Information processing device, information processing method, information processing system, and program

Abstract

To improve usability. [Solution] After a code for identifying one package is captured, it is possible to capture a code for identifying the next package. Depending on when the codes for identifying packages are captured in this situation, it is possible to perform control to change the delivery status of the packages.

Description

Technical Field

[0004] ,

[0006] , , , , , ,

[0005] , , ,

[0003] , , , , , , ,

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

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a system for managing a logistics process in which goods provided by a shipper are delivered to a customer has been known (see Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Document

Patent Document

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the process of earnestly studying logistics management, the present inventor has come to the idea that there may be room for improving user-friendliness in logistics operations.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object thereof is to provide an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, an information processing system, and a program capable of improving user-friendliness.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following information processing apparatus, information processing method, information processing system, and program. (1) An information processing apparatus used for delivering goods, comprising: imaging means; control means, wherein the control means includes imaging control means for enabling imaging by the imaging means, The aforementioned shooting control means includes a continuous shooting control means that enables the shooting of a code for identifying the next package after the shooting of a code for identifying the first package has been performed. In a situation where continuous shooting control means is enabled, if a code for identifying a package is captured, control can be executed to change the delivery status of the package. An information processing device characterized by the following: (2) An information processing method used for the delivery of goods and performed by at least one computer, After the code for identifying one package has been photographed, the first step is to enable the photographing of the code for identifying the next package, The system includes a second step of taking control to change the delivery status of a package in response to the capture of a code for identifying the package in a situation where the capture described in the first step is possible, An information processing method characterized by the following: (3) An information processing system used for the delivery of goods, comprising a first device and a second device, The first apparatus described above, Photography methods, Equipped with control means, The control means includes a shooting control means that enables shooting by the shooting means, The aforementioned shooting control means includes a continuous shooting control means that enables the shooting of a code for identifying the next package after the shooting of a code for identifying the first package has been performed. The second device includes information receiving means capable of receiving information obtained in response to a code for identifying a package being photographed from the first device, The first device is capable of performing control to change the delivery status of a package in response to a code for identifying the package being captured while the continuous shooting control means is enabled to take photographs. An information processing system characterized by the following: (4) A program used for the delivery of packages, which causes at least one computer to function as a shooting control means that enables shooting by a shooting means, The aforementioned shooting control means includes a continuous shooting control means that enables the shooting of a code for identifying the next package after the shooting of a code for identifying the first package has been performed. In a situation where continuous shooting control means is enabled, if a code for identifying a package is captured, control is performed to change the delivery status of the package. A program characterized by the following features. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, usability can be improved. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a diagram illustrating the overview of the logistics management system. [Figure 2] This is a functional block diagram of the logistics management server. [Figure 3] This is a functional block diagram of the administrator terminal. [Figure 4] This is a functional block diagram of the driver terminal. [Figure 5] This is a functional block diagram of the shipper's server. [Figure 6] This flowchart shows the processing when the logistics management server receives cargo information and when the shipper's server sends cargo information. [Figure 7] This is a flowchart showing the process of executing the delivery app. [Figure 8] This figure shows an example of a screen that appears when the delivery app is running. [Figure 9] This flowchart shows the processing when a scan is selected on the driver terminal side and when a scan is selected on the logistics management server side. [Figure 10]It is a flowchart showing the processing related to the update of the delivery status when the driver terminal side scan is selected and the processing related to the update of the delivery status when the logistics management server side scan is selected. [Figure 11] It is a flowchart showing the processing for receiving the transfer destination status selection operation. [Figure 12] It is a diagram showing an example of the action selection screen when not yet shipped. [Figure 13] It is a diagram showing an example of the action selection screen when the receipt is confirmed. [Figure 14] It is a diagram showing an example of the action selection screen when taken out. [Figure 15] (a) is a diagram showing an example of the transition process screen for the administrator. (b) is a diagram showing an example of the transition process screen for the shipper. [Figure 16] It is a diagram showing an example of the action selection screen when absent. [Figure 17] It is a flowchart showing the processing related to the continuous scan on the driver terminal side and the processing related to the continuous scan on the logistics management server side. [Figure 18] It is a flowchart showing the processing related to the continuous scan on the driver terminal side and the processing related to the continuous scan on the logistics management server side. [Figure 19] It is a diagram showing an example of the delivery status update completion screen. [Figure 20] It is a diagram showing an example of the delivery status update completion screen. [Figure 21] It is a diagram showing an example of the screen during the continuous scan mode. [Figure 22] It is a diagram showing an example of the screen during the continuous scan mode. [Figure 23] It is a flowchart showing the processing when the map is selected. [Figure 24] It is a flowchart showing the processing related to the pin display.​​​​​​​​This is a flowchart showing the process for acquiring pin information. [Figure 28] This figure shows an example of the screen displayed when a pin selection instruction is entered. [Figure 29] This figure shows an example of the screen displayed when a pin selection instruction is entered. [Figure 30] This figure shows an example of the screen displayed when a pin selection instruction is entered. [Figure 31] This figure shows an example of the screen displayed when a pin selection instruction is entered. [Figure 32] This figure shows an example of the screen displayed when a pin selection instruction is entered. [Figure 33] This figure shows an example of the screen displayed when a pin selection instruction is entered. [Figure 34] This is a flowchart showing the processes related to delivery routes. [Figure 35] This is a flowchart showing the delivery-related processing. [Figure 36] This is a flowchart showing the unloading process. [Figure 37] This figure shows an example of the screen during delivery scan mode. [Figure 38] This flowchart shows the delivery completion related processing on the driver terminal side and the delivery completion related processing on the logistics management server side. [Figure 39] This figure shows an example of a delivery action selection screen. [Figure 40] This figure shows an example of the screen displayed when entering a receipt instruction. [Figure 41] This figure shows an example of a screen indicating that the item has been received. [Figure 42] This figure shows an example of the screen displayed when a return instruction is entered. [Figure 43] This figure shows an example of the screen displayed when a return instruction is entered. [Figure 44] This is a flowchart showing the processing of remaining deliveries. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] <First Embodiment> The logistics management system 10 according to the first embodiment will be described below.

[0010] [Logistics Management System] Figure 1 shows an overview of the logistics management system.

[0011] As shown in Figure 1, the logistics management system 10 includes a logistics management server 20, an administrator terminal 30, and a driver terminal 40. The logistics management system 10 manages the logistics process in which goods provided by the shipper (for example, goods purchased at a store or e-commerce site) are delivered to the customer (for example, the purchaser of the goods).

[0012] The logistics management server 20 is a server managed by the administrator. The administrator terminal 30 is a terminal device operated by the administrator. The administrator uses the administrator terminal 30 to perform various management tasks in order to ensure the smooth operation of the logistics management system 10. The driver terminal 40 is a terminal device operated by the driver. In the logistics process managed by the logistics management system 10, the driver loads goods onto a vehicle (e.g., a truck) at a logistics base (warehouse) and drives the vehicle to deliver the goods to the customer (e.g., a delivery destination such as a home or office). The shipper-side server 50 is a server managed by the shipper.

[0013] The administrator may be a person belonging to the same business entity as the shipper (for example, company A that sells the goods) (for example, an employee of company A), or a person belonging to a different business entity than the shipper (for example, company B that is contracted by company A to handle delivery services) (for example, an employee of company B). The administrator who manages the logistics management server 20 and the administrator who operates the administrator terminal 30 may be the same person or different people. The driver may be a person belonging to the same business entity as the administrator (for example, an employee of company B), or a person belonging to a different business entity (for example, an employee of company C that is contracted by company B, or a sole proprietor).

[0014] For example, if the administrator belongs to the same business entity as the shipper, the shipper-side server 50 can be a component of the logistics management system 10. Conversely, if the administrator belongs to a different business entity than the shipper, the shipper-side server 50 can not be a component of the logistics management system 10. Furthermore, the logistics management server 20 and the shipper-side server 50 may be configured as a single server or as separate servers. The logistics management system 10 can basically be configured as a system that has a function to manage the delivery process of goods (delivery management function), but it may also have a function to manage the processes within the warehouse from receiving to shipping (warehouse management function) in addition to the delivery management function.

[0015] Delivery management functions include, for example, a function to generate a delivery plan (for example, a function to optimize the delivery order and driver assignment by considering the specified delivery date and time, the delivery address, the amount of cargo that can be loaded into the vehicle, etc.), a function to determine the delivery route (for example, a function to calculate the shortest and most efficient route by using map information and traffic information), a function to visualize the delivery status of packages (for example, the current location of the package, whether packages with specified delivery dates and times are being delivered smoothly, etc.), a function to update and manage the delivery status of packages (for example, the state in which the driver is taking the package out of the warehouse (in transit), the state in which the package has already been delivered, etc.), a function to manage customer information (information showing the name, address, and contact information), and package distribution. Features that can be used include: notifying customers of delivery status (e.g., estimated arrival time); generating documents (e.g., delivery slips, invoices, receipts, etc.); optimizing the process of loading goods onto vehicles (e.g., loading efficiency); optimizing delivery costs (e.g., calculating costs for each delivery route considering fuel costs, labor costs, etc.); analyzing delivery data to visualize operational efficiency (e.g., quantifying delivery costs, delay rates, customer satisfaction, etc.) and outputting it as a report; efficiently managing delivery schedules and staffing based on demand forecasts; managing driver attendance and vehicle maintenance; setting access permissions according to the role of each administrator or driver to protect information; and monitoring for unauthorized access.

[0016] Warehouse management functions include, for example, a function to verify whether goods received at the warehouse match the order details, a function to optimize the storage location of goods (for example, assigning storage locations according to the frequency of product shipments), a function to track the storage location and inventory levels of goods, a function to compare recorded inventory levels with actual inventory levels, a function to create picking lists, a function to perform picking efficiently, a function to perform inspections before dispatch, a function to manage the progress of each operation (receiving, dispatching, inventory counting, etc.), a function to manage worker schedules and support appropriate staffing, a function to perform quality checks and expiration date management (for products with expiration dates or best-before dates), a function to analyze receiving and dispatching data to visualize operational efficiency and output it as a report, a function to visualize and optimize warehouse operating costs and inventory storage costs, a function to protect information by setting access permissions according to the role of each worker, and a function to monitor for unauthorized access.

[0017] Furthermore, the types of goods (products) that can be delivered are not particularly limited. For example, the logistics management system 10 can be configured to manage the logistics processes of general consumer goods (e.g., food, beverages, household goods, daily necessities, cleaning supplies, cosmetics, etc.), frozen and refrigerated goods (e.g., frozen foods, fresh foods, dairy products, pharmaceuticals requiring temperature control, etc.), pharmaceuticals and medical devices (e.g., prescription drugs, medical devices, reagents, vaccines, etc.), hazardous materials (e.g., gasoline, chemicals, paints, flammable gases, etc.), high-value goods (e.g., precious metals, jewelry, watches, electronic equipment, etc.), heavy and large goods (e.g., building materials, heavy machinery, automobiles, furniture, large home appliances, etc.), parcels and courier services (e.g., online shopping purchases, packages addressed to private residences, etc.), agricultural products (e.g., vegetables, fruits, grains, fresh flowers, etc.), industrial products and parts (e.g., automobile parts, electronic parts, machine parts, etc.), and special delivery items (e.g., biological tissues, blood products, animals, plants, etc.).

[0018] The administrator terminal 30 can be configured with an information processing device such as a general personal computer, laptop computer, smartphone, or tablet device. The driver terminal 40 can be configured with an information processing device such as a general personal computer, laptop computer, smartphone, or tablet device, as well as a dedicated barcode reader. The logistics management server 20 can be configured with an information processing device such as a general personal computer, laptop computer, smartphone, or tablet device, as well as an on-premise server, a cloud server, or a combination thereof. The shipper-side server 50 can be configured with an information processing device such as a general personal computer, laptop computer, smartphone, or tablet device, as well as an on-premise server, a cloud server, or a combination thereof.

[0019] Figure 1 shows an example in which a personal computer is used as the administrator terminal 30 and a smartphone is used as the driver terminal 40. The application used on the administrator terminal 30 may be a dedicated application installed on the administrator terminal 30, or it may be a web application that runs on an internet browser (for example, an application composed of a program using HTML, JavaScript®, etc.). Similarly, the application used on the driver terminal 40 (delivery application) may be a dedicated application installed on the driver terminal 40, or it may be a web application that runs on an internet browser (for example, an application composed of a program using HTML, JavaScript®, etc.). In the figure, multiple driver terminals 40 are provided, while only one administrator terminal 30 is shown, but of course, the system may be configured to provide multiple administrator terminals 30 as well.

[0020] The logistics management server 20 can communicate with the administrator terminal 30, the driver terminal 40, and the shipper-side server 50 via network N. Network N can be, for example, the internet using the IP communication protocol, as well as intranets, extranets, mobile communication networks, wide area networks (WANs), regional networks (LANs), city networks (MANs), satellite communication networks, and other networks (data communication networks).

[0021] [Logistics Management Server] Figure 2 is a functional block diagram of the logistics management server.

[0022] As shown in Figure 2, the logistics management server 20 comprises a control unit 110, a storage unit 111, and a communication unit 112. The control unit 110 controls the entire logistics management server 20. The storage unit 111 stores programs and data used by the control unit 110 when executing processing based on the programs. The storage unit 111 also stores the cargo information management database 120, which includes a cargo information table 121. The communication unit 112 (network interface) connects the logistics management server 20 to network N and establishes communication with external devices.

[0023] The control unit 110 is composed of, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The storage unit 111 is composed of, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), or an SSD (Solid State Drive), or a combination thereof. The control unit 110 executes processing based on the program stored in the storage unit 111, thereby realizing the functional configuration of the logistics management server 20.

[0024] The operating system (OS) plays a crucial role as the basic software of the logistics management server 20. The OS efficiently manages hardware resources and provides an environment in which application software and control programs can run smoothly. Specifically, the OS acts as an intermediary between hardware components and programs by allocating resources, managing processes, operating the file system, and handling network communications, thereby improving the overall stability and efficiency of the logistics management server 20.

[0025] The package information table 121 stores information about packages to be delivered (package information). For example, the package information table 121 includes information indicating the "slip number" (for example, a 12-character half-width number corresponding to one package) (slip number information), information indicating the "customer management number" (for example, a 20-character or less half-width alphanumeric number corresponding to one package) (customer management number information), information indicating the "shipping label type" (for example, a single half-width number corresponding to one of "prepaid," "cash on delivery," "mail delivery," "cash on delivery," "leave at door," and "postage-paid delivery") (shipping label type information), and "cool classification" (for example, "normal," "cool classification"). Information indicating one of the following: "Frozen", "Cool Refrigerated", "Chilled", and "Security" (Except for "Normal", this can only be specified if the "Invoice Type" is "Prepaid", "Cash on Delivery", or "Pay on Delivery") (Cool classification type information), information indicating the "Scheduled Shipping Date" (for example, 10 half-width English characters shown in "YYYY / MM / DD") (Scheduled Shipping Date information), information indicating the "Scheduled Delivery Date" (for example, 10 half-width English characters shown in "YYYY / MM / DD") (Scheduled Delivery Date) Information, "Delivery Time Slot" (e.g., a 4-digit number corresponding to one of the following: "No preference", "8am-12pm", "2pm-4pm", "4pm-6pm", "6pm-8pm", and "7pm-9pm") (Delivery Time Slot Information), "Delivery Address Code" (e.g., 20-20 alphanumeric characters) (Delivery Address Code Information), "Delivery Address Phone Number" (e.g., 15-20 digits including hyphens) (Delivery Address Phone Number Information), "Delivery Address Postal Code" (e.g., an 8-digit number including hyphens) Information indicating the address (digital numerals) (delivery address postal code information), information indicating the delivery address (for example, "prefecture", "city / ward / town / village", "chome / ban / go" in full-width or half-width characters of 100 characters or less) (delivery address information), information indicating the delivery apartment / condominium name (for example, "apartment name" or "building name" in full-width or half-width characters of 100 characters or less) (delivery apartment / condominium name information), information indicating the delivery name (for example, full-width or half-width characters of 100 characters or less) (delivery name information), "delivery name (katakana)" (for example,Information indicating the recipient's name (in katakana) (up to 100 full-width or half-width characters), information indicating the honorific title (for example, up to 4 full-width or half-width characters) (honorific title information), information indicating the requester's code (for example, up to 20 half-width alphanumeric characters) (requester code information), information indicating the requester's phone number (for example, up to 15 half-width numbers including hyphens) (requester phone number information), information indicating the requester's postal code (for example, 8 half-width numbers including hyphens) (requester postal code information), and information indicating the requester's address (for example, "prefecture", "city / ward / town / village", "chome / ban"). Information indicating "number" (64 characters or less, full-width or half-width characters) (Client address information), information indicating "Client apartment / condominium" (for example, "apartment name" or "building name" (32 characters or less, full-width or half-width characters)) (Client apartment / condominium information), information indicating "Client name" (for example, 32 characters or less, full-width or half-width characters) (Client name information), information indicating "Client name (Kana)" (for example, 50 characters or less, full-width or half-width characters) (Client name (Kana) information), information indicating "Product name" (for example, 50 characters or less, full-width or half-width characters) (Product name information), "Article" For example, information indicating "Redelivery Deadline" (e.g., 10 half-width English characters in the format "YYYY / MM / DD") (article information), information indicating "Package Size" (e.g., 2 or fewer half-width numbers) (package size information), information indicating "Number of Packages" (e.g., 2 or fewer half-width numbers) (number of packages information), information indicating "Delivery Status" (e.g., 2 or fewer half-width numbers) (delivery status information), information indicating "Geotag" (e.g., latitude and longitude corresponding to the "Delivery Address") (geotag information) Information indicating the "status update date and time" (e.g., the date and time the delivery status was updated) (status update date and time information), information indicating the "distribution center" (e.g., the warehouse that receives packages shipped from the consignor and is responsible for storing and distributing those packages) (distribution center information), information indicating the "package receipt confirmation date and time" (e.g., the date and time the delivery status was updated to "package receipt confirmed") (package receipt confirmation date and time information), information indicating the "final delivery date and time" (e.g., the date and time the delivery status was updated to "delivered") (final delivery date and time information), "final delivery location" (e.g.,The system has a configuration that allows it to store, in association with, information such as: information indicating the location (latitude and longitude) of the driver terminal 40 when the delivery status is updated to "delivered" (final delivery location information); information indicating the "final delivery person" (e.g., the name of the driver who completed the delivery of the package) (final delivery person information); information indicating the "final delivery company" (e.g., the name of the company to which the driver who completed the delivery of the package belongs) (final delivery company information); and information indicating the "update date and time" (e.g., the date and time when the information stored in the package information table 121 was last updated) (update date and time information).

[0026] The "client" is the party that requests the delivery company to deliver the goods, and the typical client is the shipper. For example, the shipper (e.g., company A that sells goods) manages each package by assigning a "customer management number" as an identification number (package ID) to uniquely identify each package, and the delivery company (e.g., company B that is entrusted with delivery work by company A) manages each package by assigning a "delivery slip number" as an identification number (package ID) to uniquely identify each package. The "delivery status" corresponds to the progress of the delivery of the package and is updated according to the progress of the delivery process. In this embodiment, the delivery statuses include "not shipped", "delivery confirmed", "warehouse storage", "storage on specified date", "out for delivery", "delivery completed", "absent", "refused delivery", "returned", "under investigation", "warehouse storage (returned)", "storage on specified date (returned)", "package accident", "handover", and "return instruction". These delivery statuses will be described in detail later. When the delivery process progresses due to a change in the circumstances surrounding a package to be delivered, the control unit 110 updates the delivery status information corresponding to the package's tracking number in the package information table 121 from information indicating one delivery status to information indicating another delivery status. In this specification, the "update" of the delivery status (delivery status information) may be expressed as a "transition" or "change" of the "delivery status".

[0027] The configuration of the package information management database 120 is not particularly limited. For example, the package information management database 120 may include multiple tables (package information table 121 and other tables), and the package information described above may be stored in multiple tables. For example, delivery status information may be stored in a separate table from the package information table 121, associated with the slip number information. Furthermore, the package information management database 120 may be a data server connected to an information and communication network such as network N, separate from the logistics management server 20.

