Recommended devices, systems, methods, and programs

Abstract

The present invention provides a recommendation device, system, method, and program for presenting usable recommendation information to customers who visit a store. [Solution] The recommendation device (100) includes a biometric information acquisition unit (112) that acquires biometric information contained in a captured image taken by a predetermined camera; an authentication request unit (114) that performs personal authentication on the acquired biometric information using an authentication device that stores the biometric information of multiple users; a recommendation information acquisition unit (115) that, if the personal authentication is successful, acquires recommendation information associated with the user who has successfully performed personal authentication; a determination unit (117) that determines whether the recommendation information is available at a predetermined store; and an output unit (118) that outputs the available recommendation information to a predetermined display terminal.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a recommendation device, a system, a method, and a non - temporary computer - readable medium storing a program, and particularly to a non - temporary computer - readable medium storing a recommendation device, a system, a method, and a program for presenting recommendation information to a user.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique in which when a payment function using a predetermined payment service cannot be used, an electronic coupon available in a store is made unavailable, and when the payment function can be used, the electronic coupon and an object for activating the payment function are displayed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] A user may forget the existence of a coupon (recommendation information) they possess and purchase a product. Therefore, the technique according to Patent Document 1 has a problem that the coupons possessed by the user cannot be fully utilized.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve such problems, and an object thereof is to provide a non - temporary computer - readable medium storing a recommendation device, a system, a method, and a program for presenting available recommendation information to a user who has come to the store.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The recommendation device according to this disclosure comprises: biometric information acquisition means for acquiring biometric information contained in a captured image taken by a predetermined camera; authentication request means for performing personal authentication on the acquired biometric information using an authentication device that stores the biometric information of multiple users; recommendation information acquisition means for acquiring recommendation information associated with the user who successfully performed personal authentication if the personal authentication is successful; determination means for determining whether the recommendation information is available at a predetermined store; and output means for outputting the available recommendation information to a predetermined display terminal.

[0007] The recommendation system relating to this disclosure comprises: a camera that captures an image containing the biometric information of a predetermined user; a recommendation device that can communicate with the camera; and an authentication device that stores the user's biometric information and can communicate with the recommendation device. The recommendation device comprises: biometric information acquisition means for acquiring biometric information contained in a captured image taken by the predetermined camera; authentication request means for causing the authentication device to perform personal authentication on the acquired biometric information; recommendation information acquisition means for acquiring recommendation information associated with the user who has successfully performed personal authentication if the personal authentication is successful; determination means for determining whether the recommendation information is available at a predetermined store; and output means for outputting the available recommendation information to a predetermined display terminal.

[0008] The recommendation method relating to this disclosure comprises the steps of: a computer acquiring biometric information contained in a captured image taken by a predetermined camera; a computer performing personal authentication on the acquired biometric information using an authentication device that stores the biometric information of multiple users; if the personal authentication is successful, acquiring recommendation information associated with the user who successfully performed the personal authentication; a computer determining whether the recommendation information is available at a predetermined retail store; and a computer outputting the available recommendation information to a predetermined display terminal.

[0009] The non-temporary computer-readable medium relating to this disclosure contains a program that performs the following steps: acquiring biometric information contained in a captured image taken by a predetermined camera; performing personal authentication on the acquired biometric information using an authentication device that stores the biometric information of multiple users; if the personal authentication is successful, acquiring recommendation information associated with the successfully authenticated user; determining whether the recommendation information is available at a predetermined retail store; and outputting the available recommendation information to a predetermined display terminal.

[0010] The recommendation device relating to this disclosure comprises: biometric information acquisition means for acquiring biometric information contained in a captured image taken by a predetermined camera; personal authentication means for performing personal authentication using the biometric information of multiple users stored in advance with respect to the acquired biometric information; recommendation information acquisition means for acquiring recommendation information associated with the user who has successfully performed personal authentication if the personal authentication is successful; determination means for determining whether the recommendation information is available at a predetermined store; and output means for outputting the available recommendation information to a predetermined display terminal.

[0011] The recommendation method relating to this disclosure comprises the steps of: a computer acquiring biometric information contained in a captured image taken by a predetermined camera; performing personal authentication using the acquired biometric information of multiple users stored in advance; if the personal authentication is successful, acquiring recommendation information associated with the authenticated user; determining whether the recommendation information is available at a predetermined retail store; and outputting the available recommendation information to a predetermined display terminal.

[0012] The non-temporary computer-readable medium relating to this disclosure contains a program that performs the following steps: acquiring biometric information contained in a captured image taken by a predetermined camera; performing personal authentication using the acquired biometric information of multiple users stored in advance; if the personal authentication is successful, acquiring recommendation information associated with the successfully authenticated user; determining whether the recommendation information is available at a predetermined retail store; and outputting the available recommendation information to a predetermined display terminal. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] This disclosure provides a non-temporary computer-readable medium containing recommendation devices, systems, methods, and programs for presenting usable recommendation information to visiting users. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0014] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing the configuration of the recommendation device according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 2] This is a flowchart showing the flow of the recommendation method according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 3] This is a block diagram showing the configuration of the recommendation device according to Embodiment 2. [Figure 4] This is a flowchart showing the flow of the recommendation method according to Embodiment 2. [Figure 5] This is a block diagram showing the configuration of the recommendation system according to Embodiment 3. [Figure 6] This is a block diagram showing the configuration of the authentication device. [Figure 7] This flowchart shows the flow of the biometric information registration process. [Figure 8] A flowchart showing the flow of the personal authentication process. [Figure 9] This block shows the configuration of the service terminal. [Figure 10] This is a block diagram showing the configuration of the user terminal. [Figure 11]It is a block diagram showing the configuration of a service providing device. [Figure 12] It is a flowchart showing the flow of user registration processing. [Figure 13] It is a flowchart showing the flow of service user ID generation processing. [Figure 14] It is a sequence chart showing the flow of recommendation processing. [Figure 15] It is a diagram exemplifying a recommendation information screen displayed on a display terminal. [Figure 16] It is a diagram exemplifying a recommendation information screen displayed on a display terminal. [Figure 17] It is a block diagram showing the configuration of a recommendation system according to Embodiment 4. [Figure 18] It is a block diagram showing the configuration of a service providing device. [Figure 19] It is a flowchart showing the flow of personal information registration processing. [Figure 20] It is a sequence chart showing the flow of recommendation processing. [Figure 21] It is a diagram exemplifying a recommendation information screen displayed on a display terminal.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, the same or corresponding elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted as necessary for clarity of explanation.

[0016] <Embodiment 1> FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a recommendation device 100 according to Embodiment 1. The recommendation device 100 includes a biological information acquisition unit 112, an authentication request unit 114, a recommendation information acquisition unit 115, a determination unit 117, and an output unit 118. The recommendation device 100 is connected to a network 500 (not shown). The network 500 may be wired or wireless. An authentication device 200, a service terminal 300, a user terminal 400, etc. (not shown) are connected to the network 500.

[0017] The biometric information acquisition unit 112 acquires biometric information contained in a captured image taken by a predetermined imaging device. The imaging device is, for example, a service terminal 300, a user terminal 400, or a camera. The service terminal 300 is, for example, a communication terminal such as a tablet. The user terminal 400 is a communication terminal such as a smartphone owned by the user. The authentication request unit 114 performs personal authentication using the acquired biometric information with an authentication device 200 that stores the biometric information of multiple users. If personal authentication is successful, the recommendation information acquisition unit 115 acquires recommendation information associated with the user who successfully performed personal authentication. The determination unit 117 determines whether the recommendation information is available at a predetermined store. The output unit 118 outputs the available recommendation information to a predetermined display terminal. The display terminal is, for example, the service terminal 300 or the user terminal 400.

