical characteristics, etc., when providing the service. When the registration information of goods and services transmitted from the store terminal 30 is received by the information processing device 50, the specialized organization using the information processing device 50 creates restrictions corresponding to the goods and restrictions corresponding to the services based on the registration information of goods and services. The first setting information acquisition unit 530 creates the goods and services restriction information 541 shown in Figure 3 by listing the restrictions created by the specialized organization in association with the corresponding goods or services. The first setting information acquisition unit 530 stores the goods and services restriction information 541 created by the specialized organization in the storage unit 52. Note that the store basic information 540 is created in advance by the store staff or business operators and stored in the storage unit 52.

[0031] The second configuration information acquisition unit 531 creates user constraint information 551. The specialized institution creates user constraints by examining the user, etc. The second configuration information acquisition unit 531 creates user constraint information 551 as shown in Figure 4 by digitizing the user constraints created by the specialized institution. The second configuration information acquisition unit 531 stores the user constraint information 551 created by the specialized institution in the storage unit 52. Note that the user basic information 550 is created in advance by the user and stored in the storage unit 52.

[0032] The configuration information transmission unit 532 transmits the product and service restriction information 541 stored in the store configuration information 54 to the store terminal 30 based on a request from the store terminal 30. The configuration information transmission unit 532 may also transmit the product and service restriction information set in the business operator configuration information 56 to the store terminal 30. In this case, if product and service restriction information exists in both the store configuration information 54 and the business operator configuration information 56 for the same product or service, the configuration information transmission unit 532 may prioritize the store configuration information 54.

[0033] The electronic certificate issuing unit 533 issues an electronic certificate containing user restriction information 551 based on a request from the user terminal 20. The electronic certificate may be data with an electronic signature from a specialized organization applied to the user restriction information 551, or it may be data that has been electronically certified. After issuing the electronic certificate, the electronic certificate issuing unit 533 transmits the electronic certificate to the user terminal 20. As a result, the electronic certificate is stored in the user terminal 20.

[0034] The location information acquisition unit 534 acquires location information from the user terminal 20 and the store terminal 30, respectively.

[0035] The position determination unit 535 determines whether the user terminal 20 is approaching the store terminal 30 based on the respective position information of the user terminal 20 and the store terminal 30 acquired by the position information acquisition unit 534. The position determination unit 535 determines that the user terminal 20 is approaching the store terminal 30 if, for example, the user terminal 20 is located within an area of ​​a predetermined radius centered on the store terminal 30. In this embodiment, the relationship in which the user terminal 20 is located within an area of ​​a predetermined radius centered on the store terminal 30 is an example of a predetermined positional relationship. When the position determination unit 535 determines that the user terminal 20 is approaching the store terminal 30, it notifies the store terminal 30 of this fact. Based on this notification, the store terminal 30 establishes communication with the user terminal 20. Alternatively, the position information acquisition unit 534 may transmit the position information of the user terminal 20 to the store terminal 30 in order for the store terminal 30 to perform the position determination instead of the position determination unit 535.

[0036] (Store terminal configuration) Next, we will explain the configuration of the store terminal 30 in detail.

[0037] As shown in Figure 5, the store terminal 30 includes a communication unit 31, an input unit 32, a display unit 33, a storage unit 34, and a control unit 35.

[0038] The communication unit 31 transmits and receives various information to and from the user terminal 20 and the information processing device 50 via the communication network N10. The input unit 32 has the function of accepting various operations performed by store employees or business operators, and is such as a mouse, keyboard, or operation buttons. The display unit 33 has the function of displaying various screens, and is such as a liquid crystal display. The input unit 32 and the display unit 33 may be configured as a touch panel that integrates their functions.

[0039] The storage unit 34 stores various types of information from the store terminal 30. For example, the storage unit 34 stores various programs for operating the store terminal 30. The storage unit 34 also stores product and service constraint information 541, as shown in Figure 3, created by the information processing device 50. The product and service constraint information 541 may be stored in the storage unit 34 as data whose authenticity is guaranteed using technologies such as electronic signatures or VC (Verifiable Credential).