[0028] The logistics management server 20 can be configured as a physical server, a virtual server, or a combination of both, and its specifications are not limited to specific hardware or software. As a physical server, a dedicated server installed in an on-premises environment can be used, allowing for a configuration that prioritizes fault tolerance and high performance. As a virtual server, a configuration with flexible scalability utilizing a cloud environment can be implemented, enabling efficient operation through dynamic resource allocation. Furthermore, hybrid configurations (combining on-premises physical servers with virtual servers on the cloud) and multi-cloud configurations (using multiple cloud service providers) are also possible. This allows for the realization of an optimal design according to the user's operational requirements, cost, and performance requirements. Additionally, the logistics management server 20 can change the type of OS and middleware it supports depending on the selected environment.

[0029] The logistics management server 20 can perform multiple roles, including that of a web server, application server, and database server. These roles can be integrated into a single physical or virtual server, or they can be distributed across multiple dedicated servers. In either case, the basic functions of the logistics management server 20 remain the same, enabling stable and efficient logistics management regardless of the chosen infrastructure environment.

[0030] [Administrator terminal] Figure 3 is a functional block diagram of the administrator terminal.

[0031] As shown in Figure 3, the administrator terminal 30 comprises a control unit 130, a storage unit 131, a display unit 132, an operation input unit 133, and a communication unit 134. The control unit 130 is composed of, for example, a CPU, and controls the entire administrator terminal 30. The storage unit 131 is composed of, for example, a ROM, RAM, HDD, or SSD, or a combination thereof, and stores programs and data used by the control unit 130 when executing processing based on the programs. The control unit 130 executes processing based on the programs stored in the storage unit 131, thereby realizing the functional configuration of the administrator terminal 30.

[0032] The display unit 132 is composed of, for example, a display (such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display) and displays various information. The operation input unit 133 is composed of, for example, a keyboard, mouse, or capacitive touch panel and accepts operation input from the administrator. For example, if a smartphone is used as the administrator terminal 30, the display unit 132 and the operation input unit 133 can be composed of a touch panel LCD. The communication unit 134 (network I / F (interface)) connects the administrator terminal 30 to the network N and establishes communication with external devices.

[0033] [Driver terminal] Figure 4 is a functional block diagram of the driver terminal.

[0034] As shown in Figure 4, the driver terminal 40 comprises a control unit 140, a storage unit 141, a display unit 142, an operation input unit 143, an imaging unit 144, and a communication unit 145. The control unit 140 is composed of, for example, a CPU, and controls the entire driver terminal 40. The storage unit 141 is composed of, for example, a ROM, RAM, HDD, or SSD, or a combination thereof, and stores programs and data used by the control unit 140 when executing processing based on the programs. The control unit 140 executes processing based on the programs stored in the storage unit 141, thereby realizing the functional configuration of the driver terminal 40.

[0035] The display unit 142 is composed of, for example, a display (such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display) and displays various information. The operation input unit 143 is composed of, for example, a keyboard, mouse, or capacitive touch panel and accepts operation input from participants. For example, if a smartphone is used as the driver terminal 40, the display unit 142 and the operation input unit 143 can be composed of a touch panel LCD. The imaging unit 144 is composed of, for example, a camera (such as a CMOS camera or a CCD camera) and captures images of the surrounding environment of the driver terminal 40. The communication unit 145 (network I / F (interface)) connects the driver terminal 40 to the network N and establishes communication with external devices.

[0036] The driver can bring the driver terminal 40 close to the package to be delivered, and the imaging unit 144 can capture an image of any area included in the delivery label. The delivery label is a label (sticker) that is attached to the package and has information necessary for the driver to deliver the package printed on it (for example, "invoice number," "type of invoice," "refrigerated / cooled category," "scheduled delivery date," "delivery time slot," "redelivery deadline," "number of packages," "product name," the name, address and contact information of the "recipient" (the destination of the package) (for example, "recipient name," "recipient postal code," "recipient address," "recipient phone number," etc.), the name, address and contact information of the "sender" (the shipper) (for example, "sender name," "sender postal code," "sender address," "sender phone number," etc.), a two-dimensional code, etc.).

[0037] A two-dimensional code is an encoded (encoded) representation of a portion of the package information (for example, a QR code (registered trademark)). In this embodiment, the "delivery slip number" is included in the two-dimensional code, but it is possible to configure the two-dimensional code to include any package information (for example, in addition to the "delivery slip number," the "delivery address" or "delivery name," etc.). In addition to the two-dimensional code (or instead of the two-dimensional code), a barcode may be printed on the shipping label. The barcode can also include any package information, and it is possible to include the same information as the information included in the two-dimensional code (for example, the "delivery slip number") in the barcode, or to include different information than the information included in the two-dimensional code (for example, the "delivery number"). For example, it is possible to configure the shipping label to print a two-dimensional code containing the "delivery slip number," a barcode containing the "delivery slip number," and a barcode containing the "delivery number" (three types of codes). For example, a "number division" corresponds to the region to which the "delivery address" belongs. A "city, ward, county, town, or village" can be divided into multiple regions, and a four-character half-width number can be assigned to each region as a "number division." For example, a "number division" can be a grouping of multiple "chome" (districts). For instance, one number division might be assigned to 1-chome to 3-chome in a town, and other number divisions to 4-chome and 5-chome in the same town. In this specification, one-dimensional barcodes are simply referred to as "barcodes," two-dimensional barcodes as "two-dimensional codes," and these are collectively referred to as "two-dimensional codes, etc."

[0038] When a two-dimensional code or the like is captured by the imaging unit 144, the control unit 140 executes a process to decode (decode) the two-dimensional code or the like contained in the image data corresponding to the captured image, and extracts the package information (e.g., "delivery slip number") contained in the two-dimensional code or the like. This makes it possible for the control unit 140 to recognize the delivery slip number (package ID) of the package to which the captured delivery label is attached. Alternatively, when a two-dimensional code or the like is captured by the imaging unit 144, the control unit 140 may be configured to transmit the image data corresponding to the captured image to the logistics management server 20, and the control unit 110 of the logistics management server 20 may execute a process to decode (decode) the two-dimensional code or the like.

[0039] [Shipper's server] Figure 5 is a functional block diagram of the shipper's server.

[0040] As shown in Figure 5, the shipper-side server 50 comprises a control unit 150, a storage unit 151, and a communication unit 152. The control unit 150 is composed of, for example, a CPU, and controls the entire shipper-side server 50. The storage unit 151 is composed of, for example, ROM, RAM, HDD, or SSD, or a combination thereof, and stores programs and data used by the control unit 150 when executing processing based on the programs. The control unit 150 executes processing based on the programs stored in the storage unit 151, thereby realizing the functional configuration of the shipper-side server 50. The communication unit 152 (network I / F (interface)) connects the shipper-side server 50 to network N and establishes communication with external devices.

[0041] <Retrieving package information> Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the processing when the logistics management server receives cargo information and when the shipper's server transmits cargo information.

[0042] The logistics management server 20 acquires package information from the shipper server 50 at a predetermined time (for example, at a predetermined time the day before the scheduled delivery date (for example, between 8 PM and midnight)). The processing performed when the logistics management server receives package information is the processing performed by the logistics management server 20 at that time, and the processing performed when the shipper server transmits package information is the processing performed by the shipper server 50 at that time.

[0043] During the processing of package information transmission on the shipper-side server side, the control unit 150 of the shipper-side server 50 executes the process shown in step S101 in Figure 6. During the processing of package information reception on the logistics management server side, the control unit 110 of the logistics management server 20 executes the processes shown in steps S201 to S203 in Figure 6. Here, we will explain using the example of a case where the delivery company and the shipper are different business entities (the logistics management server 20 and the shipper-side server 50 are provided separately).

[0044] The cargo information (shipper-derived cargo information) obtained by the logistics management server 20 from the shipper server 50 corresponds to some of the information stored in the cargo information table 121. Examples of shipper-derived cargo information include customer management number information, invoice type information, cool delivery category type information, scheduled shipping date information, scheduled delivery date information, delivery time slot information, recipient code information, recipient telephone number information, recipient postal code information, recipient address information, recipient apartment / condominium name information, recipient name information, recipient name (in katakana) information, honorific information, client code information, client telephone number information, client postal code information, client address information, client apartment / condominium information, client name information, client name (in katakana) information, product name information, description information, redelivery deadline information, cargo size information, number of packages information, etc. Of the information stored in the cargo information table 121, the cargo information originating from the shipper is derived from information received from the shipper server 50, while other cargo information (for example, delivery status information, geotag information, status update date and time information, distribution center information, cargo receipt confirmation date and time information, final delivery date and time information, final delivery location information, final delivery person information, final delivery company information, update date and time information, etc.) is information that is independently generated by the logistics management server 20. For example, this other cargo information is generated by an application (program) executed on the application server, and the generated information is stored on the database server. In this process, transaction control ensures that data updates are performed reliably and that the overall system integrity is maintained.

[0045] During the processing of sending package information to the shipper server, the control unit 150 of the shipper server 50 transmits delivery list data for multiple packages to be delivered to the logistics management server 20 via the communication unit 152 (step S101). In this process, the control unit 150 of the shipper server 50 transmits delivery list data (e.g., a CSV file) containing shipper-derived package information corresponding to each package to the logistics management server 20. After that, the control unit 150 of the shipper server 50 terminates the processing of sending package information to the shipper server.

[0046] In the processing of receiving cargo information on the logistics management server side, the control unit 110 of the logistics management server 20 receives delivery list data transmitted from the shipper server 50 via the communication unit 112 (step S201). Next, based on the received delivery list data, the control unit 110 of the logistics management server 20 stores the slip number information and the shipper-origin cargo information in the cargo information table 121 in the storage unit 111 (step S202). Although not shown in the figures, the control unit 110 of the logistics management server 20 pre-allocates slip number information (a frame for each shipper) for the number of packages to be delivered (for example, 10,000 packages), and sequentially assigns slip numbers to the shipper-origin cargo information within that frame. The delivery list data received from the shipper server 50 is not written directly to the cargo information management database 120, but is received by the web server, and after data verification and format conversion are performed by the application server, it is saved to the database server. Then, the control unit 110 of the logistics management server 20 sets the delivery status corresponding to each slip number in the package information table 121 to "Not Shipped" (step S203). "Not Shipped" corresponds to the state before a package is shipped from the consignor, and the state after the package is shipped from the consignor until the delivery company receives the package.

[0047] Furthermore, the control unit 110 of the logistics management server 20 acquires geotag information corresponding to the delivery address information based on the delivery list data received from the shipper server 50 (step S204). The geotag information is latitude and longitude information corresponding to the delivery address. In the process of step S204, the control unit 110 of the logistics management server 20 acquires geotag information corresponding to each delivery address by calling, for example, a geocoding API (for example, Google Maps API), and stores the acquired geotag information in the package information table 121 in association with each slip number information. After executing the process of step S204, the control unit 110 of the logistics management server 20 terminates the processing when receiving package information on the logistics management server side.

[0048] <Execution process for delivery application> Figure 7 is a flowchart showing the execution process of the delivery app. Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed when the delivery app is running.

[0049] The delivery application execution process shown in Figure 7 is performed on the driver terminal 40 at predetermined intervals (for example, every 10 to 100 ms) while the driver is logged into the delivery application. For example, the driver terminal 40 is owned by the delivery company, and it is assumed that the driver terminal 40 is lent to the driver by the administrator. The driver can log in to the delivery application by entering the driver ID and password notified by the delivery company at the operation input unit 143.

[0050] As shown in Figure 8, when logged into the delivery app, the screen displayed on the display unit 142 of the driver terminal 40 includes a map display area 200, a map selection area 201, a talk selection area 202, a scan selection area 203, a package selection area 204, and a My Page selection area 205. The map display area 200 is the area where an image corresponding to the map (map image) is displayed. The map selection area 201 is the area where an image corresponding to a button (map selection instruction button) containing the word "map" and its corresponding image is displayed. The talk selection area 202 is the area where an image corresponding to a button (talk selection instruction button) containing the word "talk" and its corresponding image is displayed. The scan selection area 203 is the area where an image corresponding to a button (scan selection instruction button) containing the word "scan" and its corresponding image is displayed. The package selection area 204 is the area where an image corresponding to a button (package selection instruction button) containing the word "package" and its corresponding image is displayed. The My Page selection area 205 is an area where images corresponding to buttons (My Page selection instruction buttons) containing the text "My Page" and its corresponding image are displayed.

[0051] The driver can input by operating the operation input unit 143 to select the map selection button in the map selection area 201 (map selection instruction input), the talk selection button in the talk selection area 202 (talk selection instruction input), the scan selection button in the scan selection area 203 (scan selection instruction input), the luggage selection button in the luggage selection area 204 (luggage selection instruction input), or the My Page selection button in the My Page selection area 205 (My Page selection instruction input). In this embodiment, for example, if the display unit 142 and the operation input unit 143 are made of a touch panel LCD, the driver can input to select an object by tapping the area on the touch panel corresponding to the display location of the desired object when the object is displayed on the display unit 142.

[0052] In the execution process of the delivery application, first, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 determines whether or not a map selection instruction has been input (step S401). If it is determined that a map selection instruction has been input, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 executes the map selection process (step S402). In the map selection process, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 displays a map image (map) on the display unit 142 and performs processes such as displaying a pin at the location corresponding to the delivery address on the map. The map selection process will be explained later with reference to Figure 23.

[0053] If it is determined in step S401 that no map selection instruction has been entered, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 determines whether or not a talk selection instruction has been entered (step S403). If it is determined that a talk selection instruction has been entered, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 executes talk selection processing (step S404). In talk selection processing, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 performs processing such as displaying the talk screen on the display unit 142. The talk screen is a screen for exchanging messages with the administrator terminal 30.

[0054] If it is determined in step S403 that no talk selection instruction has been entered, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 determines whether or not a scan selection instruction has been entered (step S405). If it is determined that a scan selection instruction has been entered, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 executes scan selection processing (step S406). In scan selection processing, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 performs processes such as activating the imaging unit 144 (camera) so that it can photograph the two-dimensional code printed on the delivery label, and, if the delivery status of a package is updated to "out for delivery" as a result of the two-dimensional code being photographed, storing the package information corresponding to that package (package information to be held on the driver terminal side, described later) in the storage unit 141. Scan selection processing will be explained later with reference to Figure 9.

[0055] If it is determined in step S405 that no scan selection instruction has been entered, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 determines whether or not a package selection instruction has been entered (step S407). If it is determined that a package selection instruction has been entered, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 executes package selection processing (step S408). In package selection processing, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 performs processing such as displaying a package list screen on the display unit 142 based on the package information stored in the storage unit 141. The package list screen is a screen that shows a list of packages taken out of the warehouse.

[0056] If it is determined in step S407 that no package selection instruction has been entered, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 determines whether or not a My Page selection instruction has been entered (step S409). If it is determined that a My Page selection instruction has been entered, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 executes the My Page selection process (step S410). In the My Page selection process, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 performs processes such as displaying the My Page screen on the display unit 142. The My Page screen is a screen for changing various settings related to the delivery application (for example, password).

[0057] If it is determined in step S409 that no instruction to select My Page has been entered, or after executing the processes in steps S402, S404, S406, S408, or S410, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 terminates the delivery application execution process.

[0058] <Processing when scan is selected> Figure 9 is a flowchart showing the processing when a scan is selected on the driver terminal side and when a scan is selected on the logistics management server side.

[0059] The driver terminal-side scan selection process is performed at the driver terminal 40 when a scan selection instruction is input (step S406 in Figure 7 (Delivery Application Execution Process)). The logistics management server-side scan selection process is performed at the logistics management server 20 when a scan selection instruction is input.

[0060] During the driver terminal side scan selection process, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 executes the processes shown in steps S421 to S426 in Figure 9. During the logistics management server side scan selection process, the control unit 110 of the logistics management server 20 executes the processes shown in steps S221 to S224 in Figure 9.

[0061] Specifically, in the driver terminal side scan selection process, first, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 activates the imaging unit 144 (camera) (step S421). In this process, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 activates the camera (making the delivery app able to use the camera) and displays the camera view (image captured by the camera) and a frame (guideline) for accommodating a two-dimensional code, etc., on the display unit 142.

[0062] Next, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 acquires image data corresponding to the image in which the two-dimensional code, etc., has been captured (two-dimensional code image) (step S422). In this process, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 causes the imaging unit 144 to capture the two-dimensional code image when the two-dimensional code, etc., is contained within the frame on the display unit 142 (for example, when a two-dimensional code is detected from the stream data of the camera video, when the driver taps the scan complete button, etc.).

[0063] Next, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 extracts the "invoice number" contained in the two-dimensional code, etc. (step S423). In this process, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 detects the two-dimensional code, etc. from the image data corresponding to the two-dimensional code image based on a predetermined image processing algorithm, and obtains information indicating the invoice number by decoding (for example, decoding based on the QR code (registered trademark) standard). Then, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 transmits the obtained information indicating the invoice number (invoice number information) to the logistics management server 20 via the communication unit 145 (step S424).

[0064] During the processing when scanning is selected on the logistics management server side, the control unit 110 of the logistics management server 20 receives the slip number information transmitted from the driver terminal 40 via the communication unit 112 (step S221). Next, the control unit 110 of the logistics management server 20 identifies the delivery status corresponding to the received slip number information (step S222). In this process, the control unit 110 of the logistics management server 20 searches the package information table 121 using the slip number information as a key and extracts the delivery status information stored in the package information table 121 in association with the slip number information. Then, the control unit 110 of the logistics management server 20 transmits the identified delivery status information to the driver terminal 40 via the communication unit 112 (step S223).

[0065] In the driver terminal side scan selection process, after executing the process in step S424, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 receives delivery status information transmitted from the logistics management server 20 via the communication unit 145 (step S425). Next, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 executes the scan selection delivery status update related process (step S426). The scan selection delivery status update related process will be explained later with reference to Figure 10. After executing the process in step S426, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 terminates the driver terminal side scan selection process.

[0066] In the processing when a scan is selected on the logistics management server side, after executing the process in step S223, the control unit 110 of the logistics management server 20 executes the processing related to updating the delivery status when a scan is selected (step S224). The processing related to updating the delivery status when a scan is selected will be explained later with reference to Figure 10. After executing the process in step S224, the control unit 110 of the logistics management server 20 terminates the processing when a scan is selected on the logistics management server side.

[0067] <Processing related to updating delivery status when scanning is selected> Figure 10 is a flowchart showing the processes related to updating the delivery status when scanning is selected on the driver terminal side and the processes related to updating the delivery status when scanning is selected on the logistics management server side.

[0068] The processing related to updating the delivery status when scanning is selected on the driver terminal side is performed on the driver terminal 40 in step S426 of Figure 9 (Processing when scanning is selected on the driver terminal side). The processing related to updating the delivery status when scanning is selected on the logistics management server side is performed on the logistics management server 20 in step S224 of Figure 9 (Processing when scanning is selected on the logistics management server side).

[0069] In the delivery status update related processing when scanning is selected on the driver terminal side, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 executes the processes shown in steps S441 to S446 in Figure 10. In the delivery status update related processing when scanning is selected on the logistics management server side, the control unit 110 of the logistics management server 20 executes the processes shown in steps S241 to S244 in Figure 10.

[0070] Specifically, in the processing related to updating the delivery status when scanning is selected on the driver terminal side, first, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 determines whether the delivery status of the package being processed is an updatable delivery status (step S441). The package being processed is the package to which the delivery label with the two-dimensional code, etc., printed on it, which was the target of the photograph in step S422 of Figure 9, is attached. Updatable delivery statuses are delivery statuses other than the final status. The final statuses are "delivered," "refused," "returned," and "package damaged." If the delivery status information received in step S425 of Figure 9 corresponds to any of the delivery statuses "delivered," "refused," "returned," and "package damaged," the result of the determination in step S441 is "NO." On the other hand, if the delivery status information received in step S425 of Figure 9 corresponds to a delivery status other than "delivered," "refused," "returned," and "package damaged," the result of the determination in step S441 is "YES."

