Management device, management method, and program

Abstract

To provide a management device, a management method, and a program which generate information for use for advertisement or sales promotion of a commodity.SOLUTION: In a transaction management system, a packaging support unit of a sales support server which generates information for use for advertisement or sales promotion of a commodity comprises: an evaluation information acquisition unit which acquires evaluation information showing a result of evaluating the commodity by a supplier of the commodity with respect to each of one or more evaluation items; an evaluation item determination unit which determines an evaluation item to be used for advertisement or sales promotion out of the one or more evaluation items on the basis of the evaluation information acquired by the evaluation information acquisition unit; and a message extraction unit which extracts at least one message associated with the evaluation item determined by the evaluation item determination unit with reference to a first message storage unit in which the one or more evaluation items and one or more messages for use for advertisement or sales promotion are stored in association with each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a management device, a management method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an EC server that provides an environment in which evaluations according to product categories can be posted. (Prior art document) (Patent Documents) (Patent Document 1) International Publication No. 2017 / 094169 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] For example, the points that users who access an EC site consider important when purchasing a product sold on the EC site vary from user to user. However, according to the EC server disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is difficult for a user who is considering purchasing a specific product to quickly find reviews that are important to the user from reviews posted about the product. [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] In a first aspect of the present invention, an information generating device is provided. The information generating device generates information used for, for example, advertising or sales promotion of a product. The information generating device includes, for example, an evaluation information acquiring unit that acquires evaluation information indicating the result of a product evaluation by a product supplier for each of one or more evaluation items. The information generating device includes, for example, an evaluation item determining unit that determines an evaluation item to be used for advertising or sales promotion from among the one or more evaluation items based on the evaluation information acquired by the evaluation information acquiring unit. The information generating device includes, for example, a word extracting unit that refers to a first word storage unit that stores each of the one or more evaluation items and one or more words to be used for advertising or sales promotion in association with each other, and extracts at least one word associated with the evaluation item determined by the evaluation item determining unit.

[0005] The information generating device may include a layout extraction unit that refers to a layout storage unit that stores one or more evaluation items in association with one or more layouts related to advertising materials or sales promotion materials, and extracts at least one layout associated with the evaluation items determined by the evaluation item determination unit. The information generating device may include a candidate generation unit that generates one or more candidates related to advertising materials or sales promotion materials for products, based on at least one wording extracted by the wording extraction unit and at least one layout extracted by the layout extraction unit. In the information generating device, the wording extraction unit may extract multiple words associated with the evaluation items determined by the evaluation item determination unit, by referring to at least one of (i) a first wording storage unit and (ii) a second wording storage unit that stores one or more product types in association with one or more wordings used in advertising or sales promotion. The wording extraction unit may extract at least one of the multiple words by referring to the first wording storage unit.

[0006] The information generating device may include a target attribute determination unit that determines the attributes of a target for advertising or sales promotion. In the information generating device, the evaluation item determination unit may determine evaluation items to be used for advertising or sales promotion based on the attributes of the target determined by the target attribute determination unit. In the information generating device, the evaluation item determination unit may determine, among one or more evaluation items, an evaluation item that is characteristic of the product and is expected to have an appealing effect on the target, as an evaluation item to be used for advertising or sales promotion, based on the evaluation information acquired by the evaluation information acquisition unit and the information indicating the attributes of the target determined by the target attribute determination unit. In the information generating device, the evaluation item determination unit may determine at least one evaluation item that is characteristic of the product, based on the evaluation information acquired by the evaluation information acquisition unit. The evaluation item determination unit may determine at least one evaluation item that is expected to have an appealing effect on the target, based on the attributes of the target determined by the target attribute determination unit. The information generating device may include an appeal mode determination unit that determines an appeal mode through advertising or sales promotion based on at least one of the evaluation information acquired by the evaluation information acquisition unit and the information indicating the attributes of the target determined by the target attribute determination unit. In the information generating device, the wording extraction unit may extract at least one wording based on the appeal mode determined by the appeal mode determination unit.

