Inventory management device and inventory management system

Abstract

This invention provides an inventory management device and inventory management system that enable efficient management of the inventory levels of products displayed in stores. [Solution] The information display device of this embodiment includes: an acquisition means that acquires tag information that can identify the type of product on an individual item basis, which is read by the terminal device of a shopping cart used by a customer in the store from the wireless tag of the product displayed in the store; a management means that aggregates the inventory quantity for each type of product based on the tag information acquired by the acquisition means and manages it in association with the aggregation date and time based on the date and time on which the tag information was acquired; a detection means that detects products whose inventory quantity has been stagnant based on the difference time between the aggregation date and time and the current date and time; and a providing means that provides guidance information to the terminal device to guide the movement of the product detected by the detection means to the display location.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to an inventory management apparatus and an inventory management system. BACKGROUND ART

[0002] Conventionally, in stores such as supermarkets, inventory counting work for confirming the number of product inventories and the like has been performed by store staff such as store clerks. Further, conventionally, there exist systems that perform inventory management of articles by reading wireless tags such as RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) tags attached to the articles.

[0003] For example, a system for performing inventory management of articles by reading wireless tag information of products arranged on shelves with an antenna for reading wireless tags attached to a shopping cart has been proposed. In such a system, reading of wireless tag information is performed by a customer using a shopping cart.

[0004] However, with the above-mentioned conventional technology, although information related to product inventory management can be collected by customers roaming around the store, since customers freely roam around the inside of the store, there may occur areas that customers do not stop by. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Problem to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an inventory management apparatus and an inventory management system capable of efficiently performing inventory quantity management for products displayed in a store. Means for Solving the Problem

[0006] The inventory management device of the embodiment includes: an acquisition means that acquires tag information that can identify the type of product on an individual item basis, which is read by the terminal device of a shopping cart used by a customer in the store from the wireless tag of the product displayed in the store; a management means that aggregates the inventory quantity for each type of product based on the tag information acquired by the acquisition means and manages it in association with the aggregation date and time based on the date and time on which the tag information was acquired; a detection means that detects products whose inventory quantity has not been updated based on the difference time between the aggregation date and time and the current date and time; and a providing means that provides guidance information to the terminal device to guide the movement of the product detected by the detection means to the display location. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] Figure 1 shows an example of the system configuration of a store system according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 shows an example of the appearance of a cart equipped with a wireless tag reader and registration device according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the registration device according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the product management device according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows an example of the data structure of the product table read according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] Figure 6 shows an example of the data structure of the registered product table according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] Figure 7 shows an example of the data structure of an inventory management table according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] Figure 8 shows an example of the data structure of the guidance information table according to the embodiment. [Figure 9] Figure 9 shows an example of the functional configuration of the registration device and product management device according to the embodiment. [Figure 10] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an in-store map according to the embodiment. [Figure 11]Figure 11 shows an example of a guidance screen displayed on the registration device of the embodiment. [Figure 12] Figure 12 shows an example of an image displayed on the product management device of the embodiment. [Figure 13] Figure 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing performed by the registration device and product management device of the embodiment. [Figure 14] Figure 14 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing performed by the registration device and product management device of the embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] The following description of the inventory management device and inventory management system according to the embodiment will be given with reference to the drawings. The following embodiment describes a configuration used in stores that sell goods, such as supermarkets, but is not limited to this configuration.

[0009] Figure 1 shows an example of the system configuration of a store system according to an embodiment. Store system 1 is an example of an inventory management system. Store system 1 includes a shopping cart (hereinafter also simply referred to as a cart) 2, a wireless tag reader 3, a registration device 4, and a product management device 5, etc.

[0010] The wireless tag reader 3 and registration device 4 are examples of terminal devices and are attached to the cart 2. The wireless tag reader 3 is connected to the registration device 4 via wired or wireless communication. The registration device 4 is connected to the product management device 5 via network N, and is capable of sending and receiving information (data) with the product management device 5.

[0011] Network N can utilize the Internet, VPN (virtual private network), LAN (local area network), public communication network, mobile communication network, etc., individually or in appropriate combinations. In this embodiment, a LAN installed within a facility is used as an example of network N.

[0012] Further, the registration device 4 is connected to a settlement device 7 provided at a checkout counter or the like of a store, and can transmit and receive information (data) to and from the settlement device 7, for example, via a network N. A customer can perform product registration for products to be purchased by the registration device 4 attached to a cart 2 during shopping, move to the checkout counter, and settle payment for the registered products using the settlement device 7.

[0013] The product management device 5 is an example of an inventory management device. The product management device 5 is configured by a computer such as a PC (Personal Computer) or a server device. As described above, the product management device 5 is connected to the registration device 4 via a wireless LAN or the like, and is capable of transmitting and receiving information (data).

[0014] Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of the external appearance of a cart 2 including a wireless tag reader 3 and a registration device 4 according to the embodiment. The cart 2 is a device operated by a customer in a store, which accommodates products purchased by the customer directly or via a basket K while moving through the store. The cart 2 can also be rephrased as a moving body that is moved by the customer.

[0015] The cart 2 includes a handle 21, a basket placing portion 22, casters 23, a battery holder 24, and the like.

[0016] A pair of handles 21 are provided to protrude toward the side where the customer using the cart 2 is located, that is, the side opposite to the basket placing portion 22. Hereinafter, the basket placing portion 22 side is referred to as the front side, and the side from which the handle 21 protrudes is referred to as the rear side. In addition, a direction along the horizontal plane that is orthogonal to the front-rear direction of the cart 2 is referred to as the left-right direction. The handle 21 is for the customer to grip to move the cart 2. The basket placing portion 22 is a platform on which the basket K for accommodating products purchased by the customer is detachably placed.

[0017] Four casters 23 are provided on the cart 2. Each caster 23 can rotate individually, whereby the cart 2 can be pushed by a customer and freely move in any of forward, backward, left and right directions in the store. The battery holder 24 is provided at a rear portion of the cart 2 and detachably holds an unillustrated battery. The battery supplies electric power to the wireless tag reader 3.