[0071] If, in step S441, it is determined that the delivery status of the package is not an updatable delivery status, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 performs error processing (step S442). In this process, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 displays an error image (for example, a text image indicating that the delivery status cannot be updated) as a pop-up on the display unit 142 and disables the camera (making the delivery app unable to use the camera). The pop-up display appears as a window on a part of the screen of the display unit 142, and the display ends when the cancel button is tapped (the window corresponding to the error image is closed). As a result of this error processing, the imaging unit 144 is unable to capture the two-dimensional code image. Once the window corresponding to the error image is closed, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 moves to step S421 in Figure 9. This makes it possible to capture the two-dimensional code image again. Furthermore, if a predetermined time elapses without the cancel button being tapped, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 may terminate the driver terminal side scan selection delivery status update related processing and also terminate the driver terminal side scan selection processing (see Figure 9).

[0072] If, in step S441, it is determined that the delivery status of the package is an updatable delivery status, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 executes a destination status selection operation acceptance process (step S443). In the destination status selection operation acceptance process, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 performs processing to accept an operation to select a destination status. The destination status selection operation acceptance process will be explained later with reference to Figure 11. After executing the process in step S443, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 transmits information indicating the destination status selected in the destination status selection operation acceptance process (destination status information) to the logistics management server 20 via the communication unit 145 (step S444).

[0073] In the processing related to updating the delivery status when a scan is selected on the logistics management server side, the control unit 110 of the logistics management server 20 receives the destination status information transmitted from the driver terminal 40 via the communication unit 112 (step S241). Next, the control unit 110 of the logistics management server 20 updates the delivery status based on the received destination status information (step S242). In this process, if the destination status information corresponds to "Receipt Confirmed", the control unit 110 of the logistics management server 20 sets "Receipt Confirmed" in the delivery status in the package information table 121, corresponding to the slip number information received in step S221 of Figure 9. "Receipt Confirmed" corresponds to the state in which the delivery company has confirmed receipt of a package shipped by the consignor. Also, if the destination status information corresponds to "Departure", the control unit 110 of the logistics management server 20 sets "Departure" in the delivery status in the package information table 121, corresponding to the slip number information received in step S221 of Figure 9. "Taking out" corresponds to the state in which the driver is taking the goods out of the warehouse (in transit).

[0074] Furthermore, if the destination status information corresponds to "warehouse storage," the control unit 110 of the logistics management server 20 sets the delivery status corresponding to the slip number information received in step S221 of Figure 9 to "warehouse storage" or "storage on a specified date" in the cargo information table 121. Specifically, if the destination status information corresponds to "warehouse storage," the control unit 110 of the logistics management server 20 sets the delivery status corresponding to the slip number information to "warehouse storage" if the scheduled delivery date corresponding to the slip number information is today, while setting the delivery status corresponding to the slip number information to "storage on a specified date" if the scheduled delivery date corresponding to the slip number information is the next day or later. Alternatively, if the destination status information corresponds to "warehouse storage," the control unit 110 of the logistics management server 20 may set the scheduled delivery date corresponding to the slip number information to today (for example, the date of confirmed receipt) and then set the delivery status corresponding to the slip number information to "warehouse storage." "Warehouse storage" or "storage on a specified date" refers to a state where goods received from the consignor are stored in the warehouse (without being removed from the warehouse).

[0075] Furthermore, if the destination status information corresponds to "return," the control unit 110 of the logistics management server 20 sets the delivery status in the package information table 121 to "return," which corresponds to the slip number information received in step S221 of Figure 9. "Return" corresponds to the state in which the process of returning the package to the consignor has begun. Also, if the destination status information corresponds to "handover," the control unit 110 of the logistics management server 20 sets the delivery status in the package information table 121 to "handover," which corresponds to the slip number information received in step S221 of Figure 9. "Handover" corresponds to the state in which the delivery person for the package has been handed over from one driver to another.

[0076] Furthermore, if the destination status information of the logistics management server 20 corresponds to "warehouse storage (returned)", the control unit 110 of the logistics management server 20 sets the delivery status corresponding to the slip number information received in step S221 of Figure 9 to "warehouse storage (returned)" or "storage on a specified date (returned)" in the cargo information table 121. Specifically, if the destination status information of the logistics management server 20 corresponds to "warehouse storage (returned)", the control unit 110 of the logistics management server 20 sets the delivery status corresponding to the slip number information to "warehouse storage (returned)" if the scheduled delivery date corresponding to the slip number information is the same day, while setting the delivery status corresponding to the slip number information to "storage on a specified date (returned)" if the scheduled delivery date corresponding to the slip number information is the next day or later. "Warehouse storage (returned)" and "storage on a specified date (returned)" correspond to a state in which cargo that has been taken out of the warehouse is stored in the warehouse again.

[0077] After executing the process in step S242, the control unit 110 of the logistics management server 20 transmits some package information to the driver terminal 40 via the communication unit 112 (step S243). In this process, the control unit 110 of the logistics management server 20 transmits information indicating the updated delivery status in step S242 (delivery status information) to the driver terminal 40. Furthermore, if the delivery status is set to "out for pickup" in step S242, the control unit 110 of the logistics management server 20 transmits various package information (package information held by the driver terminal) stored in the package information table 121 in association with the said delivery status information to the driver terminal 40. The package information held on the driver terminal corresponds to the package information displayed as a package details screen on the display unit 142 of the driver terminal 40. Examples of such information include the tracking number, shipping label type, cool delivery category type, scheduled delivery date, delivery time slot, recipient's phone number, recipient's address, recipient's apartment / condominium name, recipient's name, recipient's name (in katakana), honorific title, article information, package size, number of packages, delivery status, geotag information, etc.

[0078] In the processing related to updating the delivery status when scanning is selected on the driver terminal side, after executing the process in step S444, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 receives the package information transmitted from the logistics management server 20 via the communication unit 145 (step S445). At that time, if the delivery status information included in the received package information corresponds to "outbound", the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 stores the package information for driver terminal retention in a predetermined area (delivery destination information storage area) provided in the storage unit 141 (e.g., RAM). This package information for driver terminal retention is stored in the delivery destination information storage area and can be displayed as a package details screen without requiring the information to be received again from the logistics management server 20 (for example, even when offline). In the above explanation, the control unit 110 of the logistics management server 20 has been described as obtaining geotag information corresponding to each delivery address by calling the geocoding API (see step S204 in Figure 6). However, if the delivery status information included in the package information received from the logistics management server 20 in step S445 corresponds to "out for delivery", the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 may also obtain geotag information corresponding to each delivery address by calling the geocoding API.

[0079] After executing the process in step S445, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 executes the continuous scan-related process (step S446). The continuous scan-related process will be explained later with reference to Figures 17 and 18. After executing the process in step S446, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 terminates the driver terminal side scan selection delivery status update-related process. In the logistics management server side scan selection delivery status update-related process, after executing the process in step S243, the control unit 110 of the logistics management server 20 executes the continuous scan-related process (step S244). The continuous scan-related process will be explained later with reference to Figures 17 and 18. After executing the process in step S244, the control unit 110 of the logistics management server 20 terminates the logistics management server side scan selection delivery status update-related process.

[0080] <Processing for accepting the selection of the destination status> Figure 11 is a flowchart showing the process for accepting a transition destination status selection operation. Figure 12 is a diagram showing an example of the action selection screen when the item is not yet shipped. Figure 13 is a diagram showing an example of the action selection screen when the item is received and confirmed. Figure 14 is a diagram showing an example of the action selection screen when the item is being taken out. Figure 15(a) is a diagram showing an example of the transition process screen for administrators. Figure 15(b) is a diagram showing an example of the transition process screen for shippers. Figure 16 is a diagram showing an example of the action selection screen when the shipper is absent.

[0081] The transition destination status selection operation acceptance process shown in Figure 11 is a process performed in the driver terminal 40 in step S443 of Figure 10 (processing related to updating delivery status when driver terminal side scan is selected).

[0082] In the process of receiving the destination status selection operation, first, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 determines whether the delivery status of the package being processed is "not shipped" (step S461). In this process, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 determines whether the delivery status information received in step S425 of Figure 9 corresponds to "not shipped". As mentioned above, the package being processed is the package to which the delivery label with the two-dimensional code, etc., printed on it, which was photographed in step S422 of Figure 9, is attached.

[0083] If the driver determines in step S461 that the delivery status of the package is "not shipped", the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 executes the process for accepting the operation to select the destination status for transition when the package is not shipped (step S462). In this process, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 displays the "not shipped action selection screen" on the display unit 142 and waits for either a confirmation of receipt transition input or a departure transition input to be made via the operation input unit 143.

[0084] As shown in Figure 12, the pre-shipment action selection screen has a package information display area 211, a package acceptance confirmation transition instruction input area 212, and a departure transition instruction input area 213. The package information display area 211 is an area where an image is displayed showing characters or numbers corresponding to package information (for example, slip number, scheduled delivery date, delivery time slot, number of packages, package size, delivery address, delivery name, delivery name (katakana), title, etc.). The package acceptance confirmation transition instruction input area 212 is an area where an image is displayed corresponding to a button containing the words "Package Acceptance and Storage" (package acceptance confirmation transition instruction button). The departure transition instruction input area 213 is an area where an image is displayed corresponding to a button containing the words "Departure" (departure transition instruction button).

[0085] When the "Not Shipped Action Selection Screen" is displayed, the driver can operate the operation input unit 143 to input either the "Confirm Receipt Transition Instruction" button in the "Confirm Receipt Transition Instruction Input Area 212" (Confirm Receipt Transition Instruction Input), or the "Delivery Transition Instruction" button in the "Delivery Transition Instruction Input Area 213" (Delivery Transition Instruction Input). The "Confirm Receipt Transition Instruction Input" corresponds to the operation of selecting "Confirm Receipt" as the destination status, and the "Delivery Transition Instruction Input" corresponds to the operation of selecting "Delivery" as the destination status. If the "Confirm Receipt Transition Instruction Input" is performed, the delivery status of the package will change from "Not Shipped" to "Confirm Receipt," and if the "Delivery Transition Instruction Input" is performed, the delivery status of the package will change from "Not Shipped" to "Delivery" (see step S242 in Figure 10).

[0086] In general, once the delivery status of a package to be delivered becomes "received," the delivery company assumes responsibility for that package. Therefore, if the driver is not an employee of the delivery company, it is desirable for the manager to input the instruction to transition to "received." For example, as mentioned above, the driver terminal 40 is owned by the delivery company, and it is assumed that the manager lends the driver terminal 40 to the driver when the delivery status of the package to be delivered is "received."

[0087] The package information (delivery destination summary information) displayed in the package information display area 211 consists of less information compared to the package information that can be displayed as a package details screen (package information held on the driver terminal side). Examples of delivery destination summary information include the tracking number, estimated delivery date, delivery time slot, delivery address, delivery name, delivery name (in kana), honorific title, package size, and number of packages. For example, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 receives the delivery destination summary information along with the delivery status information from the logistics management server 20 in step S425 of Figure 9, and can then display the delivery destination summary information in the package information display area 211.

[0088] If it is determined in step S461 that the delivery status of the package is not "not shipped", the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 determines whether the delivery status of the package is "package received" (step S463). In this process, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 determines whether the delivery status information received in step S425 of Figure 9 corresponds to "package received".

[0089] If the driver determines in step S463 that the delivery status of the package is "package received", the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 executes the process for receiving the destination status selection operation when the package is received (step S464). In this process, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 displays the package received action selection screen on the display unit 142 and waits for one of the following to be input via the operation input unit 143: a pickup instruction, a warehouse storage instruction, or a return instruction.

[0090] As shown in Figure 13, the action selection screen upon confirmation of receipt includes a package information display area 221, a pick-up transition instruction input area 222, a warehouse storage transition instruction input area 223, and a return transition instruction input area 224. The package information display area 221 is an area where an image is displayed showing characters or numbers corresponding to the package information (for example, slip number, scheduled delivery date, delivery time slot, number of packages, package size, delivery address, recipient name, recipient name (katakana), title, etc.). The pick-up transition instruction input area 222 is an area where an image corresponding to a button containing the word "Pick-up" (pick-up transition instruction button) is displayed. The warehouse storage transition instruction input area 223 is an area where an image corresponding to a button containing the word "Warehouse Storage" (warehouse storage transition instruction button) is displayed. The return transition instruction input area 224 is an area where an image corresponding to a button containing the word "Return" (return transition instruction button) is displayed.

[0091] When the action selection screen for receiving goods is displayed, the driver can operate the operation input unit 143 to input an action to select the "Outbound Transfer Instruction" button in the "Outbound Transfer Instruction" input area 222 (Outbound Transfer Instruction Input), an action to select the "Warehouse Storage Transfer Instruction" button in the "Warehouse Storage Transfer Instruction" input area 223 (Warehouse Storage Transfer Instruction Input), or an action to select the "Return Transfer Instruction" button in the "Return Transfer Instruction" input area 224 (Return Transfer Instruction Input). The "Outbound Transfer Instruction Input" corresponds to an operation to select "Outbound" as the destination status, the "Warehouse Storage Transfer Instruction Input" corresponds to an operation to select "Warehouse Storage" as the destination status, and the "Return Transfer Instruction Input" corresponds to an operation to select "Return" as the destination status. When a command to transfer to "Outbound" is entered, the delivery status of the package changes from "Received" to "Outbound". When a command to transfer to "Warehouse Storage" is entered, the delivery status of the package changes from "Received" to "Warehouse Storage" or "Storage on a Specified Date". When a command to transfer to "Return" is entered, the delivery status of the package changes from "Received" to "Returned" (see step S242 in Figure 10).

[0092] The package information displayed in the package information display area 221 is the same as the package information (delivery destination summary information) displayed in the package information display area 211 (see Figure 12). For example, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 receives the delivery destination summary information along with the delivery status information from the logistics management server 20 in step S425 of Figure 9, and can then display the delivery destination summary information in the package information display area 221.

[0093] If in step S463 it is determined that the delivery status of the package is not "package received", the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 determines whether the delivery status of the package is "out for delivery" (step S465). In this process, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 determines whether the delivery status information received in step S425 of Figure 9 corresponds to "out for delivery".

[0094] If the driver determines in step S465 that the delivery status of the package is "out for pickup", the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 executes the process for receiving the operation to select the destination status when the package is out for pickup (step S466). In this process, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 displays the out for pickup action selection screen on the display unit 142 and waits for one of the following to be input via the operation input unit 143: an instruction to cancel pickup, an instruction to transfer to warehouse storage (return), or an instruction to transfer to handover.

[0095] As shown in Figure 14, the action selection screen for when a package is to be taken out includes a package information display area 231, a package cancellation instruction input area 232, a warehouse storage (return) transition instruction input area 233, and a handover transition instruction input area 234. The package information display area 231 is an area where an image is displayed showing characters or numbers corresponding to the package information (for example, slip number, scheduled delivery date, delivery time slot, number of packages, package size, delivery address, recipient name, recipient name (katakana), title, etc.). The package cancellation instruction input area 232 is an area where an image corresponding to a button containing the words "Cancel Package" (Package Cancellation Instruction Button) is displayed. The warehouse storage (return) transition instruction input area 233 is an area where an image corresponding to a button containing the words "Warehouse Storage (Return)" (Warehouse Storage (Return) Transition Instruction Button) is displayed. The handover transition instruction input area 234 is an area where an image corresponding to a button containing the words "Handover" (Handover Transition Instruction Button) is displayed.

[0096] When the take-out action selection screen is displayed, the driver can operate the operation input unit 143 to input an action indicating the selection of the take-out cancellation instruction button in the take-out cancellation instruction input area 232 (take-out cancellation instruction input), an action indicating the selection of the warehouse storage (return) transition instruction button in the warehouse storage (return) transition instruction input area 233 (warehouse storage (return) transition instruction input), or an action indicating the selection of the handover transition instruction button in the handover transition instruction input area 234 (handover transition instruction input). The warehouse storage (return) transition instruction input corresponds to an operation indicating the selection of "warehouse storage (return)" as the destination status, and the handover transition instruction input corresponds to an operation indicating the selection of "handover" as the destination status. When a warehouse storage (return) transfer instruction is entered, the delivery status of the package changes from "Outbound" to "Warehouse Storage (Return)" or "Storage on a Specified Date (Return)". When a handover transfer instruction is entered, the delivery status of the package changes from "Outbound" to "Handover" (see step S242 in Figure 10).

[0097] The package information displayed in the package information display area 231 is the same as the package information (delivery destination summary information) displayed in the package information display area 211 (see Figure 12). For example, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 can display the delivery destination summary information in the package information display area 231 based on the package information held by the driver terminal in the delivery destination information storage area (see step S445 in Figure 10). Alternatively, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 may display the delivery destination summary information in the package information display area 231 by receiving the delivery destination summary information from the logistics management server 20 along with the delivery status information in step S425 in Figure 9.

[0098] The following describes the input of a cancellation instruction for shipment. Inputting a cancellation instruction for shipment corresponds to an operation to cancel the most recent shipment transition instruction input. When a cancellation instruction for shipment is input, in the process of step S444 in Figure 10, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 transmits information indicating that a cancellation instruction for shipment has been input (cancellation information for shipment) to the logistics management server 20 via the communication unit 145. Upon receiving the cancellation information for shipment, in the process of step S242 in Figure 10, the control unit 110 of the logistics management server 20 returns the delivery status corresponding to the slip number information received in step S221 in Figure 9 from the current delivery status ("Shipment") to the previous delivery status. The package information table 121 stores information (transition process information) that indicates the delivery status transition process (the current delivery status corresponding to the slip number information, and the change history including the original delivery status when transitioning to the current delivery status) in association with the slip number information.

[0099] The control unit 110 of the logistics management server 20 can recognize the previous delivery status (the delivery status of the source) by referring to the transition process information. As a result, when it receives information canceling a shipment, the control unit 110 of the logistics management server 20 will, for example, set the delivery status corresponding to the slip number information received in step S221 of Figure 9 to "Confirmed Receipt" if the source delivery status when transitioning to the current delivery status ("Shipment Out") was "Confirmed Receipt". If the source delivery status when transitioning to the current delivery status ("Shipment Out") was "Warehouse Storage (Return)", it will set the delivery status corresponding to the slip number information to "Warehouse Storage (Return)". As a result, the transition of the delivery status to "Shipment Out" will be canceled.

[0100] Here, when a slip number is entered in the operation input section 133 of the administrator terminal 30, a screen showing the delivery status transition process corresponding to that slip number (administrator transition process screen) is displayed on the display section 132. Similarly, when a slip number is entered in the operation input section of the shipper terminal (a terminal device operated by the shipper), a screen showing the delivery status transition process corresponding to that slip number (shipper transition process screen) is displayed on the display section. Furthermore, when a slip number is entered in the operation input section of the customer terminal (a terminal device operated by the customer), a screen showing the delivery status transition process corresponding to that slip number (customer transition process screen) is displayed on the display section. The shipper terminal and customer terminal are information processing devices such as general personal computers, laptop computers, smartphones, and tablet devices. The administrator terminal 30, the shipper terminal, and the customer terminal each communicate with the logistics management server 20 via the network N, and based on the transition process information stored in the cargo information table 121 of the logistics management server 20, they can display the administrator transition process screen, the shipper transition process screen, and the customer transition process screen, respectively.

[0101] The example shown in Figure 15(a) illustrates the administrator's transition process screen when the delivery status of a single package (invoice number) changes through the processes described in (i) to (v) below. The example shown in Figure 15(b) illustrates the shipper's transition process screen when the delivery status of a single package (invoice number) changes through the processes described in (i) to (v) below. The customer's transition process screen is the same as the shipper's transition process screen. (i) The delivery status changes from "Absent" to "Warehouse Storage (Returned)" (ii) After (i) above, when the instruction to move to the warehouse is entered, the delivery status changes from "Warehouse Storage (Return)" to "Outbound". (iii) After (ii) above, when a cancellation instruction for taking the item out is entered, the delivery status changes from "Taking out" to "Warehouse storage (return)" (cancellation of the delivery status change in (ii) above). (iv) After (iii) above, when the instruction to move to the warehouse is entered, the delivery status changes from "Warehouse Storage (Return)" to "Outbound". (v) After (iv) above, if a cancellation instruction for taking the item out is entered, the delivery status will change from "Taking out" to "Warehouse storage (return)" (cancellation of the delivery status change in (iv) above).

