Information processing device and product management system

Abstract

We provide technology that makes it easy to manage the storage location of products. [Solution] The information processing device comprises at least one memory and at least one processor, the at least one processor acquiring storage location information indicating the storage location of the goods, acquiring first identification information identifying the container containing the goods, and registering a second identification information that identifies the goods contained in the container acquired based on the first identification information, along with the storage location information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus and a product management system.

Background Art

[0002] Techniques for managing articles using various codes are known. For example, there is a technique for identifying the destination of a load by reading a barcode attached to the load to be conveyed with a barcode reader.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] According to the present disclosure, a technique capable of easily managing the storage location of products can be provided.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] An information processing apparatus according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes at least one memory and at least one processor. The at least one processor acquires storage location information indicating the storage location of a product, acquires first identification information for identifying a container that houses the product, and associates and registers second identification information for identifying the product housed in the container acquired based on the first identification information with the storage location information.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0006] [Figure 1] It is a diagram for explaining the delivery of products from a distribution center to a retail store. [Figure 2] It is a diagram for explaining each dolly placed in each area. [Figure 3]This is a diagram showing an example of a shelf label. [Figure 4] This is a diagram showing an example of a trolley. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example of a case. [Figure 6] This figure shows an example of a code displayed at a storage location. [Figure 7] This is a block diagram showing an example of the overall structure of a product management system. [Figure 8] This is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a control device. [Figure 9] This is a diagram showing an example of an acceptance list. [Figure 10] This figure shows an example of a product database. [Figure 11] This is a diagram showing an example of inventory information. [Figure 12] The figure shows an example of a stocking list. [Figure 13] This is a block diagram showing an example of the device's functional configuration. [Figure 14] This is a sequence diagram showing an example of a manual product registration process. [Figure 15] This is a sequence diagram showing an example of a list creation process. [Figure 16] This is a sequence diagram showing an example of a list verification process. [Figure 17] This is a sequence diagram showing an example of the pickup process. [Figure 18] This block diagram shows an example of the functional configuration of a terminal relating to Modification Example 1. [Figure 19] This is a sequence diagram showing an example of the product identification process related to Modification Example 1. [Figure 20] This figure shows an example of inventory information related to the modified example 3. [Figure 21] This figure shows an example of a product listing list related to Modification 3. [Figure 22] This is a sequence diagram showing an example of the manual product registration process related to Modification 3. [Figure 23] This is a sequence diagram showing an example of the list creation process related to Modification 3. [Figure 24] It is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a computer.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0007] Hereinafter, each embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the present specification and drawings, for components having substantially the same functional configuration, the same reference numerals are given and duplicate explanations are omitted.

[0008] <Explanation of Terms> · In the present specification, a "retail store" is a store that sells goods to consumers. For example, retail stores include, but are not limited to, supermarkets, drugstores, convenience stores, department stores, home centers, etc. · In the present specification, a "distribution center" is an operator that receives goods from manufacturers of goods and ships the goods to retail stores. A distribution center is also called, for example, a logistics center. · In the present specification, a "product" is a product sold to consumers at a retail store. The product can be any product belonging to any category. · In the present specification, a "sales floor" is a place where products are sold to consumers. · In the present specification, a "backroom" is a place where the inventory of products sold on the sales floor (alternatively, inventory products for supply to the sales floor) is stored. The backroom is also called, for example, a backyard or a warehouse. Even when the backroom is annexed to a retail store having a sales floor, this retail store is said to have a sales floor and a backroom. However, the inventory products may be stored in a predetermined place within the sales floor. · In the present specification, an "area" is an area within a store where products are stored. A trolley loaded with products may be placed in the area, or a case containing products may be placed. The area may be within the backroom or within the sales floor. In this specification, "trolley" means a transport tool capable of carrying and moving goods. Trolleys are also called, for example, carts or wagons. A trolley moves within a backroom with goods loaded on it, and the goods may remain loaded on the trolley at its destination. For example, goods may be delivered from a distribution center to a retail store's backroom while loaded on a trolley. In this specification, "case" refers to a unit in which individual products are stored in the back room, and is a container that holds multiple individual products. The individual products held in multiple units may be the same product. That is, for a given product, one case of that product may contain multiple identical products. A case is also called a collective package, etc. A case may be, for example, a box such as a cardboard box. A case can be any container that can hold products, and may be made of paper, resin, wood, etc. In the following explanation, "case" and "container" are interchangeable depending on the context. In this specification, "display shelf" refers to a place in a retail store where goods are displayed. A display shelf is not limited to a shelf, but may be any fixture on which goods are displayed. A display shelf may be a multi-tiered fixture having multiple shelves. Shelf labels corresponding to the goods displayed on the display shelf may be attached to the display shelf. "Shelf labels attached to a display shelf" includes the cases where the shelf labels are fixed to the display shelf, detachably installed, or integrated into the display shelf. The shelf labels may be attached to the side of the shelf facing the aisle of the sales floor. In this specification, "shelf tag" refers to an information medium displaying information for identifying a product displayed near the shelf tag in a manner corresponding to the shelf tag. The information for identifying the product may, for example, be any image showing a code such as a barcode. The shelf tag may also be a price tag displaying the product name and price of the product displayed near the shelf tag, as well as information for identifying the product. In this specification, "information for identifying a product" refers to information that can uniquely identify a product (product information such as product name), and may also be any image such as a code. Information for identifying a product may be displayed on a shelf label or displayed on the product itself. In this specification, “code” means any code that encodes identification information in any format to identify at least one of a product, a case containing the product, or a storage location for the product. The code may be, for example, a barcode, a two-dimensional code, or a color code. The code format may be, for example, an EAN (European Article Number) code such as a JAN (Japanese Article Number) code, an ITF (Interleaved Two of Five) code, a UPC (Universal Product Code), or a GTIN (Global Trade Item Number). The code may include multiple types of codes with different formats. For example, multiple types of codes with different formats may include at least JAN codes and ITF codes. Note that "different formats" may include "different standards," "different coding systems," and "different rules for encoding into the code." Depending on the context, the code may be interpreted as a symbol. For example, the code may include a code to identify the product when it is sold individually after being removed from its case (e.g., a JAN code for individual sales). For example, the code may include a code to identify the product when it is sold in the case containing the product (e.g., a JAN code for case sales). A JAN code for individual sales is also called an "individual JAN". A JAN code for case sales is also called a "case JAN". For example, the code may include a code to identify the case in logistics (e.g., an ITF code). An ITF code is also simply called an "ITF". In this specification, "link" includes both the concepts of direct linking and indirect linking. "Directly linking A and B" means "making A directly referable to B and / or B directly referable to A (for example, registering A and B in fields a and b respectively in a single record in a database)." "Indirectly linking A and B" means "making A directly referable to B and / or B directly referable to A by referencing other fields (for example, registering A and C in fields a and c respectively in a single record in a database, and registering C and B in fields c and b respectively in a single record in a different database)."

[0009] <Overview> Figure 1 illustrates the delivery of goods from a distribution center to retail stores. Note that the number of retail stores, distribution centers, areas, carts, terminals, and employees shown in Figure 1 are examples only and are not limited to these figures.

[0010] Each retail store (in the example in Figure 1, retail store a and retail store b) receives goods from one or more distribution centers. For example, retail store a receives goods from multiple distribution centers (in the example in Figure 1, distribution center a and distribution center b), while retail store b receives goods from one distribution center (in the example in Figure 1, distribution center b).

[0011] A retail store includes a sales floor and a back room. A retail store has one or more employees 21. Employees 21 perform various tasks related to the operation of the retail store while operating terminals 20. Employees 21 may be referred to as "users" from the perspective that they use terminals 20 and at least a part of the product management system 1000 described later. Users are not limited to employees 21, but may also include any person who operates terminals 20 and at least a part of the product management system 1000 described later.

[0012] A backroom has one or more areas. In the example in Figure 1, retail store a has area A, area B, ... For example, an area is a predetermined section within the backroom (for example, a section separated by lines drawn on the backroom floor). Alternatively, instead of predetermined sections, an area could be defined as a location where a predetermined number of carts that should be placed are located.

[0013] Each area contains one or more carts. In the example in Figure 1, Area A contains cart 1, cart 2, ..., while Area B contains cart 3, cart 4, ...

[0014] Each cart carries one or more items. For example, one or more identical items may be contained in one case (e.g., a cardboard box), and one or more cases may be loaded onto a cart.

[0015] Furthermore, a product may be located in multiple areas. For example, product a may be in area A and area B. Also, a product may be on multiple carts. For example, product a may be on cart 1, cart 2, cart 3, and cart 4.

[0016] Goods delivered from the distribution center by truck are brought from the truck into the back room through the goods loading entrance. Subsequently, as needed, employees 21 supply the goods from the back room to the sales floor through the entrance / exit connecting the back room and the sales floor.

[0017] Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating the placement of each trolley in each area. One or more trolleys are placed within each area. Figure 2 shows two trolleys in each of the three areas. Note that the shape and type of the trolleys are examples only and can be any shape and type.

[0018] Figure 3 shows an example of a shelf label. In a retail store, shelf labels are attached to the display shelves where products are displayed. These shelf labels may be electronic or paper. The location of the shelf label corresponds to the location of the product on display.

[0019] Shelf labels display the product name and price of the item placed next to them. Furthermore, shelf labels display an arbitrary code (e.g., a barcode) that encodes information uniquely identifying the product (such as the product name). In addition to this code, shelf labels may also display a code to identify the shelf label itself (e.g., CODE128).

[0020] Figure 4 shows an example of a trolley. In the back room of a retail store, the trolley is loaded with one or more cases containing one or more products.

[0021] Each trolley is fitted with an information medium containing a trolley ID. This information medium may be, for example, paper, an electronic medium such as an IC tag, etc. For instance, the information medium containing the trolley ID displays the trolley ID string and the encoded code of the trolley ID. The information medium may also be, for example, a plate, sticker, or badge. The mounting position of this information medium on the trolley is not limited to a specific location.

[0022] Furthermore, the trolleys may be delivered with an information medium containing the trolley ID attached. Also, at the distribution center, goods that were loaded onto multiple trolleys may be transferred to a single trolley for delivery. In this case, the single trolley after the transfer may be delivered with an information medium containing the trolley IDs of each of the original trolleys attached. In other words, the delivered trolley may be equipped with an information medium containing one or more trolley IDs.

[0023] Figure 5 shows an example of a case. The case containing the goods has one or more types of codes displayed on it. The codes may be displayed, for example, by printing the code on the surface of the case or by attaching a sticker with the code printed on it. The multiple types of codes may include, for example, at least one of the case JAN and ITF.

[0024] Figure 5(A) shows an example of a case where multiple types of codes are displayed on the same surface. Figure 5(B) shows an example of a case where multiple types of codes are displayed on different surfaces. Figure 5(C) shows an example of a case where some of the multiple types of codes (for example, only one type) are displayed. As shown in Figure 5, when multiple types of codes are displayed on a case, the display position of each code and the types of codes displayed can be determined arbitrarily.

[0025] The storage location for goods is not limited to the back room. For example, goods may be stored within the sales floor. For instance, a sales floor may have one or more areas, and a cart loaded with one or more cases containing one or more goods may be placed in any area of ​​the sales floor. Alternatively, the cases containing goods may be stored within the store without being loaded onto a cart. For example, one or more cases containing one or more goods may be placed directly in the back room or an area within the sales floor without being loaded onto a cart.

[0026] Information media containing storage location information are installed in the back room or sales area. Storage location information indicates a predetermined location for storing products. Storage location information may be installed, for example, by printing it on the floor of the area, attaching an image-forming medium (e.g., paper, sticker, resin piece, metal piece, etc.) with the storage location information printed on it, or embedding an electronic medium on which the storage location information is recorded.

[0027] Storage location information may, for example, be information indicating an area, or information indicating a subdivision of that area into multiple smaller sections. A subdivision of an area may, for example, be the space for one cart when multiple carts are lined up within the area. Information indicating an area may, for example, be identification information (area ID) that identifies the area. Information indicating a section may, for example, be a combination of identification information (area ID) that identifies the area and identification information (section ID) that identifies a section within the area.