[0007] The information generating device may include an appeal mode determination unit that determines an appeal mode of the advertisement or sales promotion based on the evaluation information acquired by the evaluation information acquisition unit. In the information generating device, the word extraction unit may extract at least one word based on the appeal mode determined by the appeal mode determination unit.

[0008] In a second aspect of the present invention, an information generating method is provided. The information generating method is, for example, a method for generating information used in advertising or sales promotion of a product. Each step of the information generating method is, for example, executed by a computer. The information generating method includes, for example, an evaluation information acquisition step of acquiring evaluation information indicating the result of a product evaluation by a product supplier for each of one or more evaluation items. The information generating method includes, for example, an evaluation item determination step of determining an evaluation item to be used for advertising or sales promotion from among the one or more evaluation items based on the evaluation information acquired in the evaluation information acquisition step. The information generating method includes, for example, a wording extraction step of extracting at least one wording associated with the evaluation item determined in the evaluation item determination step by referring to a first wording storage device that stores one or more evaluation items in association with one or more words to be used for advertising or sales promotion.

[0009] In a third aspect of the present invention, a program is provided. The program may be a program for causing a computer to function as the information generating device according to the first aspect. The program may be a program for causing a computer to execute the information generating method according to the second aspect. A computer-readable medium storing the program may be provided. The computer-readable medium may be a non-transitory computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium may be a computer-readable recording medium.

[0010] The above summary of the invention does not list all of the necessary features of the present invention. Also, subcombinations of these features may also be inventions. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 shows an example of a system configuration of a transaction management system 100. [Diagram 2] 2 shows an example of the internal configuration of a production robot 120. [Diagram 3]1 illustrates an example of information collection processing in the management server 110. [Figure 4] 2 shows an example of the internal configuration of the transaction management unit 112. [Diagram 5] 13 shows an example of a product description screen for a product on sale. [Figure 6] 13 shows an example of a product evaluation input screen after delivery is completed. [Figure 7] 13 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the product evaluation input screen after delivery is completed. [Figure 8] 4 shows an example of an internal configuration of an EC site management unit 422. [Figure 9] 4 shows an example of an internal configuration of an evaluation acquisition unit 462. [Figure 10] 2 shows an example of the internal configuration of the sales support server 180. [Figure 11] 13 shows an example of the internal configuration of a sales promotion support unit 1020. [Figure 12] 4A and 4B show schematic diagrams of an example of the contents of an instruction indicated by instruction data. [Figure 13] 11A and 11B are schematic diagrams illustrating other examples of the contents of instructions indicated by the instruction data. [Figure 14] 10 shows an example of the internal configuration of the packing support unit 1040. [Figure 15] 15 shows an example of a data structure of a data table 1500. [Figure 16] An example of the system configuration of a computer 3000 is shown in schematic form. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] The present invention will be described below through the embodiments of the invention, but the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. In addition, not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the invention. In the drawings, the same reference numbers are used for the same or similar parts, and duplicate explanations may be omitted.

[0013] (Overview of the transaction management system 100) 1 shows an example of a system configuration of a transaction management system 100. In this embodiment, the transaction management system 100 includes, for example, a management server 110. In this embodiment, the management server 110 includes, for example, a transaction management unit 112 and a distribution management unit 114.

[0014] The transaction management system 100 may further include at least one of a production robot 120, a sorting system 140, and a logistics system 160. In this embodiment, the production robot 120 has, for example, a base unit 130, one or more (sometimes simply referred to as one or more) mobile units 132, one or more imaging units 134, one or more sensor units 136, and one or more operation units 138.

[0015] In this embodiment, transaction management system 100 includes, for example, sales support server 180. Transaction management system 100 may include management server 110 and sales support server 180. The owner or operator of management server 110 may be the same as or different from the owner or operator of sales support server 180. Management server 110 and sales support server 180 may run on the same physical machine or virtual machine, or may run on different physical machines or virtual machines.

[0016] In this embodiment, the details of the transaction management system 100 will be described using as an example a case where the transaction management system 100 manages transactions of product 12 and product 14. Note that in this embodiment, the details of the transaction management system 100 will be described using as an example a case where product 14 is an item of the same or similar type as product 12, or an item produced by producer 20 of product 12.