[0102] As shown in Figure 15(a), the administrator transition process screen displays the delivery status change history in a manner that allows all of the above transition processes (i) to (v) to be visible. In contrast, as shown in Figure 15(b), the shipper transition process screen and the customer transition process screen display the delivery status change history in a manner that allows only the above transition process (i) to be visible. In this embodiment, if a take-out transition instruction input is canceled (the transition of the delivery status to "take-out" is canceled) due to a take-out cancellation instruction input, the shipper transition process screen and the customer transition process screen will hide the change history for the delivery status transition due to the take-out cancellation instruction input (in the example shown in Figure 15, (iii) and (v) above) and the delivery status transition due to the take-out transition instruction input (in the example shown in Figure 15, (ii) and (iv) above).

[0103] In practical delivery operations, situations may arise where the departure of a package from the warehouse is canceled (for example, if the package is too large to fit on the vehicle). By providing an input field for canceling the departure instruction, it becomes possible to easily revert the delivery status of the package to its pre-departure status in such situations, simplifying the cargo cancellation process and improving usability. On the other hand, if the change history, such as a package being immediately returned to the warehouse after being taken out, is directly visible to the shipper or customer, it may raise suspicions and lead to complaints or inquiries to the delivery company. The delivery company would like to avoid a situation where its operational efficiency is reduced due to frequent responses to such inquiries. In this regard, while logging the change history (transition process information) corresponding to the transition of delivery status due to the input of a cancellation of delivery instruction, and the transition of delivery status due to the input of a delivery transition instruction (which is canceled by the input of the cancellation of delivery instruction), the logistics management server 20 is controlled so as not to transmit information indicating the change history to the shipper's terminal or the customer's terminal. This prevents unnecessary misunderstandings from being caused to shippers or customers regarding the cancellation of delivery, and maintains operational efficiency.

[0104] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 15(a), on the administrator transition process screen, the transition of delivery status due to the input of a cancellation instruction for taking out, and the transition of delivery status due to the input of a transition instruction for taking out (which is canceled by the input of the cancellation instruction for taking out) (i.e., the change history that is not displayed on the shipper transition process screen or the customer transition process screen) may be displayed in a different manner (for example, by background color) than other change history. Also, in Figure 15(a), the administrator transition process screen shows that the change history of the delivery status for (iii) and (v) above is displayed as "cancelled," but the destination delivery status ("warehouse storage (return)") may be displayed instead.

[0105] As explained above, when a cancellation instruction for "outbound" is entered, the transition of the delivery status to "outbound" is canceled. However, if the original delivery status when the delivery status transitioned to "outbound" was "not shipped," the delivery status will revert to "not shipped" as a result of the cancellation instruction for "outbound." "Not shipped" means that the delivery company has not received the goods shipped by the consignor, so it is recommended to avoid this situation. In light of this, it is desirable to enter an instruction to transition to "confirm receipt" on the "not shipped" action selection screen whenever possible. Alternatively, it may be possible to make it impossible to enter an instruction to transition to "outbound" on the "not shipped" action selection screen at all (the image corresponding to the "transition to outbound" instruction button will not be displayed).

[0106] Returning to the explanation in Figure 11, if it is determined in step S465 that the delivery status of the package is not "out for delivery", the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 determines whether the delivery status of the package is "absent" (step S467). In this process, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 determines whether the delivery status information received in step S425 of Figure 9 corresponds to "absent".

[0107] If it is determined in step S467 that the delivery status of the package is "absent", the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 executes the process for accepting the selection of the destination status when absent (step S468). In this process, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 displays the absence action selection screen on the display unit 142 and waits for either a warehouse storage (return) transfer instruction input or a handover transfer instruction input to be made via the operation input unit 143.

[0108] As shown in Figure 16, the absence action selection screen has a package information display area 241, a warehouse storage (return) transition instruction input area 242, and a handover transition instruction input area 243. The package information display area 241 is an area where an image is displayed showing characters or numbers corresponding to the package information (for example, slip number, scheduled delivery date, delivery time slot, number of packages, package size, delivery address, recipient name, recipient name (katakana), title, etc.). The warehouse storage (return) transition instruction input area 242 is an area where an image is displayed corresponding to a button containing the words "warehouse storage (return)" (warehouse storage (return) transition instruction button). The handover transition instruction input area 243 is an area where an image is displayed corresponding to a button containing the words "handover" (handover transition instruction button).

[0109] When the Absence Action Selection screen is displayed, the driver can operate the operation input unit 143 to input either selecting the Warehouse Storage (Return) Transfer Instruction button in the Warehouse Storage (Return) Transfer Instruction Input area 242 (Warehouse Storage (Return) Transfer Instruction Input), or selecting the Handover Transfer Instruction Button in the Handover Transfer Instruction Input area 243 (Handover Transfer Instruction Input). The Warehouse Storage (Return) Transfer Instruction Input corresponds to selecting "Warehouse Storage (Return)" as the destination status, and the Handover Transfer Instruction Input corresponds to selecting "Handover" as the destination status. If the Warehouse Storage (Return) Transfer Instruction Input is performed, the delivery status of the package will change from "Absent" to "Warehouse Storage (Return)" or "Storage on a Specified Date (Return)". If the Handover Transfer Instruction Input is performed, the delivery status of the package will change from "Absent" to "Handover" (see step S242 in Figure 10).

[0110] The package information displayed in the package information display area 241 is the same as the package information (delivery destination summary information) displayed in the package information display area 211 (see Figure 12). For example, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 can display the delivery destination summary information in the package information display area 241 based on the package information held by the driver terminal in the delivery destination information storage area (see step S445 in Figure 10). Alternatively, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 may display the delivery destination summary information in the package information display area 241 by receiving the delivery destination summary information from the logistics management server 20 along with the delivery status information in step S425 in Figure 9.

[0111] If the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 determines in step S467 that the delivery status of the package is not "absent", it executes a process to accept a destination status selection operation corresponding to the delivery status (step S469). For example, if the delivery status of the package is one of "warehouse storage", "storage on a specified date", "warehouse storage (return)", and "storage on a specified date (return)", the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 displays a warehouse storage action selection screen (not shown) on the display unit 142 and waits for instructions to be made to transfer the package to the warehouse storage (return) via the operation input unit 143. Also, if the delivery status of the package is "under investigation", the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 displays an investigation action selection screen (not shown) on the display unit 142 and waits for instructions to be made to transfer the package to the warehouse storage (return) via the operation input unit 143. Furthermore, if the delivery status of the package is "handover," the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 displays a handover action selection screen (not shown) on the display unit 142 and waits for instructions to be entered via the operation input unit 143, such as instructions to transfer to warehouse storage (return). As these inputs have been explained above, further explanation is omitted here.

[0112] After executing the processes in steps S462, S464, S466, S468, or S469, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 terminates the destination status selection operation acceptance process. When input is made on one of the action selection screens, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 terminates the destination status selection operation acceptance process and proceeds to step S444 in Figure 10. Conversely, if a predetermined time elapses without any input being made on one of the action selection screens, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 may terminate the destination status selection operation acceptance process and also terminate the driver terminal side scan selection process (see Figure 9).

[0113] <Continuous Scan Related Processing> Figures 17 and 18 are flowcharts showing the continuous scan-related processing on the driver terminal side and the continuous scan-related processing on the logistics management server side. Figures 19 and 20 are examples of the delivery status update completion screen. Figures 21 and 22 are examples of the screen during continuous scan mode.

[0114] The driver terminal-side continuous scan-related processing is performed at the driver terminal 40 in step S446 of Figure 10 (processing related to updating delivery status when scanning is selected on the driver terminal side). The logistics management server-side continuous scan-related processing is performed at the logistics management server 20 in step S244 of Figure 10 (processing related to updating delivery status when scanning is selected on the logistics management server side).

[0115] In the driver terminal-side continuous scan-related processing, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 executes the processes shown in steps S481 to S492 in Figures 17 and 18. In the logistics management server-side continuous scan-related processing, the control unit 110 of the logistics management server 20 executes the processes shown in steps S261 to S266 in Figures 17 and 18.

[0116] First, as a prerequisite, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 executes the process in step S445 of Figure 10, and then displays the delivery status update completion screen on the display unit 142. The delivery status update completion screen is a screen that indicates that the delivery status update has been completed due to input (selection of an action) made on the various action selection screens described above. Figure 19 shows, as an example, the delivery status update completion screen that is displayed when a departure transition instruction is entered on the action selection screen at the time of receiving confirmation (see Figure 13). The basic configuration of the delivery status update completion screen is the same regardless of the input content on the various action selection screens.

[0117] As shown in Figure 19, the delivery status update completion screen has a package information display area 251, an action result display area 252, and a close instruction input area 253. The package information display area 251 is an area where an image is displayed showing characters or numbers corresponding to package information (for example, slip number, scheduled delivery date, delivery time slot, number of packages, package size, delivery address, recipient name, recipient name (in katakana), title, etc.). The action result display area 252 is an area where an image is displayed corresponding to the selection result of the action on the action selection screen (in this example, the text "Picked up" and a check mark). The close instruction input area 253 is an area where an image is displayed corresponding to a button containing the text "Close" ("Close" button). When the delivery status update completion screen is displayed, the driver (or administrator) can input an instruction to select the "Close" button in the close instruction input area 253 by operating the operation input unit 143.

[0118] Here, in the destination status selection operation acceptance process (see Figure 11), if any of the following inputs are made: input of a confirmed receipt transition instruction, input of a take-out transition instruction, input of a warehouse storage transition instruction, input of a return transition instruction, input of a warehouse storage (return) transition instruction, and input of a take-out cancellation instruction, the delivery status update completion screen is displayed, and if the "close" instruction is made on the said delivery status update completion screen, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 will pop up a continuous reading confirmation image on the said delivery status update completion screen.

[0119] Figure 20 shows the continuous reading confirmation image 254 that is displayed when the "Close" instruction is entered on the delivery status update completion screen shown in Figure 19. The continuous reading confirmation image 254 is displayed as a window (dialog) in the center of the delivery status update completion screen, and the dialog displays the message "Do you want to perform continuous reading of the delivery?" along with text images corresponding to "Yes" and "No". The area where "Yes" is displayed (YES instruction input area) corresponds to the YES instruction button, and the area where "No" is displayed (NO instruction input area) corresponds to the NO instruction button. When the continuous reading confirmation image is displayed, the driver (or administrator) can operate the operation input unit 143 to input an instruction to select the YES instruction button in the YES instruction input area (YES instruction input), or to select the NO instruction button in the NO instruction input area (NO instruction input).

[0120] In the driver terminal-side continuous scanning related processing shown in Figures 17 and 18, first, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 determines whether or not to perform continuous reading (step S481). When a continuous reading confirmation image is displayed as a pop-up on the delivery status update completion screen, if a YES instruction is entered, the result of the decision in step S481 is "YES," while if a NO instruction is entered, the result of the decision in step S481 is "NO." Furthermore, if the input (selection of action) made in the destination status selection operation acceptance processing is not one of the following: delivery confirmation transition instruction input, outbound transition instruction input, warehouse storage transition instruction input, return transition instruction input, warehouse storage (return) transition instruction input, or outbound cancellation instruction input, the continuous reading confirmation image will not be displayed at all even if a "close" instruction is entered on the delivery status update completion screen, and in this case as well, the result of the decision in step S481 is "NO."

[0121] Figure 20 shows the continuous reading confirmation image displayed when a transfer instruction is entered, but the basic structure is the same for the continuous reading confirmation images displayed when other inputs are made (transfer instruction for receiving confirmation, transfer instruction for warehouse storage, transfer instruction for return, transfer instruction for warehouse storage (return), or transfer cancellation instruction). Specifically, in the continuous reading confirmation image displayed when a delivery confirmation transition instruction is entered, the message displayed in the dialog box is "Do you want to perform continuous reading for delivery confirmation?", in the continuous reading confirmation image displayed when a warehouse storage transition instruction is entered, the message displayed in the dialog box is "Do you want to perform continuous reading for warehouse storage?", in the continuous reading confirmation image displayed when a return transition instruction is entered, the message displayed in the dialog box is "Do you want to perform continuous reading for returns?", in the continuous reading confirmation image displayed when a warehouse storage (return) transition instruction is entered, the message displayed in the dialog box is "Do you want to perform continuous reading for warehouse storage (return)?", and in the continuous reading confirmation image displayed when a take-out cancellation instruction is entered, the message displayed in the dialog box is "Do you want to perform continuous reading for take-out cancellation?". These continuous reading confirmation images are the same as the continuous reading confirmation image shown in Figure 20, except for the content of the messages.

[0122] If it is determined in step S481 not to perform continuous reading, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 terminates the driver terminal-side continuous scan-related processing. On the other hand, if it is determined to perform continuous reading, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 sets the updated delivery status (step S482). In this process, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 stores the delivery status information received in step S445 of Figure 10 in a predetermined area (updated status information storage area) provided in the storage unit 141 (for example, RAM). The updated status information storage area is a storage area provided separately from the delivery destination information storage area. Even if a withdrawal cancellation instruction is input in the destination status selection operation acceptance processing (the transition of the delivery status to "withdrawal" is canceled in step S242 of Figure 10), the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 may similarly store the delivery status information, but in this case, the withdrawal cancellation information will be stored in the updated status information storage area.

[0123] Next, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 activates the imaging unit 144 (camera) (step S483). The camera, which was activated in step S421 in Figure 9, is deactivated when the process in step S422 is performed. In the process in step S483, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 reactivates the camera (making the delivery app able to use the camera) and displays the continuous scan mode screen on the display unit 142. In this embodiment, single scan mode and continuous scan mode are provided as modes (scan modes) for capturing two-dimensional codes, etc. When the camera is activated in step S421 in Figure 9, it is controlled to single scan mode, whereas when the camera is activated in step S483, it is controlled to continuous scan mode. The continuous scan mode screen is the screen displayed in continuous scan mode.

[0124] As shown in Figure 21, the screen in continuous scan mode has a target display area 261, a scan mode display area 262, a cancel instruction input area 263, and a slip number display area 264. The target display area 261 is the area where the camera view (image being captured by the camera) is displayed, and includes a frame (guideline) for accommodating a two-dimensional code, etc. The scan mode display area 262 is the area where images corresponding to the words "Single Shot" and "Continuous Shot" are displayed. The cancel instruction input area 263 is the area where an image corresponding to a button (cancel button) including an "×" mark is displayed. The slip number display area 264 is the area where the slip number extracted from the two-dimensional code image is displayed. When making the driver terminal 40 recognize the slip number, it is also possible to directly input it via the operation input unit 143 in the slip number display area 264 instead of taking a picture of a two-dimensional code, etc.

[0125] The driver (or administrator) can input a cancellation instruction by operating the operation input unit 143 to select the cancel button in the cancel instruction input area 263. The driver (or administrator) can also directly input the slip number (without scanning) in the slip number input area 264 by operating the operation input unit 143. Note that the screen during continuous scan mode and the screen during single scan mode (the screen displayed in single scan mode) differ only in the display manner of the scan mode display area 262; the rest of the screen configuration is the same. Specifically, in single scan mode, the text image "Single Shooting" is highlighted, while in continuous scan mode, the text image "Continuous Shooting" is highlighted.

[0126] After executing the process in step S483, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 determines whether or not a cancellation instruction has been input (step S484). If it is determined that a cancellation instruction has been input, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 terminates the driver terminal-side continuous scan-related processing. On the other hand, if it is determined that no cancellation instruction has been input, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 executes the processes in steps S485 to S487, but these processes are the same as the processes in steps S422 to S424 in Figure 9, so their explanation is omitted here. In the logistics management server-side continuous scan-related processing, the control unit 110 of the logistics management server 20 executes the processes in steps S261 to S263, but these processes are the same as the processes in steps S221 to S223 in Figure 9, so their explanation is omitted here.

[0127] In the driver terminal-side continuous scanning related processing, after executing the process in step S487, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 receives delivery status information transmitted from the logistics management server 20 via the communication unit 145 (step S488). Next, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 determines whether or not the delivery status of the package being processed can be updated (step S489). The package being processed is the package to which the delivery label with the two-dimensional code, etc., that was photographed in step S485 is attached.

[0128] In step S489, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 compares the delivery status (current status) indicated by the delivery status information received in step S488 with the delivery status (updated status) indicated by the delivery status information stored in the updated status information storage area in step S482. For example, if the current status is the final status, the result of the decision in step S489 is "NO". As mentioned above, the final statuses are "Delivery Completed", "Refused Receipt", "Returned", and "Package Damage". Also, if the current status and the updated status are the same delivery status, the result of the decision in step S489 is "NO". If the current status is not the final status, and the current status and the updated status are different delivery statuses, the result of the decision in step S489 is "YES" or "NO". The control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 is capable of making this decision according to the combination (comparison result) of the current status and the updated status. If the updated status information storage area contains cancellation information for the outbound shipment, the updated status will be the original delivery status ("pre-outbound status") when the delivery status transitioned to "outbound".

[0129] For example, if the system is controlled to continuous scan mode based on the input of a confirmed receipt instruction, the updated status will be "Confirmed Receipt". When the delivery status transitions to "Confirmed Receipt", the source delivery status is expected to be "Not Shipped". If the updated status is "Confirmed Receipt", the result of the decision in step S489 can be set to "YES" if the current status is "Not Shipped", and to "NO" if the current status is not "Not Shipped". Also, for example, if the system is controlled to continuous scan mode based on the input of a dispatch instruction, the updated status will be "Dispatch". When the delivery status changes to "Outbound," the original delivery status may be "Receipt Confirmed," "Warehouse Storage," "Storage on Specified Date," "Warehouse Storage (Return)," "Storage on Specified Date (Return)," etc. If the updated status is "Outbound," the result of the decision in step S489 can be set to "YES" if the current status is one of these delivery statuses, and to "NO" if the current status is not one of these delivery statuses.

[0130] Furthermore, for example, if the system is controlled to continuous scan mode based on the input of a warehouse storage transition instruction, the updated status will be "Warehouse Storage" (there will be no distinction between "Warehouse Storage" and "Storage on a Specified Date," and both will be treated as "Warehouse Storage"). When a delivery status transitions to "Warehouse Storage" or "Storage on a Specified Date," the source delivery status is assumed to be "Confirmed Receipt." If the updated status is "Warehouse Storage," and the current status is "Confirmed Receipt," the result of the decision in step S489 can be set to "YES," and if the current status is not "Confirmed Receipt," the result of the decision in step S489 can be set to "NO." Also, for example, if the system is controlled to continuous scan mode based on the input of a return transition instruction, the updated status will be "Return." When the delivery status changes to "return," the original delivery status is expected to be "confirmed receipt." If the updated status is "return," and the current status is "confirmed receipt," the result of the decision in step S489 can be set to "YES," and if the current status is not "confirmed receipt," the result of the decision in step S489 can be set to "NO."

[0131] Furthermore, for example, if the system is controlled to continuous scan mode based on the input of a warehouse storage (return) transition instruction, the updated status will be "Warehouse Storage (Return)" (there will be no distinction between "Warehouse Storage (Return)" and "Storage on a Specified Date (Return)," and both will be treated as "Warehouse Storage (Return)"). When a delivery status transitions to "Warehouse Storage (Return)" or "Storage on a Specified Date (Return)," the source delivery status is expected to be "Out for Delivery," "Absent," "Under Investigation," "Handover," etc. If the updated status is "Warehouse Storage (Return)," the result of the decision in step S489 can be set to "YES" if the current status is one of these delivery statuses, and to "NO" if the current status is not one of these delivery statuses. Furthermore, for example, if the system is controlled to continuous scan mode based on the input of an out-for-delivery cancellation instruction, the updated status will be "Pre-Out-for-Delivery Status." When the delivery status transitions to the "pre-departure status," the original delivery status is expected to be "departure." If the updated status is "pre-departure status," then if the current status is "departure," the result of the decision in step S489 can be set to "YES," and if the current status is not "departure," the result of the decision in step S489 can be set to "NO."