[0018] Figure 2 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of the recommendation method according to Embodiment 1. First, the biometric information acquisition unit 112 acquires biometric information contained in the captured image taken by a predetermined imaging device (step S101). Next, the authentication request unit 114 uses the authentication device 200, which stores the biometric information of multiple users, to perform personal authentication with the acquired biometric information (step S102). The authentication device 200 has previously linked and stored the user IDs of multiple users with the biometric information of each user. When the authentication device 200 receives a personal authentication request from the recommendation device 100, it compares the biometric information contained in the captured image with the biometric information stored in the authentication device 200 and performs personal authentication by determining whether or not there is a match. If personal authentication is successful, the authentication device 200 sends the successful user ID as part of the determination result back to the recommendation device 100.

[0019] If personal authentication is successful, the recommendation information acquisition unit 115 acquires recommendation information associated with the user who has successfully authenticated (step S103). Next, the determination unit 117 determines whether the recommendation information is available at a predetermined store (step S104). Next, the output unit 118 outputs the available recommendation information to a predetermined display terminal (step S105). In this way, the recommendation method according to this embodiment determines whether the recommendation information associated with the user is available, and therefore can present the user with available recommendation information.

[0020] The recommendation device 100 includes a processor, memory, and storage device (not shown in the figures). The storage device stores a computer program that implements the processing of the recommendation method according to this embodiment. The processor loads the computer program from the storage device into the memory and executes the computer program. In this way, the processor realizes the functions of the biometric information acquisition unit 112, the authentication request unit 114, the recommendation information acquisition unit 115, the determination unit 117, and the output unit 118.

[0021] Alternatively, the biometric information acquisition unit 112, authentication request unit 114, recommendation information acquisition unit 115, determination unit 117, and output unit 118 may each be implemented with dedicated hardware. Furthermore, some or all of the components of each device may be implemented by general-purpose or dedicated circuits, processors, etc., or combinations thereof. These may be configured by a single chip or by multiple chips connected via a bus. Some or all of the components of each device may be implemented by a combination of the above-mentioned circuits, etc., and programs. Furthermore, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), FPGA (field-programmable gate array), etc., can be used as the processor.

[0022] Furthermore, if some or all of the components of the recommendation device 100 are implemented by multiple information processing devices or circuits, these multiple information processing devices or circuits may be centrally located or distributed. For example, the information processing devices or circuits may be implemented in a form in which each is connected via a communication network, such as a client-server system or a cloud computing system. Also, the functions of the recommendation device 100 may be provided in SaaS (Software as a Service) format.

[0023] <Embodiment 2> Embodiment 2 is a modification of Embodiment 1 described above. The recommendation device 100 in Embodiment 1 performed personal authentication using an external authentication device 200. On the other hand, the recommendation device 600 in this embodiment performs personal authentication internally.

[0024] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the recommendation device 600 according to Embodiment 2. Compared to the configuration of the recommendation device 100 shown in Figure 1, the recommendation device 600 has the authentication request unit 114 replaced by the personal authentication unit 121, and an authentication DB (Database), which is not shown, has been added. The authentication DB is information that associates the user's biometric information with the user's user ID. Explanations of each component of the recommendation device 600 that overlap with Embodiment 1 will be omitted as appropriate.

[0025] The personal authentication unit 121 performs personal authentication using the acquired biometric information of multiple users that have been stored in advance. In personal authentication, the personal authentication unit 121 compares the biometric information contained in the captured image with the biometric information stored in the authentication database and determines whether personal authentication is successful or not based on whether there is a match. The authentication database stores the biometric information of multiple registered users. The personal authentication unit 121 transmits the success or failure of personal authentication to the recommendation information acquisition unit 115.

[0026] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of the recommendation method according to Embodiment 2. First, the biometric information acquisition unit 112 acquires biometric information contained in the captured image taken by a predetermined imaging device (step S201). Next, the personal authentication unit 121 performs personal authentication using the acquired biometric information of multiple users that have been stored in advance (step S202). The authentication DB stores in advance the user IDs of multiple users and the biometric information of each user linked together.

[0027] If personal authentication is successful, the recommendation information acquisition unit 115 acquires recommendation information associated with the user who has successfully authenticated (step S203). Next, the determination unit 117 determines whether the recommendation information is available at a predetermined store (step S204). Next, the output unit 118 outputs the available recommendation information to a predetermined display terminal (step S205). The recommendation device according to this embodiment can achieve the same effects as those described in Embodiment 1.

[0028] <Embodiment 3> Embodiment 3 is a specific example of Embodiment 1 described above. Figure 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the recommendation system 700 according to Embodiment 3. The recommendation system 700 comprises a service provision device 100a, an authentication device 200, a service terminal 300, and a user terminal 400. The service provision device 100a, the authentication device 200, the service terminal 300, and the user terminal 400 are each connected via a network 500. Descriptions that overlap with Embodiment 1 will be omitted as appropriate.

[0029] The service provider 100a is an example of a recommendation device. The service provider 100a is an information processing device that performs personal authentication on biometric information contained in captured images, obtains recommendation information associated with users who have successfully been authenticated, and outputs the recommendation information if it is available at a designated sales outlet. The service provider 100a is, for example, a server device implemented by a computer. The authentication device 200 is a device that performs biometric authentication. Biometric authentication is personal authentication using biometric information. The authentication device 200 includes an authentication DB 210. The authentication DB 210 is a database that stores biometric information and the like for each user.

[0030] The service terminal 300 is an information processing device that takes a photograph including biometric information of a user who is about to purchase a product at store A, transmits a personal authentication request including said biometric information to the service provider device 100a, and receives and displays recommendation information if personal authentication is successful. The service terminal 300 is installed inside store A. The user terminal 400 is an information processing device operated by a designated user. The user terminal 400 is, for example, a communication terminal such as a smartphone, tablet, or PC. The user terminal 400 may perform the same processing as the service terminal 300 or a part thereof. Hereinafter, let's assume that user U1 is visiting store A, as shown in Figure 5.

[0031] The service provision device 100a and the service terminal 300 are devices that constitute a system for a service provider to provide services such as the sale of goods to a user. Therefore, the authentication device 200 can be said to be a server that operates as a certification authority for the service provider. In this embodiment, the authentication device 200 operates as a certification authority for multiple service providers.

[0032] The configuration of the authentication device 200 will be described in detail with reference to Figure 6. Figure 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the authentication device 200. The authentication device 200 comprises an authentication DB 210, a user registration unit 220, a service registration unit 230, and an authentication unit 240.

[0033] The authentication database 210 contains information that associates the user ID 211 with the user's service user ID 213 and the user's biometric information 214. The authentication database 210 also stores the service ID 212. Therefore, the authentication database 210 can be described as a database that stores the user ID 211, service ID 212, service user ID 213, and biometric information 214 in association. Here, the service ID 212 is an ID used to identify the service provider. The service user ID 213 is an ID used to identify the user using the service. The biometric information 214 is information used to identify the user. The biometric information 214 may be, for example, facial feature information or fingerprints. Facial feature information is a set of feature points extracted from a captured image of the face region.

[0034] The user registration unit 220 registers the biometric information 214 contained in the captured image in the authentication DB 210. The user registration unit 220 issues a new user ID 211 when registering the biometric information 214. The user registration unit 220 associates the issued user ID 211 with the biometric information 214 contained in the captured image and registers them in the authentication DB 210.

[0035] The service provider 100a sends a user registration request, including a user ID and a service ID, to the authentication device 200. The service registration unit 230 registers the service ID 212 included in the received user registration request in the authentication database 210. When the service registration unit 230 receives a user registration request from the service provider 100a, it issues a new service user ID 213. The service registration unit 230 associates the issued service user ID 213 with the user ID 211 included in the user registration request and registers it in the authentication database 210.