[0040] The control unit 35 controls the store terminal 30. The control unit 35 has a functional configuration realized by executing a program stored in the memory unit 34, and includes a product / service information acquisition unit 351, a product / service constraint information acquisition unit 352, a location determination unit 353, a communication establishment unit 354, a user constraint information acquisition unit 355, a constraint determination unit 356, a determination result display unit 357, a processing instruction unit 358, and a payment unit 359. In the following, the case in which a predetermined program for realizing these functions is a store application will be used as an example. The predetermined program may be, for example, a program developed using an SDK (Software Development Kit).

[0041] The product / service information acquisition unit 351 acquires product / service registration information based on the input operation of the input unit 32 by a store employee or business operator when product / service registration information for the store is entered, or when a barcode corresponding to a product or service in the store is scanned by the store terminal 30. The product / service information acquisition unit 351 then transmits the acquired product / service registration information to the information processing device 50. In this embodiment, the product / service information acquisition unit 351 is an example of a first acquisition unit.

[0042] The product / service constraint information acquisition unit 352 acquires product / service constraint information 541 created by the information processing device 50 from the information processing device 50 and stores the acquired product / service constraint information 541 in the storage unit 34. For example, the product / service constraint information acquisition unit 352 may acquire product / service constraint information 541 corresponding to a product or service from the information processing device 50 at the time when a user attempts to purchase a product or receive a service. Specifically, the product / service constraint information 541 identified by the product / service ID corresponding to the product the user is trying to purchase or the service they are trying to receive may be acquired from the information processing device 50. Alternatively, for example, the product / service constraint information acquisition unit 352 may acquire product / service constraint information 541 corresponding to products and services that may be handled by the store terminal 30 at a predetermined timing, such as when the store terminal 30 is started up. In this embodiment, the product / service constraint information acquisition unit 352 is an example of a second acquisition unit.

[0043] The location determination unit 353 determines whether the positions of the store terminal 30 and the user terminal 20 satisfy a predetermined positional relationship. For example, the location determination unit 353 may determine whether the user terminal 20 is located within a predetermined radius area centered on the store terminal 30, based on the user terminal 20 or the location information of the user terminal 20 obtained from the information processing device 50. Alternatively, the location determination unit 353 may receive a notification from the information processing device 50 indicating that the positions of the store terminal 30 and the user terminal 20 satisfy a predetermined positional relationship. The location information of the store terminal 30, which is necessary for the information processing device 50 to determine whether the positions of the store terminal 30 and the user terminal 20 satisfy a predetermined positional relationship, may be pre-registered in the information processing device 50, for example, as part of the store setting information 54. Alternatively, the location determination unit 353 may acquire the location information of the store terminal 30 using GPS (Global Positioning System) or the like, and transmit the acquired location information of the store terminal 30 to the information processing device 50.

[0044] The communication establishment unit 354 establishes communication with the user terminal 20, enabling bidirectional communication between the user terminal 20 and the store terminal 30. For example, the communication establishment unit 354 may establish communication with the user terminal 20 when the location determination unit 353 determines that the locations of the store terminal 30 and the user terminal 20 satisfy a predetermined positional relationship, enabling bidirectional communication between the user terminal 20 and the store terminal 30. Alternatively, the communication establishment unit 354 may establish communication with the user terminal 20 in response to an operation on the user terminal 20 or the store terminal 30, enabling bidirectional communication between the user terminal 20 and the store terminal 30.

[0045] The user restriction information acquisition unit 355 receives an electronic certificate containing user restriction information 551 when it is transmitted from the user terminal 20. For example, the user restriction information acquisition unit 355 may acquire the electronic certificate from the user terminal 20 when the location determination unit 353 determines that the locations of the store terminal 30 and the user terminal 20 satisfy a predetermined positional relationship. Alternatively, for example, the user restriction information acquisition unit 355 may acquire the electronic certificate from the user terminal 20 in response to an operation on the user terminal 20 or the store terminal 30. In this embodiment, the user restriction information acquisition unit 355 is an example of a third acquisition unit.

[0046] The constraint determination unit 356 determines whether user constraints are met when selling or providing goods or services to a user, based on the goods / services constraint information and the user constraint information contained in the electronic certificate. For example, if the user constraint information indicates that the user has an egg allergy, the constraint determination unit 356 determines whether the goods (food) that the user is trying to purchase contain eggs, which are an allergen. Also, for example, if the user constraint information indicates that the user is a wheelchair user, the constraint determination unit 356 determines whether the facility providing the services that the user is trying to use is suitable for wheelchair users. The constraint determination unit 356 may also determine whether user constraints are met by referring to rules defined for each user constraint and comparing those rules with the goods / services constraints. Such rules may be obtained, for example, from the information processing device 50 or other external devices.