[0028] The area may display a code that encodes the storage location information. The code displayed in the area may be, for example, a barcode, a two-dimensional code, or a color code. The code may be displayed, for example, by printing it on the floor of the area or by attaching an image-forming medium (e.g., paper, sticker, resin piece, metal piece, etc.) on which the storage location information is printed.

[0029] Figure 6 shows an example of a code displayed at a storage location. As shown in Figure 6, a string indicating the storage location and a code encoding the storage location information are displayed at the storage location. In Figure 6, a string combining the area ID ("A") and section ID ("1") is displayed as the string indicating the storage location. In Figure 6, a barcode is shown as an example of a code, but other types of codes such as two-dimensional codes or color codes may be displayed. At least one of the storage location information or the code needs to be displayed at the storage location.

[0030] [Embodiment] One embodiment of the present disclosure is an example of a product management system for managing products. In this embodiment, the products to be managed may be products sold to consumers in stores such as retail stores. The products may be products delivered to stores in cases. The products may be sold individually after being removed from the cases at the sales floor of the store, or they may be sold in cases containing multiple products.

[0031] <Overall structure of the product management system> The overall configuration of the product management system according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 7. Figure 7 is a block diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of the product management system.

[0032] As shown in Figure 7, the product management system 1000 includes a management device 10 and a terminal 20. The product management system 1000 may also include a delivery management system 30. The management device 10, the terminal 20, and the delivery management system 30 may be connected to each other via a communication network such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or the Internet, enabling data communication between them.

[0033] The management device 10 is an example of an information processing device such as a personal computer, workstation, or server that manages products sold in a store. The management device 10 may manage products sold in a retail chain that includes multiple stores. The management device 10 may manage products on a store-by-store basis or on a retail chain-by-chain basis. For example, the management device 10 may be installed in the back room of a store, at the headquarters that oversees the retail chain, or at a remote location such as a data center that can communicate with the store or headquarters via a network.

[0034] Terminal 20 is an example of an information processing device operated by a store employee 21. Terminal 20 may be, for example, a portable information processing terminal such as a smartphone, tablet, or laptop computer. Terminal 20 may also be, for example, a portable terminal such as a handheld terminal specifically designed for retail store operations. Terminal 20 may be equipped with an input device such as a touchscreen or buttons for receiving information input, and a display device such as an LCD display for displaying information. Terminal 20 may be equipped with a reading device capable of reading codes such as a barcode reader.

[0035] The delivery management system 30 is an example of an information processing device or information processing system for managing the delivery of goods. The delivery management system 30 may manage deliveries from one or more distribution centers to one or more stores. For example, the delivery management system 30 may be installed in any distribution center, in the headquarters of a retail chain, or in a remote location such as a data center that can communicate with the distribution center or headquarters via a network.

[0036] The delivery management system 30 transmits the acceptance list to the management device 10. The acceptance list is electronic data that records a list of goods to be delivered from the distribution center to the stores. For example, the acceptance list may include data that includes product information of the goods to be delivered to the stores, quantity information of the goods, and information about the cart on which the goods were loaded.

[0037] The delivery management system 30 may send the acceptance list to the management device 10 before the goods are actually delivered. The delivery management system 30 may also send the acceptance list to the management device 10 after the goods have been actually delivered.

[0038] The acceptance list may be entered into the delivery management system 30 by a user of the delivery management system 30. The user of the delivery management system 30 may, for example, be an employee of the delivery center or the system administrator of the delivery management system 30.

[0039] Note that the overall configuration of the product management system 1000 shown in Figure 7 is just one example, and various system configurations are possible depending on the application and purpose. The product management system 1000 may consist of one or more devices. The devices included in the product management system 1000 may be a system composed of multiple devices. Each function included in the product management system 1000 may be implemented by any device that makes up the system. Each component included in the product management system 1000 may be included in any device that makes up the system.

[0040] The product management system 1000 may include multiple instances of one or more of the management device 10, terminal 20, and delivery management system 30. The management device 10 or delivery management system 30 may be implemented as a system including multiple computers, or as a cloud computing service. Two or more of the management device 10, terminal 20, and delivery management system 30 may be implemented as standalone computers. The classification of devices such as the management device 10, terminal 20, and delivery management system 30 shown in Figure 7 is just one example.

[0041] <Stocking shelves> Employee 21 uses terminal 20 to perform various tasks in the store's sales floor or back room. For example, employee 21 may use terminal 20 to perform stocking tasks.

[0042] Stocking is the process of retrieving and retrieving inventory stored in the store's back room for display on the sales floor or for shipping orders placed through online supermarkets. Stocking may include, for example, manual product registration, list creation, picking, and product display. However, the tasks performed in stocking are not limited to these, and other tasks may be included, or some tasks may be omitted.

[0043] Employee 21 uses terminal 20 to perform various tasks related to stocking shelves. Terminal 20 can communicate with management device 10 via a communication network such as wireless communication. Employee 21 uses terminal 20 after logging in to it. In other words, terminal 20 becomes available after user authentication. This allows the product management system 1000 to store history information about each task performed by employee 21 using terminal 20, linked to information identifying employee 21 (e.g., employee ID). Logging in to terminal 20 may be performed by reading the employee ID code written on employee ID card using terminal 20's reading device, or by entering the employee ID into terminal 20 via terminal 20's input device.

[0044] ≪Manual Product Registration≫ Manual product registration is the process of registering products stored in the store and linking them to the storage location where those products are kept. When products are delivered to the store from the distribution center, employee 21 transports the products to the sales floor. If the cases containing each product are delivered to the store loaded onto a cart, employee 21 may transport the products to the sales floor along with the cart. Employee 21 may load the cases containing the products onto one of the carts and use the cart to transport the products to the sales floor. Once the products are transported to the sales floor, employee 21 displays the transported products on the display shelves where space for those products has been allocated.

[0045] Employee 21 displays all available products in the empty space on the shelves and stores any remaining products in the back room or another area within the store. Employee 21 may take (transport) a cart loaded with cases containing the remaining products that were not displayed back to the back room and transport the cart to any area. Employee 21 may load the cases containing the remaining products onto a cart and transport the cart to any area. Employee 21 may consolidate the remaining products and reload them onto a few carts. Employee 21 may transport the cases containing the remaining products to any area and place them directly in that area.

[0046] When employee 21 places an item in an area, they use the reader device on terminal 20 to read the code displayed in the area and the code displayed on the case. Terminal 20 obtains storage location information based on the code displayed in the area. Employee 21 may also input the storage location information displayed in the area into terminal 20, thereby allowing terminal 20 to obtain storage location information instead of obtaining it by reading the code displayed in the area with terminal 20's reader device. Employee 21 may also input the number of items stored into terminal 20.

[0047] Terminal 20 sends a linking request to the product management system 1000, which includes the code displayed on the case, storage location information, and the number of items. The product management system 1000 identifies the product information based on the code included in the linking request. The product management system 1000 also links the product information, storage location information, and the number of items and stores them as inventory information in the storage device of the management device 10. The number of items may also be obtained from the acceptance list. Furthermore, the product management system 1000 links history information indicating that the product was stored in that storage location with information indicating the employee 21 who manually registered the product (e.g., employee ID) and stores it in the storage device of the management device 10. Thus, manual product registration can be described as the process of registering a product and linking it to its storage location.

[0048] <<Create List>> List creation is the task of creating a list of products that need to be restocked (hereinafter also referred to as the "restocking list"). Employee 21 patrols the sales floor and identifies products that need to be restocked. Products that need to be restocked may include, for example, products that are out of stock, products that are likely to run out of stock, or products that customers have inquired about. Products that are out of stock are products that have all been sold out on the shelves and are no longer on the shelves. Products that are likely to run out of stock are products that are running low on the shelves and are likely to run out of stock soon. Products that customers have inquired about are, for example, products that are displayed individually on the shelves but that customers have inquired about purchasing in case quantities.

[0049] When employee 21 identifies an item that needs to be restocked, they use the reader device on terminal 20 to read a code that uniquely identifies that item (for example, a code displayed on the shelf label or a code displayed on the individual item itself). Employee 21 also enters the number of items to be restocked into terminal 20. The number of items to be restocked may also be the number of cases that contain the items.

[0050] Terminal 20 sends a registration request to the product management system 1000, including the scanned code and the entered quantity. The product management system 1000 identifies the product information based on the code included in the registration request. Hereafter, identifying the product information may be referred to as "identifying the product." The product management system 1000 also identifies the storage location information associated with the identified product information. Then, the product management system 1000 links the product information, storage location information, and the quantity to be stocked and registers it in the stocking list. The product management system 1000 also stores history information indicating that the product has been registered in the stocking list, linked to information indicating the employee 21 who created the list (e.g., employee ID), in the storage device of the management device 10.

[0051] ≪Featured≫ Picking is the process of finding and loading items from the back room that are registered on the stocking list. Terminal 20 retrieves the stocking list from the inventory management system 1000 in response to an operation by employee 21 and displays it on the display device. The stocking list displays the items to be stocked, their storage location, and the quantity of each item to be stocked. Employee 21 moves to the storage location of the items indicated on the stocking list. Employee 21 retrieves the required number of items from the storage location indicated on the stocking list. The inventory management system 1000 may be configured to allow multiple employees 21 to share stocking lists among different terminals 20. For example, the stocking list created on the first terminal 20 may be configured to be used (referenced) by the second terminal 20 for product picking.

[0052] When employee 21 loads the required number of items from the storage area, either individually or in cases, they input into terminal 20 that the loading is complete. For example, employee 21 may input into terminal 20 that the loading of an item is complete by reading the code displayed on the item or the code displayed on the item's case using the reading device on terminal 20. For example, the loading list displayed on the display device of terminal 20 includes a "Loading Complete" button for each item, and employee 21 may input into terminal 20 that the loading of an item is complete by pressing the "Loading Complete" button for the item that has been loaded.

[0053] Terminal 20 sends a request to the product management system 1000 to release the product that has been shipped. The product management system 1000 removes the product information indicated in the release request from the stocking list. The product management system 1000 also subtracts the number of shipped items from the number of items stored in the inventory information. Furthermore, the product management system 1000 stores in the storage device of the management device 10 historical information indicating that the product was shipped from its storage location, linked to information indicating the employee 21 who picked it up (e.g., employee ID).

[0054] On the other hand, if employee 21 does not have the required number of items in storage (i.e., the items to be picked are out of stock), they input that the items are out of stock into terminal 20. For example, the stocking list displayed on terminal 20's display device includes an "Out of Stock" button for each item, and employee 21 may input that the items are out of stock into terminal 20 by pressing the "Out of Stock" button for the out-of-stock items. Terminal 20 notifies the product management system 1000 of the items that could not be picked. The product management system 1000 registers the fact that the notified items are out of stock in its inventory information. The product management system 1000 also stores historical information indicating that the items are out of stock, linked to information identifying the employee 21 who picked them up (e.g., employee ID), in the storage device of the management device 10.

[0055] ≪Product display≫ Product display is the process of arranging products that have been picked up from the back room onto the sales floor. Employee 21 transports the products picked up from the back room to the sales floor during the picking process. Once the products are on the sales floor, Employee 21 places them on the display shelves where space is allocated for them.

[0056] ≪Product Database≫ In stocking operations, employee 21 identifies product information based on various codes read by the reading device on terminal 20. The codes read by the reading device include, for example, codes displayed on shelf labels, codes displayed on individual products themselves, or codes displayed on cases. To enable the identification of product information from these codes, the product management system 1000 uses a product database.

[0057] The product database is a database that links product information about products sold in stores with multiple types of codes used to identify the product information. In this embodiment, the codes used to identify the product information may include a code that encodes identification information (product ID) that identifies a single product, and a code that encodes identification information (case ID) that identifies a case containing multiple products. In other words, the product database may also be a database that links product information, product IDs, and case IDs. Specifically, the product database may be a database that stores records including product names, single-item JAN codes, case JAN codes, and ITFs. In addition to single-item JAN codes, the product database may also be a database that links a unique product code as a product ID to a case ID. The product database may also link codes other than case IDs to product information.

[0058] <Functional Configuration> The functional configuration of the product management system 1000 will be explained with reference to Figures 8 through 13.