[0036] The authentication unit 240 compares the biometric information extracted from the captured image with the biometric information in the authentication DB 210. If the biometric information matches, the authentication unit 240 determines that personal authentication has been successful; if the biometric information does not match, it determines that personal authentication has failed. The authentication unit 240 returns the success or failure of personal authentication to the service provider device 100a. Whether or not the biometric information matches corresponds to the success or failure of personal authentication. Furthermore, if personal authentication is successful, the authentication unit 240 identifies the user ID associated with the successful biometric information and returns the authentication result, including the identified user ID and a statement that authentication was successful, to the service provider device 100a.

[0037] Referring to Figure 7, the operation of the authentication device 200 when registering the user ID and biometric information in the authentication DB 210 will be explained. Figure 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of the biometric information registration process.

[0038] When registering biometric information, an information registration terminal (not shown) takes a photograph containing the user's biometric information and sends a biometric information registration request to the authentication device 200 via the network 500. The photograph containing biometric information is, for example, an image including the facial region or a fingerprint image. The information registration terminal is, for example, an information processing device such as a personal computer, smartphone, or tablet terminal. The information registration terminal is, for example, a user terminal 400. The biometric information registration request includes the photograph. First, the authentication device 200 obtains the photograph included in the biometric information registration request from the information registration terminal via the network 500 (step S301).

[0039] Next, the user registration unit 220 extracts biometric information contained in the captured image (step S302), issues a user ID corresponding to the extracted biometric information, and registers the user ID and biometric information in the authentication DB 210 (step S303).

[0040] Referring to Figure 8, the operation of the authentication device 200 during personal authentication will be explained. Figure 8 is a flowchart of the personal authentication process. When performing personal authentication, the service terminal 300 takes a picture containing the user's biometric information and sends a personal authentication request to the service provider 100a via the network 500. The personal authentication request includes the picture. First, the service provider 100a transmits the picture or biometric information extracted from the picture to the authentication device 200. The authentication unit 240 acquires biometric information by extracting it from the received picture or by receiving the biometric information (step S401).

[0041] Next, the authentication unit 240 compares the acquired biometric information with the authentication DB 210 (step S402). If the biometric information matches (step S403 Yes), the authentication unit 240 identifies the user ID of the user whose biometric information matches (step S404) and sends a message to the service provider device 100a indicating that personal authentication was successful and the identified user ID (step S405). If no matching biometric information is found (step S403 No), the authentication unit 240 sends a message to the service provider device 100a indicating that personal authentication failed (step S406).

[0042] Next, with reference to Figure 9, the configuration of the service terminal 300 will be described in detail. The service terminal 300 comprises a camera or other imaging device, a display terminal, and a computer as its hardware configuration. The service terminal 300 is a device that performs personal authentication requests using biometric authentication, reads the products selected by the user, and processes payment. The service terminal 300 is, for example, a POS (Point of Sale) terminal that processes payments for products in store A, but is not limited to these.

[0043] Figure 9 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the service terminal 300. The service terminal 300 comprises a camera 310, a storage unit 320, a communication unit 330, a display unit 340, and a control unit 350. The camera 310 is an imaging device that captures images. The storage unit 320 is a storage device that stores programs for realizing each function of the service terminal 300. The communication unit 330 is a communication interface with the network 500. The display unit 340 is a display terminal that displays personal authentication results and recommendation information to the user. The control unit 350 controls the hardware of the service terminal 300. The control unit 350 comprises an image acquisition unit 352, a product reading unit 353, and a payment unit 354.

[0044] The image acquisition unit 352 requests the camera 310 to take a picture. The camera 310 takes a picture of the user's face or fingerprints, etc. The image taken by the camera 310 is used for personal authentication, etc. The image acquisition unit 352 sends a personal authentication request including the captured image to the service provider device 100a. The product reading unit 353 reads the product information of the product selected by the user. The product information is information such as the product name and price. The product reading unit 353 sends a recommendation information request including the read product information to the service provider device 100a. The payment unit 354 makes the payment for the read product. The payment unit 354 may make the payment using biometric authentication or by other methods. The following describes the flow of the payment process when making a payment using biometric authentication.

[0045] When making a payment using biometric authentication, the image acquisition unit 352 of the service terminal 300 acquires an image containing the user's biometric information and sends a personal authentication request to the service provider device 100a. If personal authentication is successful, the product reading unit 353 reads the product information of the product selected by the user and sends a recommendation information request to the service provider device 100a. The recommendation information request shall include the service user ID of the user who successfully authenticated. The payment unit 355 receives the recommendation information and executes the payment for the read product.

[0046] Next, the configuration of the user terminal 400 will be described with reference to Figure 10. The user terminal 400 comprises a camera or other imaging device, a display terminal, and a computer as its hardware configuration. The user terminal 400 is a device that performs personal authentication requests using biometric authentication. Figure 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the user terminal 400. The user terminal 400 comprises a camera 410, a storage unit 420, a communication unit 430, a display unit 440, and a control unit 450. The control unit 450 includes an image acquisition unit 452. The configuration of the user terminal 400 differs from that of the service terminal 300 in that the control unit 450 does not include a product reading unit and a payment unit. The functions of each component of the user terminal 400 are the same as those of each component of the service terminal 300, so their explanation will be omitted.

[0047] The service terminal 300 and the user terminal 400 may also function as information registration terminals. In this case, the service terminal 300 and the user terminal 400 are further equipped with a biometric information registration unit (not shown) and have the function of making biometric information registration requests. The flow of the biometric information registration process will be described below. The explanation will describe the case where the service terminal 300 performs the biometric information registration process, but the user terminal 400 may perform the same process.

[0048] When a biometric information registration request is made, first, the image acquisition unit 352 controls the camera 310 to capture an image containing the user's biometric information. Next, the biometric information registration unit transmits a biometric information registration request, including the captured image, to the authentication device 200 via the network 500. Finally, the biometric information registration unit receives the registration result from the authentication device 200. Alternatively, the biometric information registration unit may transmit a biometric information registration request containing biometric information extracted from the captured image to the authentication device 200.

[0049] The service terminal 300 and the user terminal 400 may also function as recommendation information issuing terminals (not shown). The recommendation information issuing terminal is a terminal that issues recommendation information to the user and transmits said recommendation information to the service provision device 100a. In this case, the service terminal 300 and the user terminal 400 further include a recommendation information issuing unit and a recommendation information registration request unit (not shown), and have the function of making a recommendation information registration request. The recommendation information issuing unit issues recommendation information such as coupons according to the user's actions. User actions include, for example, visiting store A, purchasing products at store A, or logging into a member site operated by store A. The following describes the flow of the recommendation information registration request process when a user issues recommendation information when making a payment (purchasing products) at store A. The explanation will describe the case where the service terminal 300 operates as a recommendation information issuing terminal and performs the recommendation information registration request process, but the user terminal 400 may perform the same process.

[0050] When issuing recommendation information, the recommendation information issuing unit obtains the service user ID of the authenticated user by performing user authentication such as biometric authentication in advance. The product reading unit 353 reads the product information of the product selected by the authenticated user. If the read product information satisfies the recommendation information issuance conditions, the recommendation information issuing unit issues recommendation information to the user. The recommendation information issuance conditions include, for example, that the purchase amount is above a predetermined amount, or that it includes a specific product. Next, the recommendation information registration request unit sends a recommendation information registration request, including the user's service user ID and recommendation information, to the service provision device 100a.

[0051] Next, the configuration of the service provision device 100a will be described in detail with reference to Figure 11. Figure 11 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the service provision device 100a. The service provision device 100a comprises a control unit 110, a storage unit 120, a memory 130, and a communication unit 140.