[0018] The wireless tag reader 3 is an example of a reading means. The wireless tag reader 3 includes, for example, antennas 31 respectively provided on both left and right side surfaces of the basket placement portion 22, and transmits radio waves from each antenna 31 to radially radiate radio waves toward the outside of the basket placement portion 22. Further, the wireless tag reader 3 is communicably connected to the registration device 4 by wire or wirelessly. Note that the antennas 31 may be provided on a front side surface of the basket placement portion 22.

[0019] The wireless tag reader 3 reads tag information held in the wireless tag by causing the antenna 31 to transmit a carrier wave (radio wave) and receiving a response wave (radio wave) transmitted from the wireless tag in response to the carrier wave. Accordingly, the wireless tag reader 3 can read tag information from wireless tags attached to products displayed in a product display section, which will be described later, in a sales floor.

[0020] The tag information of a wireless tag attached to a product includes a product code that enables identification of the type of the product, and individual product information that enables identification of the wireless tag. Here, the individual product information can be rephrased as identification information that can identify a product in units of individual products. That is, the tag information holds information that can identify the type of a product in units of individual products.

[0021] The registration device 4 is an example of a transmission means. The registration device 4 is an information processing device having a computer configuration such as a tablet terminal, for example. The registration device 4 is attached at a position where a user of the cart 2 can visually recognize and operate it, for example near the handle 21.

[0022] Furthermore, cart 2 is equipped with a code reader 6 capable of reading code symbols such as barcodes and 2D codes. The code reader 6 is connected to the registration device 4 by wire or wireless connection. For example, the code reader 6 reads the product code from the code symbol attached to the product and outputs the read product code to the registration device 4.

[0023] The registration device 4 comprises a display unit 41 and an operation unit 42. The display unit 41 is, for example, composed of a liquid crystal panel and displays various information. The operation unit 42 is, for example, a touch panel provided on the surface of the display unit 41. The operation unit 42 inputs information corresponding to the touched position to the control unit of the registration device 4 and functions as an operation input unit for inputting user operations.

[0024] The registration device 4 performs a registration process to register the products purchased by the customer as sales (hereinafter also referred to as product registration). The registration process includes storing the product code and other information obtained by the code reader 6. The registration device 4 also performs an inventory process in which it obtains the product code read by the wireless tag reader 3 and transmits the obtained product code to the product management device 5.

[0025] In this embodiment, the wireless tag reader 3, registration device 4, and code reader 6 are used as examples of terminal devices, but the invention is not limited to these, and the registration device 4 may also be used as a terminal device.

[0026] Next, we will describe the configurations of the registration device 4 and the product management device 5 mentioned above.

[0027] Figure 3 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the registration device 4 according to the embodiment. As shown in Figure 3, in addition to the display unit 41 and operation unit 42 described above, the registration device 4 includes a computer configuration such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 43, ROM (Read Only Memory) 44, and RAM (Random Access Memory) 45.

[0028] The CPU 43 is an example of a processor and comprehensively controls the operation of the registration device 4. The ROM 44 stores various programs. The RAM 45 is a workspace for displaying programs and various data. For example, the RAM 45 has a product buffer 451 for storing information related to registered products.

[0029] The CPU 43, ROM 44, and RAM 45 are connected via a bus or the like to form a control unit 400 of the computer configuration. The control unit 400 performs various processes by operating according to various programs stored in the ROM 44 and memory unit 48 and loaded into the RAM 45.

[0030] The control unit 400 is connected to the communication unit 46, connection unit 47, and storage unit 48 via a bus or the like. The communication unit 46 is a communication interface that can connect to the network N. The communication unit 46 communicates with external devices such as the product management device 5 via the network.

[0031] The connection unit 47 connects the registration device 4 to the external device by wire or wireless connection and controls the input and output of data (or information) via the external device. Devices such as the wireless tag reader 3 and code reader 6 mentioned above are connected to the connection unit 47.

[0032] The storage unit 48 is an auxiliary storage device for the registration device 4 and is equipped with a storage medium such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), or flash memory that can retain its contents even when the power is cut off. The storage unit 48 stores various programs that the CPU 43 can execute, various setting information, etc. For example, the storage unit 48 stores identification information (hereinafter also referred to as the device ID) that can identify its own registration device 4 as setting information.

[0033] Here, the registration device 4 may be configured to store identification information (hereinafter also referred to as a transaction ID) that can identify transactions performed by its own registration device 4, either in place of or together with the device ID. In this case, the transaction ID is issued for each transaction performed by the registration device 4, for example, and is stored in the RAM 45 or storage unit 48 while the transaction is taking place.

[0034] The issuance of transaction IDs may be performed by each of the registration devices 4, or by the product management device 5. In the latter case, for example, the product management device 5 issues a transaction ID in response to a transaction commencement notification sent from the registration device 4, and provides the issued transaction ID to the registration device 4 that sent the notification.

[0035] In the following, the device ID and / or transaction ID will also be referred to as the "cart ID." Furthermore, the product management device 5 can identify the registration device 4 based on the cart ID and send and receive various data with the identified registration device 4.

[0036] Furthermore, the memory unit 48 stores the product master 481, etc. The product master 481 is a master file that stores information about products sold in stores. For example, the product master 481 stores product information such as the product name and unit price of the product corresponding to the product code of each product, in association with the product code of that product.

[0037] Furthermore, the control unit 400 is connected to the display unit 41 and the operation unit 42 via a bus or the like.

[0038] The display unit 41 is a display device such as a liquid crystal display. The display unit 41 displays various screens under the control of the CPU 43. For example, the display unit 41 displays an operation screen to assist in product registration operations. The operation unit 42 receives input from the operator. The operation unit 42 also outputs the received operation details to the CPU 43.

[0039] Figure 4 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the product management device 5 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 4, the product management device 5 includes a computer configuration such as a CPU 51, ROM 52, and RAM 53.

[0040] The CPU 51 is an example of a processor and comprehensively controls the operation of the product management device 5. The ROM 52 stores various programs. The RAM 53 is a workspace for displaying programs and various data.

[0041] The CPU 51, ROM 52, and RAM 53 are connected via a bus or the like, and constitute the control unit 500 of the computer configuration. The control unit 500 performs various processes by operating according to various programs stored in the ROM 52 and memory unit 55 and loaded into the RAM 53.