[0017] In addition, in this embodiment, the details of the transaction management system 100 will be described by taking as an example a case in which the product 12 and the product 14 are (i) fresh food products or (ii) agricultural products, marine products, or livestock products. Examples of fresh food products include fruits and vegetables, fresh flowers, seafood, and meat. Examples of agricultural products include grains, vegetables, fruits, tea, flowering trees, mushrooms, and mycelium. However, the product 12 and the product 14 are not limited to fresh food products, agricultural products, marine products, or livestock products.

[0018] In the transaction of product 12 and product 14, producer 20 produces product 12 and product 14. Producer 20 transfers produced product 12 and product 14 to consumer 40, with or without compensation. Producer 20 may transfer product 12 and product 14 to consumer 40 via one or more distributors 30. In this case, for example, first, producer 20 transfers product 12 and product 14 to distributor 30, with or without compensation. Next, distributor 30 transfers product 12 and product 14 to consumer 40, with or without compensation.

[0019] In this embodiment, the producer 20 performs various tasks to produce the product 12 and the product 14. The producer 20 may be a natural person or an organization. The organization may or may not have legal personality. The producer 20 may access the management server 110 using a communication terminal 22. The producer 20 may use, for example, the communication terminal 22 to transmit information indicating a record of various tasks related to the product 12 and the product 14 to the management server 110. The producer 20 may use a production robot 120 to produce the product 12 and the product 14.

[0020] In this embodiment, the distributor 30 mediates transactions between the producers 20 and the consumers 40. Examples of the distributor 30 include transport companies, warehouse operators, wholesalers, and retailers. A producer group consisting of multiple producers 20 may have an aspect as a distributor 30 in addition to an aspect as a producer 20. Examples of the producer group include a collection and shipping group and a cooperative.

[0021] In this embodiment, the consumer 40 receives the product 12 and the product 14 from the producer 20 or the distributor 30, with or without payment. The consumer 40 uses or consumes the product 12 and the product 14. The consumer 40 may inspect or evaluate the product 12 and the product 14 before using or consuming the product 12 and the product 14. The consumer 40 may inspect or evaluate the product 12 and the product 14 after using or consuming the product 12 and the product 14.

[0022] (Overview of information processing in transaction management system 100) An example of information processing in the transaction management system 100 will be described using as an example a case where consumer 44, an example of consumer 40, purchases product 12, and then consumer 46, another example of consumer 40, purchases product 14. In this embodiment, the transaction management system 100 collects various data in the transaction process of product 12. The transaction management system 100 may execute processing to support the collection of the above data.

[0023] Various data collected in the transaction of the product 12 is used in the transaction of the product 14. In one embodiment, the transaction management system 100 executes a process for presenting data on evaluations of the product 12 or the producer 20 collected in the transaction of the product 12 (which may simply be referred to as evaluation information on the product 12) to a consumer 46 who is considering purchasing the product 14. In another embodiment, the transaction management system 100 executes a process for determining selling points of the product 14 based on the characteristics of the product 14 that is the subject of a current or future transaction and the evaluations of the product 12. The transaction management system 100 also executes a process for notifying sales promotion information for the product 14 to consumers 46 who are likely to be interested in the selling points of the product 14.

[0024] The evaluation information on a product (sometimes simply referred to as product evaluation information) may be information indicating the type and quality of the product. For example, the evaluation information on a product includes information indicating the type of the product and information indicating the evaluation of the product. The evaluation information on a product may be information in which the type of the product and the evaluation of the product are associated with each other. The type of product may be identified by the item of the product. The item of the product may be the name of the type of product. The evaluation of the product may be an evaluation of the quality of the product. The quality of the product is determined, for example, based on various characteristics of the product. According to this embodiment, the transaction management system 100 acquires evaluation information on the product 12 at multiple points in the transaction process of the product 12, so that the quality of the product 12 at the time of production or shipment can be more accurately evaluated.

[0025] The producer 20 may be evaluated based on evaluations of the product 12, or may be evaluated based on evaluations of the producer 20. In this embodiment, for the purpose of simplifying the explanation, the details of information processing in the transaction management system 100 will be explained using the case where the consumer 44 evaluates the product 12 as an example.