[0052] The memory unit 120 is a storage device that stores the user database 123 and the program 124. The user database 123 is information that associates recommendation information owned by users with service user IDs. Service user IDs 123b and 123c are identification information that can identify users who use services provided by the service provider, such as name, telephone number, email address, or an arbitrary identification number. Recommendation information 123d and 123e are associated with each service user ID 123b and 123c.

[0053] Recommendation information 123d and 123e are recommendation information owned by each user. Recommendation information may be, for example, a discount coupon that the user can use when purchasing goods at a designated retailer. Alternatively, recommendation information may be points awarded to the user when purchasing goods at a designated retailer. Recommendation information is accompanied by recommendation conditions that make it available. Recommendation conditions may be, for example, user actions such as visiting a designated retailer or purchasing goods at a designated retailer. Recommendation conditions may also include attribute information such as the coupon's expiration date and the products the coupon is applicable to. A designated retailer may be a physical store such as a supermarket or convenience store, or an online shop that sells goods on the internet. Program 124 is a computer program that implements the recommendation processing according to this embodiment.

[0054] Memory 130 is a storage area that temporarily stores the processing contents of the control unit 110, and is a volatile storage device such as RAM (Random Access Memory). Communication unit 140 is an interface that communicates with the outside of the service provision device 100a.

[0055] The control unit 110 comprises at least a registration unit 111, a biometric information acquisition unit 112, an authentication request unit 114, a recommendation information acquisition unit 115, a product acquisition unit 116, a determination unit 117, and an output unit 118, and may further comprise a settlement unit 119. The control unit 110 is a control device that controls the operation of the service provision device 100a, and is, for example, a processor such as a CPU. The control unit 110 loads the program 124 from the storage unit 120 into the memory 130 and executes it. As a result, the control unit 110 realizes the functions of the registration unit 111, the biometric information acquisition unit 112, the authentication request unit 114, the recommendation information acquisition unit 115, the product acquisition unit 116, the determination unit 117, the output unit 118, and the settlement unit 119.

[0056] The registration unit 111 receives a recommendation information registration request from a recommendation information issuing terminal via the network 500. The recommendation information registration request includes a service user ID and the recommendation information of that user. The registration unit 111 associates the received recommendation information with the service user ID included in the received recommendation information registration request and registers it in the user DB 123. However, the recommendation information registration process is not limited to this. The recommendation information issuing terminal is, for example, a service terminal 300 or a user terminal 400.

[0057] The biometric information acquisition unit 112 receives captured images from a camera such as a service terminal 300 and extracts biometric information from the captured images. The biometric information acquisition unit 112 may also receive the biometric information extracted from the captured images. The camera such as a service terminal 300 is installed, for example, in a designated store A. When user U1 visits store A, the camera captures an image containing user U1's biometric information and transmits the image or extracted biometric information to the biometric information acquisition unit 112. In this way, the biometric information acquisition unit 112 acquires the user's biometric information when the user visits the designated store. The timing of when the biometric information acquisition unit 112 acquires the user's biometric information is not particularly limited; for example, the biometric information may be acquired when the user makes a payment at the designated store.

[0058] When the camera of the user terminal 400 is used as the imaging device, the user terminal 400 transmits the current location of the user terminal 400 along with the captured image or biometric information extracted from the captured image to the service provision device 100a. The biometric information acquisition unit 112 receives the current location of the user terminal 400 along with the captured image or biometric information. User U1, for example, when visiting store A, uses the camera of the user terminal 400 to take an image containing their own biometric information. The user terminal 400 transmits the current location of the user terminal 400 (store A) along with the captured image or biometric information to the biometric information acquisition unit 112. In this way, the biometric information acquisition unit 112 acquires the user's biometric information when the user visits a designated store or when the user makes a payment at a designated store, etc.

[0059] The authentication request unit 114, upon acquisition of biometric information, instructs the authentication device 200 to perform personal authentication based on the acquired biometric information. The recommendation information acquisition unit 115, upon successful personal authentication, acquires recommendation information corresponding to the user's service user ID from the user database 123. The product acquisition unit 116 receives a recommendation information request from the payment terminal via the network 500. The recommendation information request includes the service user ID and product information for the product selected by the user. Upon receiving the recommendation information request, the product acquisition unit 116 acquires product information for the product selected by the user.

[0060] The determination unit 117 determines that recommendation information is available if the user's actions at store A meet the recommendation criteria. User actions at store A include, for example, the user visiting a designated store or the user purchasing a product at a designated store. For example, if personal authentication is successful from a service terminal 300 installed in store A, the determination unit 117 determines that the user has visited store A. Furthermore, if the determination unit 117 receives product information for a product selected by a user who has successfully authenticated their personal information, it determines that the user will purchase a product at store A.

[0061] The determination unit 117 may further determine whether the recommendation information is available based on the attribute information included in the recommendation conditions. In this case, the determination unit 117 determines that the recommendation information is available if the acquired product information meets predetermined conditions. For example, the determination unit 117 may determine that the recommendation information is available if the acquired product information includes a specific product. The determination unit 117 may also determine that the recommendation information is available if the user's visit occurred within the validity period of the recommendation information.

[0062] The output unit 118 outputs the recommendation information that has been determined to be available to a predetermined display terminal such as a service terminal 300 or a user terminal 400. If the determination unit 117 determines that the recommendation information is unavailable, the output unit 118 may output the conditions for making the recommendation information available to the predetermined display terminal. For example, if the recommendation condition is the purchase of a product that includes a specific product, and the user has not selected that product, the condition for making the recommendation information available is the selection of that product. In this case, the output unit 118 outputs, for example, that the recommendation information will be available if the user makes an additional purchase of that product.

[0063] Next, with reference to Figure 12, the operation of the service provider 100a during user registration will be explained. Figure 12 is a flowchart showing the flow of the user registration process. The operation of the service provider 100a when registering user U1 in the storage unit 120 will be explained.

[0064] User U1 registers with each service provider. During user registration, User U1 enters their User ID into an information registration terminal such as the service terminal 300 or user terminal 400. Upon receiving the input, the information registration terminal sends a user registration request to the service provider device 100a via the network 500. The user registration request includes the User ID. The registration unit 111 obtains User U1's User ID upon receiving the user registration request (step S501). Next, the communication unit 140 transmits the User ID and the service ID of the service provider device 100a to the authentication device 200 via the network 500 (step S502). The authentication device 200 transmits a service user ID upon receiving the User ID and service ID. The registration unit 111 receives the service user ID (step S503) and registers the service user ID in the user database 123 (step S504).

[0065] Referring to Figure 13, the operation of the authentication device 200 when it receives the user ID and service ID in step S502 will be explained. Figure 13 is a flowchart showing the flow of the service user ID generation process. When the authentication device 200 receives the user ID and service ID (step S601), it issues a new service user ID 213 and registers the service user ID 213 in the authentication DB 210 in association with the received user ID 211 (step S602). The service registration unit 230 returns the issued service user ID 213 to the service provider device 100a (step S603).

[0066] Next, the operation of the recommendation system 700 during the recommendation process will be explained with reference to Figure 14. Figure 14 is a sequence chart showing the flow of the recommendation process. It is assumed that the user has already registered with the service provider device 100a when performing the recommendation process. First, the service terminal 300 acquires biometric information by extracting biometric information from a captured image containing the user's biometric information (step S701). Next, the service terminal 300 transmits the acquired biometric information to the service provider device 100a (step S702). Next, the service provider device 100a makes a personal authentication request to the authentication device 200, including the received biometric information (step S703).

[0067] The authentication device 200 performs personal authentication on the received biometric information and identifies the service user ID of the user who has been successfully authenticated (step S704). Next, the authentication device 200 sends a message to the service provider device 100a indicating that personal authentication was successful and the identified service user ID (step S705). The service provider device 100a identifies the recommendation information associated with the received service user ID (step S706).