[0059] ≪Management device≫ Figure 8 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the management device. As shown in Figure 8, the management device 10 comprises a product information storage unit 101, an inventory information storage unit 102, a product listing list storage unit 103, an acceptance list acquisition unit 110, a request reception unit 120, a product information identification unit 130, a product information management unit 140, an inventory information management unit 150, and a product listing list management unit 160. The management device 10 functions as the product information storage unit 101, inventory information storage unit 102, product listing list storage unit 103, acceptance list acquisition unit 110, a request reception unit 120, a product information identification unit 130, a product information management unit 140, an inventory information management unit 150, and a product listing list management unit 160 when a pre-installed management program is executed.

[0060] The product information storage unit 101 stores a product database that stores product information. The product database is a database that manages information about products sold in stores. Product information may include, for example, the name of the product and identification information (product ID) that identifies the product. The product database may store the code displayed on the product (product ID) and the code displayed on the case that contains the product (case ID) linked together. The product ID may be, for example, an individual product JAN code. The case ID may be, for example, at least one of a case JAN code or an ITF code. The case ID may include multiple codes. For example, the case ID may include both a case JAN code and an ITF code.

[0061] The inventory information storage unit 102 stores inventory information. The inventory information is information about the inventory products stored in the store. The inventory information may include product information of the inventory product, storage location information of the inventory product, and quantity information of the inventory product. The quantity information may include at least one of the quantity per case or the quantity of individual items.

[0062] The stocking list storage unit 103 stores the stocking list. The stocking list contains information about products that should be stocked on the sales floor. The stocking list may include product information for the products to be stocked, information about the storage location of the products, and the quantity to be stocked.

[0063] A stocking list may be created for each product category. A stocking list may be created for each terminal 20. A stocking list may be created for each employee 21. A category may, for example, be a type of product. The type of product may be arbitrarily determined according to the products sold in the store. The type of product may, for example, include beverages, confectionery, and seasonings. A category may, for example, be a section corresponding to the layout of the sales floor.

[0064] The acceptance list acquisition unit 110 acquires an acceptance list. The acceptance list acquisition unit 110 may acquire an acceptance list from the delivery management system 30. The acceptance list acquisition unit 110 may receive an acceptance list transmitted by the delivery management system 30. The acceptance list acquisition unit 110 may request an acceptance list from the delivery management system 30. The acceptance list acquisition unit 110 may read an acceptance list stored in the delivery management system 30. The acceptance list acquisition unit 110 may acquire an acceptance list from an information processing device or information processing system other than the delivery management system 30. The acceptance list acquisition unit 110 may accept an acceptance list entered by a user of the management device 10.

[0065] The request receiving unit 120 receives various requests from the terminal 20. The request receiving unit 120 may receive requests to specify product information. The request receiving unit 120 may receive requests to link products with storage locations. The request receiving unit 120 may receive requests to register items on the stocking list. The request receiving unit 120 may receive requests to confirm items on the stocking list. The request receiving unit 120 may receive requests to send items on the stocking list. The request receiving unit 120 may receive requests to remove items from the stocking list.

[0066] The product information identification unit 130 identifies product information. The product information identification unit 130 may identify product information in response to a product information identification request received by the request reception unit 120. The product information identification unit 130 may identify product information based on the product database stored in the product information storage unit 101. The product information identification unit 130 may extract product information from the product database that is associated with a case ID included in the identification request. The product information identification unit 130 may extract product information from the product database that has a product ID set to it, based on the product ID included in the identification request.

[0067] The product information management unit 140 manages product information. The product information management unit 140 may manage product information using the product database stored in the product information storage unit 101. The product information management unit 140 may register product information in the product database. The product information management unit 140 may update product information registered in the product database. The product information management unit 140 may delete product information registered in the product database.

[0068] The inventory information management unit 150 manages inventory information. The inventory information management unit 150 may also manage inventory information stored in the inventory information storage unit 102. The inventory information management unit 150 may register inventory information for products delivered to stores in response to requests to link products with storage locations. The inventory information management unit 150 may update the quantity of inventory information in response to requests to remove items from the stocking list. The inventory information management unit 150 may delete inventory information for products that have gone out of stock.

[0069] The stocking list management unit 160 manages the stocking list. The stocking list management unit 160 may also manage the stocking list stored in the stocking list storage unit 103. The stocking list management unit 160 may register items to be stocked in the stocking list in response to a stocking list registration request. The stocking list management unit 160 may send a confirmation result of the stocking list in which a specific item is registered in response to a stocking list confirmation request. The stocking list management unit 160 may send the stocking list to the terminal 20 in response to a stocking list transmission request. The stocking list management unit 160 may remove items from the stocking list in response to a stocking list removal request.

[0070] Figure 9 shows an example of an acceptance list. As shown in Figure 9, the acceptance list may include, for example, the cart ID, delivery date, delivery batch ID, product name, product ID, and number of boxes loaded. The cart ID is an example of information about the cart. The product name and product ID are examples of product information. The number of boxes loaded is an example of quantity information.

[0071] The cart ID is identification information that identifies carts delivered from the distribution center to stores. A single cart may carry one type of product, or multiple types of products. Furthermore, a cart may carry cases containing multiple products.

[0072] The delivery date is the day the goods are delivered from the distribution center to the store. The delivery batch ID is identification information that identifies the delivery batch. The product name is the name of the goods loaded on the cart. The product ID is identification information that identifies the goods loaded on the cart. The product ID may be, for example, the individual product JAN code. The number of boxes loaded is the number of cases loaded on the cart.

[0073] Figure 10 shows an example of a product database. As shown in Figure 10, the product database may include product name, product ID, case ID, etc. Product name and product ID are examples of product information. The product ID may, for example, be an individual product JAN code. The case ID may, for example, include a case JAN code and ITF.

[0074] The product database may contain records where the product ID and case ID are not linked. For example, the product database may contain records where a product ID is set but a case ID is not. If a case ID includes multiple types of codes, records where one or more of those codes are not set may be treated as records where no case ID is set.

[0075] The records shown in Figure 10, with product names "Product C," "Product E," and "Product F," are examples of records where no case ID is set. For the record with product name "Product C," neither case JAN nor ITF is set. For the record with product name "Product E," a case JAN is set, but an ITF is not. For the record with product name "Product F," an ITF is set, but a case JAN is not.

[0076] Figure 11 shows an example of inventory information. As shown in Figure 11, inventory information may include product name, product ID, trolley ID, storage location, number of cases, and number of individual items. Product name and product ID are examples of product information. Storage location is an example of storage location information. The storage location may store identification information to identify the storage location. Number of cases and number of individual items are examples of the number of items.

[0077] Figure 12 shows an example of a stocking list. As shown in Figure 12, the stocking list may include product name, product ID, storage location, and quantity to be stocked. Product name and product ID are examples of product information. Product name, product ID, and storage location are the same as inventory information. Quantity to be stocked is an example of the number of items to be stocked.

[0078] ≪Device≫ Figure 13 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a terminal. As shown in Figure 13, the terminal 20 includes a case code reading unit 210, an individual item code reading unit 220, a storage location acquisition unit 230, a specific request unit 240, a linking request unit 250, a list registration unit 260, a list display unit 270, and a list delisting unit 280. The terminal 20 functions as the case code reading unit 210, individual item code reading unit 220, storage location acquisition unit 230, specific request unit 240, linking request unit 250, list registration unit 260, list display unit 270, and list delisting unit 280 when a pre-installed terminal program is executed.

[0079] The case code reading unit 210 reads the code displayed on the case using a reading device. The case code reading unit 210 may, for example, read at least one of the case JAN or ITF. The case code reading unit 210 may read the case JAN and ITF sequentially in a predetermined order or any order. The case code reading unit 210 may read the case JAN and ITF simultaneously. The case code reading unit 210 may read other codes displayed on the case. The case code reading unit 210 may obtain a case ID by recognizing the read code.

[0080] The single-item code reading unit 220 reads the code displayed on a single item using a reading device. For example, the single-item code reading unit 220 may read the single item's JAN code. The single-item code reading unit 220 may also read other codes displayed on the item. The single-item code reading unit 220 may obtain the product ID by recognizing the read code.

[0081] The storage location acquisition unit 230 acquires information about the storage location of the product. The storage location acquisition unit 230 may also read a code displayed in the area using a reading device. The storage location acquisition unit 230 may acquire storage location information by recognizing the read code. The storage location acquisition unit 230 may also receive storage location information entered by an employee 21 via an input device.

[0082] The identification request unit 240 requests the management device 10 to identify product information. The identification request unit 240 may also transmit the product information identification request to the management device 10. The product information identification request may include the code read by the case code reading unit 210 (i.e., the case ID). The product information identification request may also include the code read by the single item code reading unit 220 (i.e., the product ID).

[0083] The identification request unit 240 receives the identification result from the management device 10. The identification request unit 240 may present the identification result to the employee 21. For example, the identification request unit 240 may display the identification result received from the management device 10 on a display device. The identification result may include information indicating whether the identification of product information was successful or unsuccessful. If the management device 10 was able to identify the product information, the identification result may include the identified product information. If the management device 10 was unable to identify the product information, the identification result may not include the product information.

[0084] The identification request unit 240 may notify the employee 21 whether the identification of product information was successful or unsuccessful. For example, the identification request unit 240 may display a notification regarding the identification result on a display device. If the identification of product information fails, the notification may include, for example, a notification that the product information is not registered.

[0085] The specification request unit 240 may allow the employee 21 to confirm the product information included in the specification result. For example, the specification request unit 240 may display the product information included in the specification result on a display device. The specification request unit 240 may confirm the specified product information in response to the confirmation operation by the employee 21.

[0086] The linking request unit 250 transmits a linking request to the management device 10. The linking request unit 250 may also transmit a linking request between a product and a storage location to the management device 10. The linking request between a product and a storage location is information or a signal requesting the management device 10 to link the product ID and the storage location information and register it in the inventory information. The linking request between a product and a storage location may include the product ID included in the identification result received by the identification request unit 240 and the storage location information acquired by the storage location acquisition unit 230. In other words, the linking request unit 250 may link the product ID and the storage location information and register it in the inventory information.

[0087] The list registration unit 260 transmits a request to the management device 10 to register the stocking list. The request to register the stocking list includes identification information to identify the stocking list, the product ID of the product to be stocked, and the quantity to be stocked.

[0088] The list registration unit 260 may allow the employee 21 to select a stocking list. The list registration unit 260 may display a list of stocking lists on a display device in a selectable format. The list registration unit 260 may select a stocking list in response to the selection operation by the employee 21 and include identification information that identifies the selected stocking list in the registration request.

[0089] The list registration unit 260 may use a reading device to read a code indicating the product to be stocked. The code indicating the product to be stocked may be, for example, a code displayed on a shelf label or a code displayed on the product. The list registration unit 260 may obtain the product ID of the product to be stocked by recognizing the code read using the reading device.

[0090] The list registration unit 260 may have the employee 21 input the number of items to be stocked. The list registration unit 260 may accept the number of times the code indicating the product to be stocked has been read as the number of items to be stocked. The list registration unit 260 may include the number of items to be stocked entered by the employee 21 into the terminal 20 in the registration request.

[0091] The list registration unit 260 may enable a function to register products whose JAN codes have been read by the reading device as products to be stocked. Based on the activation of this function, the terminal 20 may configure the reading device to not read any types of codes other than JAN codes.

[0092] The list display unit 270 sends a request to the management device 10 to send the stocking list. The list display unit 270 may present the stocking list received from the management device 10 to the employee 21. The list display unit 270 may display the stocking list on a display device. The list display unit 270 may display the storage location of the products indicated on the stocking list, and when the employee 21 arrives at the storage location, it may display the product information and the quantity of the products to be stocked.

[0093] The list display unit 270 may, for example, display the stocking list in stages, starting with the storage location and then the products. That is, the list display unit 270 may first display the storage location, and when the employee 21 arrives at the storage location, it may display the stocking list for the products stored at that location. Arrival at the storage location may be entered into the terminal 20 by the employee 21 pressing the "Arrived" button displayed on the display device. Arrival at the storage location may also be automatically detected based on the location information of the terminal 20.

[0094] The list removal unit 280 sends a request to the management device 10 to remove the item from the stocking list. The list removal unit 280 may also send a request to the management device 10 to remove the item from the stocking list in response to a completion operation by the employee 21. The completion operation may, for example, be pressing the "Stocking Complete" button displayed on the display device of the terminal 20. The request to remove the item from the stocking list may include the product ID of the item to be stocked for which the completion operation was performed.