[0047] The determination result display unit 357 displays the determination result from the constraint determination unit 356 on at least one of the store terminal 30 and the user terminal 20. For example, if the determination result indicating that the user constraints are not met is displayed on the store terminal 30, the store clerk can confirm with the user whether they wish to purchase or receive the goods or services while the user constraints are not met. Alternatively, the store clerk can propose solutions to the user to satisfy the user constraints. Similarly, if the determination result indicating that the user constraints are not met is displayed on the user terminal 20, the user can decide whether or not to purchase or receive the goods or services while the user constraints are not met. Alternatively, the user can communicate their request to the store clerk to satisfy the user constraints.

[0048] The processing instruction unit 358 transmits instructions to the device used when selling or providing goods and services to a user, based on the determination result in the constraint determination unit 356, to perform processing according to the determination result. The device to which the instructions are transmitted may be the store terminal 30 or a device other than the store terminal 30. Information indicating the processing according to the determination result may be included, for example, in the goods and services information or goods and services constraint information.

[0049] For example, if the determination result indicates that the user constraints are met, the processing instruction unit 358 may send an instruction to the settlement unit 359 to proceed with the settlement process for selling or providing the goods or services to the user. Alternatively, if the determination result indicates that the user constraints are met, the processing instruction unit 358 may send an instruction to the cooking appliance to carry out the cooking of the food according to the recipe. Alternatively, if the determination result indicates that the user constraints are not met, the processing instruction unit 358 may send an instruction to modify the goods or services so that the user constraints are met and then sell or provide them to the user.

[0050] The processing instruction unit 358 may also obtain a response to the determination result from the store terminal 30 or the user terminal 20. For example, if the user terminal 20 displays a determination result indicating that the user constraints are not met, the processing instruction unit 358 may, upon obtaining a response from the user terminal 20 indicating that the goods or services will be purchased or used despite the user constraints not being met, continue processing to sell or provide the goods or services.

[0051] The settlement unit 359 performs settlement processing for goods and services sold or provided to the user.

[0052] (User terminal configuration) Next, we will explain the configuration of the user terminal 20 in detail.

[0053] As shown in Figure 6, the user terminal 20 includes a communication unit 21, an input unit 22, a display unit 23, a storage unit 24, and a control unit 25.

[0054] The communication unit 21 transmits and receives various information to and from the store terminal 30 and the information processing device 50 via the communication network N10. The input unit 22 has the function of accepting various operations performed by the user, and is such as a mouse, keyboard, or operation buttons. The display unit 23 has the function of displaying various screens, and is such as an LCD display. The input unit 22 and the display unit 23 may be configured as a touch panel in which their functions are integrated.

[0055] The storage unit 24 stores various information possessed by the user terminal 20. For example, the storage unit 24 stores various programs for operating the user terminal 20. The storage unit 24 also stores an electronic certificate 552, which includes user restriction information 551 as shown in Figure 4. The electronic certificate 552 may be stored in the storage unit 24 as data whose authenticity is guaranteed using technologies such as electronic signatures or VC (Verifiable Credential).

[0056] The control unit 25 controls the user terminal 20. The control unit 25 has the following functions, which are realized by executing a program stored in the storage unit 24: a basic information registration unit 250, an electronic certificate acquisition unit 251, and a location information acquisition unit 252. In the following, the case in which a predetermined program for realizing these functions is a user application will be used as an example. The predetermined program may be, for example, a program developed using an SDK.

[0057] When the basic information registration unit 250 receives the user's basic information based on the user's operation of the input unit 22, it transmits the user's basic information to the information processing unit 50. As a result, the user's basic information is stored in the storage unit 52 of the information processing unit 50. Alternatively, the user's basic information may be stored in the user terminal 20 instead of being transmitted to the information processing unit 50.

[0058] The electronic certificate acquisition unit 251 acquires an electronic certificate 552 containing user restriction information 551 from the information processing device 50, and stores the acquired electronic certificate 552 in the storage unit 24.