[0068] Next, the service terminal 300 reads the product information of the product selected by the user (step S707). Next, the service terminal 300 transmits the identified product information to the service provider 100a (step S708). Step S707 may be performed in parallel with step S701. In this case, product information may be transmitted together with biometric information in step S702. Next, the service provider 100a determines whether the user's actions meet the recommendation conditions of the identified recommendation information (step S709). Next, the service provider 100a outputs the recommendation information to the service terminal 300 (step S710).

[0069] The service terminal 300 presents the received recommendation information to the user. The timing of presenting the recommendation information to the user is, for example, usually before the service terminal 300 processes the payment for the product. The service terminal 300 processes the payment for the product by applying the presented recommendation information. The payment for the product may be made by, for example, biometric authentication or by other methods. Other payment methods include, for example, credit card payment or cash payment. When making a payment by biometric authentication, the biometric information acquired in step S703 may be used for the payment. In this case, it is not necessary to acquire the captured image and perform personal authentication again at the time of payment.

[0070] As described above, the recommendation system according to this embodiment can present recommendation information that meets the recommendation criteria when a user visits a store. Users may possess recommendation information such as coupons and points acquired through applications or the internet. However, for example, if a user possesses many coupons, they may make a payment without realizing that they have usable coupons. The recommendation system according to this embodiment can present a coupon to a user visiting a store if the user's actions meet the coupon's application conditions (recommendation conditions). Therefore, users can easily use coupons that they are eligible to use.

[0071] In the example shown in Figure 14, the case where the service terminal 300 handles payment for goods has been described, but the service provider 100a may also handle payment for goods. In this case, the payment unit 119 of the service provider 100a will execute the payment for the goods. Furthermore, the recommendation system 700 may also include a reader terminal, which is not shown. The reader terminal is, for example, a terminal installed in store A. The reader terminal is a device that requests personal authentication using biometric authentication, reads the goods selected by the user, and presents the user with usable recommendation information.

[0072] For example, before a user takes an item to the register (service terminal 300), they use a reader terminal to capture an image containing biometric information and scan the item they intend to purchase. The reader terminal sends a recommendation information request to the service provider 100a, which includes the biometric information contained in the captured image and the product information of the scanned item. The service provider 100a obtains the recommendation information associated with the user who has successfully authenticated their identity and determines whether the received product information meets the recommendation criteria of the recommendation information. If the recommendation criteria are met, the service provider 100a outputs to the reader terminal that the recommendation information is available. If the recommendation criteria are not met, the service provider 100a outputs to the reader terminal the conditions for making the recommendation information available. In this way, when a reader terminal is installed, a user can know whether the item they intend to purchase meets the recommendation criteria before taking it to the register, and can further select items that meet the recommendation criteria. Therefore, the user's willingness to purchase increases as they try to meet the recommendation criteria. Furthermore, an increase in the user's willingness to purchase is expected to lead to increased sales at the store.

[0073] The user terminal 400 may also function as a reader terminal. In this case, the user terminal 400 is equipped with a product reader (not shown). Specific examples of a reader terminal equipped with a product reader include, for example, a shopping cart and a shopping basket. In this case, the shopping cart or shopping basket is assumed to be able to communicate with the service provider 100a. The shopping cart or shopping basket reads the product information of the product selected by the user using the product reader and transmits a recommendation information request including the product information to the service provider 100a. The service provider 100a determines whether the recommendation information is available based on the product information read by the shopping cart or shopping basket and outputs the determination result to the shopping cart or shopping basket.

[0074] There may be multiple reader terminals. For example, a shopping cart could function as a reader terminal, and multiple reader terminals could be placed on the store floor. Each reader terminal could be placed anywhere on the floor before reaching the checkout counter. In this case, the user could obtain recommendations using the shopping cart, or they could obtain recommendations using the reader terminals placed on the floor.

[0075] Next, the recommendation information displayed on the service terminal 300 and display terminals such as reader terminals will be explained in detail with reference to Figures 15 and 16. Figures 15 and 16 are illustrative diagrams of recommendation information screens displayed on display terminals. The example shown in Figure 15 describes a case where multiple coupons are presented to the user as recommendation information. As shown in Figure 15, in addition to the recommendation information, the recommendation information screen may also display the user's facial image, the date and time of successful personal authentication, etc. The recommendation information screen may also display the current date and time, etc. The "available coupons" shown in Figure 15 are coupons for which the conditions for using the coupon have been met. The conditions for using the coupon are, for example, user actions such as purchasing a specific product.

[0076] In the example shown in Figure 15, multiple available coupons are displayed. Each coupon has a radio button, and when the user presses the radio button, that coupon is selected. Note that multiple coupons may be selected simultaneously. When a coupon is selected and the user presses the "Use selected coupon" button, the screen transitions to the coupon application screen. The coupon application screen displays the QR code (registered trademark) or barcode or other 2D code of the selected coupon.

[0077] If there are coupons for which the conditions for use have not been met, these coupons may be displayed on the recommendation screen as "Other Coupons," as shown in Figure 16. "Other Coupons" do not have a radio button, and users cannot select them. In addition, as shown in Figure 16, the conditions for making the coupon usable may be displayed for "Other Coupons." The conditions for making the coupon usable are the missing conditions for using the coupon, such as purchasing additional products. It is thought that users will see the conditions for making the coupon usable and purchase additional products in order to use the coupon. In other words, displaying "Other Coupons" can further increase the user's purchasing intent.

[0078] In particular, by displaying a recommendation information screen like the one shown in Figure 16 on the reader terminal, users can check whether a coupon can be used before taking their items to the register. If the user fulfills the conditions for using a coupon displayed under "Other Coupons" by purchasing additional items, that coupon will be displayed as an "Available Coupon." Therefore, the user can make a payment to which the coupon is applied. In this way, it is expected that users will purchase additional items to fulfill the conditions for using the coupon. As a result, an increase in sales at the store is expected.

[0079] The following describes specific examples of recommendation information presented by the service provider to the user and recommendation conditions attached to such recommendation information in this embodiment. An example of recommendation information presented by the service provider to the user is a "discount coupon that can be used when making a payment of a predetermined amount or more that includes a specific product." In this case, the recommendation condition is "making a payment of a predetermined amount or more that includes a specific product at a designated store." The determination unit 117 determines that the recommendation information is available if the acquired product information includes a specific product and the payment amount calculated from the product information is equal to or greater than the predetermined amount. The output unit 118 outputs the recommendation information that has been determined to be available. If the product information does not include a specific product, the output unit 118 outputs that the recommendation information can be used if the specific product is purchased further. If the payment amount is less than the predetermined amount, the output unit 118 outputs that the recommendation information can be used if products exceeding the difference in price are purchased further.

[0080] <Embodiment 4> Embodiment 4 is a modified version of Embodiment 3 described above. In the recommendation system 700 according to Embodiment 3, the availability of recommendation information was determined based on the user's actions at store A. On the other hand, in Embodiment 4, recommendation information is determined by considering the user's past behavioral history.

[0081] Figure 17 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the recommendation system 900 according to Embodiment 4. The recommendation system 900 is the same as the recommendation system 700 shown in Figure 5, except that the service provider 100a is replaced by a service provider 800a. For each component of the recommendation system 900, explanations that overlap with Embodiment 3 will be omitted as appropriate. Figure 18 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the service provider 800a according to Embodiment 4. The service provider 800a differs from the service provider 100a in that the service user ID is associated with the behavior history and stored in the user DB 123, the control unit 110 includes a behavior history acquisition unit 122, and the determination unit 117 determines whether recommendation information is available considering the behavior history. Other components are the same, so explanations will be omitted as appropriate.