[0042] The control unit 500 is connected to the communication unit 54 and the storage unit 55 via a bus or the like. The communication unit 54 is a communication interface that can connect to the network N. The communication unit 54 communicates with external devices such as the registration device 4 via the network.

[0043] The memory unit 55 is an auxiliary storage device of the product management device 5 and is equipped with a storage medium such as an HDD, SSD, or flash memory that can retain its contents even when the power is cut off. The memory unit 55 stores various programs that the CPU 51 can execute, various setting information, and so on.

[0044] Furthermore, the memory unit 55 stores an example of map information, namely an in-store map 551. The in-store map 551 is data that stores map data showing the layout of display shelves, aisles, etc., installed within the store, and associates the display location of each product on the map data with the product code of that product.

[0045] Here, the display location of a product may be expressed in units of display shelves, or in units of placement areas (also called shelf allocation) within a display shelf. In the former case, the store map 551 associates each display shelf with an identifiable shelf ID, and stores the product codes of the products displayed on the display shelf with that shelf ID. In the latter case, the shelf ID is associated with an identifiable area ID for each placement area on the display shelf corresponding to that shelf ID, and stores the product codes of the products placed in the placement area with that area ID.

[0046] Furthermore, the memory unit 55 stores a read product table 552 for managing the tag information read by each cart.

[0047] Figure 5 shows an example of the data structure of the read product table 552 according to the embodiment. As shown in Figure 5, the read product table 552 stores, for example, tag information (product code, individual item information), read date and time, etc., transmitted from the registration device 4 for the cart ID, associated with the cart ID. Here, the read date and time is the date and time when the tag information was received from the registration device 4.

[0048] Furthermore, the memory unit 55 stores a registered product table 553 for managing the products registered in each cart.

[0049] Figure 6 shows an example of the data structure of the registered product table 553 according to the embodiment. As shown in Figure 6, the registered product table 553 stores, for example, the product code, registration date and time, etc., of the product registered in the registration device 4 corresponding to the cart ID, associated with the cart ID. Here, the registration date and time is the date and time when the product code to be registered was received from the registration device 4.

[0050] Note that the registered product table 553 may store other information, not just the data structure shown in Figure 6. For example, the registered product table 553 may store product information for products corresponding to a product code, in association with that product code.

[0051] Furthermore, the memory unit 55 stores an inventory management table 554 for managing the inventory quantity of each product displayed in the store.

[0052] Figure 7 shows an example of the data structure of the inventory management table 554 according to the embodiment. As shown in Figure 7, the inventory management table 554 stores the inventory quantity, aggregation date and time, etc., of the product corresponding to the product code, in association with the product code. The aggregation date and time will be described later.

[0053] The inventory management table 554 may also store the product codes of each item displayed in the store. Furthermore, the inventory management table 554 may store the theoretical stock quantity of each item associated with its product code. Here, the theoretical stock quantity may be the total stock quantity of the entire store, including the backroom and other areas outside the sales floor, or it may be a predetermined number of items to be displayed.

[0054] Furthermore, the storage unit 55 stores a guidance information table 555 for managing guidance information provided to customers. Figure 8 shows an example of the data structure of the guidance information table 555 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 8, the guidance information table 555 stores, for example, application conditions, guidance information, recipient conditions, and completion conditions in association with each other.

[0055] The application conditions define the criteria for applying the guidance information. For example, the application conditions can include product codes, shelf IDs that can identify display shelves, and other such criteria.

[0056] The guidance information includes, for example, promotional information related to the provision of benefits such as advertisements and coupons. More specifically, the guidance information includes promotional information for products with product codes set in the application conditions and products sold on shelves with shelf IDs, as well as guidance text that prompts customers to move to the display location or shelf location of the product. Furthermore, if the promotional information concerns the provision of benefits such as coupons, the guidance information will include guidance text that explains the conditions for their acceptance, as described later.

[0057] The recipient conditions specify the conditions for the registered device 4 to which the guidance information will be provided. For example, the recipient conditions can include the number of read points exceeding a predetermined threshold (e.g., 100 points) or the number of registered points exceeding a predetermined threshold (e.g., 10 points).

[0058] The conditions for success include, if the promotional information concerns the granting of benefits such as coupons, the conditions related to the granting of those benefits. For example, the conditions for success could be that the product has been moved to the display location or shelf location specified in the application conditions. Alternatively, the conditions for success could be that the product specified in the application conditions, or the product displayed on the shelf specified in the application conditions, has been registered. In other words, it is preferable to set conditions in the conditions for success that encourage movement to the display location or shelf location of the product specified in the application conditions.

[0059] Furthermore, by leaving the recipient conditions blank, the system may be configured to provide guidance information to an unspecified number of registered devices 4. Also, if the promotional information is an advertisement, the completion conditions may be left blank.

[0060] Furthermore, the conditions for success may include settings to limit the period during which the reward is granted or to limit the number of rewards granted. For example, the conditions for success may include settings to limit the granting of rewards to within 10 minutes of sending the guidance information, or to limit the number of rewards granted to 10 units (10 people). However, if the period or number of rewards granted is limited, it is preferable to include a notice explaining this in the guidance information.

[0061] Returning to Figure 4, the control unit 500 is connected to the display unit 56 and the operation unit 57 via a bus or the like. The display unit 56 is composed of a display device such as an LCD. The display unit 56 displays various information under the control of the CPU 51. The operation unit 57 has a keyboard, a pointing device, etc. The operation unit 57 outputs the operation content received from the operator to the CPU 51. The operation unit 57 may be a touch panel provided on the display screen of the display unit 56.

[0062] Next, the functional configurations of the registration device 4 and the product management device 5 will be described with reference to Figure 9. Figure 9 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configurations of the registration device 4 and the product management device 5 according to this embodiment.

[0063] The registration device 4 includes, as its functional configuration, a tag information acquisition unit 401, a tag information transmission unit 402, a product code acquisition unit 403, a product registration unit 404, an information acquisition unit 405, and the like.

[0064] The functional configuration of the registration device 4 is realized, for example, by the CPU 43 of the registration device 4 shown in Figure 3 executing a program stored in the memory unit 48. Note that some or all of the functional configuration of the registration device 4 may be realized by hardware configurations such as dedicated circuits provided by the registration device 4.