[0026] In this embodiment, the transaction management system 100 acquires evaluation information regarding the product 12 at multiple points in the transaction process of the product 12. For example, the transaction management system 100 acquires evaluation information regarding the product 12 at at least one of the points in time when the product 12 is inspected or evaluated, the points in time when the product 12 is produced or shipped, and a specific point in time during the distribution process of the product 12.

[0027] In particular, fresh food, agricultural products, marine products, livestock products, etc., are more susceptible to quality deterioration than, for example, industrial products. Therefore, the quality may deteriorate during the period from when the producer 20 ships them to when they reach the consumer 40 (sometimes referred to as the distribution process).

[0028] (Summary of evaluation information) Examples of the evaluation information regarding the product 12 include (i) data showing subjective evaluation results based on the results of sensory tests of the product 12 by the producer 20, distributor 30, or consumer 40, and (ii) data showing objective evaluation results based on the results of measurements of the product 12 by various sensors. Examples of the above sensors include (i) a sensor disposed in at least one of the one or more production robots 120, (ii) a sensor disposed in the production site, (iii) a sensor disposed in a sorting system 140 or a logistics system used by at least a part of the one or more distributors 30, and (iv) a sensor disposed in the communication terminal 22, the communication terminal 32, or the communication terminal 42.

[0029] Examples of the above-mentioned sensors include (i) measuring equipment for measuring the characteristics of the product 12, and (ii) measuring equipment for measuring the state of the environment surrounding the product 12. Examples of the environment surrounding the product 12 include the production environment of the product 12 and the distribution environment of the product 12. When the product 12 and the product 14 are fresh food products, agricultural products, marine products, or livestock products, examples of the production environment of the product 12 include a growing place, a hunting ground, and the like. When the product 12 is an agricultural product, examples of the production environment of the product 12 include a farm, a culture medium, and the like. When the product 12 is a livestock product, examples of the production environment of the product 12 include a ranch, a livestock shed, and the like. When the product 12 is a marine product, examples of the production environment of the product 12 include a fish farm, a fishing ground, and the like.

[0030] The sensor may be a simple measurement kit for various physical properties. Examples of the simple measurement kit include materials that change color depending on various physical properties. Examples of the physical properties include temperature, humidity, and the like.

[0031] For example, a material that changes color depending on temperature (sometimes referred to as a temperature indicator) may be used as a simple temperature measurement kit. Examples of the temperature indicator include labels, stickers, and tapes. The simple temperature measurement kit may be an irreversible temperature indicator. An irreversible temperature indicator has the property of changing color at a specific temperature and not returning to its original color once the color has changed. This allows, for example, the maximum or minimum temperature during delivery to be easily measured.

[0032] Examples of the characteristics of the product 12 include (i) at least one of the shape, pattern, color, and gloss of the exterior of the product 12, (ii) at least one of the size and mass of the product 12, (iii) at least one of the hardness and elasticity of the product 12, (iv) at least one of the amount of radiation and aroma components emitted from the product 12, and (v) the content of a specific component contained in the product 12. Examples of the specific component include hydrogen ions, moisture, nutritional components, or functional components. Examples of the nutritional components or functional components include sugar, protein, lipid, dietary fiber, glutamic acid, sodium ions, potassium ions, calcium ions, magnesium ions, nitrate ions, phosphate ions, vitamins, and amino acids. Examples of the various sensors mentioned above include an imaging element, a three-dimensional scanner, a hardness meter, a dosimeter, an odor sensor, a pH meter, a moisture meter, a sugar content meter, and a taste sensor.

[0033] Examples of the state of the surrounding environment (sometimes referred to as the production environment) of the product 12 during the production process of the product 12 include at least one selected from the group consisting of (i) the temperature, illuminance, and / or pressure of the surrounding environment of the product 12, (ii) the concentration of a specific component in the surrounding environment of the product 12, and (iii) the type and / or amount of materials and / or energy input during the production process. Examples of the specific component include water, hydrogen ions, and nutrients required for the growth of the product 12. When the product 12 is an agricultural product, examples of nutrients required for the growth of the product 12 include nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potassium. Examples of the various sensors include a thermometer, a light meter, a pressure gauge, a hygrometer, a pH meter, a nitrogen concentration meter, a phosphoric acid concentration meter, and a potassium concentration meter.