[0082] The activity history 123f and 123g are the activity history of each user. The activity history includes, for example, the date and time of the user's last visit to store A, or the history of products the user has previously purchased at store A. In addition to the user's activity history at store A, the activity history may also include the user's activity history at group stores of store A. Each service user ID 123b and 123c is associated with recommendation information 123d and 123e and activity history 123f and 123g. The activity history acquisition unit 122 acquires the activity history corresponding to the service user ID of the user who has successfully authenticated from the user DB 123. The determination unit 117 determines whether recommendation information is available based on the user's behavior and the user's activity history.

[0083] Next, with reference to Figure 19, the operation of the service provider 100a during activity history registration will be explained. Figure 19 is a flowchart showing the flow of the activity history registration process. When a user purchases a product at a store of a service provider where they have previously registered as a user, they perform personal authentication from the service terminal 300. After payment, the service terminal 300 sends an activity history registration request to the service provider 100a via the network 500. The activity history registration request includes the service user ID and activity history. In this case, the activity history is the user's payment information. The registration unit 111 receives the activity history registration request and obtains the user's service user ID and activity history (step S801). Next, the registration unit 111 associates the received activity history with the service user ID included in the received activity history registration request and registers it in the user DB 123 (step S802).

[0084] Furthermore, when a user visits a service provider's store, they may perform personal authentication from the service terminal 300, reader terminal, or user terminal. The terminal requesting personal authentication sends a request to the service provider device 100a via the network 500 to register the activity history. In this case, the activity history is the user's visit information. The visit information includes the date and time the user visited the store. In this way, the user's activity history at the service provider's store is registered in the user DB 123.

[0085] Next, the operation of the recommendation system 900 during the recommendation process will be explained with reference to Figure 20. Figure 20 is a sequence chart showing the flow of the recommendation process. It is assumed that the user has already registered with the service provider device 800a when performing the recommendation process. First, the service terminal 300 acquires biometric information by extracting biometric information from a captured image containing the user's biometric information (step S901). Next, the service terminal 300 transmits the acquired biometric information to the service provider device 800a (step S902). Next, the service provider device 800a makes a personal authentication request to the authentication device 200, including the received biometric information (step S903).

[0086] The authentication device 200 performs personal authentication on the received biometric information and identifies the service user ID of the user who has been successfully authenticated (step S904). Next, the authentication device 200 sends a message to the service provider device 800a indicating that personal authentication was successful and the identified service user ID (step S905). The service provider device 800a identifies the recommendation information associated with the received service user ID (step S906). Next, the service provider device 800a identifies the behavioral history associated with the received service user ID (step S906). Step S907 may be performed in parallel with step S906.

[0087] Next, the service terminal 300 reads the product information of the product selected by the user (step S908). Next, the service terminal 300 transmits the identified product information to the service provider 100a (step S909). Step S909 may be performed in parallel with step S901. In this case, product information may be transmitted together with biometric information in step S902. Next, the service provider 100a determines whether the user's actions and the user's behavioral history meet the recommendation conditions of the identified recommendation information (step S910). Next, the service provider 100a outputs the recommendation information to the service terminal 300 (step S911). The service terminal 300 presents the received recommendation information to the user. The timing of presenting the recommendation information to the user is, for example, usually before the service terminal 300 completes the payment for the product. The service terminal 300 applies the presented recommendation information and completes the payment for the product.

[0088] The following describes specific examples of recommendation information presented by the service provider to the user and recommendation conditions attached to such recommendation information in this embodiment. An example of recommendation information presented by the service provider to the user is a "discount coupon that can be used if the user has visited a designated store a predetermined number of times or more within a predetermined period." In this case, the recommendation condition is "the user visits the designated store a predetermined number of times or more within a predetermined period." The determination unit 117 calculates the number of visits to the designated store within the predetermined period from the acquired behavioral history, and determines that the recommendation information is available if the number of visits is above the predetermined number. The output unit 118 outputs the recommendation information that has been determined to be available.

[0089] Furthermore, if the number of visits is less than a predetermined number, the output unit 118 outputs a number of more visits required before the recommendation information becomes available. In this case, the timing at which the designated display terminal presents the recommendation information to the user may be after the payment for the goods has been made. The designated display terminal may be, for example, a cash register or a reader terminal installed in front of the cash register. By displaying the recommendation information on the cash register or a reader terminal installed in front of the cash register, the user can find out how many more visits are required before or after payment to use the coupon.

[0090] Figure 21 illustrates a recommendation information screen displayed on a display terminal. As shown in Figure 21, if there are coupons for which the conditions for use (e.g., number of visits) have not been met, the coupon will be displayed on the recommendation information screen as "Coupon usable from your next visit onwards." The "Coupon usable from your next visit onwards" section displays the conditions for using the coupon (e.g., how many more visits are needed to make the recommendation information available). The "Coupon usable from your next visit onwards" section may also display the coupon's validity period, etc. If the recommendation conditions are not met at the time, but the recommendation information can be used by visiting again within a specified period, this can increase the user's willingness to visit. As a result, an increase in the number of visits by users can be expected, leading to increased sales at the store.

[0091] In the example shown in Figure 21, we explained the case where a single coupon whose conditions for use are not met is displayed on the display terminal as "a coupon usable on your next visit or later." However, multiple "coupons usable on your next visit or later" may be displayed on the display terminal. In this case, the user may be able to select multiple coupons simultaneously. Furthermore, the display terminal may simultaneously display "coupons usable on your next visit or later" and at least one of "available coupons" and "other coupons" as shown in Figure 16.

[0092] Another specific example of recommendation information presented to users by service providers is, for example, "a discount coupon usable when the cumulative purchase amount at a designated store and its group stores exceeds a predetermined amount." In this case, the recommendation condition is "the cumulative purchase amount at the designated store and its group stores exceeds a predetermined amount." The determination unit 117 calculates the total payment amount at the designated store and its group stores from the acquired behavioral history, and determines that the recommendation information is available if the total amount is above the predetermined amount. The output unit 118 outputs the recommendation information that has been determined to be available. If the total amount is less than the predetermined amount, the output unit 118 outputs that the recommendation information will be available if the user makes a payment equal to or greater than the difference on their next visit to the store or its group stores.

[0093] Although the above embodiments were described in terms of hardware configuration, the invention is not limited thereto. This disclosure can also be implemented by having the CPU execute a computer program to perform any desired processing.

[0094] In the above example, the program can be stored and supplied to the computer using various types of non-transitory computer-readable medium. Non-transitory computer-readable medium includes various types of tangible storage medium. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable medium include magnetic storage media (e.g., flexible disks, magnetic tapes, hard disk drives), magneto-optical storage media (e.g., magneto-optical disks), CD-ROMs (Read Only Memory), CD-Rs, CD-R / Ws, DVDs (Digital Versatile Discs), and semiconductor memory (e.g., mask ROMs, PROMs (Programmable ROMs), EPROMs (Erasable PROMs), flash ROMs, RAMs (Random Access Memory)). Alternatively, the program may be supplied to the computer by various types of transient computer-readable medium. Examples of transient computer-readable medium include electrical signals, optical signals, and electromagnetic waves. Transitory computer-readable medium can be supplied to the computer via wired communication channels such as electric wires and optical fibers, or via wireless communication channels.

[0095] This disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and may be modified as appropriate without departing from its spirit. Furthermore, this disclosure may be implemented by combining the respective embodiments as appropriate.

[0096] Some or all of the above embodiments may also be described as follows, but are not limited to the following:

[0097] (Note A1) A biological information acquisition unit that acquires biological information contained in images captured by a predetermined imaging device, The acquired biometric information is used by an authentication request unit that performs personal authentication using an authentication device that stores the biometric information of multiple users. If the aforementioned personal authentication is successful, the recommendation information acquisition unit acquires recommendation information associated with the user who successfully authenticated, A determination unit that determines whether the aforementioned recommendation information is available at a designated retailer, An output unit that outputs the available recommendation information to a designated display terminal, A recommendation device equipped with the following features.