[0095] <Flowchart of product management method> The product management method performed by the product management system 1000 will be described with reference to Figures 14 to 17. In this embodiment, the product management method may include, as an example, a manual product registration process (see Figure 14), a list creation process (see Figure 15), a list confirmation process (see Figure 16), and a pick-up process (see Figure 17).

[0096] ≪Manual Product Registration Process≫ Figure 14 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a manual product registration process. The manual product registration process is the process executed by the product management system 1000 when an employee 21 performs a manual product registration task. In other words, the product management system 1000 provides a function to register products contained in cases and link them to their storage locations.

[0097] In step S101, the acceptance list acquisition unit 110 of the management device 10 acquires the acceptance list from the delivery management system 30. The acceptance list acquisition unit 110 sends the acquired acceptance list to the inventory information management unit 150.

[0098] In step S102, the storage location acquisition unit 230 of terminal 20 requests employee 21 to read the code displayed in the area. In response to the operation by employee 21, the storage location acquisition unit 230 reads the code displayed in the area using a reading device. The storage location acquisition unit 230 acquires storage location information by recognizing the read code. The storage location acquisition unit 230 sends the acquired storage location information to the linking request unit 250.

[0099] In step S103, the case code reader 210 of the terminal 20 requests the employee 21 to read the code displayed on the case. The case whose code is read in step S103 may be one of the cases stored in the area where the code was read in step S102.

[0100] The case code reading unit 210 reads the code displayed on the case using a reading device in response to an operation by the employee 21. The case code reading unit 210 obtains the case ID by recognizing the read code. In other words, the case code reading unit 210 obtains the case ID of the case containing the goods in order to associate and register the goods contained in the case whose code was read in step S103 with the storage location information obtained in step S102. The case code reading unit 210 sends the obtained case ID to the identification request unit 240 and the association request unit 250.

[0101] In step S104, the identification request unit 240 of terminal 20 receives a case ID from the case code reading unit 210. The identification request unit 240 generates an identification request for product information. This identification request includes the case ID obtained by the case code reading unit 210. The identification request unit 240 transmits the identification request for product information to the management device 10.

[0102] In step S105, the product information identification unit 130 of the management device 10 receives a product information identification request from the terminal 20. The product information identification unit 130 identifies the product information based on the case ID included in the received identification request. Specifically, the product information identification unit 130 extracts the product information associated with the case ID from the product database stored in the product information storage unit 101.

[0103] In step S106, the product information identification unit 130 of the management device 10 generates an identification result in response to the identification request. If one or more product information items are identified in step S105, the product information identification unit 130 generates an identification result that includes the identified product information and indicates that the product information identification was successful. On the other hand, if no product information is identified in step S105, the product information identification unit 130 generates an identification result that does not include product information and indicates that the product information identification failed. The product information identification unit 130 transmits the generated identification result to the terminal 20.

[0104] In step S107, the identification request unit 240 of the terminal 20 receives the identification result from the management device 10. Based on the identification result, the identification request unit 240 determines whether or not the product information was identified.

[0105] For example, the identification request unit 240 may determine that the product information has been successfully identified if the identification result indicates that the product information has been successfully identified. On the other hand, the identification request unit 240 may determine that the product information has been unsuccessful if the identification result indicates that the product information has not been identified.

[0106] As another example, the specification request unit 240 may determine that it has succeeded in identifying product information if the identification result includes product information. On the other hand, the specification request unit 240 may determine that it has failed to identify product information if the identification result does not include product information.

[0107] If the identification result includes product information, the identification request unit 240 may have the employee 21 confirm the product information included in the identification result. The identification request unit 240 may display the product information included in the identification result on a display device and determine that the identification of the product information was successful if the employee 21 performs a confirmation operation. On the other hand, the identification request unit 240 may determine that the identification of the product information failed if the employee 21 does not perform a confirmation operation (for example, if an operation is performed indicating that the product information is incorrect).

[0108] If product information can be identified, the identification request unit 240 sends the product ID included in the identification result to the linking request unit 250 and proceeds to step S108. On the other hand, if product information cannot be identified, the identification request unit 240 returns to step S103. However, if product information cannot be identified, the identification request unit 240 may terminate the manual product registration process without returning to step S103.

[0109] Returning to step S103, the case code reading unit 210 requests employee 21 to read a different code displayed on the case, or a code displayed on another case. The case code reading unit 210 reads a different code using the reading device in response to the operation by employee 21. Subsequently, the product management system 1000 repeats the processes from steps S104 to S107 for the different code that was read. In this way, the product management system 1000 repeatedly executes the processes from steps S103 to S107 until it obtains the correct product information for the product contained in the case whose code was read in step S103.

[0110] In step S108, the linking request unit 250 of terminal 20 receives storage location information from the storage location acquisition unit 230. The linking request unit 250 also receives the product ID from the specific request unit 240.

[0111] The linking request unit 250 generates a linking request between the product and the storage location. This linking request includes the product ID obtained by the identification request unit 240 and the storage location information obtained by the storage location acquisition unit 230. The linking request may also include the quantity of the product entered by the employee 21. The linking request unit 250 transmits the linking request between the product and the storage location to the management device 10. In other words, if the linking request unit 250 can identify the product ID based on the case ID obtained in step S103, it links the product ID identified based on the case ID obtained in step S103 with the storage location information obtained in step S102 and registers it in the inventory information.

[0112] In step S109, the inventory information management unit 150 of the management device 10 receives a request from the terminal 20 to link products and storage locations. Based on the linking request, the inventory information management unit 150 generates inventory information. The inventory information management unit 150 may also receive an acceptance list from the acceptance list acquisition unit 110 and generate inventory information based on the linking request and the acceptance list. Specifically, the inventory information management unit 150 may obtain the number of boxes loaded from the acceptance list based on the product ID and set it as the number of cases in the inventory information. The inventory information management unit 150 stores the generated inventory information in the inventory information storage unit 102.

[0113] The number of cases in the inventory information may be set to the number of cases entered by employee 21, or to the number of boxes loaded on the acceptance list. The number of individual items in the inventory information may be set to the number of individual items entered by employee 21, or to zero.

[0114] The product management system 1000 registers products stored in cases by linking them with their storage locations through a manual product registration process. Here, the concept of linking products with storage locations includes the terminal 20 sending a request to the management device 10 in step S108 to link products with storage locations in order for the management device 10 to execute the process in step S109. In other words, the registration of products with storage locations can be said to be performed by the management device 10, or by the terminal 20, or by the management device 10 and the terminal 20 working together.

[0115] ≪List Creation Process≫ Figure 15 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the list creation process. The list creation process is executed by the product management system 1000 when employee 21 performs the list creation task.

[0116] In step S201, the single-item code reading unit 220 of terminal 20 requests employee 21 to read the code displayed on the product that needs to be stocked, in response to an operation by employee 21. The operation by employee 21 may include selecting the stocking list to register from among multiple stocking lists. In response to the operation by employee 21, the single-item code reading unit 220 reads the code displayed on the product that needs to be stocked using a reading device. The single-item code reading unit 220 obtains the product ID by recognizing the read code. The single-item code reading unit 220 sends the obtained product ID to the identification request unit 240.

[0117] In step S202, the identification request unit 240 of terminal 20 receives the product ID from the single-item code reading unit 220. The identification request unit 240 generates an identification request for product information. This identification request includes the product ID received from the single-item code reading unit 220. The identification request unit 240 transmits the identification request for product information to the management device 10.

[0118] In step S203, the product information identification unit 130 of the management device 10 receives a product information identification request from the terminal 20. The product information identification unit 130 identifies the product information based on the product ID included in the received identification request. Specifically, the product information identification unit 130 extracts the product information to which the product ID is set from the product database stored in the product information storage unit 101.

[0119] The product information identification unit 130 may obtain inventory information for the product to be stocked based on the product ID included in the identification request. Specifically, the product information identification unit 130 may extract inventory information for which the product ID is set from the inventory information stored in the inventory information storage unit 102.

[0120] In step S204, the product information identification unit 130 of the management device 10 generates an identification result for the identification request. The product information identification unit 130 generates an identification result that includes the product information identified in step S203. The product information identification unit 130 transmits the generated identification result to the terminal 20.

[0121] The product information identification unit 130 may include information regarding the inventory of products to be stocked in the identification result, based on the inventory information obtained in step S203. For example, the inventory information may be information indicating whether or not the product is in stock, or it may be the number of products stored in the store.

[0122] In step S205, the list registration unit 260 of terminal 20 receives the identification result from the management device 10. The list registration unit 260 displays the product information included in the identification result on the display device and requests the employee 21 to input the number of items to be stocked. The list registration unit 260 accepts the number of items to be stocked entered by the employee 21.

[0123] As an example, the list registration unit 260 may receive the number of items to be stocked entered by the employee 21 via the input device of the terminal 20. As another example, the list registration unit 260 may receive the number of times the code displayed on the product has been read using the reading device of the terminal 20 as the number of items to be stocked. That is, if the employee 21 reads the same code N times using the reading device of the terminal 20, the list registration unit 260 may determine the number of items to be stocked as N.

[0124] If the identification result includes information indicating the availability of stock, the list registration unit 260 may display the availability in association with the product information. If the identification result includes information indicating that there is no stock (for example, if the quantity of the product is zero), the list registration unit 260 may display text indicating that there is no stock (for example, "Out of Stock") near the product information. The vicinity of the product information may, for example, be an area adjacent to the area where the product information is displayed, either above, below, to the left, or to the right.

[0125] The list registration unit 260 does not need to accept input for the number of items to be stocked if there is no stock of the items to be stocked. The list registration unit 260 may discard the input number of items to be stocked if it is greater than the number of items included in the inventory information. The list registration unit 260 may accept the number of items included in the inventory information as the number of items to be stocked if it is greater than the number of items included in the inventory information.

[0126] If the list registration unit 260 does not accept input for the number of items to be stocked, it may request employee 21 to input a different number. If the list registration unit 260 does not accept input for the number of items to be stocked, it may return to step S201 and request employee 21 to read the code displayed on another product. Thereafter, the product management system 1000 may repeat the processes from steps S202 to S205 for the different code that has been read.

[0127] In step S206, the list registration unit 260 of terminal 20 generates a registration request for the stocking list. This registration request includes the product ID included in the identification result and the quantity to be stocked, which was entered in step S205. The list registration unit 260 transmits the stocking list registration request to the management device 10.

[0128] In step S207, the stocking list management unit 160 of the management device 10 receives a stocking list registration request from the terminal 20. Based on the stocking list registration request, the stocking list management unit 160 obtains storage location information for the products to be stocked. Specifically, the stocking list management unit 160 extracts inventory information from the inventory information storage unit 102 that has the product ID included in the registration request set, and obtains the storage location information set in that inventory information.

[0129] The stocking list management unit 160 links the product ID and the number of items to be stocked included in the registration request with the acquired storage location information and registers them in the stocking list. The stocking list management unit 160 does not need to register the items to be stocked if there is no stock of the items to be stocked (for example, if the number of items included in the inventory information is zero). The stocking list management unit 160 does not need to register the items to be stocked if the stock of the items to be stocked is less than the number of items to be stocked, or it may register the number of items included in the inventory information as the number of items to be stocked in the stocking list.

[0130] ≪List Verification Process≫ Figure 16 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a list verification process. The list verification process is executed by the product management system 1000 when employee 21 performs a list verification task. The list verification task is the task of confirming whether or not a specific product is registered on the stocking list. The list verification task may be performed in the back room or on the sales floor. The list verification task may be performed during the list registration task or at any time unrelated to the list registration task.

[0131] In step S301, terminal 20 requests employee 21 to read a code in response to an operation by employee 21. The code to be read in step S301 is the code of the product for which the employee wants to check whether or not it is registered in the stocking list. The code of the product may be the code displayed on the product (e.g., individual product JAN) or the code displayed on the case in which the product is contained (e.g., at least one of the case JAN or ITF).

[0132] When reading the code displayed on the case, the case code reading unit 210 of terminal 20 reads the code displayed on the case using a reading device in response to an operation by employee 21. The case code reading unit 210 obtains the case ID by recognizing the read code. The case code reading unit 210 sends the obtained case ID to the identification request unit 240.