[0034] The state of the surrounding environment (sometimes referred to as the distribution environment) of the product 12 during the distribution process of the product 12 includes at least one selected from the group consisting of (i) the temperature, illuminance, and / or pressure of the surrounding environment of the product 12, (ii) the concentration of a specific component in the surrounding environment of the product 12, and (iii) acceleration (e.g., impact, vibration, etc.) applied to the product 12 during the distribution process. Examples of the specific component include one or more substances selected from the group consisting of water, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and ethylene. Examples of the various sensors include a thermometer, a illuminometer, a pressure gauge, a hygrometer, a pH meter, an oxygen concentration meter, a carbon dioxide concentration meter, an ethylene concentration meter, an accelerometer, etc.

[0035] The evaluation information on the product 12 is transmitted to the management server 110, for example, from a communication terminal 22 used by the producer 20 or various sensors (e.g., the imaging unit 134 or the sensor unit 136) arranged on the production robot 120. The evaluation information on the product 12 is transmitted to the management server 110, for example, from various sensors arranged on a fruit sorting system 140 or a logistics system used by at least a portion of one or more distributors 30. The evaluation information on the product 12 is transmitted to the management server 110, for example, from a communication terminal 32 used by the distributor 30. The evaluation information on the product 12 is transmitted to the management server 110, for example, from a communication terminal 42 used by the consumer 40.

[0036] (Evaluation information structure) In this embodiment, the transaction management system 100 stores basic information of each product in association with evaluation information of each product. Examples of basic information of each product include identification information of each product, information indicating the type of each product, information indicating the manufacturer of each product, and information indicating the production date or shipping date of each product. In this embodiment, the evaluation information of each product includes information indicating an evaluation for each of a plurality of items (sometimes referred to as evaluation items) related to each product. For example, the evaluation information of each product is configured to be able to store an evaluation for each of P evaluation items (P is an integer equal to or greater than 2).

[0037] In this embodiment, P (P is an integer of 2 or more) evaluation items are classified into a plurality of categories (sometimes referred to as evaluation categories). Examples of the categories include (i) a category related to size or mass, (ii) a category related to appearance, (iii) a category related to taste, (iv) a category related to texture, (v) a category related to ingredients, (vi) a category related to freshness, (vii) a category related to ease of use or consumption, (viii) a category related to production process, (ix) a category related to environmental impact, (x) a category related to contribution to the community, and (xi) a category related to price.

[0038] The size or mass-related categories include, for example, evaluation items related to size, evaluation items related to mass, etc. The appearance-related categories include, for example, evaluation items related to shape, evaluation items related to the presence or absence of scratches, evaluation items related to color and luster, evaluation items related to cleanliness, etc. The taste-related categories include, for example, evaluation items related to sweetness, evaluation items related to saltiness, evaluation items related to sourness, evaluation items related to bitterness, evaluation items related to umami, evaluation items related to deliciousness, etc. The texture-related categories include, for example, evaluation items related to hardness, evaluation items related to crispness, evaluation items related to moisture content, etc. The components-related categories include, for example, evaluation items related to the content of nutritional components, evaluation items related to the content of aroma components, evaluation items related to the content of functional components, etc.

[0039] Categories relating to freshness include, for example, evaluation items relating to the number of days since the production date or shipping date. Categories relating to ease of use or consumption include, for example, evaluation items relating to ease of cooking. Categories relating to the production process include, for example, evaluation items relating to the use of chemical fertilizers and / or the manner of use, the use of pesticides and / or the manner of use, and the presence or absence of certification for organic or pesticide-free cultivation.

[0040] Categories related to environmental impact include, for example, evaluation items related to the use of at least one of chemical fertilizers and chemical pesticides, the type and / or amount of at least one of chemical fertilizers and chemical pesticides used in the cultivation process, evaluation items related to carbon dioxide emissions, evaluation items related to disposal methods of agricultural materials, etc. Categories related to local contribution include, for example, evaluation items related to guidance or training of new farmers or producers with little experience, evaluation items related to contributions to local food culture, etc. Categories related to price include, for example, evaluation items related to cost performance, evaluation items related to the relative price of similar products, etc.