[0132] If it is determined in step S489 that the delivery status of the package can be updated, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 transmits information indicating the updated status as destination status information to the logistics management server 20 via the communication unit 145 (step S490). In the logistics management server-side continuous scan-related processing, after executing the process in step S263, the control unit 110 of the logistics management server 20 executes the processes in steps S264 to S266. These processes are the same as the processes in steps S241 to S243 in Figure 10, so their explanation is omitted here. After executing the process in step S266, the control unit 110 of the logistics management server 20 terminates the logistics management server-side continuous scan-related processing. In the driver terminal-side continuous scan-related processing, after executing the process in step S490, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 executes the process in step S491. This process is the same as the process in step S445 in Figure 10, so its explanation is omitted here.

[0133] If, in step S489, it is determined that the delivery status of the package cannot be updated, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 performs error processing (step S492). In this process, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 displays an error image (for example, a text image indicating that the delivery status cannot be updated) as a toast message on the display unit 142. The toast message is displayed as a window for a short time on a part of the screen of the display unit 142. While a pop-up message is displayed, the display ends when a predetermined operation is performed on the operation input unit 143, whereas the toast message automatically ends after a predetermined time (for example, about 1 to 3 seconds) has elapsed, without requiring any operation on the operation input unit 143. While a pop-up message is displayed, the camera is disabled, whereas while a toast message is displayed, the camera remains enabled (the delivery app is able to use the camera).

[0134] Figure 22 shows an error image 265 being displayed as a toast notification while the continuous scan mode screen shown in Figure 21 is being displayed. In this example, it is assumed that the system is controlled to continuous scan mode based on an input of a command to switch to "out of service," and the delivery status corresponding to the slip number extracted from the two-dimensional code, etc., that was captured is "out of service." In the figure, the error image 265 displays the message, "It has already been changed to out of service." Even if such a toast notification is displayed (and even during the period in which the toast notification is displayed), it is still possible to continue having the imaging unit 144 capture the two-dimensional code image.

[0135] After executing the process in step S491 or step S492, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 moves the process to step S484. As a result, the processes in steps S485 to S491 are repeated until a cancellation instruction is input. During this time, the imaging unit 144 (camera) remains activated (it is possible to capture a two-dimensional code image as long as the two-dimensional code is within the guidelines). Therefore, in continuous scan mode, after photographing a two-dimensional code printed on a shipping label attached to one package (updating the shipping status corresponding to the slip number extracted from the two-dimensional code), it is possible to photograph a two-dimensional code printed on a shipping label attached to another package without having to activate the imaging unit 144 (camera) again, and the two-dimensional codes can be photographed continuously for multiple packages. Furthermore, even if a two-dimensional code printed on a shipping label attached to a package whose shipping status cannot be updated is photographed during this process, the continuous photography of the two-dimensional code can be continued without having to activate the imaging unit 144 (camera) again.

[0136] In the above example, an error image is displayed as a toast notification when the result of step S489 is "NO," but the method of displaying the error image is not limited to this example. For example, when the result of step S489 is "NO," an error image is basically displayed as a toast notification, but in some cases where the result of step S489 is "NO" (for example, when the current status is the final status), an error image may be displayed as a pop-up (the camera is disabled while the error image is displayed, and when the display of the error image ends by tapping the cancel button, it becomes possible to capture the QR code image again).

[0137] Whether or not to allow a transition from one delivery status to another can be designed as appropriate, and the decision result of step S489 ("YES" or "NO") can be pre-set in the program depending on the combination of the current status and the updated status. In this example, the decision in step S489 is made by comparing the current status and the updated status, but the method for determining whether or not to update the delivery status is not limited to this example. For example, the decision in step S489 may be made by comparing the current status with a specific action that triggered the control to continuous scan mode (input of instruction to transition to confirmed receipt, input of instruction to transition to outbound, input of instruction to transition to warehouse storage, input of instruction to transition to return, input of instruction to transition to warehouse storage (return), or input of instruction to cancel outbound). In this case, in step S490, information indicating the type of specific action may be sent from the driver terminal 40 to the logistics management server 20 as destination status information. The actions permitted for each delivery status can be designed as appropriate, and the program can be configured so that the decision result ("YES" or "NO") in step S489 is predetermined in advance, depending on the combination of the current status and a specific action.

[0138] <Processing when map is selected> Figure 23 is a flowchart showing the processing when a map is selected. Figure 24 is a flowchart showing the processing related to pin display. Figure 25 is a diagram showing an example of the screen displayed when a map selection instruction is entered. Figure 26 is a magnified view of the pins.

[0139] The map selection process shown in Figure 23 is the process performed in the driver terminal 40 in step S402 of Figure 7 (delivery application execution process).

[0140] In the map selection process, first, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 executes pin display-related processing (step S501). Here, the pin display-related processing will be explained using Figure 24.

[0141] Although not shown in the diagram, in the pin display related processing, first, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 generates a map object corresponding to the map image (map) displayed in the map display area 200 (see Figure 8) by calling a map API (for example, Google Maps API), and sets the current location (the location of the driver terminal 40) to the center position of the map. The control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 can acquire information indicating the current location using the GPS sensor built into the driver terminal 40.

[0142] Then, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 reads out the geotag information (location information) corresponding to all the slip number information stored in the delivery destination information storage area of ​​the memory unit 141 (see step S445 in Figure 10) (step S521). The control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 also generates a pin (marker) corresponding to each of the read geotag information and places the generated pins on the map. At that time, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 associates each pin with various package information (including slip number information) held by the driver terminal that corresponds to the geotag information. As described above, the geotag information is latitude and longitude information corresponding to the delivery address, and the delivery address (also called "address 1") indicates the "prefecture," "city / ward / county / town / village," "block / number," etc. (it does not include "apartment name" or "building name"). In addition, in the delivery destination information storage area, geotag information and various package information held by the driver terminal are stored in association with each slip number information (package identification number).

[0143] Furthermore, if the delivery address information corresponding to one tracking number (identification number of package X) is the same as the delivery address information corresponding to another tracking number (identification number of package Y), then the geotag information corresponding to package X and the geotag information corresponding to package Y will match. In this case, when the geotag information matches for multiple packages, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 associates the package information for driver terminal storage corresponding to the multiple packages with a single pin. In other words, in this case, the pins corresponding to each package are integrated, and only one pin is generated for multiple packages (tracking numbers).

[0144] After executing the process in step S521, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 counts the number of packages corresponding to each pin (number of packages) (step S522). The number of packages is the number of slip numbers (package IDs) associated with each pin. In this process, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 groups each package based on geotag information (latitude and longitude) (matching condition). Specifically, for each slip number, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 assigns packages where both the latitude and longitude (indicated by the geotag information associated with the slip number) match to the same group, while assigning packages where at least one of the latitude and longitude does not match to different groups, and identifies the number of slip numbers belonging to each group as the number of packages.

[0145] After executing the process in step S522, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 performs grouping with additional conditions (step S523). In this process, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 groups each package based on geotag information (latitude and longitude), the name of the apartment / condominium destination, the recipient's name, and the current delivery status (current status) as criteria (matching conditions). As mentioned above, the name of the apartment / condominium destination (also called "address 2") indicates the "apartment name" or "building name". The delivery address consists of "address 1" and "address 2", with "address 2" being information that follows "address 1" to specify the delivery address in more detail. The recipient's name indicates the name of the customer (the recipient of the package) (primarily written in kanji). The current status is transmitted from the logistics management server 20 to the driver terminal 40 when the delivery status is updated and is held in the driver terminal 40 as package information for driver terminal retention.

[0146] In the process of step S523, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 can perform a matching determination based on the delivery address apartment / condominium name, delivery address name, and current status for each group classified in step S522 (applying additional conditions to each group classified in step S522). For convenience, the groups classified in step S522 will be called geotag matching groups, and the groups classified in step S523 will be called additional condition matching groups. Specifically, in the process of step S523, for each geotag matching group, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 assigns each slip number belonging to that geotag matching group that matches the delivery address apartment / condominium name, delivery address name, and current status to the same additional condition matching group, while assigning slips that do not match at least one of these to a different additional condition matching group.

[0147] For example, in the process of step S523, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 converts the destination apartment / condominium name, destination name, and current status into strings for each slip number belonging to each geotag matching group, sorts the strings arranged in each row, checks whether the string corresponding to one row matches the string corresponding to the row above it, and if these strings match, assigns the same ID (identification number of the additional condition matching group) to the row (slip number) above it. If these strings do not match, assigns the value of the row (slip number) above it as the ID, with the ID being one count incremented. Alternatively, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 may set a flag for packages (slip numbers) where the destination apartment / condominium name, destination name, and current status all match, and perform subsequent processing by referring to this flag (clearing the flag each time the processing is performed).

[0148] The grouping method can be designed as appropriate. For example, grouping may be performed using a hash map based on a key, or adjustments may be made to ensure consistency even if there is a certain degree of error (for example, normalization may be performed to unify data variability (e.g., trimming spaces between the last name and first name in the recipient's name), or differences below a predetermined threshold may be ignored in geotags). Note that the grouping criteria (matching conditions) in step S523 are not limited to the above examples. For example, matching conditions can be arbitrarily selected from the recipient's apartment / condominium name, recipient's name, current status, scheduled delivery date, delivery time slot, recipient's telephone number, recipient's name (Kana) (customer's name written in Katakana), data import date (the date data was received from the shipper's server 50), etc. For example, you can select as appropriate the following: recipient name only (1 condition), recipient apartment / condominium name and recipient name (2 conditions), recipient name and scheduled delivery date (2 conditions), recipient apartment / condominium name, recipient name and scheduled delivery date (3 conditions), recipient name, scheduled delivery date and delivery time slot (3 conditions), recipient apartment / condominium name, recipient name, scheduled delivery date and delivery time slot (4 conditions), recipient name, current status, scheduled delivery date and delivery time slot (4 conditions), recipient apartment / condominium name, recipient name, current status, scheduled delivery date and delivery time slot (5 conditions), etc.

[0149] After executing the process in step S523, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 counts the number of delivery destinations (number of doorsteps) for each pin (step S524). Each pin corresponds to one geotag matching group, and the number of doorsteps is the number of additional condition matching groups belonging to that geotag matching group. That is, if one geotag matching group is classified into N additional condition matching groups, the number of doorsteps corresponding to that geotag matching group (pin) is N. Then, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 determines whether the number of doorsteps is 2 or more for each pin, and associates multiple doorstep information with pins that have 2 or more doorsteps (step S525).

[0150] Next, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 determines the color of each pin (step S526). In this process, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 compares the current time with the scheduled delivery date and time (scheduled delivery date and time) of the package corresponding to each pin, and determines the color of the pin according to the comparison result. The delivery time slot is one of several categories ("No preference", "8am-12pm", "2pm-4pm", "4pm-6pm", "6pm-8pm", and "7pm-9pm"). The driver terminal 40 is equipped with a software-controlled system clock, and since this system clock plays the same role as a real-time clock, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 can recognize the current time.

[0151] Specifically, in the process of step S526, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 identifies one of the following as the comparison result: (a) the scheduled delivery date is the next day or later, (b) the scheduled delivery date is today and the current time is past the delivery time slot, (c) the scheduled delivery date is today and the current time is within the delivery time slot, (d) the scheduled delivery date is today and the current time is within the delivery time slot immediately preceding the current time slot, (e) the scheduled delivery date is today and the current time is within two or more time slots preceding the current delivery time slot, and (f) the scheduled delivery date is today and no delivery time slot is specified. Then, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 determines the color of the pin to be purple if the comparison result is (a) above, to be red if the comparison result is (b) above, to be pink if the comparison result is (c) above, to be yellow if the comparison result is (d) above, to be green if the comparison result is (e) above, and to be blue if the comparison result is (f) above.

[0152] Furthermore, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 determines the color of the pin to gray if the current status of the package corresponding to the pin is "absent" or "under investigation". If there are two or more eaves corresponding to the pin, there may be two or more colors, and the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 determines the color of the pin based on a predetermined priority order. Alternatively, if there are two or more eaves corresponding to the pin, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 may determine the color of the pin to be a color different from any of the above. After executing the process in step S526, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 terminates the pin display-related processing.

[0153] The pin display-related processing performed in step S501 of Figure 23 (Map Selection Processing) has been explained above using Figure 24. In the map selection processing, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 executes the pin display-related processing, and then displays the map on the display unit 142, and displays a pin at the location on the map corresponding to the delivery address.

[0154] Figures 25 and 26 show examples of such maps and pins. Pin 300 consists of a round body 301 and a wedge-shaped lower part 302. A number is displayed on the body 301, and this number is called the pin center number. The pin center number corresponds to the order in which the package information for the driver terminal side corresponding to the pin 300 was stored in the delivery destination information storage area (the delivery status of the package corresponding to the pin 300 was updated to "out for pickup"). Pin 300a displays "21" as the pin center number, pin 300b displays "3" as the pin center number, and pin 300c displays "2" as the pin center number.

[0155] Furthermore, pin 300 may include a smaller upper left appendage 303 and / or upper right appendage 304 than the main body 301. The upper left appendage 303 is a round-shaped part located on the upper left of the main body 301. A number is displayed on the upper left appendage 303, and this number is called the pin upper left number. The pin upper left number corresponds to the number of slip numbers (package IDs) associated with that pin (number of packages). Pins 300b and 300c include the upper left appendage 303, with pin 300b displaying "5" as the pin upper left number and pin 300c displaying "10" as the pin upper left number. In this example, the number of packages corresponding to pin 300b is 5, and the number of packages corresponding to pin 300c is 10. That is, there are 5 packages with the geotag corresponding to pin 300b as the destination, and there are 10 packages with the geotag corresponding to pin 300c as the destination. For each pin 300, the upper left extension 303 is displayed if there are two or more packages, while the upper left extension 303 is not displayed if there is only one package.

[0156] The upper right add-on 304 is a round-shaped part located in the upper right of the main body 301. No numbers are displayed on the upper right add-on 304. For each pin 300, if the package information held on the driver terminal side corresponding to that pin 300 includes article information, the upper right add-on 304 is displayed. Conversely, if the package information held on the driver terminal side corresponding to that pin 300 does not include article information, the upper right add-on 304 is not displayed. In other words, the display of the upper right add-on 304 indicates that the package information held on the driver terminal side corresponding to that pin 300 includes article information. Article information is information that indicates an article (special note), and examples of articles include customer comments regarding package delivery (for example, requests such as "Please put it in the delivery box"). Such article information is transmitted from the shipper server 50 to the logistics management server 20 as shipper-derived package information when a customer provides comments to the shipper when purchasing a product, and is further transmitted from the logistics management server 20 to the driver terminal 40 as package information held on the driver terminal side. Furthermore, when the administrator receives contact from a customer, the administrator can also input information into the operation input unit 133 of the administrator terminal 30. This information is also transmitted from the logistics management server 20 to the driver terminal 40 as package information to be held on the driver terminal side.

[0157] Pin 300c includes an upper right extension 304, which indicates that an article (comment) is associated with pin 300c. On the other hand, pins 300a and 300b do not include the upper right extension 304, and therefore no articles (comments) are associated with pins 300a and 300b. Pin 300b also includes an annular portion 305. The annular portion 305 is a ring-like part located on the outer edge of the main body portion 301. For each pin 300, the annular portion 305 is displayed if the number of destinations is two or more, while it is not displayed if the number of destinations is one. In other words, the display of the annular portion 305 indicates that there are multiple destinations (number of eaves) for the package corresponding to that pin 300. In this example, the number of destinations corresponding to pin 300b is two or more, while the number of destinations corresponding to pins 300a and 300c is one.

[0158] The pin 300 is displayed with the main body 301 and lower part 302 in the color determined in step S526 of Figure 24, the upper left attachment 303 in a color corresponding to that color (a similar color) (for example, if the main body 301 is displayed in pink, the upper left attachment 303 will be displayed in magenta), and the upper right attachment 304 in a predetermined color (for example, orange). For convenience, these colors are not shown in the illustration.

[0159] Returning to the explanation in Figure 23, after executing the process in step S501 and displaying the map and pins on the display unit 142, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 determines whether or not a pin selection instruction input has been made (step S502). When the map and pins are displayed in the map display area 200, the driver can input an instruction to select a pin displayed on the map by operating the operation input unit 143 (pin selection instruction input). For example, the driver can select a pin by tapping the area on the touch panel corresponding to the display location of the desired pin.

[0160] If the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 determines that no pin selection instruction has been input, it terminates the map selection process. On the other hand, if it determines that a pin selection instruction has been input, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 executes the pin information acquisition process (step S503). The pin information acquisition process will be explained later with reference to Figure 27. After executing the process in step S503, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 executes the delivery route-related process (step S504). The delivery route-related process will be explained later with reference to Figure 34. After executing the process in step S504, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 executes the delivery-related process (step S505). The delivery-related process will be explained later with reference to Figure 35. After executing the process in step S505, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 terminates the map selection process.

[0161] <Pin information acquisition process> Figure 27 is a flowchart showing the pin information acquisition process. Figures 28 to 33 show examples of screens displayed when a pin selection instruction is input.

[0162] The pin information acquisition process shown in Figure 27 is the process performed in the driver terminal 40 in step S503 of Figure 23 (Map Selection Process).

[0163] In the pin information acquisition process, first, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 reads the package information for driver terminal holding associated with the selected pin from the delivery destination information storage area of ​​the storage unit 141 (step S541). Next, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 determines whether or not multiple destination information is associated with that pin (step S542).

[0164] If it is determined that no multiple destination information is associated with the pin, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 identifies the package corresponding to the pin as the package to be delivered (step S543). In this process, if the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 has package information held by the driver terminal that corresponds to one package associated with the pin, it identifies that one package as the package to be delivered. If package information held by the driver terminal that corresponds to multiple packages is associated with the pin, it identifies all of those multiple packages as the packages to be delivered. If no multiple destination information is associated with the pin, the number of destinations corresponding to the pin is 1, and at the time the pin is selected, all packages corresponding to the pin (regardless of the number of packages) are confirmed as packages to be delivered.

[0165] After executing the process in step S543, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 determines the display mode of the package card to the upper display mode (step S544). Then, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 activates the delivery selection instruction button (step S545). On the other hand, if it is determined in step S542 that multiple destination information is associated with the pin, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 determines the display mode of the package card to the lower display mode (step S546). After executing the process in step S545 or step S546, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 terminates the pin information acquisition process.

[0166] When a pin selection instruction is input for a pin, an image corresponding to the package information held by the driver terminal, read in step S541, is displayed as a package card on the display unit 142. The package card can be configured as an image resembling a card (card image) and is intended to visually display the information associated with the pin. The package card is a UI component that includes a card image, but in this specification, for convenience, the UI component may be simply referred to as an "image". The information displayed as a package card is a part of the package information held by the driver terminal stored in the delivery destination information storage area (for example, the delivery destination summary information described above). The package card can be displayed in two ways: an upper display mode, where it is displayed at the top of the screen on the display unit 142, and a lower display mode, where it is displayed from the bottom to the center of the screen on the display unit 142.

[0167] Figure 28 shows the screen displayed when pin 300a (see Figure 26(a)) is selected. Since pin 300a is not associated with multiple delivery address information, steps S543 to S545 are executed. At this time, as shown in Figure 28, the package card 310 is fixedly displayed at the top of the screen on the display unit 142, and in the scan selection area 203, an image corresponding to a button containing the word "Delivery" (instead of the word "Scan") (delivery selection instruction button image) is displayed.