[0098] (Appendix A2) The determination unit determines that the recommendation information is available if the user's actions at the designated sales outlet meet the recommendation criteria. Recommended equipment as described in Appendix A1.

[0099] (Note A3) The aforementioned predetermined photographic device is installed in the aforementioned predetermined store, The biometric information acquisition unit acquires the biometric information when the user visits the designated store. Recommended devices as described in Appendix A1 or A2.

[0100] (Note A4) The determination unit determines whether the recommendation information is available at a designated retailer based on the attribute information attached to the recommendation information. A recommended device as described in any one of the appendices A1 to A3.

[0101] (Note A5) The system further includes a product acquisition unit that acquires product information of the product selected by the user at the aforementioned designated retail store. The determination unit determines whether the user can use the recommendation information based on the acquired product information. A recommended device as described in any one of the appendices A1 to A4.

[0102] (Note A6) The determination unit determines that the user can use the recommendation information if the acquired product information meets predetermined conditions. Recommended equipment as described in Appendix A5.

[0103] (Note A7) The determination unit determines that the user can use the recommendation information if the total amount calculated from the acquired product information is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount. Recommended equipment as described in Appendix A6.

[0104] (Note A8) The determination unit determines that if a specific product is included in the acquired product information, the user can use the recommendation information. Recommended devices as described in Appendix A6 or A7.

[0105] (Note A9) The output unit, if the specific product is not included in the acquired product information, outputs a statement indicating that the recommendation information will be available if the product is purchased further. Recommended equipment as described in Appendix A8.

[0106] (Note A10) The system includes a settlement unit that settles the payment for the selected products, The settlement unit, if the recommendation information is available, will perform the settlement using the recommendation information. A recommended device as described in any one of the items A5 to A9 in the appendix.

[0107] (Note A11) The biometric information acquisition unit acquires the biometric information when the user makes a payment at the predetermined retail store. Recommended equipment as described in Appendix A10.

[0108] (Note A12) The aforementioned recommendation information is a coupon that can be used at the aforementioned designated retail store. A recommended device as described in any one of the appendices A1 to A11.

[0109] (Note B1) A camera that captures images containing the biometric information of a designated user, A recommendation device capable of communicating with the aforementioned imaging device, The system includes an authentication device that stores the user's biometric information and can communicate with the recommendation device, The aforementioned recommendation device is A biological information acquisition unit that acquires biological information contained in images captured by a predetermined imaging device, An authentication request unit that uses the authentication device to perform personal authentication with respect to the acquired biometric information, If the aforementioned personal authentication is successful, the recommendation information acquisition unit acquires recommendation information associated with the user who successfully authenticated, A determination unit that determines whether the aforementioned recommendation information is available at a designated retailer, An output unit that outputs the available recommendation information to a designated display terminal, A recommendation system equipped with the following features.

[0110] (Note B2) The determination unit determines that the recommendation information is available if the user's actions at the designated sales outlet meet the recommendation criteria. The recommendation system described in Appendix B1.

[0111] (Note C1) Computers A step of acquiring biological information contained in an image captured by a predetermined imaging device, The process involves using an authentication device that stores the biometric information of multiple users to perform personal authentication with respect to the acquired biometric information, If the aforementioned personal authentication is successful, the process involves obtaining recommendation information associated with the user who successfully underwent personal authentication, A step of determining whether the aforementioned recommendation information is available at a designated retailer, The process of outputting the available recommendation information to a designated display terminal, A recommendation method that includes the following features.

[0112] (Note D1) A step of acquiring biological information contained in an image captured by a predetermined imaging device, The process involves using an authentication device that stores the biometric information of multiple users to perform personal authentication with respect to the acquired biometric information, If the aforementioned personal authentication is successful, the process involves obtaining recommendation information associated with the user who successfully underwent personal authentication, A step of determining whether the aforementioned recommendation information is available at a designated retailer, The process of outputting the available recommendation information to a designated display terminal, A non-temporary, computer-readable medium containing recommendation programs that cause a computer to execute a particular action.

[0113] (Note E1) A biological information acquisition unit that acquires biological information contained in images captured by a predetermined imaging device, The acquired biometric information is used by a personal authentication unit that performs personal authentication using the biometric information of multiple users that have been stored in advance. If the aforementioned personal authentication is successful, the recommendation information acquisition unit acquires recommendation information associated with the user who successfully authenticated, A determination unit that determines whether the aforementioned recommendation information is available at a designated retailer, An output unit that outputs the available recommendation information to a designated display terminal, A recommendation device equipped with the following features.

[0114] (Note E2) The determination unit determines that the recommendation information is available if the user's actions at the designated sales outlet meet the recommendation criteria. Recommended equipment as described in Appendix E1.

[0115] (Note F1) Computers A step of acquiring biological information contained in an image captured by a predetermined imaging device, The process involves using the biometric information of multiple users that have been stored in advance to perform personal authentication with respect to the acquired biometric information, If the aforementioned personal authentication is successful, the process involves obtaining recommendation information associated with the user who successfully underwent personal authentication, A step of determining whether the aforementioned recommendation information is available at a designated retailer, The process of outputting the available recommendation information to a designated display terminal, A recommendation method that includes the following features.

[0116] (Note G1) A step of acquiring biological information contained in an image captured by a predetermined imaging device, The process involves using the biometric information of multiple users that have been stored in advance to perform personal authentication with respect to the acquired biometric information, If the aforementioned personal authentication is successful, the process involves obtaining recommendation information associated with the user who successfully underwent personal authentication, A step of determining whether the aforementioned recommendation information is available at a designated retailer, The process of outputting the available recommendation information to a designated display terminal, A non-temporary, computer-readable medium containing recommendation programs that cause a computer to execute a particular action.

[0117] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to embodiments (and examples), the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments (and examples). Various modifications to the structure and details of the present invention can be made, which can be understood by those skilled in the art within the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0118] 100, 600 recommended devices 100a, 800a Service Provisioning Equipment 110 Control Unit 111 Registration Department 112 Biological Information Acquisition Unit 114 Authentication Request Section 115 Recommendation information acquisition department 116 Product Acquisition Department 117 Judgment section 118 Output section 119 Payment Department 120 Storage section 121 Personal Authentication Department 122 Activity History Acquisition Unit 123 User DB 123b, 123c Service User IDs 123d, 123e recommendation information 123f, 123g Activity History 124 Programs 130 memory 140 Communications Department 200 Authentication Devices 210 Authentication DB 211 User ID 212 Service ID 213 Service User ID 214 Biometric Information 220 User Registration Section 230 Service Registration Department 240 Authentication Department 300 service terminals 310 Camera 320 Storage section 330 Communications Department 340 Display section 350 Control Unit 352 Image acquisition unit 353 Product reading unit 354 Payment Department 355 Payment Department 400 user terminals 410 Camera 420 Storage section 430 Communications Department 440 Display section 450 Control Unit 452 Image acquisition unit 500 Networks 700, 900 recommendation system

Claims

1. A biometric information acquisition means for acquiring the user's biometric information by extracting the user's fingerprints contained in the captured image or a collection of feature points extracted from the captured image of the user's face region from a captured image taken by a predetermined imaging device, as the user's biometric information, Authentication request means for requesting personal authentication using the acquired biometric information and the biometric information of each user, which is pre-stored and linked to identification information that identifies each user. If the aforementioned personal authentication is successful, a recommendation information acquisition means obtains recommendation information linked to the identification information that identifies the user who successfully authenticated, Product acquisition means for acquiring product information of the product selected by the user at the aforementioned designated retail store, A determination means for determining whether the recommendation information is available at a designated retailer if at least one of the following conditions is met: the total amount calculated from the acquired product information is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, and a specific product is included in the acquired product information; An output means for outputting the available recommendation information to a designated display terminal, If the aforementioned personal authentication is successful, the system includes a payment method that uses the biometric information of the user who successfully authenticated to process the payment for the selected product. The payment method, if the recommendation information is available, applies the recommendation information to the payment for the product selected by the user who has successfully completed the personal authentication. Recommendation device.