[0059] The location information acquisition unit 252 acquires the location information of the user terminal 20 using GPS or the like, and transmits the acquired location information of the user terminal 20 to the information processing device 50. Alternatively, the location information acquisition unit 252 may transmit the location information of the user terminal 20 to the store terminal 30.

[0060] (Example of information processing system operation) Next, an example of the operation when determining constraints in the information processing system 10 of this embodiment will be described. Note that the order of processing shown below is just one example, and the order of processing can be changed as appropriate.

[0061] As shown in Figure 7, in the information processing system 10 of this embodiment, first, when a user visits a specialized institution, the second setting information acquisition unit 531 of the information processing device 50 creates user restriction information 551 based on the results of the visit (step S10). Then, the electronic certificate issuance unit 533 of the information processing device 50 issues an electronic certificate 552 that includes the user restriction information 551 (step S11), and transmits the issued electronic certificate 552 to the user terminal 20 (step S12). As a result, when the electronic certificate acquisition unit 251 of the user terminal 20 receives the electronic certificate 552 transmitted from the information processing device 50 (step S20), it stores the electronic certificate 552 in the storage unit 24 of the user terminal 20 (step S21).

[0062] On the other hand, when a store employee or business operator operates the store terminal 30 and inputs product and service registration information, the product and service information acquisition unit 351 of the store terminal 30 acquires the input product and service registration information (step S30) and transmits the acquired product and service registration information to the information processing device 50 (step S31). As a result, when the first setting information acquisition unit 530 of the information processing device 50 receives the product and service registration information transmitted from the store terminal 30 (step S13), it creates product and service constraint information 541 based on the received product and service registration information (step S14). Then, the setting information transmission unit 532 of the information processing device 50 transmits the created product and service constraint information 541 to the store terminal 30 (step S15). As a result, when the product and service constraint information acquisition unit 352 of the store terminal 30 receives the product and service constraint information 541 transmitted from the information processing device 50 (step S32), it stores the product and service constraint information 541 in the storage unit 34 (step S33).

[0063] Subsequently, when the user terminal 20 approaches the store terminal 30, the position determination unit 353 of the store terminal 30 determines that the positions of the store terminal 30 and the user terminal 20 satisfy a predetermined positional relationship (for example, the user terminal 20 is located within a predetermined radius area centered on the store terminal 30) (step S34). As a result, the communication establishment unit 354 of the store terminal 30 establishes communication with the user terminal 20 (step S35), enabling bidirectional communication between the user terminal 20 and the store terminal 30.

[0064] Next, the transmission unit 253 of the user terminal 20 transmits the electronic certificate 552 to the store terminal 30 (step S22). As a result, the electronic certificate 552 transmitted from the user terminal 20 is received by the user restriction information acquisition unit 355 of the store terminal 30 (step S36).

[0065] Subsequently, the product and service information acquisition unit 351 of the store terminal 30 acquires product and service information corresponding to the product and service that the user intends to purchase or receive (step S37). Furthermore, the product and service restriction information acquisition unit 352 of the store terminal 30 acquires product and service restriction information corresponding to the product and service (step S38). Then, the restriction determination unit 356 of the store terminal 30 determines whether or not the electronic certificate 552 is genuine (step S39). Also, if the electronic certificate 552 is genuine, the restriction determination unit 356 determines whether or not user restrictions are met when selling or providing the product and service to the user, based on the product and service restriction information and the user restriction information contained in the electronic certificate (step S40). The determination result display unit 357 of the store terminal 30 displays the determination result by the restriction determination unit 356 on at least one of the store terminal 30 and the user terminal 20 (step S41). Specifically, if the store terminal 30 determines that the electronic certificate is not genuine, the determination result display unit 357 displays that fact on at least one of the store terminal 30 and the user terminal 20. If the electronic certificate is genuine, the determination result display unit 357 of the store terminal 30 displays a determination result indicating, for example, that the user constraints are met, or a determination result indicating that the user constraints are not met, on at least one of the store terminal 30 and the user terminal 20. Then, the processing instruction unit 358 of the store terminal 30 transmits an instruction to the device used when selling or providing goods and services to the user to perform processing according to the determination result of the constraint determination unit 356 (step S42).

[0066] (Hardware configuration of the information processing system) Next, we will describe an example of a hardware configuration when each device included in the information processing system 10 is implemented using a computer. Note that the functions of each device can also be implemented by dividing them among multiple devices.