[0065] Furthermore, the product management device 5 includes a data management unit 501, an inventory management unit 502, an information provision unit 503, a display control unit 504, and the like as its functional configuration.

[0066] The functional configuration of the product management device 5 is realized, for example, by the CPU 51 of the product management device 5 shown in Figure 4 executing a program stored in the memory unit 55. Note that some or all of the functional configuration of the product management device 5 may be realized by hardware configurations such as dedicated circuits provided by the product management device 5.

[0067] The tag information acquisition unit 401 of the registration device 4 acquires the tag information read by the wireless tag reader 3 from the wireless tag reader 3. The tag information transmission unit 402 of the registration device 4 transmits the read information, which includes the tag information acquired by the tag information acquisition unit 401 and the cart ID of its own registration device 4, to the product management device 5.

[0068] Here, it is preferable that the tag information transmission unit 402 of the registration device 4 controls the transmission of tag information to prevent duplicate transmission of tag information that has the same individual item information, based on the individual item information contained in the tag information. Specifically, the tag information transmission unit 402 stores the individual item information contained in the transmitted tag information in RAM 45 or the like, and compares it with the individual item information contained in the tag information newly acquired by the tag information acquisition unit 401 to determine whether or not the individual item information is duplicated. Then, the tag information acquisition unit 102 selects the tag information that it has determined not to be duplicated as the target for transmission and discards the tag information that it has determined to be duplicated.

[0069] This prevents the tag information transmission unit 402 from transmitting the same tag information multiple times. The tag information transmission unit 402 may also erase the individual product information stored in the RAM 45, etc., after a predetermined time (e.g., 5 minutes), making it ready for transmission again after that time.

[0070] The data management unit 501 of the product management device 5 is an example of an acquisition method. The data management unit 501 manages the data in the read product table 552 and the registered product table 553 according to the various information transmitted from the registration device 4.

[0071] For example, when the data management unit 501 acquires (receives) read information from the registration device 4, it associates the cart ID included in the read information with the tag information and registers it in the read product table 552. Specifically, the data management unit 501 associates the cart ID with the product and individual item information included in the tag information and the date and time the read information was received (read date and time) and registers it in the read product table 552. If the cart ID and tag information included in the acquired read information are already registered in the read product table 552, the data management unit 501 updates the read date and time of the corresponding data to the date and time the read information was received.

[0072] Through the aforementioned coordination process between the registration device 4 and the product management device 5, tag information read from products (wireless tags) surrounding the cart 2 is transmitted to the product management device 5. The product management device 5 then acquires the tag information transmitted from the registration device 4 of each cart 2 and manages it centrally using the read product table 552.

[0073] The product code acquisition unit 403 of the registration device 4 acquires the product code read by the code reader 6 from the code reader 6. The product code acquisition unit 403 also acquires the product code entered via the operation unit 42. The product registration unit 404 performs the product registration process corresponding to the product code acquired by the product code acquisition unit 403.

[0074] Specifically, the product registration unit 404 transmits registration information, including the product code acquired by the product code acquisition unit 403 and the cart ID of its own registration device 4, to the product management device 5. It also reads product information corresponding to the product code acquired by the product code acquisition unit 403 from the product master 481 and stores it in the product buffer 451 in association with the product code. Then, based on the product information stored in the product buffer 451, the product registration unit 404 displays the product name and price of the registered product on the display unit 41.

[0075] Meanwhile, when the data management unit 501 of the product management device 5 obtains (receives) registration information from the registration device 4, it associates the cart ID, product code, and the date and time the registration information was received (registration date and time) contained in the registration information and registers it in the registered product table 553.

[0076] Through the aforementioned linkage process between the registration device 4 and the product management device 5, the product codes of the products selected for purchase by the registration device 4 are registered in the registered product table 553, associated with the cart ID of the registration device 4.

[0077] The product registration unit 404 of the registration device 4 may also transmit product information along with the registration information. In this case, the data management unit 501 of the product management device 5 registers the product information included in the registration information in the registered product table 553, associating it with the product code.

[0078] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the process of storing product codes, etc., in the registered product table 553 is described as the registration process, but the process of storing product codes, etc., in the product buffer 451 may also be described as the registration process. In this case, the process of registering product codes in the registered product table 553 can be rephrased as an additional process accompanying the registration process.

[0079] The inventory management unit 502 of the product management device 5 is an example of a management means and detection means. Based on the information registered in the read product table 552, the inventory management unit 502 aggregates (calculates) the number of items in stock for each type of product displayed in the store and registers the calculated number of items in stock in the inventory management table 554. Specifically, the inventory management unit 502 calculates the number of items in stock by aggregating (counting) the number of unique individual item information associated with each product code registered in the read product table 552. For example, the inventory management unit 502 merges identical individual item information into one and calculates the number of items in the merged individual item information as the number of items in stock.

[0080] Furthermore, it is preferable that the individual item information used to calculate the inventory count is that which is read within the period from the current date and time to a predetermined time prior (hereinafter also referred to as the aggregation period). Specifically, it is more preferable that the aggregation period be a relatively short time, such as 10 minutes. By making the aggregation period short in this way, the inventory count can be calculated using the most recent reading results.

[0081] Furthermore, the inventory management unit 502 derives the inventory count aggregation date and time based on the reading date and time of the individual item information used to calculate the inventory count. For example, the inventory management unit 502 may use the most recent reading date and time of the individual item information used to calculate the inventory count as the aggregation date and time. Alternatively, the inventory management unit 502 may use the oldest reading date and time of the individual item information used to calculate the inventory count as the aggregation date and time. Alternatively, the inventory management unit 502 may use a date and time midway between the most recent and oldest reading date and time of the individual item information used to calculate the inventory count as the aggregation date and time.

[0082] The inventory management unit 502 then associates the calculated inventory quantity for each product code and the date and time of aggregation of that inventory quantity with the corresponding product code and registers them in the inventory management table 554. In addition, if a duplicate product code is already registered in the inventory management table 554, the inventory management unit 502 updates the inventory quantity and aggregation date and time associated with that product code.