[0133] When reading the code displayed on a product, the single-item code reading unit 220 of terminal 20 reads the code displayed on the product using a reading device in response to an operation by employee 21. The single-item code reading unit 220 obtains the product ID by recognizing the read code. The single-item code reading unit 220 sends the obtained product ID to the identification request unit 240.

[0134] In step S302, the specific request unit 240 of terminal 20 receives a case ID or product ID from the case code reading unit 210 or the single item code reading unit 220. The specific request unit 240 generates a confirmation request for the stocking list. This confirmation request includes the case ID received from the case code reading unit 210 or the product ID received from the single item code reading unit 220. The specific request unit 240 transmits the confirmation request for the stocking list to the management device 10.

[0135] In step S303, the stocking list management unit 160 of the management device 10 receives a stocking list confirmation request from the terminal 20. The stocking list management unit 160 sends the case ID or product ID included in the received confirmation request to the product information identification unit 130. The product information identification unit 130 receives the case ID or product ID from the stocking list management unit 160.

[0136] When the product information identification unit 130 receives a case ID from the stocking list management unit 160, it identifies the product information based on the received case ID. Specifically, the product information identification unit 130 extracts the product information associated with the case ID from the product database stored in the product information storage unit 101. The product information identification unit 130 then sends the product ID included in the identified product information to the stocking list management unit 160.

[0137] When the product information identification unit 130 receives a product ID from the stocking list management unit 160, it identifies the product information based on the received product ID. Specifically, the product information identification unit 130 extracts the product information to which the product ID is set from the product database stored in the product information storage unit 101. The product information identification unit 130 sends the product ID included in the identified product information to the stocking list management unit 160.

[0138] In step S304, the stocking list management unit 160 of the management device 10 obtains a stocking list in which the product ID is registered, based on the product ID received from the product information identification unit 130. Specifically, the stocking list management unit 160 extracts the stocking list in which the product ID is registered from the stocking list storage unit 103.

[0139] In step S305, the stocking list management unit 160 of the management device 10 generates a confirmation result for the confirmation request. The stocking list management unit 160 generates a confirmation result that includes the product information identified in step S303 and the information about the stocking list extracted in step S304. The information about the stocking list may include, for example, identification information that identifies the stocking list (e.g., the name of the stocking list), the number of items to be stocked, or the date and time registered in the stocking list (e.g., information indicating when the stocking list was created). The stocking list management unit 160 transmits the generated confirmation result to the terminal 20.

[0140] In step S306, the list removal unit 280 of terminal 20 receives confirmation results from the management device 10. The list removal unit 280 displays product information and information related to the stocking list included in the confirmation results on the display device. If the confirmation results include one or more stocking lists, the list removal unit 280 displays an operation screen on the display device that allows for a deletion operation to remove products from the stocking lists. The list removal unit 280 accepts a deletion operation from employee 21. The deletion operation is performed by identifying the stocking list from which to remove the products.

[0141] In step S307, the list removal unit 280 of terminal 20 generates a request to remove the stocking list in response to the deletion operation received in step S306. This request may include the product ID of the product to be removed from the stocking list, and identification information that identifies the stocking list specified by the deletion operation. The list removal unit 280 transmits the request to remove the stocking list to the management device 10.

[0142] In step S308, the stocking list management unit 160 of the management device 10 receives a request to remove a stocking list from the terminal 20. Based on the request to remove a stocking list, the stocking list management unit 160 removes the product identified in step S303 from the stocking list from which the deletion operation was performed. Specifically, based on the identification information included in the removal request, the stocking list management unit 160 identifies the stocking list stored in the stocking list storage unit 103 and removes the product ID included in the removal request from the identified stocking list.

[0143] ≪Pickup Process≫ Figure 17 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the pickup process. The pickup process is the process executed by the product management system 1000 when employee 21 performs the pickup task.

[0144] In step S401, the list display unit 270 of the terminal 20 generates a request to send the stocking list in response to an operation by the employee 21. The request includes information indicating the stocking list to be displayed. The operation by the employee 21 may include selecting a stocking list to display from among several stocking lists. The list display unit 270 sends the request to send the stocking list to the management device 10.

[0145] In step S402, the stocking list management unit 160 of the management device 10 receives a request to send a stocking list from the terminal 20. The stocking list management unit 160 reads the stocking list indicated in the stocking list transmission request from the stocking list storage unit 103.

[0146] In step S403, the stocking list management unit 160 of the management device 10 transmits the stocking list read in step S402 to the terminal 20. The stocking list management unit 160 may transmit at least a portion of the stocking list. For example, the stocking list management unit 160 may extract a list of items to be stocked from the stocking list and transmit the storage location of the selected items in response to the employee 21's item selection operation. As another example, the stocking list management unit 160 may extract storage locations from the stocking list and, when the employee 21 arrives at the storage location, transmit a stocking list relating to the items to be stocked stored at the arrived storage location.

[0147] In step S404, the list display unit 270 of the terminal 20 receives the stocking list from the management device 10. The list display unit 270 displays the stocking list on the display device. The list display unit 270 may display at least a portion of the stocking list.

[0148] For example, the list display unit 270 may display a list of product names registered in the stocking list. The list display unit 270 may display the product names registered in the stocking list along with information regarding the inventory of those products. The list display unit 270 may also display the product names registered in the stocking list along with the quantity of each product to be stocked.

[0149] As another example, the list display unit 270 may display a list of items to be stocked and, in response to the employee 21's selection of items, display the storage location of the selected item. As yet another example, the list display unit 270 may display the storage locations of the items to be stocked and, when the employee 21 arrives at the storage location, display a stocking list for the items to be stocked. As yet another example, the list display unit 270 may display the names of the storage locations of the items to be stocked using tabs or the like, and when the employee 21 selects a tab corresponding to a storage location, display a list of the items to be stocked stored in that location. As yet another example, the list display unit 270 may display a list of storage locations for the items to be stocked and, when the employee 21 selects a storage location from the list, display a list of the items to be stocked stored in that location.

[0150] In step S405, the case code reading unit 210 of terminal 20 requests employee 21 to read the code displayed on the case. The case whose code is read in step S405 is the case containing the product to be stocked, as indicated in step S404. The case code reading unit 210 reads the code displayed on the case using a reading device in response to the operation by employee 21. The case code reading unit 210 obtains the case ID by recognizing the read code. The case code reading unit 210 sends the obtained case ID to the identification request unit 240 and the linking request unit 250.

[0151] The process from step S406 to step S409 is the same as the process from step S104 to step S107 of the manual product registration process (see Figure 14). That is, the product management system 1000 identifies the product information based on the case ID obtained in step S405. Note that the process from step S405 to step S409 may be replaced by the employee 21 visually selecting the product to be completed in the next step S410 by checking the stocking list.

[0152] In step S410, the list removal unit 280 of terminal 20 displays an operation screen on the display device that allows for a completion operation. The completion operation is an operation to remove items that have been picked up from the stocking list. The list removal unit 280 accepts the completion operation from employee 21. The completion operation is performed by identifying one or more items that have been picked up.

[0153] In step S411, the list removal unit 280 of terminal 20 generates a request to remove the stocking list in response to the completion operation received in step S410. This removal request may include the product IDs of one or more products identified in the completion operation. The list removal unit 280 transmits the request to remove the stocking list to the management device 10.

[0154] In step S412, the stocking list management unit 160 of the management device 10 receives a request to remove items from the stocking list from the terminal 20. Based on the request to remove items from the stocking list, the stocking list management unit 160 removes the items that have been picked up and are to be stocked from the stocking list.

[0155] [Example 1] In the above embodiment, the management device 10 manages the product database and identifies product information based on the product database in response to a specific request from the terminal 20. Modification 1 describes a configuration in which the terminal 20 stores a portion of the product database and sends a specific request to the management device 10 when it is not possible to identify product information based on the portion of the product database.

[0156] The following describes the product management system 1000 according to Modification 1, focusing on the differences from the embodiment. Unless otherwise specified, the product management system 1000 may be configured in the same way as the embodiment.

[0157] <Functional Configuration> The functional configuration of the product management system 1000 according to Modification Example 1 will be explained with reference to Figure 18. Figure 18 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a terminal according to Modification Example 1.

[0158] As shown in Figure 18, the terminal 20 includes a product information storage unit 201, a case code reading unit 210, a single item code reading unit 220, a storage location acquisition unit 230, a specific request unit 240, a linking request unit 250, a list registration unit 260, a list display unit 270, and a list removal unit 280. The terminal 20 according to this modified example differs from the embodiment in that it further includes a product information storage unit 201.

[0159] The product information storage unit 201 stores a product database that stores product information. The product database stored in the product information storage unit 201 is a subset (i.e., a part of the product database) of the product database stored in the product information storage unit 101 of the management device 10. In other words, the product information storage unit 201 caches the product database managed by the management device 10.

[0160] A subset of the product database could, for example, be the records with the highest number of code reads. The number of reads could be the number of times the code displayed on the product was read, the number of times the code displayed on the case was read, or the sum of both. The records with the highest number of reads could be obtained, for example, by sorting the records in the product database in descending order of read count and extracting a predetermined number or percentage of records from the beginning. The predetermined percentage could be, for example, around 20%.

[0161] A subset of the product database may, for example, be records whose elapsed time since the last identification request was sent is less than or equal to a threshold. The product information storage unit 201 may store records containing the case ID included in the identification request and the product ID included in the identification result when the identification request unit 240 receives an identification result indicating that it has successfully identified the product information. Records stored in the product information storage unit 201 may be automatically deleted after a predetermined time has elapsed.

[0162] The specific request unit 240 identifies product information based on a subset of the product database stored in the product information storage unit 201. The specific request unit 240 may also extract product information associated with a case ID from a subset of the product database based on the code (i.e., case ID) read by the case code reading unit 210. The specific request unit 240 may also extract product information to which a product ID is set from a subset of the product database based on the code (i.e., product ID) read by the single item code reading unit 220.

[0163] If the identification request unit 240 cannot identify product information based on a subset of the product database, it requests the management device 10 to identify the product information. The identification request unit 240 may also send the product information identification request to the management device 10. The product information identification request may include a code (case ID or product ID) that does not allow the product information to be identified based on a subset of the product database.

[0164] <Flowchart for product identification process> The product identification process performed by the product management system 1000 according to Modification 1 will be explained with reference to Figure 19. Figure 19 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the product identification process according to Modification 1.

[0165] The product identification process is the process of identifying product information based on the code displayed on the case. The product identification process corresponds to steps S103 to S106 of the manual product registration process (see Figure 14), and steps S405 to S408 of the pickup process (see Figure 17).

[0166] In step S501, the case code reading unit 210 of terminal 20 requests employee 21 to read the code displayed on the case. The case code reading unit 210 reads the code displayed on the case using a reading device in response to the operation by employee 21. The case code reading unit 210 obtains the case ID by recognizing the read code. The case code reading unit 210 sends the obtained case ID to the identification request unit 240.

[0167] In step S502, the request identification unit 240 of terminal 20 receives a case ID from the case code reading unit 210. Based on the case ID, the request identification unit 240 identifies the product information. Specifically, the request identification unit 240 extracts the product information associated with the case ID from a subset of the product database stored in the product information storage unit 201.

[0168] In step S503, the identification request unit 240 of the terminal 20 determines whether or not it was able to identify the product information. For example, the identification request unit 240 may determine that it succeeded in identifying the product information if it was able to extract one or more product information items from a subset of the product database. On the other hand, the identification request unit 240 may determine that it failed to identify the product information if it was not able to extract product information from a subset of the product database.

[0169] If product information can be identified, the identification request unit 240 sends the product ID included in the identified product information to the linking request unit 250 and terminates the product identification process. On the other hand, if product information cannot be identified, the identification request unit 240 proceeds to step S504.

[0170] In step S504, the identification request unit 240 of terminal 20 generates an identification request for product information. This identification request includes the case ID obtained by the case code reading unit 210. The identification request unit 240 transmits the identification request for product information to the management device 10.