[0067] As shown in Figure 8, the computer 70 includes a processor 700, a storage device 702, an input interface 704, a data interface 706, a communication interface 708, and a display device 710.

[0068] The processor 700 controls various processes in the computer 70 by executing programs stored in the storage device 702. For example, the various functions of the control units 25, 35, and 53 of the user terminal 20, store terminal 30, and information processing device 50 can be realized by the processor 700 executing programs stored in the storage device 702.

[0069] The storage device 702 is a storage medium such as RAM (Random Access Memory). RAM temporarily stores the program code of the program executed by the processor 700, as well as data required during program execution.

[0070] The storage device 702 may be a non-volatile storage medium such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or flash memory. The storage device 702 stores the operating system and various programs for realizing the above configurations. The storage medium storing these various programs may be a non-transitory computer-readable medium. In addition, the storage device 702 may also store tables for registering various information and a database (DB) for managing these tables. Such programs and data are loaded into the storage device 702 as needed and accessed by the processor 700.

[0071] The input interface 704 is a device for receiving input from the user. Specific examples of the input interface 704 include cameras, buttons, microphones, keyboards, mice, touch panels, various sensors, and wearable devices. The input interface 704 may be connected to the computer 70 via an interface such as USB (Universal Serial Bus).

[0072] The data interface 706 is a device for inputting data from outside the computer 70. Specific examples of the data interface 706 include drive devices for reading data stored on various storage media. The data interface 706 may also be located outside the computer 70. In that case, the data interface 706 would be connected to the computer 70 via an interface such as USB.

[0073] The communication interface 708 is a device for performing data communication with external devices of the computer 70 via the communication network N10, either by wire or wireless connection. The communication interface 708 may also be located outside the computer 70. In that case, the communication interface 708 would be connected to the computer 70 via an interface such as USB.

[0074] The display device 710 is a device for displaying various types of information. Specific examples of the display device 710 include liquid crystal displays, organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) displays, and displays for wearable devices. The display device 710 may be located outside the computer 70. In that case, the display device 710 is connected to the computer 70 via, for example, a display cable. Furthermore, if a touch panel is used as the input I / F 704, the display device 710 can be configured as an integrated unit with the input I / F 704.

[0075] The components of the device included in the information processing system 10 of the above embodiment may be such that a program stored in the storage device 702 is executed by the processor 700, thereby realizing a defined process in cooperation with other hardware. In other words, these components are conceived as software or firmware, and also as corresponding hardware. Furthermore, these components are also described and interpreted as "function," "means," "part," "processing circuit," "unit," or "module" in both of these concepts.

[0076] (Operation and effects of information processing systems) As described above, in the information processing system 10, the store terminal 30 includes a product and service information acquisition unit 351 that acquires product and service information indicating products and services that the store sells or provides to users, a product and service restriction information acquisition unit 352 that acquires product and service restriction information indicating product and service restrictions that are constraints on products and services, a user restriction information acquisition unit 355 that acquires user restriction information indicating user restrictions that are constraints on users when purchasing products or receiving services from the user terminal 20, and a restriction determination unit 356 that determines whether or not user restrictions are met when selling or providing products and services to users based on the product and service restriction information and the user restriction information. User restriction information is electronically certified information issued by a specialized organization.

[0077] This allows users to determine whether their user constraints are met without having to consciously read the tags on each product themselves. Therefore, it becomes possible for users to smoothly check the constraints they need when purchasing products or receiving services.

[0078] Furthermore, the store terminal 30 is further equipped with a position determination unit 353 that determines whether the positions of the store terminal 30 and the user terminal 20 satisfy a predetermined positional relationship. If the predetermined positional relationship is satisfied, the user constraint information acquisition unit 355 can acquire user constraint information from the user terminal 20.

[0079] As a result, for example, when the user terminal 20 approaches the store terminal 30, user restriction information is transmitted to the store terminal 30. Therefore, it becomes possible to check user restrictions even if the user or store staff are not aware of them.

[0080] Furthermore, the store terminal 30 is further equipped with a determination result display unit 357 that displays the determination result of whether or not the user constraints are met on at least one of the store terminal 30 and the user terminal 20.

[0081] This allows store staff and users to check whether user constraints are met and take appropriate action based on the results.