[0083] The timing at which the inventory management unit 502 calculates the inventory quantity is not particularly restricted, but it is preferable to use relatively short time intervals (e.g., 1-minute intervals). In this case, it is preferable to calculate the inventory quantity at time intervals shorter than the aggregation period mentioned above. This improves the real-time nature of the inventory quantity.

[0084] Furthermore, the inventory management unit 502 monitors the inventory management table 554 and detects products (product codes) whose inventory counts are not being updated. Specifically, the inventory management unit 502 refers to the aggregation date and time of each product registered in the inventory management table 554 and determines whether the aggregation date and time is in the past of a predetermined threshold time from the current date and time (hereinafter also referred to as the reference date and time). If it determines that the aggregation date and time is in the past of the reference date and time, the inventory management unit 502 determines that it has detected a product whose inventory count is not being updated. Here, the threshold time can be set to any time, for example, 5 minutes.

[0085] When the inventory management unit 502 detects a product whose inventory count has stalled, it works in cooperation with the information provision unit 503 to guide the customer to the display location of that product. The process for guiding the customer to the display location will be described later.

[0086] The information provision unit 503 of the product management device 5 is an example of a provision means and a specification means. Based on the guidance information table 555, the information provision unit 503 provides guidance information to the registration device 4 to guide it to the display location of products whose inventory counts have been stagnant.

[0087] For example, the information provision unit 503, in cooperation with the inventory management unit 502, detects the product code of a product whose inventory count has been stalled, and then refers to the store map 551 to identify the display location of the product corresponding to that product code. Next, the inventory management unit 502 searches the guidance information table 555 for applicable conditions that match the product code of the product whose inventory count has been stalled or the identified display location. Then, the information provision unit 503 reads the guidance information associated with the searched applicable conditions from the guidance information table 555 and transmits the read guidance information to the registration device 4.

[0088] Here, various methods can be used to determine which registered device 4 will receive the guidance information. For example, if the information provision unit 503 has recipient conditions associated with the guidance information, it will send the guidance information to a registered device 4 that satisfies these recipient conditions.

[0089] For example, if a condition related to the number of points read is set as a condition for the recipient, the information provision unit 503 refers to the read product table 552, extracts cart IDs whose number of points read satisfies the condition, and sends guidance information to the registration device 4 of the extracted cart ID. Here, the number of points read may be the number of product codes associated with the cart ID, or the number of individual product information entries.

[0090] As another example, if a condition related to the number of registered items is set as a condition for the recipient, the information provision unit 503 refers to the registered product table 553, extracts cart IDs whose number of registered items satisfies the condition, and sends guidance information to the registration device 4 of the extracted cart ID. Here, the number of registered items may be the total number of product codes associated with the cart ID, or the sum of the number of registered items for the registered products.

[0091] Furthermore, if no recipient information is set, the information provision unit 503 may send guidance information to the registration device 4 for all cart IDs registered in the read product table 552 or the registered product table 553, or it may send guidance information to the registration device 4 for some of the cart IDs.

[0092] When sending guidance information to the registration devices 4 for some cart IDs, for example, the information provision unit 503 may send guidance information to the registration devices 4 for randomly selected cart IDs, or it may send guidance information to the registration devices 4 for cart IDs selected based on customer behavior.

[0093] In the latter case, for example, the information provision unit 503 may extract cart IDs whose in-store stay time is greater than (or less than) a predetermined time, based on the reading date and time recorded in the read product table 552. Alternatively, in the latter case, for example, the information provision unit 503 may extract cart IDs based on the results of purchase analysis such as basket analysis. Specifically, the information provision unit 503 may search for product codes that have a purchase relationship with product codes associated with guidance information from the product codes registered in the registered product table 553, and extract cart IDs associated with the searched product codes as destinations.

[0094] Furthermore, in addition to the various decision-making methods described above, the information provision unit 503 may also narrow down the selection to cart IDs that have not passed through the display locations of products whose updates are stalled, based on the movement path of each cart ID within the store derived from the read product table 552, and send guidance information. Here, the movement path of a cart ID can be derived by tracing the display locations of the product codes registered in the read product table 552 in chronological order of the reading date and time, based on the store map 551.

[0095] Furthermore, if the guidance information has conditions set for completion, that is, if the guidance information includes promotional information indicating the granting of benefits such as coupons, the information provision unit 503 grants the benefits indicated in the guidance information to the registration device 4, which is the recipient of the guidance information, when the registration device 4 satisfies the conditions set for completion.

[0096] For example, if the condition for success is that the user moves to the location of the product or display shelf specified in the application conditions, the information provision unit 503 will grant the reward to the registration device 4 once it confirms that the registration device 4 that sent the guidance information has moved to the location specified in the success condition. In this case, the information provision unit 503 will determine that the success condition is met when the product code of the product displayed at the location specified in the success condition is registered in the read product table 552 in association with the cart ID of the registration device 4 that sent the guidance information.

[0097] As another example, if the conditions for success are set to register products that are specified in the application conditions or products displayed on the shelves, the information provision unit 503 will grant a reward to the registration device 4 that sent the guidance information when the registration device 4 registers the products specified in the success conditions. In this case, the information provision unit 503 will determine that the success conditions are met when, for example, the product code of the product specified in the success conditions is associated with the cart ID of the registration device 4 that sent the guidance information and registered in the registered product table 553.

[0098] Furthermore, if the conditions for granting benefits include settings that limit the period or quantity of benefits granted, the information provision unit 503 will grant benefits within the set limits. For example, if the setting limits the granting of benefits to within 10 minutes of sending guidance information, the information provision unit 503 will invalidate the grant if more than 10 minutes have passed since sending the guidance information, even if the conditions for granting benefits have been met. For example, if the setting limits the number of benefits granted to 10 units (10 people), the information provision unit 503 will invalidate the grant if the number of benefits granted exceeds 10, even if the conditions for granting benefits have been met. In addition, if the information provision unit 503 invalidates the granting of benefits, it is preferable to send information to the registration device 4 that sent the guidance information to notify the registration device 4 of this fact.

[0099] The method of granting benefits shall be to transmit data that allows the user to enjoy the benefits to the registration device 4, but other methods may be used as well.