2. The aforementioned predetermined photographic device is installed in the aforementioned predetermined store, The biometric information acquisition means acquires the biometric information when the user visits the designated store. The recommended apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The biometric information acquisition means acquires the biometric information when the user makes a payment at the predetermined store. The recommended apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The aforementioned recommendation information is a coupon that can be used at the aforementioned designated retail store. The recommended apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. A camera that captures images containing the biometric information of a designated user, A recommendation device capable of communicating with the aforementioned imaging device, The system includes an authentication device that stores identification information for each user, including the aforementioned user, in association with the user's biometric information, and is capable of communicating with the recommendation device. The aforementioned recommendation device is A biometric information acquisition means for acquiring the user's biometric information by extracting the user's fingerprints contained in the captured image or a collection of feature points extracted from the captured image of the user's face region from a captured image taken by a predetermined imaging device, as the user's biometric information. Authentication request means for requesting personal authentication using the acquired biometric information and the biometric information of each user, which is pre-stored and linked to identification information that identifies each user. If the aforementioned personal authentication is successful, a recommendation information acquisition means obtains recommendation information linked to the identification information that identifies the user who successfully authenticated, Product acquisition means for acquiring product information of the product selected by the user at the aforementioned designated retail store, A determination means for determining whether the recommendation information is available at a designated retailer if at least one of the following conditions is met: the total amount calculated from the acquired product information is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, and a specific product is included in the acquired product information; An output means for outputting the available recommendation information to a designated display terminal, If the aforementioned personal authentication is successful, the system includes a payment method that uses the biometric information of the user who successfully authenticated to process the payment for the selected product. The payment method, if the recommendation information is available, applies the recommendation information to the payment for the product selected by the user who has successfully completed the personal authentication. Recommendation system.

6. The aforementioned predetermined photographic device is installed in the aforementioned predetermined store, The biometric information acquisition means acquires the biometric information when the user visits the designated store. The recommendation system according to claim 5.

7. Computers The user's biometric information is obtained by extracting the user's fingerprints contained in the captured image or a collection of feature points extracted from the captured image of the user's face region from the captured image captured by a predetermined imaging device, and using this as the user's biometric information. Personal authentication is requested using the acquired biometric information and the biometric information of each user, which is pre-stored and linked to identification information that identifies each user. If the aforementioned personal authentication is successful, the system will obtain recommendation information linked to the identification information that identifies the user who successfully authenticated. At the aforementioned designated retail store, product information of the product selected by the user is obtained, If the total amount calculated from the acquired product information is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, and at least one of the following conditions is met: the acquired product information includes a specific product, then it is determined that the recommendation information is available at the designated retailer. The available recommendation information is output to a designated display terminal. If the personal authentication is successful, the payment for the selected product will be processed using the biometric information of the user who successfully completed the personal authentication. If the aforementioned recommendation information is available, the payment using the aforementioned recommendation information will be made for the product selected by the user who successfully completed the personal authentication. How to recommend.

8. A step of acquiring the user's biometric information by extracting the user's fingerprints contained in the captured image or a collection of feature points extracted from the captured image of the user's face region from a captured image taken with a predetermined imaging device, as the user's biometric information; A step of requesting personal authentication using the acquired biometric information and the biometric information of each user, which is pre-stored and linked to identification information that identifies each user. If the personal authentication is successful, the process involves obtaining recommendation information linked to the identification information that identifies the user who successfully authenticated, The process of obtaining product information of the product selected by the user at the aforementioned designated retail store, A step of determining that the recommendation information is available at a designated retailer if at least one of the following conditions is met: the total amount calculated from the acquired product information is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, and a specific product is included in the acquired product information; The process of outputting the available recommendation information to a designated display terminal, If the aforementioned personal authentication is successful, the computer is instructed to perform the following steps: 1) Settle the payment for the selected product using the biometric information of the user who successfully performed the personal authentication. If the aforementioned recommendation information is available, the computer is instructed to perform the process of applying the recommendation information to the payment for the product selected by the user who successfully authenticated their personal information. Recommendation program.

9. A biometric information acquisition means for acquiring the user's biometric information by extracting the user's fingerprints contained in the captured image or a collection of feature points extracted from the captured image of the user's face region from a captured image taken by a predetermined imaging device, as the user's biometric information. A personal authentication means that performs personal authentication using the acquired biometric information and the biometric information of each user, which is pre-stored and linked to identification information that identifies each user. If the aforementioned personal authentication is successful, a recommendation information acquisition means obtains recommendation information linked to the identification information that identifies the user who successfully authenticated, Product acquisition means for acquiring product information of the product selected by the user at the aforementioned designated retail store, A determination means for determining whether the recommendation information is available at a designated retailer if at least one of the following conditions is met: the total amount calculated from the acquired product information is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, and a specific product is included in the acquired product information; An output means for outputting the available recommendation information to a designated display terminal, If the aforementioned personal authentication is successful, the system includes a payment method that uses the biometric information of the user who successfully authenticated to process the payment for the selected product. The payment method, if the recommendation information is available, applies the recommendation information to the payment for the product selected by the user who has successfully completed the personal authentication. A recommendation device equipped with the following features.

10. The aforementioned predetermined photographic device is installed in the aforementioned predetermined store, The biometric information acquisition means acquires the biometric information when the user visits the designated store. The recommended apparatus according to claim 9.

11. Computers The user's biometric information is obtained by extracting the user's fingerprints contained in the captured image or a collection of feature points extracted from the captured image of the user's face region from the captured image captured by a predetermined imaging device, and using this as the user's biometric information. Personal authentication is performed using the acquired biometric information and the biometric information of each user, which is pre-stored and linked to identification information that identifies each user. If the aforementioned personal authentication is successful, the system will obtain recommendation information linked to the identification information that identifies the user who successfully authenticated. At the aforementioned designated retail store, product information of the product selected by the user is obtained, If the total amount calculated from the acquired product information is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, and at least one of the following conditions is met: the acquired product information includes a specific product, then it is determined that the recommendation information is available at the designated retailer. The available recommendation information is output to a designated display terminal. If the personal authentication is successful, the payment for the selected product will be processed using the biometric information of the user who successfully completed the personal authentication. If the aforementioned recommendation information is available, the payment using the aforementioned recommendation information will be made for the product selected by the user who successfully completed the personal authentication. How to recommend.

12. A step of acquiring the user's biometric information by extracting the user's fingerprints contained in the captured image or a collection of feature points extracted from the captured image of the user's face region from a captured image taken with a predetermined imaging device, as the user's biometric information; A step of requesting personal authentication using the acquired biometric information and the biometric information of each user, which is pre-stored and linked to identification information that identifies each user. If the personal authentication is successful, the process involves obtaining recommendation information linked to the identification information that identifies the user who successfully authenticated, The process of obtaining product information of the product selected by the user at the aforementioned designated retail store, A step of determining that the recommendation information is available at a designated retailer if at least one of the following conditions is met: the total amount calculated from the acquired product information is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, and a specific product is included in the acquired product information; The process of outputting the available recommendation information to a designated display terminal, If the aforementioned personal authentication is successful, the computer is instructed to perform the following steps: 1) Settle the payment for the selected product using the biometric information of the user who successfully performed the personal authentication. If the aforementioned recommendation information is available, the computer is instructed to perform the process of applying the recommendation information to the payment for the product selected by the user who successfully authenticated their personal information. Recommendation program.

Images