[0168] Each pin 300a corresponds to one package, and each pin 300a is associated with package information for driver terminal storage corresponding to that single package. The package card 310 is an image corresponding to the package information for driver terminal storage corresponding to that single package (an image corresponding to one card). When the delivery selection instruction button is activated, the delivery selection instruction button image is displayed, and when the delivery selection instruction button image is displayed, the driver can input an indication to select the delivery selection instruction button in the scan selection area 203 (delivery selection instruction input) by operating the operation input unit 143. Note that the change in the display manner in the scan selection area 203 when the delivery selection instruction button is activated is not limited to this example. For example, instead of displaying a text image of "delivery," a text image of "scan" may be displayed, and its color may be changed, or the image displayed with the text may be changed to a different image (icon). Alternatively, the delivery selection instruction button image may be configured as a separate button image from the image corresponding to the scan selection instruction button (scan selection instruction button image). For example, when the delivery selection instruction button is activated, the delivery selection instruction button image may appear in an area other than the scan selection area 203, so that both the scan selection instruction button image and the delivery selection instruction button image are displayed.

[0169] Furthermore, Figures 29 to 31 show the screen displayed when pin 300b (see Figure 26(b)) is selected. Since pin 300b is associated with multiple destination information, the process in step S546 is executed. At this time, as shown in Figure 29, the package card 320 is displayed from the bottom to the center of the screen on the display unit 142. The number of packages corresponding to pin 300b is 5, and package information for driver terminal storage corresponding to these 5 packages is associated with pin 300b. The package card 320 is an image corresponding to the package information for driver terminal storage corresponding to these 5 packages, and consists of package card 320a, package card 320b, package card 320c, package card 320d, and package card 320e (images corresponding to the 5 cards).

[0170] In this example, it is assumed that there are 3 eaves corresponding to pin 300b. The 5 packages (geotag matching group) are classified into 3 additional matching groups. These 3 additional matching groups will be called the 1st additional matching group, the 2nd additional matching group, and the 3rd additional matching group. In this example, it is assumed that there are 3 invoice numbers belonging to the 1st additional matching group, 1 invoice number belonging to the 2nd additional matching group, and 1 invoice number belonging to the 3rd additional matching group. That is, of the 5 packages (invoice numbers) belonging to the geotag matching group, 3 are classified into the 1st additional matching group, 1 into the 2nd additional matching group, and 1 into the 3rd additional matching group.

[0171] Here, the three packages classified into the first additional condition matching group will be called Package A, Package B, and Package C, the one package classified into the second additional condition matching group will be called Package D, and the one package classified into the third additional condition matching group will be called Package E. Package card 320a is an image corresponding to the package information held on the driver's terminal side corresponding to Package A, package card 320b is an image corresponding to the package information held on the driver's terminal side corresponding to Package B, package card 320c is an image corresponding to the package information held on the driver's terminal side corresponding to Package C, package card 320d is an image corresponding to the package information held on the driver's terminal side corresponding to Package D, and package card 320e is an image corresponding to the package information held on the driver's terminal side corresponding to Package E. The recipient name corresponding to the slip number belonging to the first additional condition matching group is "Akio Natsui", the recipient name corresponding to the slip number belonging to the second additional condition matching group is "Fuyuhiko Akikawa", and the recipient name corresponding to the slip number belonging to the third additional condition matching group is "Koharu Fuyuno".

[0172] In the state shown in Figure 29, luggage card 320a is displayed at the top as luggage card 320, luggage card 320d is displayed below luggage card 320a, and luggage card 320e is displayed below luggage card 320d. Prior to reaching the state shown in Figure 29, when a pin selection instruction is input to pin 300b, the upper end of luggage card 320a first appears at the lower end of the screen on the display unit 142. Then, luggage card 320a is displayed as if moving upward, and once the entire luggage card 320a is displayed on the screen, the upper end of luggage card 320d then appears at the lower end of the screen on the display unit 142. Then, similar to luggage card 320a, luggage card 320d is displayed as if moving upward, and once the entire luggage card 320d is displayed on the screen, the upper end of luggage card 320e then appears at the lower end of the screen on the display unit 142. The luggage card 320e is also displayed as moving upwards, but its movement stops before the entire luggage card 320e is displayed on the screen, resulting in the state shown in Figure 29. The luggage card 320 moves at high speed, and the time from when a pin selection instruction is input to pin 300b to when it reaches the state shown in Figure 29 is very short (for example, about 0.3 to 1 second). This makes it possible to give the driver the impression that the luggage card 320 has jumped out onto the screen.

[0173] Furthermore, in the state shown in Figure 29, of the luggage cards 320 (luggage cards 320a, luggage cards 320b, and luggage cards 320c) corresponding to the slip number belonging to the first additional condition matching group, only luggage card 320a is visible. Luggage cards 320b and 320c are arranged on the back side of luggage card 320a so as to overlap with luggage card 320a. In the state shown in Figure 29, the driver can display luggage card 320b by touching the area on the touch panel corresponding to luggage card 320a with their finger and sliding their finger to the right (performing a swipe operation to the right). Figure 30 shows the state in which luggage card 320b has become visible in this way. In the state shown in Figure 29, luggage card 320a displays luggage information for the driver's terminal side that corresponds to the slip number indicated by 12 digits, "1000-0000-0491". In contrast, in the state shown in Figure 30, the package information for the driver's terminal, corresponding to the slip number represented by 12 digits "1000-0000-0492", is displayed as package card 320b. Similarly, in the state shown in Figure 30, the driver can display package card 320c by swiping to the right.

[0174] Thus, if there are multiple invoice numbers belonging to a single additional condition matching group, it is possible to configure the system to display only the package card corresponding to one of the invoice numbers (the first package card) in a visible manner, while hiding (or partially displaying) the package cards corresponding to the other invoice numbers (the second and subsequent package cards), and then sequentially displaying the second and subsequent package cards when a swipe operation in a predetermined direction (for example, left or right) is detected. In this case, the package information held by the driver terminal, which is displayed as each package card, may be read from the delivery destination information storage area when the package card is displayed (or when a swipe operation is detected for the second and subsequent package cards).

[0175] Furthermore, if there are multiple additional matching groups, the luggage cards corresponding to each additional matching group are displayed vertically within a predetermined area (luggage card display area) on the display unit 142 screen. However, due to the display space limitations, only two luggage cards can be displayed in the luggage card display area (in a manner that allows the entire card to be seen). Therefore, in the initial state when luggage cards are displayed, if there are three or more additional matching groups, only a portion of the third luggage card from the top is displayed, and if there are four or more additional matching groups, luggage cards from the fourth card onwards are not displayed at all. Correspondingly, in the states shown in Figures 29 and 30, only a portion of luggage card 320e is displayed. In this state, the driver can move luggage cards 320a (luggage cards 320b to 320c), 320d, and 320e upwards by touching the area on the touch panel corresponding to the luggage card display area with their finger and sliding their finger upwards (performing an upward swipe operation), thereby displaying the entire luggage card 320e (the third luggage card from the top). Figure 31 shows the state in which luggage card 320e becomes visible after an upward swipe operation is performed in the state shown in Figure 29. Similarly, even if there are luggage cards from the fourth card onwards, the driver can display those luggage cards by performing an upward swipe operation. In this way, if the luggage cards corresponding to each additional condition matching group do not fit within the luggage card display area, it is possible to configure the system to scroll and display luggage cards outside the luggage card display area when a swipe operation in a predetermined direction (e.g., up or down) is detected.

[0176] Furthermore, when there are multiple additional condition matching groups, the direction of the swipe operation required to display luggage cards outside the luggage card display area (first direction), and the direction of the swipe operation required to display the second and subsequent luggage cards when there are multiple slip numbers belonging to a single additional condition matching group (second direction), can be any direction as long as the first and second directions are different. Also, when there are multiple additional condition matching groups, the range of luggage cards that can be displayed within the luggage card display area in the initial state is not limited to the number of luggage cards that correspond to each of the multiple additional condition matching groups. For example, it may be possible to display up to the middle of the second luggage card from the top, or up to the boundary between the top luggage card and the second luggage card from the top. In this way, when a predetermined operation is required to display at least some luggage cards, it is desirable to display a message that suggests to the driver that there are undisplayed luggage cards when those luggage cards are hidden. For example, when there are multiple additional condition matching groups, a scroll bar may be displayed. Furthermore, if there are multiple slip numbers belonging to a single additional matching group, the presence of a slip on the back may be indicated by slightly shifting the display position of the slip card placed on the back from the display position of the slip card displayed on the front.

[0177] Furthermore, if there are multiple additional matching groups, radio buttons will be displayed to the left of the luggage card corresponding to each additional matching group. Radio buttons can be configured as images resembling buttons (button images) and are used to select one additional matching group from among multiple additional matching groups. The driver can input an instruction to select a radio button by operating the operation input unit 143. There is a one-to-one correspondence between radio buttons and additional matching groups, and selecting a radio button is equivalent to selecting the additional matching group to which the luggage card located to the right of that radio button belongs.

[0178] Figures 29 to 31 show that radio button 350a is displayed to the left of the package card 320 (package card 320a, package card 320b, and package card 320c) corresponding to the invoice number belonging to the first additional condition matching group, radio button 350b is displayed to the left of the package card 320 (package card 320d) corresponding to the invoice number belonging to the second additional condition matching group, and radio button 350c is displayed to the left of the package card 320 (package card 320e) corresponding to the invoice number belonging to the third additional condition matching group, indicating that radio button 350c has been selected. Following the selection of radio button 350c, Figure 31 shows that the display of radio button 350c (e.g., the color of the button) changes, as does the display of package card 320e (e.g., the color of the card changes, the outer edge of the card is highlighted). This indicates that the additional condition matching group (third additional condition matching group) to which the invoice number corresponding to package card 320e belongs has been selected.

[0179] Figure 32 also shows the screen displayed when pin 300c (see Figure 26(c)) is selected. Since pin 300c is not associated with multiple destination information, the processing in steps S543 to S545 is executed. At this time, as shown in Figure 32, the luggage card 330 is fixedly displayed at the top of the screen in the display unit 142. The number of luggage corresponding to pin 300c is 10, and the luggage information for driver terminal storage corresponding to these 10 luggage items is associated with pin 300c. The luggage card 330 is an image corresponding to the luggage information for driver terminal storage corresponding to these 10 luggage items, and consists of 10 luggage cards (images corresponding to 10 cards).

[0180] In the state shown in Figure 32, only one of the ten package cards (package card 330a) is visible. The other nine package cards are positioned on the back of package card 330a, overlapping it. Similar to Figures 29 and 30, the driver can display the nine package cards by swiping to the right. Also, in Figure 32, similar to Figure 28, the delivery selection instruction button image is displayed in the scan selection area 203 because the delivery selection instruction button has been activated. This allows the driver to input a delivery selection instruction.

[0181] Furthermore, when the area on the touch panel corresponding to the display location of the package card is tapped in the state shown in Figures 28 to 32, the package details screen is displayed. The package details screen displays more detailed information than the package card (for example, tracking number information, shipping label type information, cool delivery category type information, estimated delivery date information, delivery time slot information, recipient's phone number information, recipient's address information, recipient's apartment / condominium name information, recipient's name information, recipient's name (in katakana) information, honorific information, message information, package size information, number of packages information, delivery status information, etc.). When a tap operation on a package card is detected, if the additional condition matching group to which the tracking number corresponding to that package card belongs contains multiple tracking numbers, it is possible to display a list of tracking numbers belonging to that additional condition matching group on the package details screen.

[0182] As an example, Figure 33 shows the package details screen that appears when the package card 330a is tapped in the state shown in Figure 32. This package details screen has a slip number list display area 360, which displays eight slip numbers. The additional condition matching group to which the slip number corresponding to package card 330a belongs contains 10 slip numbers, but due to display space limitations, a maximum of 8 slip numbers can be displayed in the slip number list display area 360. In this case, the driver can display all 10 slip numbers by tapping the area on the touch panel corresponding to the slip number list display area 360.

[0183] The above describes the display methods for luggage cards, but these are merely examples, and luggage cards can be configured as appropriate to be displayed in any manner. For example, although it was explained that the second and subsequent luggage cards are hidden when there are multiple slip numbers belonging to a single additional condition matching group, it is not necessary to distinguish between the first luggage card and the second and subsequent luggage cards. For example, it is also possible to display only one luggage card and configure it so that all of the multiple slip numbers are listed on that luggage card (without requiring swiping or tapping operations) (allowing the driver to understand the multiple slip numbers without sliding the luggage card or displaying the luggage details screen).

[0184] Furthermore, the above explanation assumes that if multiple additional matching condition groups exist, one additional matching condition group may be selected by selecting a radio button. The display position of the radio buttons is, of course, not limited and can be configured as appropriate to be placed on the left, right, lower right, upper right, etc., of the package card. Also, the operation for selecting one additional matching condition group is not limited to inputting a radio button selection instruction (it is not mandatory to provide radio buttons), and it may be configured so that one additional matching condition group can be selected by performing a predetermined operation. For example, such predetermined operation could be a tap or long press operation on the package card, and it is desirable to adopt an operation that clearly expresses the driver's intention to select the additional matching condition group. If the predetermined operation is an operation to display the package details screen (for example, a tap operation), it may be configured so that a delivery selection instruction button image is displayed when the package details screen is displayed (making it possible to input a delivery selection instruction from the package details screen).

[0185] <Delivery route related processing> Figure 34 is a flowchart showing the delivery route-related processing.

[0186] The delivery route-related processing shown in Figure 34 is the process performed at the driver terminal 40 in step S504 of Figure 23 (processing when map is selected).

[0187] As shown in Figures 28 to 32, the screen displayed on the display unit 142 of the driver terminal 40 when a pin selection instruction is input includes an AI router selection area 371, a home map selection area 372, and a route guidance selection area 373. The AI ​​router selection area 371 is an area where an image corresponding to a button containing the words "AI Router" (AI router selection instruction button) is displayed. The home map selection area 372 is an area where an image corresponding to a button containing the words "Home Map" (home map selection instruction button) is displayed. The route guidance selection area 373 is an area where an image corresponding to a button containing a symbol indicating a right turn arrow (route guidance selection instruction button) is displayed. By operating the operation input unit 143, the driver can input an instruction to select the AI ​​router selection instruction button in the AI ​​router selection area 371 (AI router selection instruction input), an instruction to select the home map selection instruction button in the home map selection area 372 (home map selection instruction input), or an input to select the route guidance selection instruction button in the route guidance selection area 373 (route guidance selection instruction input).

[0188] In the delivery route-related processing, first, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 determines whether or not an AI router selection instruction has been input (step S561). If it is determined that an AI router selection instruction has been input, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 executes AI router processing (step S562). In this process, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 sends information indicating the current location (location of the driver terminal 40), a list of delivery destinations (geotags associated with each pin), delivery conditions (delivery time slots associated with each pin), etc., to an external server (for example, a Google server). Based on the information received from the driver terminal 40 and real-time traffic information, the external server executes a predetermined route optimization algorithm to optimize the delivery route when delivering packages to all destinations, calculates the expected arrival time at each destination (geotag), and sends information indicating the optimized delivery route and expected arrival time to the driver terminal 40. Based on information received from an external server, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 changes the pin number in the center of each pin in the map display area 200 to a number corresponding to the delivery order in the optimized delivery route, and displays the estimated arrival time above each pin.

[0189] If it is determined in step S561 that no AI router selection instruction has been input, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 determines whether or not a home map selection instruction has been input (step S563). If it is determined that a home map selection instruction has been input, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 executes home map linkage processing (step S564). In this process, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40, in cooperation with an external application (for example, a residential map application), displays building names, nameplates, tenant names, etc., on the map in the map display area 200.

[0190] If it is determined in step S563 that a home map selection instruction has not been entered, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 determines whether or not a route guidance selection instruction has been entered (step S565). If it is determined that a route guidance selection instruction has been entered, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 executes the route guidance process (step S566). In this process, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 launches an external application (e.g., Google Maps) and sends information indicating the current location (location of the driver terminal 40), destination (geotag associated with the pin selected in step S502 of Figure 23), etc., to an external server (e.g., Google server). Based on the information received from the driver terminal 40 and real-time traffic information, the external server calculates the optimal route from the current location to the destination and sends information indicating the calculation result to the driver terminal 40. Based on the information received from the external server, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 displays the route from the current location to the destination on the map in the map display area 200.

[0191] If it is determined in step S565 that no route guidance selection instruction has been entered, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 terminates the delivery route-related processing. Furthermore, after executing the processing in steps S562, S564, or S566, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 terminates the delivery route-related processing and also terminates the map selection processing.

[0192] <Delivery-related processing> Figure 35 is a flowchart showing the delivery-related processing.

[0193] The delivery-related processing shown in Figure 35 is the process performed at the driver terminal 40 in step S505 of Figure 23 (processing when map is selected).

[0194] In the delivery-related processing, first, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 determines whether the package to be delivered has been identified (step S581). In this process, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 determines whether the "delivery target identified" flag is set to ON. The "delivery target identified" flag is set to ON when the package to be delivered has been identified (see step S543 in Figure 27 and step S583 in Figure 35). That is, if the process in step S543 is executed (when multiple destination information is not associated with the pin selected in step S502 in Figure 23), the result of the determination in step S581 will be "YES", while if the process in step S543 is not executed (when multiple destination information is associated with the pin selected in step S502 in Figure 23), the result of the determination in step S581 will be "NO".

[0195] If it is determined that the package to be delivered has not been identified, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 executes the radio button selection instruction input acceptance process (step S582). In this process, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 waits for a radio button selection instruction input. When a radio button selection instruction input is made, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 moves the process to step S583. Alternatively, if a predetermined time has elapsed without a radio button selection instruction input being made, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 may terminate the delivery-related processing and the map selection processing (see Figure 23).

[0196] Next, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 identifies the package corresponding to the selected radio button as the package to be delivered (step S583). In this process, if there is only one package classified into the additional condition matching group corresponding to the selected radio button (i.e., the additional condition matching group to which the package card located to the right of the radio button belongs), the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 identifies that single package as the package to be delivered. If there are two or more packages classified into the additional condition matching group corresponding to the selected radio button, the control unit 140 identifies all of those packages as the packages to be delivered. As a result, as soon as one radio button is selected, all packages corresponding to that radio button (regardless of the number of packages) are confirmed as packages to be delivered.

[0197] Next, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 activates the delivery selection instruction button (step S584). In this process, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 displays the delivery selection instruction button image in the scan selection area 203 of the display unit 142. As described above, in the example shown in Figure 31, the selection of radio button 350c selects the additional condition matching group (third additional condition matching group) to which the slip number corresponding to the package card 320e belongs. As a result, the delivery selection instruction button is activated and the delivery selection instruction button image is displayed in the scan selection area 203. In this state, the driver can input a delivery selection instruction by operating the operation input unit 143.

[0198] If it is determined in step S581 that the package to be delivered has been identified, or after the processing in step S584 has been completed, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 performs the unloading process (step S585). The unloading process will be explained later with reference to Figure 36. After the processing in step S585 has been completed, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 terminates the delivery-related processing.

[0199] <Unloading process> Figure 36 is a flowchart showing the unloading process. Figure 37 shows an example of the screen during delivery scan mode.

[0200] The unloading process shown in Figure 36 is the process performed at the driver terminal 40 in step S585 of Figure 35 (Delivery-related processing).

[0201] In the unloading process, first, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 sets the slip number of the package identified as the package to be delivered (step S601). In this process, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 stores the slip number information corresponding to the package identified in step S543 of Figure 27 or step S583 of Figure 35 in a predetermined area (checklist information storage area) provided in the storage unit 141 (for example, RAM). At that time, if there are multiple packages identified in step S543 of Figure 27 or step S583 of Figure 35, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 stores the slip number information for all of those packages in the checklist information storage area. The checklist information storage area is a storage area provided separately from the delivery destination information storage area.

[0202] Next, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 sets the number of unscanned packages D to D=M (initial value) (step S602). Here, M is the number of packages identified in step S543 of Figure 27 or step S583 of Figure 35, and is the number of slip numbers set in step S601. If the number of packages identified in step S543 of Figure 27 or step S583 of Figure 35 is M, the checklist information storage area stores slip number information indicating the slip number corresponding to each of the M packages. That is, the number of slip numbers matches the number of packages.