[0100] For example, stores offering point services may manage the accumulation of points awarded to each customer by associating them with their customer ID. In this case, the rewards included in the promotional information could be points, and when the conditions for fulfilling the requirements are met, the reward points could be added to the accumulated point value associated with the customer ID, thereby granting the reward to the customer. Alternatively, this system could be used to associate and store other reward information, such as coupons, with the customer ID, thereby granting the customer rewards other than points.

[0101] Furthermore, when granting benefits to the customer, the registration device 4 shall notify the product management device 5 of the customer ID entered by the customer through the read information registration or other registration information. The product management device 5 shall register the customer ID in association with the cart ID in the read product table 552 and the registered product table 553.

[0102] Meanwhile, the information acquisition unit 405 of the registration device 4 acquires guidance information when it is transmitted from the product management device 5. The information acquisition unit 405 also displays a screen (hereinafter also referred to as the guidance screen) based on the acquired guidance information on the display unit 41. The guidance information transmission process performed by the information provision unit 503 of the product management device 5 described above can also be rephrased as the process of displaying the guidance screen on the registration device 4.

[0103] Here, with reference to Figures 10 and 11, we will explain an example of the operation of the registration device 4 and the product management device 5 related to the provision of guidance information.

[0104] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an in-store map 551 according to an embodiment. In Figure 10, if a product whose inventory count is not being updated is located at location Pa, the information provision unit 503 reads guidance information related to this location Pa from the guidance information table 555. For example, if the display shelf corresponding to location Pa is the fresh fish section, the information provision unit 503 reads guidance information related to the fresh fish section from the guidance information table 555. The information provision unit 503 then transmits the read guidance information to the registration device 4.

[0105] If a registration device 4 located at position Pb within the store receives guidance information, the information acquisition unit 405 of the registration device 4 displays a guidance screen, such as the one shown in Figure 11, on the display unit 41 based on the guidance information.

[0106] Figure 11 shows an example of a guidance screen displayed on the registration device 4 of the embodiment. As shown in Figure 11, the guidance screen Ga displays the details of the benefits, such as "Get a 10 yen discount coupon when you go to the fresh fish section," and the conditions for granting the benefits.

[0107] Next, when a customer at location Pb, who has seen the guidance screen Ga, moves cart 2 to location Pa, where the fresh fish section is located, following the route indicated by the arrows in the diagram, the registration device 4 of cart 2 sequentially transmits the tag information (read information) read during the movement to the product management device 5.

[0108] The information provision unit 503 of the product management device 5 monitors the read product table 552 and, upon confirming that the cart ID of the registration device 4 that sent the guidance information has read the product code of a product displayed in the fresh fish section at location Pa shown in Figure 10, determines that the conditions for success are met. The information provision unit 503 then grants the benefit by sending a "10 yen discount coupon" to the registration device 4 with this cart ID.

[0109] In this way, if there are products whose inventory levels are not being updated, the product management device 5 provides guidance information regarding the location of those products to the registration device 4, thereby prompting the customer to move to that location. As a result, the product management device 5 can obtain the results of reading tag information at the location where the products whose inventory levels are not being updated are located, enabling efficient inventory management using the cart 2.

[0110] Returning to Figure 9, the display control unit 504 of the product management device 5 is an example of a generation means and a display control means. The display control unit 504 performs processing to visualize the freshness of the inventory update for each product registered in the inventory management table 554. Here, the freshness of the inventory update refers to the degree of newness of the aggregation date and time associated with the inventory. Note that the freshness of the inventory update can also be rephrased as "inventory freshness," which indicates the update status of the data related to the inventory count of the products.

[0111] Specifically, the display control unit 504 generates information that visualizes the freshness of the inventory for each product registered in the inventory management table 554, by color-coding the inventory according to the magnitude of the time difference between the date and time of the inventory count aggregation for that product and the current date and time.

[0112] The display control unit 504 then displays a screen based on the information generated by the above method on the display unit 56, etc. For example, the display control unit 504 generates an inventory management table 554 that visualizes the areas (cells) related to each product, such as the number of items in stock, according to the freshness of the stock quantity, and displays it on the display unit 56, etc. Also, for example, the display control unit 504 generates an in-store map image that visualizes the display location (display shelf) of each product on the in-store map 551 according to the freshness of the stock quantity of the product, and displays it on the display unit 56, etc.

[0113] Figure 12 shows an example of an image displayed on the product management device 5 of the embodiment. Here, Figure 12 shows an example of image Gb, which visualizes the freshness of product inventory based on an in-store map image. In image Gb, the display location (display shelf) of each product within the store is visualized according to the freshness of the product's inventory.

[0114] Specifically, the image shows an example where the freshness of inventory is divided into four stages, and each stage is displayed as a gradient. Here, the display location is visualized so that the more recent the inventory count calculation date, the darker the gradient becomes. By looking at this image Gb, the operator of the product management device 5 can easily check products whose inventory counts are not being updated and their display locations.

[0115] Furthermore, when the information provision unit 503 receives an operation to specify a display location from the in-store map image via the operation unit 57, for example, it may identify guidance information corresponding to the specified display location from the guidance information table 555 and transmit the identified guidance information to the registration device 4. This allows the operator of the product management device 5 to guide customers to any location within the store based on the in-store map image, for example, thereby improving convenience.

[0116] The following describes examples of processes performed by the registration device 4 and the product management device 5.

[0117] First, with reference to Figure 13, an example of the data management process for the read product table 552 and the registered product table 553, which is performed by the registration device 4 and the product management device 5, will be explained.

[0118] Figure 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing performed by the registration device 4 and the product management device 5 of the embodiment.

[0119] First, when the tag information acquisition unit 401 of the registration device 4 receives a transaction initiation operation from the customer, it activates the wireless tag reader 3 to acquire the tag information read by the wireless tag reader 3 (step S11). Next, the tag information transmission unit 402 transmits the read information, which includes the tag information acquired in step S11 and the cart ID of its own registration device 4, to the product management device 5 (step S12).

[0120] When the data management unit 501 of the product management device 5 receives read information from the registration device 4, it registers the cart ID and tag information (product code, individual product information) contained in the read information in the read product table 552, associating them with the date and time of receipt (read date and time) (step S21).