[0171] In step S505, the product information identification unit 130 of the management device 10 receives a product information identification request from the terminal 20. The product information identification unit 130 identifies the product information based on the case ID included in the received identification request. Specifically, the product information identification unit 130 extracts the product information associated with the case ID from the product database stored in the product information storage unit 101.

[0172] In step S506, the product information identification unit 130 of the management device 10 generates an identification result in response to the identification request. If one or more product information items are identified in step S505, the product information identification unit 130 generates an identification result that includes the identified product information and indicates that the product information identification was successful. On the other hand, if no product information is identified in step S505, the product information identification unit 130 generates an identification result that does not include product information and indicates that the product information identification failed. The product information identification unit 130 transmits the generated identification result to the terminal 20.

[0173] <Effects of Modification Example 1> In the modified version 1 of the product management system 1000, the terminal 20 stores a portion of the product database, and if it cannot identify product information based on that portion of the product database, it sends an identification request to the management device 10. In other words, the terminal 20 does not send an identification request to the management device 10 as long as the product database related to the code it has read is stored in the product information storage unit 201. In one aspect, this modified version can reduce the amount of communication between the management device 10 and the terminal 20. In another aspect, this modified version can speed up the response time when an employee 21 reads a code displayed on a case, thereby improving the efficiency of stocking operations.

[0174] [Differentiation 2] In the above embodiment, a configuration was described in which the storage location of the items to be picked up, which are registered in the picking list, is displayed on the display device of the terminal 20 during the picking process. Modification 2 describes a configuration in which the storage location of the items to be picked up is notified using a notification device.

[0175] The following describes the product management system 1000 according to Modification 2, focusing on the differences from the embodiment. Unless otherwise specified, the product management system 1000 may be configured in the same way as the embodiment.

[0176] In the pickup process according to Modification 2, the storage location of the items registered in the stocking list is notified to employee 21 using a notification device. The notification device may be pre-installed in the area, cart, or section where the items are stored. When notifying employee 21 of the storage location of the items to be stocked, the notification device installed at that storage location may be activated to notify employee 21 that the items to be stocked are stored at that location.

[0177] The notification device may notify employee 21 in any way that can stimulate the employee's senses. For example, the notification device may be equipped with a light-emitting device and notify employee 21 visually by emitting the light-emitting device. For example, the notification device may be equipped with a sound-emitting device and notify employee 21 auditorily by outputting an acoustic signal from the sound-emitting device.

[0178] The operation of the notification device may be controlled by either the management device 10 or the terminal 20. The product management system 1000 may store identification information that identifies the notification device and information about the storage location where the notification device is installed, linked together. When the management device 10 or the terminal 20 displays the stocking list on the display device of the terminal 20, it obtains the storage location of the products registered in the stocking list and sends a control signal to the notification device installed at that storage location to activate the notification device.

[0179] The management device 10 or terminal 20 may, for example, activate notification devices installed at each storage location for all products registered in the stocking list. The management device 10 or terminal 20 may, for example, activate notification devices installed at the storage location of a selected product when a product is selected from the stocking list.

[0180] The management device 10 or terminal 20 may stop the operation of the notification device once the pickup is complete. For example, the management device 10 or terminal 20 may stop the operation of the notification device installed at the storage location of the product for which the completion operation was performed, in response to the completion operation by employee 21.

[0181] <Effects of Modification 2> In the modified version 2, the product management system 1000 uses a notification device to notify the employee of the storage location of the product to be picked during the picking process. In one respect, this modified version allows the employee 21 to easily find the storage location of the product to be picked. In another respect, because the employee 21 can easily find the storage location of the product to be picked, this modified version makes the picking process more efficient.

[0182] [Difference 3] In the above embodiment, a configuration was described in which the management device 10 manages inventory information by linking product information, storage location information, and the number of products. In Modification 3, a configuration is described in which the management device 10 manages inventory information by linking only product information and the number of products.

[0183] The following describes the product management system 1000 according to Modification 3, focusing on the differences from the embodiment. Unless otherwise specified, the product management system 1000 may be configured in the same way as the embodiment.

[0184] The inventory information storage unit 102 in this modified example stores inventory information. The inventory information in this modified example includes product information of the inventory items and quantity information of the inventory items. In other words, the inventory information in this modified example does not need to include storage location information of the inventory items.

[0185] Figure 20 shows an example of inventory information related to Modification 3. As shown in Figure 20, the inventory information related to this modification may include product name, product ID, trolley ID, number of cases, and number of individual items. The inventory information related to this modification differs from that of the embodiment in that it does not include the storage location.

[0186] The stocking list storage unit 103 in this modified model stores a stocking list. The stocking list in this modified model includes product information for the items to be stocked and the quantity to be stocked. In other words, the stocking list in this modified model does not need to include information about the storage location of the items to be stocked.

[0187] Figure 21 shows an example of a stocking list according to Modification 3. As shown in Figure 21, the stocking list according to this modification may include the product name, product ID, and quantity stocked. The stocking list according to this modification differs from that of the embodiment in that it does not include the storage location.

[0188] ≪Manual Product Registration Process≫ Figure 22 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the manual product registration process related to Modification 3.

[0189] In step S111, the acceptance list acquisition unit 110 of the management device 10 acquires the acceptance list from the delivery management system 30. The acceptance list acquisition unit 110 sends the acquired acceptance list to the inventory information management unit 150.

[0190] In step S112, the case code reading unit 210 of terminal 20 requests employee 21 to read the code displayed on the case. The case code reading unit 210 reads the code displayed on the case using a reading device. The case code reading unit 210 obtains the case ID by recognizing the read code. The case code reading unit 210 sends the obtained case ID to the identification request unit 240 and the association request unit 250.

[0191] In step S113, the identification request unit 240 of terminal 20 receives a case ID from the case code reading unit 210. The identification request unit 240 transmits a product information identification request to the management device 10. This identification request includes the case ID obtained by the case code reading unit 210.

[0192] In step S114, the product information identification unit 130 of the management device 10 receives a product information identification request from the terminal 20. The product information identification unit 130 identifies the product information based on the case ID included in the received identification request. Here, we will continue the explanation assuming that the product information has been successfully identified.

[0193] In step S115, the product information identification unit 130 of the management device 10 generates an identification result for the identification request. This identification result includes product information identified based on the case ID. The product information identification unit 130 transmits the generated identification result to the terminal 20.

[0194] In step S116, the identification request unit 240 of terminal 20 receives the identification result from the management device 10. The identification request unit 240 sends the product ID included in the identification result to the linking request unit 250.

[0195] In step S117, the linking request unit 250 of terminal 20 receives the product ID from the specific request unit 240. The linking request unit 250 sends a registration request for inventory information to the management device 10. This registration request includes the product ID obtained by the specific request unit 240. This registration request may also include the quantity of the product. The quantity of the product may be entered into terminal 20 by employee 21.

[0196] In step S118, the inventory information management unit 150 of the management device 10 receives a request to register inventory information from the terminal 20. The inventory information management unit 150 generates inventory information based on the registration request. The inventory information management unit 150 may also generate inventory information based on the registration request and the acceptance list. The inventory information management unit 150 stores the generated inventory information in the inventory information storage unit 102.

[0197] ≪List Creation Process≫ Figure 23 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the list creation process related to Modification Example 3.

[0198] In step S211, the single-item code reading unit 220 of the terminal 20 requests employee 21 to read the code displayed on the product that needs to be stocked, in response to the employee 21's operation. The single-item code reading unit 220 reads the code displayed on the product that needs to be stocked using a reading device, in response to the employee 21's operation. The single-item code reading unit 220 obtains the product ID by recognizing the read code. The single-item code reading unit 220 sends the obtained product ID to the identification request unit 240.

[0199] In step S212, the identification request unit 240 of terminal 20 receives the product ID from the single-item code reading unit 220. The identification request unit 240 generates an identification request for product information. This identification request includes the product ID received from the single-item code reading unit 220. The identification request unit 240 transmits the identification request for product information to the management device 10.

[0200] In step S213, the product information identification unit 130 of the management device 10 receives a product information identification request from the terminal 20. The product information identification unit 130 identifies the product information based on the product ID included in the received identification request.

[0201] In step S214, the product information identification unit 130 of the management device 10 acquires inventory information for the product to be stocked based on the product ID included in the identification request. Based on the acquired inventory information, the product information identification unit 130 generates information regarding the inventory of the product to be stocked. The inventory information may, for example, be information indicating whether or not the product is in stock, or it may be the number of products stored in the store.

[0202] In step S215, the product information identification unit 130 of the management device 10 generates an identification result for the identification request. This identification result includes the product information identified in step S213 and the inventory information generated in step S214. The product information identification unit 130 transmits the generated identification result to the terminal 20.

[0203] In step S216, the list registration unit 260 of the terminal 20 receives a specification result from the management device 10. Based on the inventory information included in the specification result, the list registration unit 260 determines whether or not inventory is available.

[0204] If the identification result includes information indicating that the item is in stock (for example, if the quantity of the item is 1 or more), the list registration unit 260 may determine that the item is in stock. On the other hand, if the identification result includes information indicating that the item is not in stock (for example, if the quantity of the item is zero), the list registration unit 260 may determine that the item is out of stock.

[0205] If it is determined that the item is in stock (YES), the list registration unit 260 proceeds to step S217. On the other hand, if it is determined that the item is out of stock (NO), the list registration unit 260 proceeds to step S220.

[0206] In step S217, the list registration unit 260 of the terminal 20 displays the product information included in the identification result on the display device and requests the employee 21 to input the number of items to be stocked. The list registration unit 260 accepts the number of items to be stocked entered by the employee 21.

[0207] In step S218, the list registration unit 260 of terminal 20 generates a registration request for the stocking list. This registration request includes the product ID included in the identification result and the quantity to be stocked, which was entered in step S217. The list registration unit 260 transmits the stocking list registration request to the management device 10.

[0208] In step S219, the stocking list management unit 160 of the management device 10 receives a stocking list registration request from the terminal 20. Based on the stocking list registration request, the stocking list management unit 160 obtains inventory information for the products to be stocked. The stocking list management unit 160 associates the product ID and the quantity to be stocked included in the registration request and registers them in the stocking list.

[0209] In step S220, the list registration unit 260 of terminal 20 displays the product information included in the specified result on the display device. The list registration unit 260 displays the availability of stock in association with the product information. The list registration unit 260 may request the employee 21 to place an order for the product. The order operation may, for example, be the operation of pressing the "Order" button displayed on the display device of terminal 20. The order operation may also include the operation of entering the quantity of the product to be ordered.

[0210] The list registration unit 260 generates order information for the product in response to an order operation by the employee 21. The list registration unit 260 may also transmit the order information to the order management system. The order management system is an information processing system that manages product orders from stores. If the product management system 1000 has a function to manage product orders, the list registration unit 260 may also transmit the order information to the management device 10.

[0211] Furthermore, the product management system 1000 does not have to perform the process in step S220. In other words, the product management system 1000 does not have to request an order for the product to be stocked if it is determined that the product to be stocked is out of stock. In this case, the terminal 20 may display at least one of the product information or the availability of the product to be stocked on the display device. The terminal 20 may display at least one of the product information or the availability of the product and request the employee 21 to perform a confirmation operation. The product management system 1000 may terminate the list creation process for the product in question in response to the confirmation operation by the employee 21.

[0212] <Effects of Modified Example 3> The product management system 1000 in Modification 3 manages inventory information by linking only product information and the quantity of products. In one respect, according to this modification, inventory information can be registered simply by reading the code displayed on the case. In another respect, according to this modification, employees do not need to input the storage location of the products, thus streamlining the manual product registration process.

[0213] Furthermore, the product management system 1000 according to Modification 3 displays information regarding the inventory of products to be stocked and requests employees to place an order if the product is out of stock. In one respect, this Modification makes it easy to check whether or not products to be stocked are in stock. In another respect, this Modification makes store operations more efficient because it allows the store to proceed with an order if the product to be stocked is out of stock.

[0214] [Differentiation Example 4] In the above embodiment, the terminal 20 is configured to read the code displayed on the case using a code-reading device such as a barcode reader, and to identify the product contained in the case based on the code displayed on the case. In Modification 4, the terminal 20 is equipped with an imaging device, which is an example of a reading device, and is configured to recognize the product contained in the case based on images taken of one or more cases.