[0203] Next, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 executes the delivery selection instruction input acceptance process (step S603). In this process, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 waits for a delivery selection instruction input to be made. For example, the driver can make a delivery selection instruction input by tapping the area on the touch panel corresponding to the display location of the delivery selection instruction button. When a delivery selection instruction input is made, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 moves the process to step S604. Alternatively, if a predetermined time has elapsed without a delivery selection instruction input being made, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 may terminate the unloading process and the map selection process (see Figure 23).

[0204] When a delivery selection instruction is entered, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 executes the processes in steps S604 to S606. These processes are the same as those in steps S421 to S423 in Figure 9, so their explanation is omitted here. After executing the process in step S606, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 determines whether the slip number extracted in step S606 matches the slip number set in step S601 (step S607).

[0205] In step S607, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 compares the slip number indicated by the slip number information obtained in step S606 (slip number to be unloaded) with the slip number indicated by the slip number information stored in the checklist information storage area in step S601 (slip number to be checked). There are M slip numbers to be checked. If the slip number to be unloaded matches any of the M slip numbers to be checked, the result of the decision in step S607 is "YES". On the other hand, if the slip number to be unloaded does not match any of the M slip numbers to be checked, the result of the decision in step S607 is "NO".

[0206] If the driver terminal 40 determines that the unloading slip number matches any of the checked slip numbers, the control unit 140 sets the number of unscanned packages D to D = D-1 (step S608). In this process, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 subtracts 1 from the number of unscanned packages D. Then, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 determines whether the number of unscanned packages D is 0 or not (step S609). If it determines that the number of unscanned packages D is not 0, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 moves the process to step S605. On the other hand, if it determines that the number of unscanned packages D is 0, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 executes the delivery completion related process (step S610). The delivery completion related process will be explained later using Figure 38. After executing the process in step S610, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 terminates the unloading process.

[0207] If, in step S607, it is determined that the delivery slip number to be unloaded does not match any of the delivery slip numbers to be checked, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 performs error processing (step S611). In this process, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 displays an error image (for example, a text image indicating that the delivery slip number to be unloaded and the delivery slip number to be checked do not match) as a pop-up on the display unit 142 and disables the camera (the delivery app makes the camera unusable). As described above, the pop-up display is shown as a window on a part of the screen of the display unit 142, and the display ends when the cancel button is tapped (the window corresponding to the error image is closed). As a result of this error processing, the imaging unit 144 is unable to capture the two-dimensional code image. Once the window corresponding to the error image is closed, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 moves to step S604. This makes it possible to capture the two-dimensional code image again.

[0208] Based on the above, steps S605 to S609 are repeated until the number of unscanned packages D becomes 0. Here, steps S605 to S609 will be referred to as the delivery scan process. Figure 37 shows the delivery scan mode screen displayed on the display unit 142 when radio button 350a is selected (the additional condition matching group (first additional condition matching group) to which the slip number corresponding to package card 320a belongs is selected) in the state shown in Figure 29. If the camera is activated in step S604, it is controlled to delivery scan mode. The delivery scan mode screen is the screen displayed in delivery scan mode.

[0209] As described above, the number of slip numbers belonging to the first additional condition matching group is 3. These three slip numbers are "1000-0000-0491", "1000-0000-0492", and "1000-0000-0493". In this example, the slip number information indicating these three slip numbers is stored in the checklist information storage area (see step S601), and as a result, the delivery scan process is basically performed three times. Figure 37 shows the screen in delivery scan mode when the judgment result of step S607 in the first delivery scan process is "YES".

[0210] As shown in Figure 37, the screen during delivery scan mode has a target display area 261, a cancel instruction input area 263, a slip number display area 264, a checklist display area 266, and a delivery scan completion instruction input area 267. The target display area 261, the cancel instruction input area 263, and the slip number display area 264 are as described above (see Figure 21), so their explanation is omitted here. The checklist display area 266 is the area where the slip numbers set in step S601 are displayed. In this example, the slip numbers "1000-0000-0491", "1000-0000-0492", and "1000-0000-0493" are displayed. In the first delivery scanning process, the slip number extracted in step S606 is "1000-0000-0491," and as a result, the display of "1000-0000-0491" in the checklist display area 266 has changed.

[0211] The delivery scan completion instruction input area 267 is an area where an image corresponding to a button containing the words "Next" (delivery scan completion instruction button) is displayed. Although not shown in the diagram, when the result of step S609 is "YES", the driver can input a selection of the delivery scan completion instruction button in the delivery scan completion instruction input area 267 (delivery scan completion instruction input) by operating the operation input unit 143. In the state shown in Figure 37, the number of unscanned packages D is not yet 0, and the driver cannot input a delivery scan completion instruction. In the diagram, the outer edge of the delivery scan completion instruction input area 267 is shown with a dotted line to indicate that operation on the delivery scan completion instruction input area 267 is invalid. Operation on the delivery scan completion instruction input area 267 becomes valid when the number of unscanned packages D becomes 0.

[0212] While the processing in steps S605 to S609 is repeated, the imaging unit 144 (camera) remains activated (in a state where it can capture a two-dimensional code image as long as the two-dimensional code is within the guidelines). Therefore, in delivery scan mode, if there are multiple slip numbers to be checked, after photographing the two-dimensional code printed on the delivery label attached to one package, it is possible to photograph the two-dimensional code printed on the delivery label attached to another package without having to activate the imaging unit 144 (camera) again, and the two-dimensional code can be photographed continuously for multiple packages. However, this example is not limited to this, and for example, a predetermined message (window) may be displayed as a pop-up each time the two-dimensional code of a package is photographed, and the driver may perform an operation to close the window, making it possible to photograph the two-dimensional code of the next package. Alternatively, a predetermined message (window) may be displayed as a toast each time the two-dimensional code of a package is photographed. As described above, when configured to display such a toast notification, the continuous shooting of the two-dimensional code, etc., is not interrupted by the toast notification, and the imaging unit 144 can continue to capture the two-dimensional code image.

[0213] Furthermore, if the slip number extracted in step S606 during one delivery scanning process is the same as the slip number extracted in step S606 during a previously performed delivery scanning process, the judgment result in step S607 may be configured to be "NO". In this case, the error image displayed (for example, a message such as "This is the same as a slip number already scanned.") may be displayed as a pop-up or as a toast notification. Alternatively, if the slip number extracted in step S606 during one delivery scanning process is the same as the slip number extracted in step S606 during a previously performed delivery scanning process, the judgment result in step S607 may be set to "YES", and the process in step S609 may be performed without performing the process in step S608.

[0214] Furthermore, the checklist display area 266 may be configured so that only the slip numbers set in step S601 that have not been extracted in step S606 are displayed, and the slip numbers that have already been extracted in step S606 are not displayed. In this case, for example, the slip number information indicating the slip numbers that have already been extracted in step S606 may be deleted from the checklist information storage area. If such a configuration is adopted, it is possible to set the result of the decision in step S607 to "NO" when the slip number extracted in step S606 in one delivery scanning process is the same as the slip number extracted in step S606 in a previously performed delivery scanning process.

[0215] Furthermore, Figure 37 illustrates the case where there are multiple slip numbers to be checked. It is also possible to configure the system so that the same delivery scan mode screen as in Figure 37 is displayed even when there is only one slip number to be checked. Alternatively, the system may be configured so that the single scan mode screen is displayed when there is only one slip number to be checked. As described above, the single scan mode screen is basically the same as the continuous scan mode screen shown in Figure 21, and the text image "Single Shot" is highlighted in the scan mode display area 262. For example, when the camera is activated in step S604, the system may be controlled to delivery scan mode if there are multiple slip numbers to be checked, while being controlled to single scan mode if there is only one slip number to be checked.

[0216] <Processing related to delivery completion> Figure 38 is a flowchart showing the delivery completion-related processing on the driver terminal side and the delivery completion-related processing on the logistics management server side. Figure 39 is a diagram showing an example of the action selection screen at the time of delivery. Figure 40 is a diagram showing an example of the screen when inputting a receipt instruction. Figure 41 is a diagram showing an example of the receipt completion screen. Figures 42 and 43 are diagrams showing examples of the screen when inputting a return instruction.

[0217] The driver terminal-side delivery completion related processing is performed at the driver terminal 40 when the number of unscanned packages D becomes 0 (at step S610 in Figure 36 (unloading processing)). The logistics management server-side delivery completion related processing is performed at the logistics management server 20 when the number of unscanned packages D becomes 0. Note that Figure 37 assumes that the process will proceed to the driver terminal-side delivery completion related processing only if a delivery scan completion instruction is entered. However, if the result of the judgment in step S609 is "YES", the driver terminal-side delivery completion related processing may be performed without requiring a delivery scan completion instruction.

[0218] In the driver terminal-side delivery completion related processing, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 executes the processes shown in steps S621 to S624 in Figure 38. In the logistics management server-side delivery completion related processing, the control unit 110 of the logistics management server 20 executes the processes shown in steps S301 to S303 in Figure 38.

[0219] Specifically, in the driver terminal-side delivery completion related processing, first, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 executes the delivery action selection operation acceptance processing (step S621). In this process, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 displays the delivery action selection screen, the receipt instruction input screen, the return instruction input screen, etc. on the display unit 142, and waits for one of the following to be input via the operation input unit 143: delivery completion transition instruction input, absence transition instruction input, refusal to accept transition instruction input, investigation transition instruction input, and warehouse storage (return) transition instruction input.

[0220] As shown in Figure 39, the delivery action selection screen has a package information display area 401, a pickup instruction input area 402, a return instruction input area 403, a leave-at-door instruction input area 404, a post box delivery instruction input area 405, and a delivery box instruction input area 406. The package information display area 401 is an area where an image is displayed showing characters or numbers corresponding to package information (for example, slip number, scheduled delivery date, delivery time slot, number of packages, package size, delivery address, recipient name, recipient name (katakana), honorific, etc.). The pickup instruction input area 402 is an area where an image corresponding to a button containing the word "Receive" (pickup instruction button) is displayed. The return instruction input area 403 is an area where an image corresponding to a button containing the word "Return" (return instruction button) is displayed. The leave-at-door instruction input area 404 is an area where an image corresponding to a button containing the word "Leave at-door" (leave at-door instruction button) is displayed. The postbox delivery instruction input area 405 is an area where an image corresponding to a button containing the words "postbox delivery" (postbox delivery instruction button) is displayed. The delivery box instruction input area 406 is an area where an image corresponding to a button containing the words "delivery box" (delivery box instruction button) is displayed.

[0221] When the delivery action selection screen is displayed, the driver can operate the operation input unit 143 to input a selection of the following: selecting the "receive" button in the "receive" instruction input area 402 (receive instruction input), selecting the "return" instruction button in the "return" instruction input area 403 (return instruction input), selecting the "leave at door" instruction button in the "leave at door" instruction input area 404 (leave at door instruction input), selecting the "postbox" instruction button in the "postbox" instruction input area 405 (postbox post instruction input), or selecting the "delivery box" instruction button in the "delivery box" instruction input area 406 (delivery box instruction input). The package information displayed in the package information display area 401 is the same as the information displayed as a package card (for example, delivery destination summary information).

[0222] When a receipt instruction is entered on the delivery action selection screen, the receipt instruction input screen shown in Figure 40 is displayed. The receipt instruction input screen has a signature input area 411 and a delivery completion transition instruction input area 412. The signature input area 411 is an area for entering a signature. The delivery completion transition instruction input area 412 is an area where an image corresponding to a button containing the word "Complete" (delivery completion transition instruction button) is displayed. When the receipt instruction input screen is displayed, the driver can have the customer enter their receipt signature in the signature input area 411 by handing the driver terminal 40 to the customer. Furthermore, provided that a signature has been entered in the signature input area 411, the driver can operate the operation input unit 143 to input a selection of the delivery completion transition instruction button in the delivery completion transition instruction input area 412 (delivery completion transition instruction input).

[0223] In the state shown in Figure 40, a signature has not yet been entered, and the driver cannot enter a delivery completion instruction. In the figure, the outer edge of the delivery completion instruction input area 412 is shown with a dotted line, indicating that operations on the delivery completion instruction input area 412 are invalid. When a signature is entered in the signature input area 411, operations on the delivery completion instruction input area 412 become valid. When a delivery completion instruction is entered on the receiving instruction input screen, the receiving completion screen shown in Figure 41 is displayed. The receiving completion screen displays a receiving completion mark 415 along with the text image "Your package has been received." Entering a delivery completion instruction corresponds to an operation to select "Delivery Completed" as the destination status. When a delivery completion instruction is entered, the delivery status of the package changes to "Delivery Completed" (see step S302 in Figure 38). The receiving completion screen also has a close instruction input area 416. The close instruction input area 416 is an area where an image corresponding to a button containing the word "close" ("close" button) is displayed. When the receipt completion screen is displayed, the driver can input a "close" command ("close" command input) in the close command input area 416 by operating the operation input unit 143. However, even if a "close" command is input on the receipt completion screen, the continuous reading confirmation image (see Figure 20) is not displayed, and in this case, the system is not controlled to continuous scan mode.

[0224] When a return instruction is entered on the delivery action selection screen, the return instruction input screen shown in Figure 42 is displayed. The return instruction input screen has a return reason selection area 421, a return reason details input area 422, and a return reason confirmation input area 423. As shown in Figure 43, on the return instruction input screen, the return reason selection area 421 can display a dropdown menu with "Absent," "No available delivery box / Oversized," "Refused delivery," "Under investigation," "Address and customer name unknown," and "Other." The return reason details input area 422 is an area for entering details of the return reason. The return reason confirmation input area 423 is an area where an image corresponding to a button containing the word "Complete" (return reason confirmation button) is displayed.

[0225] When the return instruction input screen is displayed, the driver can select one of the following options in the return reason selection area 421 by operating the operation input unit 143: "Absent," "No available delivery boxes / oversized," "Refused to accept," "Under investigation," "Address and customer name unknown," and "Other." The driver can also input a return reason confirmation button in the return reason confirmation input area 423 by operating the operation input unit 143 (return reason confirmation input).

[0226] If "Absent" or "No available delivery boxes / Oversized" is selected in the return reason selection area 421 and the return reason is confirmed, it means that an instruction to transition to absence will be entered. If "Refused delivery" is selected in the return reason selection area 421 and the return reason is confirmed, it means that an instruction to transition to refused delivery will be entered. If "Under investigation" or "Address and customer name unknown" is selected in the return reason selection area 421 and the return reason is confirmed, it means that an instruction to transition to under investigation will be entered. If "Other" is selected in the return reason selection area 421 and the return reason is confirmed, it means that an instruction to transition to warehouse storage (return) will be entered.

[0227] An input for transitioning to "Absent" corresponds to selecting "Absent" as the destination status; an input for transitioning to "Refused Delivery" corresponds to selecting "Refused Delivery" as the destination status; an input for transitioning to "Under Investigation" corresponds to selecting "Under Investigation" as the destination status; and an input for transitioning to "Warehouse Storage (Returned)" corresponds to selecting "Warehouse Storage (Returned)" as the destination status. When an input for transitioning to "Absent" is made, the delivery status of the package changes to "Absent"; when an input for transitioning to "Refused Delivery" is made, the delivery status of the package changes to "Refused Delivery"; when an input for transitioning to "Under Investigation" is made, the delivery status of the package changes to "Under Investigation"; and when an input for transitioning to "Warehouse Storage (Returned)" is made, the delivery status of the package changes to "Warehouse Storage (Returned)" or "Storage on a Specified Date (Returned)" (see step S302 in Figure 38).

[0228] Furthermore, when the delivery action selection screen is displayed, if a delivery instruction is entered, the delivery instruction input screen is displayed; if a delivery instruction is entered, the delivery instruction input screen is displayed; and if a delivery box instruction is entered, the delivery box instruction input screen is displayed. Although not shown in the figures, the delivery instruction input screen, the delivery instruction input screen, and the delivery box instruction input screen each have a delivery completion transition instruction input area 412, similar to the delivery instruction input screen. When the delivery instruction input screen, the delivery instruction input screen, or the delivery box instruction input screen is displayed, the driver can enter a delivery completion transition instruction by operating the operation input unit 143. It is desirable that these screens be configured so that operations on the delivery completion transition instruction input area 412 become effective only after certain inputs (for example, on the delivery box instruction input screen, input of the delivery box number and PIN, and input of an image obtained by taking a photograph of the package placed in the delivery box) have been performed. Alternatively, the operation on the delivery instruction input area 404, the delivery instruction input area 405, or the delivery box instruction input area 406 may be enabled on the condition that article information indicating that delivery by leaving the package at the door, putting it in a mailbox, or delivering it to a delivery box is permitted is included in the package information held on the driver terminal side.

[0229] On the screen described above, when an instruction to transition to delivery completion, an instruction to transition to absence, an instruction to transition to refusal of receipt, an instruction to transition to under investigation, or an instruction to transition to warehouse storage (return) is entered, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 terminates the delivery action selection operation acceptance process and proceeds to step S622 in Figure 38. Conversely, if a predetermined time elapses without any of these inputs being made, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 may terminate the delivery action selection operation acceptance process and also terminate the driver terminal-side delivery completion related processing.

[0230] In the above explanation, it is assumed that the delivery action selection screen, the receiving instruction input screen, the return instruction input screen, etc., are displayed when the number of unscanned packages D becomes 0. However, even when the number of unscanned packages D is 1 or more, these screens may be displayed by performing a predetermined operation (accepting input for delivery completion transition instruction, absence transition instruction, refusal to accept transition instruction, under investigation transition instruction, or warehouse storage (return) transition instruction). For example, even when the judgment result of step S609 in Figure 36 is "NO", it may be possible to make it possible to input a delivery scan completion instruction in the delivery scan completion instruction input area 267 (see Figure 37), and when a delivery scan completion instruction is input when the judgment result of step S609 is "NO", error processing may be performed (for example, an error image indicating that the number of unscanned packages D is 1 or more may be displayed as a pop-up). The error image is displayed as a window (dialog box), and this dialog box displays a message such as "Do you want to proceed with the delivery?" along with text images corresponding to "Yes" and "No". When "Yes" is selected, a delivery action selection screen is displayed. This allows for flexible operation, even when there are multiple packages classified into a single additional condition matching group, and it is not possible to photograph the QR code or other information for some of the packages, leaving room to complete the delivery of the remaining packages.

[0231] After executing the process in step S621, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 transmits information indicating the destination status selected in the delivery action selection operation acceptance process (destination status information) to the logistics management server 20 via the communication unit 145 (step S622). The control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 also transmits information indicating the slip number acquired in step S606 of Figure 36 (slip number information) to the logistics management server 20 via the communication unit 145. Specifically, if the delivery scan process is performed only once, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 transmits information indicating the unloading target slip number (which was compared with the checked slip number) when the judgment result in step S607 is "YES" to the logistics management server 20. If the delivery scan process is performed multiple times, the control unit 140 transmits information indicating all the unloading target slip numbers (which were compared with the checked slip number) when the judgment result in step S607 is "YES" to the logistics management server 20. Alternatively, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 may transmit the slip number information stored in the checklist information storage area in step S601 to the logistics management server 20. As a result, if the number of packages identified in step S543 in Figure 27 or step S583 in Figure 35 is M, slip number information indicating the slip number corresponding to each of the M packages (all M slip numbers) will be transmitted to the logistics management server 20.

[0232] In the delivery completion related processing on the logistics management server side, the control unit 110 of the logistics management server 20 receives the destination status information and slip number information transmitted from the driver terminal 40 via the communication unit 112 (step S301). Next, the control unit 110 of the logistics management server 20 updates the delivery status based on the received destination status information and slip number information (step S302). In this process, if the destination status information corresponds to "delivery completed", the control unit 110 of the logistics management server 20 sets the delivery status corresponding to the slip number information (all M slip numbers) in the package information table 121 to "delivery completed". "Delivery completed" corresponds to a state in which the delivery of the package has been completed successfully. Also, if the destination status information corresponds to "absent", the control unit 110 of the logistics management server 20 sets the delivery status corresponding to the slip number information (all M slip numbers) in the package information table 121 to "absent". "Absent" corresponds to a situation where the driver arrived at the delivery address but the customer was not present.