[0082] Furthermore, the store terminal 30 includes a processing instruction unit 358 that transmits instructions to the device used when selling or providing goods or services to the user, based on the determination result of whether or not the user constraints are met, to perform processing according to the determination result.

[0083] This makes it possible to smoothly execute processing based on the result of determining whether or not user constraints are met.

[0084] Furthermore, the product and service information acquisition unit 351 transmits the registration information entered in the store terminal 30 to the information processing unit 50, acquires product and service constraint information created by the information processing unit 50 based on the registration information, and stores the acquired product and service constraint information in the storage unit 34.

[0085] This makes it possible to register appropriate constraint information according to the products and services handled at the store, and to determine whether or not user constraints are met based on the registered constraint information.

[0086] <Other Embodiments> Even the above-mentioned examples, with appropriate design modifications by those skilled in the art, are included within the scope of this disclosure, as long as they possess the features of this disclosure. The elements, their arrangement, conditions, shapes, etc., of each of the above-mentioned examples are not limited to those exemplified and can be modified as appropriate. The elements of each of the above-mentioned examples can be combined in different ways as appropriate, as long as no technical inconsistencies arise.

[0087] For example, user restriction information 551 is not limited to information that has been digitized; it may also be simple text data or list data, as long as it is information issued by a specialized institution.

[0088] The functional configurations of the user terminal 20, the store terminal 30, and the information processing device 50 may be provided in the user terminal 20 only, the store terminal 30 only, the information processing device 50 only, or in each of the user terminal 20, the store terminal 30, and the information processing device 50. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0089] 10: Information processing system, 20: User terminal, 30: Store terminal, 50: Information processing device (external device), 52: Memory unit, 70: Computer, 351: Product / service information acquisition unit (first acquisition unit), 352: Product / service constraint information acquisition unit (second acquisition unit), 353: Judgment unit, 354: Communication establishment unit, 355: User constraint information acquisition unit (third acquisition unit), 356: Constraint judgment unit, 357: Judgment result display unit, 358: Processing instruction unit, 359: Settlement unit

Claims

1. On the store's terminal device, A first acquisition unit that acquires product and service information indicating the products or services that the store sells or provides to users, A second acquisition unit acquires product and service restriction information from an external device, which indicates product and service restriction matters that are constraints on the aforementioned product and service. A third acquisition unit acquires user restriction information from the user's terminal device, which indicates user restrictions that are limitations on the user when purchasing goods or receiving services. A constraint determination unit that determines whether the user constraints are met when selling or providing the goods or services to the user, based on the aforementioned goods and services constraint information and the aforementioned user constraint information, A program to achieve this.

2. The aforementioned user restriction information is electronically certified information issued by a specialized organization. The program according to claim 1.

3. The terminal device of the store is further equipped with a position determination unit that determines whether the positions of the store's terminal device and the user's terminal device satisfy a predetermined positional relationship. When the relative positions of the store's terminal device and the user's terminal device satisfy the predetermined positional relationship, the third acquisition unit acquires the user constraint information from the user's terminal device. The program according to claim 1.

4. The terminal device of the store further includes a determination result display unit that displays the determination result of whether or not the user constraints are met on at least one of the store's terminal device and the user's terminal device. The program according to claim 1.

5. The program according to claim 1, further comprising a processing instruction unit that transmits instructions to a device used when selling or providing the goods or services to the user, based on the determination result of whether or not the user constraints are met, to the terminal device of the store, to perform processing according to the determination result.

6. The first acquisition unit transmits the registration information entered in the store's terminal device to an external device, acquires the product / service constraint information created by the external device based on the registration information from the external device, and stores the acquired product / service constraint information in the storage unit. The program according to claim 1.

7. The store's terminal device, The store acquires product and service information indicating the goods or services that it sells or provides to users. Product and service constraint information, which indicates the constraints on the aforementioned product and service, is obtained from an external device. User restriction information, which indicates user restrictions that are limitations on the user when purchasing goods or receiving services, is obtained from the user's terminal device. Based on the aforementioned product / service constraint information and the aforementioned user constraint information, it is determined whether the user constraints are met when selling or providing the product / service to the user. Information processing methods.

Citation Information

Patent Citations

  • Allergen avoiding sales system, method therefor, and tag reader

    JP2005063338A