[0215] The following describes the product management system 1000 according to Modification 4, focusing on the differences from the embodiment. Unless otherwise specified, the product management system 1000 may be configured in the same way as the embodiment.

[0216] The modified terminal 20 includes an imaging device as a reading device. The imaging device may generate images using an image sensor such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor), for example. The imaging device may be a monocular camera or a compound camera, for example. The terminal 20 may be equipped with multiple imaging devices. The terminal 20 may be a smartphone, for example.

[0217] The terminal 20 in this modified example acquires an image containing one or more cases. The terminal 20 may also acquire an image containing one or more cases using an imaging device. The terminal 20 may also acquire an image of one or more cases captured by a fixed imaging device installed in the store. As an example, the terminal 20 may acquire an image of a cart loaded with multiple cases. When acquiring an image captured by a fixed imaging device, the terminal 20 does not need to have an imaging device.

[0218] Terminal 20 recognizes the products contained in a case based on an image that includes one or more cases. Terminal 20 may also recognize the quantity of cases based on an image that includes one or more cases.

[0219] For example, terminal 20 may recognize areas in which cases are captured from an image containing one or more cases. Terminal 20 may recognize the products contained in each area in which cases are captured. For example, terminal 20 may recognize products based on a code displayed on the case. Alternatively, terminal 20 may recognize products based on the design of the case. The design of the case may include, for example, patterns, images, strings of text, etc., displayed on the case and their arrangement. Terminal 20 may obtain the number of case areas recognized from the image as the number of cases.

[0220] As another example, terminal 20 may recognize areas in an image containing one or more cases where codes are captured. Terminal 20 may recognize a product for each area where a code is captured. Terminal 20 may obtain the number of code areas recognized from the image as the number of cases.

[0221] Terminal 20 sends a request to the management device 10 to link products to their storage locations based on the image recognition results. The request to link products to their storage locations may include a product ID that identifies the recognized product, storage location information, and the number of products. If the recognition results include multiple types of products, terminal 20 may send a request to the management device 10 to link products to their storage locations for each type of product.

[0222] Terminal 20 may receive storage location information entered by employee 21. Terminal 20 may identify storage location information based on the image capture position. If an image is captured with the imaging device of terminal 20, terminal 20 may identify storage location information based on the location information of terminal 20. If an image is captured with a fixed imaging device, terminal 20 may identify storage location information based on the position and field of view of the imaging device.

[0223] The management device 10 generates inventory information in response to a linking request from the terminal 20. The management device 10 stores the generated inventory information in the inventory information storage unit 102.

[0224] <Effects of Modification 4> The product management system 1000 according to Modification 4 recognizes the products contained in a case based on an image of one or more cases. If multiple cases are captured in the image, the product management system 1000 may recognize the quantity of each product along with the products themselves. In one respect, according to this modification, inventory information can be registered simply by capturing images of the cases with an imaging device. In another respect, according to this modification, employees do not need to input the quantity of inventory products, thus streamlining the manual product registration process.

[0225] <Summary> As is clear from the above description, terminal 20 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure acquires storage location information indicating the storage location of the goods, acquires a case ID that identifies the case containing the goods, acquires a product ID that identifies the goods contained in the case based on the case ID, and registers the product ID in association with the storage location information.

[0226] Terminal 20 may, when a product stored in a storage location is to be put out, obtain the product ID, retrieve the storage location information registered in association with the obtained product ID, and notify the storage location based on the obtained storage location information.

[0227] The storage location may be a storage area for goods within the store's back room. Stocking may include transporting goods from the back room to the sales floor of the store.

[0228] Terminal 20 may obtain a product ID that identifies the product contained in the container based on the case ID. Terminal 20 may obtain storage location information by reading a code that encodes the storage location information. The code may be displayed at the storage location. Terminal 20 may accept input of storage location information.

[0229] Terminal 20 may obtain the case ID by reading a second code which encodes the product ID. The second code may be displayed on the container.

[0230] Terminal 20 may obtain the product ID based on a database that links case IDs and product IDs. Terminal 20 may also obtain the product ID from the management device 10 that manages the database.

[0231] Terminal 20 may store a portion of the database. Terminal 20 may obtain a product ID based on a portion of the database. If terminal 20 cannot obtain a product ID based on a portion of the database, it may obtain a product ID from the management device 10.

[0232] The product management system 1000 may include a terminal 20 that acquires a storage location in the back room where the containers containing the products are stored, a product ID that identifies the product, and storage location information indicating the storage location where the containers containing the products are stored, and registers the product and the storage location where the containers containing the products are stored, based on the product ID and storage location information. When a product is brought out from the back room, the product management system 1000 may notify the storage location registered in association with the product being brought out.

[0233] Terminal 20 may obtain a case ID that identifies the container containing the product, and obtain a product ID that identifies the product based on the obtained case ID. The storage location to be notified when a product is brought out from the back room may be identified based on the product ID that identifies the product being brought out.

[0234] The product management system 1000 may include a cart that is delivered to the store with containers containing the products loaded on it, transported to the store's sales floor, and then taken back to the store's backroom with the containers containing the products that remain undisplayed on the sales floor; a storage location in the backroom where the cart is transported and the remaining products, including the cart and containers, are stored; a product ID for identifying the remaining products; and storage location information indicating the storage location where the remaining products are stored. Based on the product ID and storage location information, the terminal 20 may register the remaining products and the storage location where the remaining products are stored by linking them together. When the remaining products are brought out from the backroom, the product management system 1000 may notify the store of the storage location registered in association with the remaining products.

[0235] Thus, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a device can be provided that allows for easy management of product storage locations. In one aspect, according to one embodiment, a store employee can associate and register a product with its storage location simply by reading a code displayed on the product's storage location and a code displayed on the case containing the product.

[0236] [Hardware configuration of information processing equipment] In the embodiments described above, some or all of the devices (management device 10, terminal 20, and delivery management system 30) may be composed of hardware, or they may be composed of information processing by software (programs) executed by a CPU (Central Processing Unit), GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), etc. If they are composed of information processing by software, the software that realizes at least some of the functions of each device in the embodiments described above may be stored on a non-temporary storage medium (non-temporary computer-readable medium) such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc-Read Only Memory) or USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory, and the information processing of the software may be executed by loading it into a computer. Alternatively, the software may be downloaded via a communication network. Furthermore, all or part of the processing of the software may be implemented in a circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), so that the information processing by the software is executed by hardware.

[0237] The storage medium for the software may be a removable medium such as an optical disc, or a fixed storage medium such as a hard disk or memory. Furthermore, the storage medium may be located inside the computer (main memory, auxiliary storage, etc.) or outside the computer.

[0238] Figure 24 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of each device (management device 10, terminal 20, and delivery management system 30) in the embodiment described above. Each device may be implemented as a computer 7, for example, comprising a processor 71, main memory 72 (memory), auxiliary memory 73 (memory), network interface 74, and device interface 75, which are connected via a bus 76.

[0239] The computer 7 in Figure 24 has one of each component, but it may have multiple identical components. Also, although Figure 24 shows one computer 7, the software may be installed on multiple computers, and each of these computers may execute the same or different parts of the software's processing. In this case, it may be a distributed computing configuration in which each computer communicates via a network interface 74 or the like to execute processing. In other words, each device in the above-described embodiment (management device 10, terminal 20, and delivery management system 30) may be configured as a system that realizes its function by one or more computers executing instructions stored in one or more storage devices. Alternatively, it may be configured so that information transmitted from the terminal is processed by one or more computers located on the cloud, and the processing results are transmitted to the terminal.

[0240] The various calculations performed by each device (management device 10, terminal 20, and delivery management system 30) in the embodiments described above may be performed in parallel using one or more processors, or using multiple computers via a network. Alternatively, the various calculations may be distributed to multiple processing cores within a processor and performed in parallel. Furthermore, some or all of the processing and means of this disclosure may be implemented by at least one of a processor and a storage device located on a cloud that can communicate with computer 7 via a network. Thus, each device in the embodiments described above may be implemented in the form of parallel computing using one or more computers.

[0241] The processor 71 may be an electronic circuit (processing circuit, processing circuitry, CPU, GPU, FPGA, ASIC, etc.) that performs either control or calculations of a computer. The processor 71 may also be a general-purpose processor, a dedicated processing circuit designed to perform specific calculations, or a semiconductor device that includes both a general-purpose processor and a dedicated processing circuit. Furthermore, the processor 71 may include optical circuits or quantum computing-based calculation functions.

[0242] The processor 71 may perform calculations based on data and software input from various devices within the computer 7, and may output calculation results and control signals to these devices. The processor 71 may also control the various components of the computer 7 by executing the computer 7's OS (Operating System) or applications.

[0243] Each of the devices in the above-described embodiment (management device 10, terminal 20, and delivery management system 30) may be implemented by one or more processors 71. Here, the processor 71 may refer to one or more electronic circuits arranged on one chip, or one or more electronic circuits arranged on two or more chips or two or more devices. When multiple electronic circuits are used, each electronic circuit may communicate by wire or wireless.

[0244] The main memory 72 may store instructions executed by the processor 71 and various data, and the information stored in the main memory 72 may be read by the processor 71. The auxiliary memory 73 is a memory device other than the main memory 72. These memory devices refer to any electronic component capable of storing electronic information, and may be semiconductor memory. The semiconductor memory may be either volatile memory or non-volatile memory. In the above-described embodiment, the memory devices for storing various data in each device (management device 10, terminal 20, and delivery management system 30) may be implemented by the main memory 72 or the auxiliary memory 73, or by the built-in memory of the processor 71. For example, each storage unit in the above-described embodiment may be implemented by the main memory 72 or the auxiliary memory 73.

[0245] In the embodiments described above, if each device (management device 10, terminal 20, and delivery management system 30) consists of at least one storage device (memory) and at least one processor connected to (coupled with) this at least one storage device, then at least one processor may be connected to one storage device. Also, at least one storage device may be connected to one processor. Furthermore, the configuration may include at least one processor among a plurality of processors being connected to at least one storage device among a plurality of storage devices. This configuration may also be realized by storage devices and processors included in a plurality of computers. Furthermore, the configuration may include a storage device integrated with a processor (for example, a cache memory including an L1 cache and an L2 cache).

[0246] The network interface 74 is an interface for connecting to the communication network 8 wirelessly or via a wired connection. The network interface 74 can be any appropriate interface, such as one conforming to existing communication standards. Information may be exchanged between the computer 7 and an external device 9A connected via the communication network 8 through the network interface 74. The communication network 8 may be a WAN (Wide Area Network), LAN (Local Area Network), PAN (Personal Area Network), or a combination thereof, as long as information is exchanged between the computer 7 and the external device 9A. An example of a WAN is the Internet, an example of a LAN is IEEE 802.11 or Ethernet (registered trademark), and an example of a PAN is Bluetooth (registered trademark) or NFC (Near Field Communication).

[0247] The device interface 75 is an interface such as USB that connects directly to the external device 9B.

[0248] External device 9A is a device connected to computer 7 via a network. External device 9B is a device directly connected to computer 7.

[0249] External device 9A or external device 9B may, for example, be an input device. The input device may be a camera, microphone, motion capture device, various sensors, keyboard, mouse, touch panel, etc., and provides the acquired information to the computer 7. Alternatively, it may be a device equipped with an input unit, memory, and processor, such as a personal computer, tablet terminal, or smartphone.

[0250] Furthermore, external device 9A or external device 9B may, for example, be an output device. The output device may be a display device such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) panel, or a speaker that outputs sound, etc. It may also be a device equipped with an output unit, memory, and a processor, such as a personal computer, tablet terminal, or smartphone.

[0251] Furthermore, external devices 9A and 9B may be storage devices (memory). For example, external device 9A may be network storage, and external device 9B may be storage such as an HDD.

[0252] Furthermore, the external device 9A or external device 9B may be a device that has some of the functions of the components of each device (management device 10, terminal 20, and delivery management system 30) in the embodiment described above. In other words, the computer 7 may transmit some or all of the processing results to the external device 9A or external device 9B, or may receive some or all of the processing results from the external device 9A or external device 9B.