[0233] Furthermore, if the destination status information corresponds to "Rejected Receipt," the control unit 110 of the logistics management server 20 sets the delivery status corresponding to the slip number information (all M slip numbers) in the package information table 121 to "Rejected Receipt." "Rejected Receipt" corresponds to a state where the driver has arrived at the delivery destination, but the recipient has refused to accept the package. Also, if the destination status information corresponds to "Under Investigation," the control unit 110 of the logistics management server 20 sets the delivery status corresponding to the slip number information (all M slip numbers) in the package information table 121 to "Under Investigation." "Under Investigation" corresponds to a state where some kind of problem has occurred and an investigation is being conducted. Also, if the destination status information corresponds to "Warehouse Storage (Returned)," the control unit 110 of the logistics management server 20 sets the delivery status corresponding to the slip number information (all M slip numbers) in the package information table 121 to "Warehouse Storage (Returned)" or "Storage on a Specified Date (Returned)." As explained above, the details regarding "warehouse storage (return)" and "storage on a specified date (return)" are omitted here.

[0234] As described above, if there are multiple packages identified in step S543 in Figure 27 or step S583 in Figure 35, the delivery status of these packages is updated collectively, and the updated delivery status for all of these packages becomes the same. After executing the process in step S302, the control unit 110 of the logistics management server 20 transmits information indicating the updated delivery status in step S302 (delivery status information) to the driver terminal 40 via the communication unit 112 (step S303). After executing the process in step S303, the control unit 110 of the logistics management server 20 terminates the logistics management server-side delivery completion related processing.

[0235] In the driver terminal-side delivery completion related processing, after executing the process in step S622, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 receives delivery status information transmitted from the logistics management server 20 via the communication unit 145 (step S623). The control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 then determines whether the delivery status of the package being processed is the final status (step S624). The package being processed is the package identified in step S543 of Figure 27 or step S583 of Figure 35. As mentioned above, the final statuses are "delivery completed," "refused," "returned," and "package accident." If the delivery status information received in step S623 corresponds to any of the delivery statuses "delivery completed," "refused," "returned," and "package accident," the result of the determination in step S624 is "YES." On the other hand, if the delivery status information received in step S623 corresponds to a delivery status other than "delivery completed," "refused," "returned," and "package accident," the result of the determination in step S624 is "NO."

[0236] If, in step S624, it is determined that the delivery status of the package is the final status, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 deletes the package information held on the driver terminal side corresponding to the package (step S625). In this process, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 deletes the package information held on the driver terminal side that is stored in association with the slip number information of the package in the delivery destination information storage area of ​​the storage unit 141. If, in step S624, it is determined that the delivery status of the package is not the final status, or after the process in step S625 is executed, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 executes the remaining delivery processing (step S626). The remaining delivery processing will be explained later with reference to Figure 44. After executing the process in step S626, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 terminates the driver terminal side delivery completion related processing.

[0237] <Handling of remaining deliveries> Figure 44 is a flowchart showing how to process remaining deliveries.

[0238] The remaining delivery processing shown in Figure 44 is a process performed at the driver terminal 40 in step S626 of Figure 38 (driver terminal-side delivery completion related processing).

[0239] Although not explained above, if it is determined in step S581 of Figure 35 that the package to be delivered has been identified, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 sets the number of remaining destinations H to 1 (initial value) before executing the process in step S585. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S581 of Figure 35 that the package to be delivered has not been identified, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 sets the number of remaining destinations H to N (initial value) before executing the process in step S582. N is the number of additional condition matching groups belonging to the geotag matching group corresponding to the pin selected in step S502 of Figure 23, and is the number of destinations counted in step S524 of Figure 24.

[0240] In the processing of remaining deliveries, first, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 sets the number of remaining destinations H as H = H-1 (step S641). In this process, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 subtracts 1 from the number of remaining destinations H. Then, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 determines whether the number of remaining destinations H is 0 or not (step S642). If it is determined that the number of remaining destinations H is 0, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 determines whether all package information held by the driver terminal and associated with the pin being processed has been erased or not (step S643). The pin being processed is the pin selected in step S502 in Figure 23.

[0241] If, as a result of the execution of step S625 in Figure 38, all package information held by the driver terminal associated with the pin is deleted from the delivery destination information storage area, the result of the decision in step S643 is "YES". On the other hand, if there is still package information held by the driver terminal associated with the pin that remains stored in the delivery destination information storage area, the result of the decision in step S643 is "NO". If the result of the decision in step S643 is "YES", the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 terminates the display of the pin in the map display area 200 (step S644). As a result, the pin is deleted from the map. After executing the process in step S644, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 terminates the remaining delivery processing. On the other hand, if the result of the decision in step S643 is "NO", the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 maintains the display of the pin in the map display area 200 and terminates the remaining delivery processing.

[0242] If it is determined in step S642 that the number of remaining eaves H is not 0, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 determines whether the number of remaining eaves H is 1 or not (step S645). If it is determined that the number of remaining eaves H is 1, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 identifies the package corresponding to that eaves as the package to be delivered (step S646). In this process, if there is only one package in an additional condition matching group that has not yet been subjected to unloading (see Figure 36), the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 identifies that one package as the package to be delivered. If there are two or more packages in the additional condition matching group, the control unit 140 identifies all of those packages as the packages to be delivered. After executing the process in step S646, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 moves on to step S584 in Figure 35. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S645 that the number of remaining eaves H is not 1, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 moves the process to step S582 in Figure 35.

[0243] For example, suppose there are 5 packages corresponding to the pin (geotag matching group) being processed, 3 packages are classified into the first additional condition matching group, 1 package is classified into the second additional condition matching group, and 1 package is classified into the third additional condition matching group (see Figure 29). In this example, first, when radio button 350a is selected, the 3 packages classified into the first additional condition matching group are identified as packages to be delivered (see step S583 in Figure 35), and the unloading process for the first additional condition matching group is executed. Then, when radio button 350b is selected, the 1 package classified into the second additional condition matching group is identified as a package to be delivered (see step S583 in Figure 35), and the unloading process for the second additional condition matching group is executed. Finally, when the unloading process for the second additional condition matching group is completed, the 1 package classified into the third additional condition matching group is identified as a package to be delivered (see step S646 in Figure 44), and the unloading process for the third additional condition matching group is executed. When the unloading process for the third additional matching group is completed, if the delivery status of all five packages corresponding to that pin is in the final status, the pin will disappear from the map.

[0244] As explained above, the driver can use the driver terminal 40 to make various inputs to update the delivery status of the package. The statuses "Receipt Confirmed," "Warehouse Storage," "Storage on Specified Date," "Out for Delivery," "Return," "Under Investigation," "Warehouse Storage (Returned)," "Storage on Specified Date (Returned)," and "Handover" can be transitioned to by entering a scan selection instruction (see step S405 in Figure 7). In contrast, the statuses "Delivery Completed," "Absent," and "Refused Delivery" can be transitioned to by entering a delivery selection instruction (see step S603 in Figure 36). The statuses "Package Damage" and "Return Instruction" cannot be transitioned to using the driver terminal 40. "Package Damage" corresponds to a situation where the package has been damaged or otherwise affected. "Return Instruction" corresponds to a situation where an instruction has been made to return the package to the consignor (the preparatory stage for the procedure to return the package to the consignor).

[0245] On the other hand, at any time after the receipt of the shipment is confirmed (delivery status), the administrator can enter a slip number into the operation input unit 133 of the administrator terminal 30, which will display a screen for updating the delivery status corresponding to that slip number (delivery status update screen) on the display unit 132. While the delivery status update screen is displayed, the administrator can make various inputs to update the delivery status of the shipment for that slip number. By using the administrator terminal 30, it is possible to transition to any delivery status.

[0246] In the first embodiment, the processing described above was performed in the logistics management server 20, the administrator terminal 30, the driver terminal 40, and the shipper-side server 50, respectively. However, the processing described in the first embodiment is merely an example, and the design can be modified as appropriate when realizing the functions (logistics management) of the logistics management system 10. For example, it is naturally possible to configure the processing described as being performed by one device to be performed by other devices.

[0247] For example, in the first embodiment, the processing related to grouping (see, for example, steps S522 and S523 in FIG. 24) has been described as being performed by the driver terminal 40, but similar processing may be performed by the logistics management server 20. For example, the control unit 110 of the logistics management server 20 performs grouping based on geotag information (latitude and longitude) for each piece of luggage, and further, in addition to the geotag information (latitude and longitude), grouping based on the destination apartment name and the destination name as criteria (matching conditions) can be configured. By causing information indicating the geotag matching group or additional condition matching group classified thereby to be transmitted from the logistics management server 20 to the driver terminal 40, it is possible to execute the same processing as that in FIG. 27 (pin information acquisition processing) and FIG. 35 (delivery-related processing) described in the first embodiment on the driver terminal 40.

[0248] The timing of the execution of the grouping process is not particularly limited, whether the grouping process is performed on the driver terminal 40 or on the logistics management server 20. For example, the grouping process may be executed on the logistics management server 20 when delivery list data is received from the shipper server 50 (see step S201 in Figure 6), or on the logistics management server 20 at a predetermined time each day, or on the logistics management server 20 when a predetermined operation (for example, inputting an instruction to perform grouping) is performed on the administrator terminal 30, or on the logistics management server 20 or driver terminal 40 when an operation to change the scheduled delivery date or delivery time is performed on the administrator terminal 30 or customer terminal, or on the logistics management server 20 or driver terminal 40 when the driver departs from the warehouse (when it can be determined that the driver has departed from the warehouse). The method for determining that a driver has departed from the warehouse is not particularly limited. For example, the logistics management server 20 or the driver terminal 40 may determine this when the current location (the location of the driver terminal 40) is a predetermined distance away from the warehouse, or the logistics management server 20 or the driver terminal 40 may determine this when a predetermined operation (departure operation) is performed on the driver terminal 40. Examples of departure operations include pressing a departure button (not shown) or inputting a cancellation instruction for a continuous scan to change the delivery status to "out for delivery" (see step S484 in Figure 17). The grouping process may be performed on all packages included in the delivery list data, or on only some packages (for example, packages handled by one warehouse).

[0249] When the grouping process has already been performed when the driver departs from the warehouse, for example, when the driver performs a predetermined operation (for example, inputs a cancel instruction for a continuous scan to change the delivery status to "taken out") when departing from the warehouse, the following processes (x) and (y) can be configured to be executed. Alternatively, the following process (z) may be configured to be executed. (x) When there are a plurality of packages classified into one additional condition match group, it is determined whether the delivery status of all of the plurality of packages has been updated to "taken out". (y) In the above (x), when it is determined that the delivery status of some of the plurality of packages has not been updated to "taken out", a message indicating that fact is displayed on the display unit 142 of the driver terminal 40. (z) In the above (x), when it is determined that the delivery status of all of the plurality of packages has been updated to "taken out", a departure button is displayed on the display unit 142 of the driver terminal 40.

[0250] The departure button can be configured as, for example, an image corresponding to a button including the character "departure". When the determination result in the above (x) is "YES", the departure button is enabled (thereby, the departure button becomes a mark indicating that the driver is permitted to depart), and the driver can input a selection of the departure button by operating the operation input unit 143. The above process (x) may be performed in the logistics management server 20 or may be performed in the driver terminal 40. When the above process (x) is performed in the driver terminal 40, the control unit 140 of the driver terminal 40 can recognize that the delivery status of each package has been updated to "taken out" by referring to the package information held on the driver terminal side stored in the delivery destination information storage area.

[0251] Furthermore, while various types of errors have been described above, the methods of error notification are not particularly limited. For example, in addition to displaying an error image as a pop-up or toast notification, audio output from a speaker or vibration may also be used. Depending on the nature of the error, the output methods of images, sounds, and vibrations can be varied, and it is desirable to configure the system so that drivers can recognize the presence and type of error through sight, hearing, and touch by combining images, sounds, and vibrations. For example, from the perspective of preventing misdelivery of packages, error handling during unloading (see Figure 36) may be performed using images, sounds, and vibrations to notify the driver of the error. Also, the audio output when an error occurs may be different from the audio output when no error occurs. For example, if the result of step S489 in Figure 18 is "YES", a predetermined sound (for example, a sound corresponding to the update of the package delivery status to "out for pickup") is output, while if the result of step S489 is "NO", a different sound (an error sound) is output.

[0252] The logistics management system 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention has been described above.

[0253] <Note A> Conventionally, systems for managing the logistics process from the delivery of goods provided by shippers to customers are known (see Japanese Patent Publication No. 2001-325688).

[0254] In the process of diligently studying logistics management, the inventors came to the conclusion that there might be room to improve usability in logistics operations.

[0255] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned points, and aims to provide an information processing device, an information processing method, and an information processing system that can improve usability.

[0256] In this regard, the logistics management system 10 according to the first embodiment has the following features.

[0257] (A-1) Operating means (operation input unit 143), The imaging means (imaging unit 144), The system includes a shooting control means that enables shooting by the aforementioned shooting means, The aforementioned shooting control means is A first shooting control means that enables shooting when a predetermined operation (scan selection instruction input) is performed in the aforementioned operating means, The system includes a second shooting control means that enables the next shooting even if the predetermined operation is not performed on the operating means after the first shooting has been performed. An information processing device characterized by the following:

[0258] (A-2) The first step is to enable shooting when a predetermined operation (scan selection instruction input) is performed, The system includes a second step that enables the next shot even if the predetermined operation is not performed after the first shot has been taken. An information processing method characterized by the following:

[0259] (A-3) An information processing system comprising a first device (driver terminal 40) and a second device (logistics management server 20), The first apparatus described above, Operating means (operation input unit 143), The imaging means (imaging unit 144), The system includes a shooting control means that enables shooting by the aforementioned shooting means, The aforementioned shooting control means is A first shooting control means that enables shooting when a predetermined operation (scan selection instruction input) is performed in the aforementioned operating means, The system includes a second shooting control means that enables the next shooting even if the predetermined operation is not performed on the operating means after the first shooting has been performed. An information processing system characterized by the following:

[0260] <Note B> Conventionally, a system for managing a logistics process in which goods provided by a shipper are delivered to a customer is known (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-325688).

[0261] In the process of earnestly studying logistics management, the present inventor has come to the idea that there may be room to effectively prevent misallocation of goods.

[0262] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object thereof is to provide an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and an information processing system capable of preventing misallocation of goods.

[0263] In this regard, the logistics management system 10 according to the first embodiment has the following features.

[0264] (B-1) An operation means (operation input unit 143) and a control means (control unit 140), and the control means is When a plurality of goods are grouped under a predetermined condition and the plurality of goods are classified into a plurality of groups, a specific operation (radio button selection instruction input) for selecting one group from the plurality of groups is performed by the operation means. On the condition that it is performed, predetermined control (unloading process) for delivering the goods can be executed, while When a plurality of goods are grouped under the predetermined condition and all of the plurality of goods belong to one group, the predetermined control can be executed without the condition that the specific operation is performed by the operation means. An information processing apparatus characterized by the above.

[0265] (B-2) When multiple packages are grouped according to predetermined conditions, if the multiple packages are classified into multiple groups, the predetermined control for delivery of the packages (unloading process) is executed on the condition that a specific operation (radio button selection instruction input) for selecting one of the multiple groups is performed by the operating means, while when multiple packages are grouped according to the predetermined conditions, if all of the multiple packages belong to one group, the predetermined control is executed without the condition that the specific operation is performed by the operating means. An information processing method characterized by the following:

[0266] (B-3) An information processing system comprising a first device (driver terminal 40) and a second device (logistics management server 20), The first apparatus described above, Operating means (operation input unit 143), It comprises a control means (control unit 140), The control means is When multiple packages are grouped according to predetermined conditions, and the multiple packages are classified into multiple groups, a predetermined control for package delivery (unloading process) can be executed, provided that a specific operation (radio button selection instruction input) for selecting one of the multiple groups is performed by the operation means. When multiple packages are grouped according to the predetermined conditions, if all of the packages belong to the same group, the predetermined control can be executed without requiring that the specific operation be performed by the operating means. An information processing system characterized by the following:

[0267] Although the first embodiment of the present invention has been described above, this is merely an example and does not particularly limit the present invention, and the specific configuration of each means, etc., can be modified as appropriate. Furthermore, the effects described in the embodiment of the present invention are merely a list of the most preferred effects that result from the present invention, and the effects of the present invention are not limited to those described in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0268] Furthermore, the detailed description above focuses on characteristic features to facilitate understanding of the present invention. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described in the detailed description above, but can be applied to other embodiments as well, and its scope of application is diverse. In addition, the terms and grammar used herein are used to accurately describe the present invention and are not used to limit the interpretation of the present invention. Furthermore, it is expected that those skilled in the art will be able to easily infer other configurations, systems, methods, etc., included in the concept of the present invention from the concept of the invention described herein. Accordingly, the claims should be considered to include equivalent configurations without departing from the scope of the technical idea of ​​the present invention. Furthermore, the purpose of the abstract is to enable the Japan Patent Office and general public institutions, as well as engineers in the art who are not familiar with patent, legal, or technical terms, to quickly determine the technical content and essence of this application through a simple search. Accordingly, the abstract is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to be evaluated by the claims. Furthermore, in order to fully understand the purpose of the present invention and its unique effects, it is desirable to interpret it with due consideration to already disclosed documents, etc.

[0269] The detailed description above includes processes performed by computers. The above description and expressions are intended to be understood most efficiently by those skilled in the art. In this specification, each process used to derive the result of 1 should be understood as a self-consistent process. In each process, electrical or magnetic signals are transmitted, recorded, etc. In each process, such signals are represented by bits, values, symbols, characters, terms, numbers, etc., but it should be noted that these are used only for explanatory convenience. In addition, in some cases, the processes in each process are described using expressions common to human actions, but in principle, the processes described in this specification are performed by various devices. Furthermore, other configurations required to perform each process will be obvious from the above description. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0270] 10 Logistics Management Systems 20 Logistics Management Server 30 Administrator terminals 40 Driver terminals

Claims

1. An information processing device used for the delivery of packages, Photography methods, Equipped with control means, The control means includes a shooting control means that enables shooting by the shooting means, The aforementioned shooting control means includes a continuous shooting control means that enables the shooting of a code for identifying the next package after the shooting of a code for identifying the first package has been performed. In a situation where continuous shooting control means is enabled, if a code for identifying a package is captured, control can be executed to change the delivery status of the package. An information processing device characterized by the following:

2. An information processing method used for the delivery of packages, which is performed by at least one computer, After the code for identifying one package has been photographed, the first step is to enable the photographing of the code for identifying the next package, The system includes a second step of taking control to change the delivery status of a package in response to the capture of a code for identifying the package in a situation where the capture described in the first step is possible, An information processing method characterized by the following:

3. An information processing system used for the delivery of goods, comprising a first device and a second device, The first apparatus is Photography methods, Equipped with control means, The control means includes a shooting control means that enables shooting by the shooting means, The aforementioned shooting control means includes a continuous shooting control means that enables the shooting of a code for identifying the next package after the shooting of a code for identifying the first package has been performed. The second device includes information receiving means capable of receiving information obtained in response to a code for identifying a package being photographed from the first device. The first device is capable of performing control to change the delivery status of a package in response to a code for identifying the package being captured while the continuous shooting control means is enabled to take photographs. An information processing system characterized by the following:

4. A program used for the delivery of packages, which causes at least one computer to function as a shooting control means that enables shooting by a shooting means, The aforementioned shooting control means includes a continuous shooting control means that enables the shooting of a code for identifying the next package after the shooting of a code for identifying the first package has been performed. In a situation where continuous shooting control means is enabled, if a code for identifying a package is captured, control is performed to change the delivery status of the package. A program characterized by the following features.

Images