[0121] Next, the product code acquisition unit 403 of the registration device 4 determines whether or not it has acquired a product code via the code reader 6, etc. (step S13). If the product code acquisition unit 403 determines that it has not acquired a product code (step S13; No), the process proceeds to step S16.

[0122] If the product code acquisition unit 403 determines that it has acquired a product code (step S13; Yes), the product registration unit 404 transmits registration information, including the acquired product code and the cart ID of its own registration device 4, to the product management device 5 (step S14). Next, the product registration unit 404 displays information about the registered product on the display unit 41 based on the product information in the product master 481 corresponding to the acquired product code (step S15), and then proceeds to step S16.

[0123] When the data management unit 501 of the product management device 5 receives registration information from the registration device 4, it registers the cart ID and product code included in the registration information in the registered product table 553, associating them with the date and time of receipt (registration date and time) (step S22).

[0124] Next, the registration device 4 determines whether or not the product registration unit 404 has received an operation to instruct the end of the registration process (step S16). If the product registration unit 404 determines that it has not received an operation to end the registration process (step S16; No), it returns to step S11. If the product registration unit 404 determines that it has received an operation to end the registration process (step S16; Yes), it terminates the process.

[0125] Furthermore, when the product registration unit 404 receives a completion operation for the registration process, it performs processing to allow the payment of the registered products to be processed at the payment device 7. For example, the product registration unit 404 displays a screen on the display unit 41 prompting the customer to move to the cash register counter and pay at the payment device 7. In addition, the product registration unit 404 establishes communication with the payment device 7 in response to customer operations and performs data exchange by transmitting the product code and product information of the registered products to the payment device 7.

[0126] Furthermore, if the registration device 4 and the settlement device 7 are configured to be unable to communicate with each other, for example, the product registration unit 404 encodes the transaction ID held in its registration device 4 into a code symbol such as a barcode and displays it on the display unit 41. The settlement device 7 then reads the transaction ID from the code symbol displayed on the registration device 4 via a code scanner or the like, and obtains information such as the product code associated with that transaction ID from the registered product table 553 of the product management device 5, thereby enabling data linkage.

[0127] Next, with reference to Figure 14, an example of the process related to the provision of guidance information performed by the registration device 4 and the product management device 5 will be described.

[0128] Figure 14 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing performed by the registration device 4 and the product management device 5 of the embodiment.

[0129] First, when a predetermined timing is reached, the inventory management unit 502 of the product management device 5 calculates the inventory quantity for each product code based on the product code and individual product information registered in the read product table 552 (step S31). Next, the inventory management unit 502 registers the inventory quantity for each product code calculated in step S31 in the inventory management table 554, associating it with the aggregation date and time (step S32).

[0130] Next, the inventory management unit 502 of the product management device 5 determines whether or not there are any products whose inventory counts have been stagnant (hereinafter also referred to as stagnant products) based on the aggregation date and time of each inventory count registered in the inventory management table 554 (step S33). If the inventory management unit 502 determines that there are no stagnant products (step S33; No), it terminates the process.

[0131] Furthermore, if the inventory management unit 502 determines that there are stagnant products (step S33; Yes), the information provision unit 503 identifies the display location where the stagnant products are displayed based on the store map 551 (step S34). Next, the information provision unit 503 transmits guidance information related to the stagnant products or the display location identified in step S34 from the guidance information table 555 to the registration device 4 (step S35).

[0132] Meanwhile, when the information acquisition unit 405 of the registration device 4 receives guidance information from the product management device 5, it displays a guidance screen on the display unit 41 based on the received guidance information (step S41).

[0133] For example, if the guidance information is promotional information that grants a reward for moving to the location identified in step S34, the customer can check the conditions for receiving the reward by viewing the guidance screen. This provides the customer with an incentive to move cart 2 to the guided location.

[0134] Furthermore, if the content of the guidance information is promotional information that grants a benefit, the inventory management unit 502 of the product management device 5 waits after transmitting the guidance information until it detects a registration device 4 that satisfies the conditions associated with this guidance information (Step S36; No). When the inventory management unit 502 detects a registration device 4 that satisfies the conditions (Step S36; Yes), it transmits information granting the benefit set in the guidance information (hereinafter also referred to as benefit information) to the detected registration device 4 (Step S37).

[0135] Then, when the information acquisition unit 405 of the registration device 4 receives the benefit information from the product management device 5, it stores the benefit information and displays a message on the display unit 41 indicating that the benefit has been granted (step S42). As a result, the registration device 4, having received the benefit information, can use the benefit granted by the product management device 5.

[0136] As described above, according to the store system 1 of this embodiment, the product management device 5 acquires tag information from the registration device 4 of the shopping cart 2 used by customers in the store, which is read by the wireless tag reader 3 of the cart from the wireless tags of products displayed in the store. The product management device 5 also aggregates the inventory quantity for each type of product based on the acquired tag information and manages it in association with the aggregation date and time based on the date and time the tag information was acquired. When the product management device 5 detects a product whose inventory count has been stagnant based on the difference in time between the aggregation date and time and the current date and time, it provides guidance information to the registration device 4 to guide the product to its display location.

[0137] As a result, the product management device 5 manages the inventory of products displayed in the store using the customer's cart 2, and can also guide the cart 2 to the display location of a product if the inventory count for that product is not being updated. Therefore, the product management device 5 can efficiently manage the inventory of products displayed in the store.

[0138] Furthermore, the product management device 5 provides information related to the promotion of products whose inventory levels have been stagnant as guiding information. This allows the product management device 5 to motivate customers in cart 2 to move to the display location of products whose inventory levels have been stagnant, thereby efficiently guiding them to the desired display location.

[0139] Furthermore, the product management device 5 identifies the display location of products whose inventory levels have been stagnant based on map information, and provides promotional information for the identified display location as guidance information. This allows the product management device 5 to provide customers with promotional information regarding display shelves, such as those in the fresh fish section. Therefore, the product management device 5 can motivate customers in cart 2 to move to the display location of products whose inventory levels have been stagnant, thus efficiently guiding them to the target display location.

[0140] Furthermore, when the product management device 5 detects that a registration device 4 has reached its designated display location based on the read product table 552, it provides special information to the registration device 4 to assign it a specific designation. This allows the product management device 5 to efficiently motivate the customer in cart 2 to move to the display location of products whose inventory updates have stalled, thereby efficiently guiding them to their designated display location.