[0253] In this specification (including the claims), when the expression "at least one of a, b, and c" or "at least one of a, b, or c" (including similar expressions) is used, it includes any of a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc. Furthermore, any element may have multiple instances, such as aa, abb, aabbcc, etc. In addition, it is also possible to add other elements other than the enumerated elements (a, b, and c), such as abcd which has d.

[0254] In this specification (including the claims), when expressions such as "using data as input / based on data / according to / in accordance with data" (including similar expressions) are used, unless otherwise specified, this includes using the data itself or using data that has been processed in some way (e.g., data with added noise, normalized data, features extracted from the data, intermediate representations of the data, etc.). Furthermore, when it is stated that some result is obtained "using data as input / based on data / according to / in accordance with data" (including similar expressions), unless otherwise specified, this includes cases where the result is obtained based solely on the data in question or where the result is influenced by other data, factors, conditions, and / or states other than the data in question. Furthermore, when it is stated that "data is output" (including similar expressions), unless otherwise specified, this includes cases where the data itself is used as output or where data that has been processed in some way (e.g., data with added noise, normalized data, features extracted from the data, intermediate representations of various types of data, etc.) is used as output.

[0255] In this specification (including the claims), the terms “connected” and “coupled” are intended to be non-restrictive terms that include any direct connection / coupling, indirect connection / coupling, electrical connection / coupling, communicative connection / coupling, operational connection / coupling, physical connection / coupling, etc. The terms should be interpreted as appropriate in the context in which they are used, but any form of connection / coupling that is not intentionally or naturally excluded should be interpreted non-restrictively as being included in the terms.

[0256] In this specification (including the claims), when the expression "A configured to B" is used, it may include that the physical structure of element A has a configuration capable of performing operation B, and that the permanent or temporary setting / configuration of element A is configured to actually perform operation B. For example, if element A is a general-purpose processor, it is sufficient that the processor has a hardware configuration capable of performing operation B, and that it is configured to actually perform operation B by the setting of a permanent or temporary program (instruction). Furthermore, if element A is a dedicated processor, dedicated arithmetic circuit, etc., it is sufficient that the circuit structure of the processor is implemented to actually perform operation B, regardless of whether control instructions and data are actually attached.

[0257] Wherever terms meaning "comprising" or "possessing" (e.g., "comprising / including," "having," etc.) are used herein, they are intended to be open-ended terms, including cases where the subject matter of such terms is not the object of the term. Where the object of such terms meaning "comprising" or "possessing" is an expression that does not specify a quantity or suggests a singular number (an expression with the article "a" or "an"), such expression should be interpreted as not being limited to a specific number.

[0258] In this specification (including the claims), even if expressions such as "one or more" or "at least one" are used in some places, and expressions that do not specify a quantity or suggest a singularity (expressions using the articles a or an) are used in other places, the latter expressions are not intended to mean "one." In general, expressions that do not specify a quantity or suggest a singularity (expressions using the articles a or an) should not necessarily be interpreted as not being limited to a specific number.

[0259] In this specification, if a particular configuration of an embodiment is described as having a specific advantage or result, it should be understood, unless otherwise stated, that the same advantage or result can also be obtained from one or more other embodiments having that configuration. However, it should be understood that the presence or absence of such advantage or result generally depends on various factors, conditions, and / or states, and that the configuration does not necessarily guarantee that the advantage or result can be obtained. The advantage or result can only be obtained from the configuration described in the embodiment when various factors, conditions, and / or states are met, and the advantage or result cannot necessarily be obtained in the invention claimed to define that configuration or a similar configuration.

[0260] In this specification (including the claims), when multiple hardware components perform a predetermined process, each component may cooperate to perform the predetermined process, or some components may perform all of the predetermined process. Alternatively, some components may perform part of the predetermined process, while other components perform the remainder. In this specification (including the claims), when expressions such as "one or more hardware components perform a first process, and the one or more hardware components perform a second process" (including similar expressions) are used, the hardware component performing the first process and the hardware component performing the second process may be the same or different. In other words, it is sufficient that the hardware component performing the first process and the hardware component performing the second process are included in the one or more hardware components. Hardware may include electronic circuits, devices containing electronic circuits, etc.

[0261] In this specification (including the claims), when a plurality of storage devices (memories) store data, each of the plurality of storage devices may store only a part of the data or may store all of the data. Also, a configuration in which some of the plurality of storage devices store data may be included.

[0262] In this specification (including the claims), terms such as "first", "second", etc. are used merely as a way to distinguish between two or more elements, and do not necessarily intend to impose a technical meaning such as a temporal aspect, a spatial aspect, an order, a quantity, etc. on the object. Therefore, for example, a reference to a first element and a second element does not necessarily mean that only two elements can be employed there, that the first element must precede the second element, that the first element must exist for the second element to exist, etc.

[0263] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail above, the present disclosure is not limited to the individual embodiments described above. Various additions, changes, replacements, partial deletions, etc. are possible without departing from the conceptual ideas and spirit of the present invention derived from the content defined in the claims and their equivalents. For example, in the embodiments described above, when numerical values or mathematical formulas are used in the description, these are shown for illustrative purposes and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure. Also, the order of each operation shown in the embodiments is also illustrative and does not limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0264] Note that in the disclosed technology, forms such as the following supplementary notes can be considered.

[0265] (Supplementary Note 1) At least one memory, At least one processor, The at least one processor acquires storage location information indicating a storage location of a product, First identification information is obtained to identify the container containing the aforementioned product. The second identification information, which identifies the product contained in the container obtained based on the first identification information, and the storage location information are linked and registered. Information processing device.

[0266] (Note 2) The aforementioned at least one processor is When the goods stored in the aforementioned storage location are to be put out, the second identification information is obtained, the storage location information registered in association with the obtained second identification information is obtained, and the storage location is notified based on the obtained storage location information. The information processing device described in Appendix 1.

[0267] (Note 3) The aforementioned storage location is a storage location for the aforementioned goods within the back room of the store. The aforementioned stocking includes transporting the goods from the back room to the sales floor of the store. The information processing device described in Appendix 2.

[0268] (Note 4) The aforementioned at least one processor is Based on the first identification information, a second identification information is obtained that identifies the product contained in the container. An information processing device as described in any of the appendices 1 to 3.

[0269] (Note 5) The aforementioned at least one processor is The storage location information is obtained by reading the code that encodes the storage location information. An information processing device as described in any of the appendices 1 to 4.

[0270] (Note 6) The aforementioned code is displayed in the storage location. The information processing device described in Appendix 5.

[0271] (Appendix 7) The at least one processor receives an input of the storage location information, The information processing apparatus according to any one of Appendices 1 to 6.

[0272] (Appendix 8) The at least one processor acquires the first identification information by reading a second code obtained by encoding the first identification information. The information processing apparatus according to any one of Appendices 1 to 7.

[0273] (Appendix 9) The second code is displayed on the container. The information processing apparatus according to Appendix 8.

[0274] (Appendix 10) The at least one processor acquires the second identification information based on a database that associates the first identification information and the second identification information. The information processing apparatus according to any one of Appendices 1 to 9.

[0275] (Appendix 11) The at least one processor acquires the second identification information from a second information processing apparatus that manages the database. The information processing apparatus according to Appendix 10.

[0276] (Appendix 12) The at least one memory stores a part of the database, The at least one processor acquires the second identification information based on a part of the database. The information processing apparatus according to Appendix 11.

[0277] (Appendix 13)[[ID=]64] The at least one processor If the second identification information cannot be obtained based on a portion of the aforementioned database, the second identification information is obtained from the second information processing device. The information processing device described in Appendix 12.

[0278] (Note 14) The storage area in the back room where the containers holding the products are stored, A terminal that acquires identification information to identify the product and storage location information indicating the storage location where the container containing the product is stored, and registers the product and the storage location where the container containing the product is stored, based on the identification information and the storage location information, It has, When the aforementioned product is retrieved from the back room, the storage location registered in association with the retrieved product is notified. Product management system.

[0279] (Note 15) The terminal acquires identification information that identifies the container containing the product, and acquires identification information that identifies the product based on the acquired identification information. The storage location to be notified when the aforementioned product is retrieved from the back room is identified based on the identification information that identifies the aforementioned product being retrieved. Product management system as described in Appendix 14.

[0280] (Note 16) A trolley that is delivered to a store with containers containing the goods loaded on it, transported to the sales floor of the store, and then taken back to the back room of the store with containers containing the goods that remain undisplayed in the sales floor, A storage area in the back room where the trolleys that were brought back are transported and the remaining goods are stored in the containers along with the trolleys, A terminal that acquires identification information for identifying the remaining products and storage location information indicating the storage location where the remaining products are stored, and registers the remaining products and the storage location where the remaining products are stored, based on the identification information and the storage location information, It has, When the remaining goods are retrieved from the back room, the storage location registered in association with the remaining goods is notified. Product management system. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0281] 10: Management device 20: Terminal 30: Delivery Management System 40: Sales Management System 101:Product information storage section 102: Inventory Information Storage Unit 103: Stocking list memory unit 110: Acceptance List Acquisition Department 120: Request Reception Department 130:Product information identification department 140:Product Information Management Department 150: Inventory Information Management Department 160: Stocking List Management Department 210: Case code reading unit 220: Single item code reading unit 230: Storage location acquisition department 240:Specific request section 250: Linking Request Section 260: List Registration Section 270: List display section 280: Unlist section 1000: Product Management System

Claims

1. At least one memory, It comprises at least one processor, The aforementioned at least one processor is We obtain storage location information that indicates where the product is stored. First identification information is obtained to identify the container containing the aforementioned product. The second identification information, which identifies the product contained in the container obtained based on the first identification information, and the storage location information are linked and registered. Information processing device.

2. The aforementioned at least one processor is When the goods stored in the aforementioned storage location are to be put out, the second identification information is obtained, the storage location information registered in association with the obtained second identification information is obtained, and the storage location is notified based on the obtained storage location information. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The aforementioned storage location is a storage location for the aforementioned goods within the back room of the store. The aforementioned stocking includes transporting the goods from the back room to the sales floor of the store. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2.

4. The aforementioned at least one processor is Based on the first identification information, a second identification information is obtained to identify the product contained in the container. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

5. The aforementioned at least one processor is The storage location information is obtained by reading the code that encodes the storage location information. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

6. The aforementioned code is displayed in the storage location. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5.

7. The aforementioned at least one processor is The system accepts input of the aforementioned storage location information. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

8. The aforementioned at least one processor is The first identification information is obtained by reading the second code which encodes the first identification information. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. The second code is displayed on the container. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8.

10. The aforementioned at least one processor is Based on a database that links the first identification information and the second identification information, the second identification information is obtained. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

11. The aforementioned at least one processor is The second identification information is obtained from the second information processing device that manages the database. The information processing apparatus according to claim 10.

12. The aforementioned at least one memory is It stores a portion of the aforementioned database, The aforementioned at least one processor is Based on a portion of the aforementioned database, the second identification information is obtained. The information processing apparatus according to claim 11.

13. The aforementioned at least one processor is If the second identification information cannot be obtained based on a portion of the aforementioned database, the second identification information is obtained from the second information processing device. The information processing apparatus according to claim 12.

14. The storage area in the back room where the containers holding the products are stored, A terminal that acquires identification information to identify the product and storage location information indicating the storage location where the container containing the product is stored, and registers the product and the storage location where the container containing the product is stored, based on the identification information and the storage location information, It has, When the aforementioned product is retrieved from the back room, the storage location registered in association with the retrieved product is notified. Product management system.

15. The terminal acquires identification information that identifies the container containing the product, and acquires identification information that identifies the product based on the acquired identification information. The storage location to be notified when the aforementioned product is retrieved from the back room is identified based on the identification information that identifies the aforementioned product being retrieved. Product management system according to claim 14.

16. A trolley that is delivered to a store with containers containing the goods loaded on it, transported to the sales floor of the store, and then taken back to the back room of the store with containers containing the goods that remain undisplayed in the sales floor, A storage area in the back room where the trolleys that were brought back are transported and the remaining goods are stored in the containers along with the trolleys, A terminal that acquires identification information for identifying the remaining products and storage location information indicating the storage location where the remaining products are stored, and registers the remaining products and the storage location where the remaining products are stored, based on the identification information and the storage location information, It has, When the remaining goods are retrieved from the back room, the storage location registered in association with the remaining goods is notified. Product management system.

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