[0141] Furthermore, the product management device 5 generates a screen that visualizes the freshness of product inventory updates based on the difference in time between the aggregation date and time and the current date and time, and displays this screen. As a result, the product management device 5 can present a screen to store managers, etc., that allows them to easily check products whose inventory updates have stalled, thereby supporting inventory management of products displayed in stores.

[0142] The above-described embodiments can also be modified and implemented as appropriate by changing some of the configurations or functions of each of the above-described devices. Therefore, several modifications of the above-described embodiments will be described below as other embodiments. In the following, we will mainly describe the differences from the above-described embodiments, and will omit detailed explanations of points that are common with what has already been described. Furthermore, the modifications described below may be implemented individually or in combination as appropriate.

[0143] (Variation 1) In the above-described embodiment, a configuration was explained in which the registration device 4 registers the tag information in the read product table 552 without restricting the location within the store where the tag information was read (hereinafter also referred to as the reading location). In this case, for example, when one cart 2 passes another cart 2, the wireless tag reader 3 of cart 2 may read the tag information of the products stored in the other cart 2. In this case, since the products stored in the other cart 2 are products that have been taken out from their display location, a configuration in which they are excluded from the inventory count calculation is also conceivable.

[0144] Therefore, this modified version describes a configuration that can reduce the situation in which tag information is read from products stored in another cart 2.

[0145] In this modified product management device 5, the inventory management unit 502, upon receiving read information from the registration device 4, identifies the display location of the product code contained in the read information using the store map 551. The inventory management unit 502 also identifies the locations of product codes contained in chronologically preceding or following read information transmitted from the registration device 4 with the same cart ID as the read information, using the store map 551. If the distance between the identified locations is within a threshold, the product code and tag information contained in the received read information are registered in the read product table 552. If the distance between the identified locations exceeds the threshold, registration to the read product table 552 is suppressed.

[0146] This reduces the chances of a cart 2 accidentally transmitting tag information, even if it reads the tag information of an item stored in another cart 2 when it passes by it.

[0147] (Modification 2) The above-described embodiment explains a system in which coupons or other benefits are given to customers while they are browsing within the store. However, the timing of giving benefits is not limited to this. For example, the benefits may be given at the end of the transaction.

[0148] In this case, the information provision unit 503 of the product management device 5 may, for example, grant benefits such as coupons or points to the customer based on the number of points read and registered in the read product table 552.

[0149] As a result, in this modified version of the store system 1, it is possible to increase the opportunities for customers to visit the store and to increase the opportunities for using cart 2. Therefore, according to this modified version of the store system 1, inventory management (stocktaking) using cart 2 can be performed efficiently.

[0150] While embodiments (and modifications) of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are presented as examples only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, combinations, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as in the claims of the invention and its equivalents.

[0151] Furthermore, the programs executed by each device in the above embodiments are provided pre-installed in the storage medium (ROM or storage unit) provided by the device, but are not limited to this. For example, the programs may be configured to be provided as installable or executable files recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, flexible disk (FD), CD-R, or DVD (Digital Versatile Disk). Moreover, the storage medium is not limited to a medium independent of the computer or embedded system, but also includes storage media that have downloaded and stored or temporarily stored programs transmitted via a LAN, the Internet, etc.

[0152] Furthermore, the programs executed by each device of the above embodiment may be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by allowing users to download them via the network, or they may be configured to be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0153] 1 Store System 2 carts 3. Wireless tag reader 4. Registration device 5 Product management device 6 Code readers 7 Payment device 401 Tag Information Acquisition Unit 402 Tag Information Transmission Unit 403 Product Code Acquisition Section 404 Product Registration Department 405 Information Acquisition Department 501 Data Management Department 502 Inventory Management Department 503 Information Provision Department 504 Display Control Unit [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0154] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2013-127810

Claims

1. An acquisition means that acquires tag information that can identify the type of product on an individual item basis, which is read by the terminal device of a shopping cart used by a customer in the store from the wireless tag of the product displayed in the store, A management means that aggregates the inventory quantity for each type of product based on the tag information acquired by the acquisition means, and manages the aggregated quantity in association with the aggregation date and time based on the date and time the tag information was acquired. A detection means for detecting products whose inventory updates have stalled, based on the time difference between the aforementioned aggregation date and time and the current date and time, A providing means that provides guidance information to the terminal device to guide the product detected by the detection means to the display location of the product, An inventory management device equipped with the following features.

2. The providing means provides the information related to the promotion of the product detected by the detection means as the guidance information. The inventory management device according to claim 1.

3. The system further comprises identification means for identifying the display location of a product detected by the detection means, based on map information that associates type information indicating the type of product with the display location of the product within the facility. The providing means provides the information relating to the promotion of the display location identified by the identifying means as the guidance information. The inventory management device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The acquisition means acquires the tag information and terminal identification information that can identify the terminal device from the terminal device. The providing means, based on the map information, the tag information and terminal identification information acquired by the acquisition means, detects the terminal device that has reached the destination display location, and then provides information for granting a benefit to the terminal device. The inventory management device according to claim 3.

5. A generation means generates a screen that visualizes the freshness of the product's inventory based on the difference in time between the aforementioned aggregation date and time and the current date and time, A display control means for displaying the screen generated by the generation means, The inventory management device according to claim 1, further comprising:

6. An inventory management system comprising a terminal device for customer carts used in a store and an inventory management device, The aforementioned terminal device is A reading means for reading tag information that can identify the type of product on an individual item basis from the wireless tags of products displayed in the store, A transmission means for transmitting the tag information read by the reading means to the inventory management device, Equipped with, The aforementioned inventory management device is An acquisition means for acquiring the tag information transmitted from the terminal device, A management means that aggregates the inventory quantity for each type of product based on the tag information acquired by the acquisition means, and manages the aggregated quantity in association with the aggregation date and time based on the date and time the tag information was acquired. A detection means for detecting products whose inventory updates have stalled, based on the time difference between the aforementioned aggregation date and time and the current date and time, A providing means that provides guidance information to the terminal device to guide the movement of the product detected by the detection means to the display location, An inventory management system equipped with the following features.

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