[0041] (Overview of each part of the transaction management system 100) In this embodiment, the communication terminal 22, the communication terminal 32, and the communication terminal 42 are used by the producer 20, the distributor 30, and the consumer 40, respectively. The communication terminal 22, the communication terminal 32, and the communication terminal 42 each transmit and receive information to and from the management server 110 via a communication network (not shown).

[0042] Examples of the communication terminal 22, the communication terminal 32, and the communication terminal 42 include a personal computer, a mobile terminal, etc. Examples of the mobile terminal include a mobile phone, a smartphone, a PDA, a tablet, a notebook computer or a laptop computer, a wearable computer, etc.

[0043] The communication terminal 22, the communication terminal 32, and the communication terminal 42 may function as a user interface when the producer 20, the distributor 30, or the consumer 40 accesses the transaction management system 100. The producer 20 may use the communication terminal 22 to transmit information indicating various measurement results regarding the state of the production environment described above to the management server 110. The producer 20 may use the communication terminal 22 to transmit evaluation information regarding the product 12 and the product 14 to the management server 110. The distributor 30 may use the communication terminal 32 to transmit information indicating various measurement results regarding the state of the distribution environment described above to the management server 110. The distributor 30 may use the communication terminal 32 to transmit evaluation information regarding the product 12 and the product 14 to the management server 110. The consumer 40 may use the communication terminal 42 to transmit evaluation information regarding the product 12 and the product 14 to the management server 110. The consumer 40 may use the communication terminal 42 to obtain various information, including evaluation information, regarding the product 12 and the product 14 from the management server 110.

[0044] The above communication network may be a wired communication transmission path, a wireless communication transmission path, or a combination of a wireless communication transmission path and a wired communication transmission path. The communication network may include a wireless packet communication network, the Internet, a P2P network, a dedicated line, a VPN, a power line communication line, etc. The communication network may include (i) a mobile communication network such as a mobile phone line network, or (ii) a wireless communication network such as a wireless MAN (e.g., WiMAX (registered trademark)), a wireless LAN (e.g., WiFi (registered trademark)), Bluetooth (registered trademark), Zigbee (registered trademark), and NFC (Near Field Communication). Wireless LAN, Bluetooth (registered trademark), Zigbee (registered trademark), and NFC may be examples of short-distance wireless communication.

[0045] In this embodiment, the management server 110 manages the transactions of various products and the distribution of various products.

[0046] In this embodiment, the transaction management unit 112 manages transactions of various products. For example, the transaction management unit 112 collects various data in the process of trading the product 12. The transaction management unit 112 may execute a process for supporting the collection of the above data. For example, the transaction management unit 112 supports or mediates the transaction of the product 14 by using various data collected in the transaction of the product 12. The transaction management unit 112 may determine an evaluation of the product 14 based on the evaluation of one or more products 12. The transaction management unit 112 may transmit information indicating the evaluation of the product 14 to a communication terminal 42 used by a consumer 40 who is considering purchasing the product 14. The transaction management unit 112 may transmit information indicating the evaluation of the product 14 to a communication terminal 42 used by a consumer 40 who matches the characteristics of the product 14. The transaction management unit 112 will be described in detail later.

[0047] In this embodiment, the distribution management unit 114 manages the distribution of one or more products. For example, for each of the one or more products, the distribution management unit 114 manages the state of the product during at least a part of the distribution process of the product.

[0048] In one embodiment, the distribution management unit 114 acquires information (sometimes referred to as distribution status information) indicating the status of the product 12 in at least a part of the distribution process of the product 12. Examples of the distribution status information include information indicating the characteristics of the product 12 in the distribution process, information indicating the status of the distribution environment of the product 12, and the like.

[0049] The distribution management unit 114 may obtain, from the sorting system 140, information indicating the measurement results of the products 12 by various sensors arranged in the sorting system 140. For example, the distribution management unit 114 obtains information indicating the measurement results of a mass meter and / or a saccharometer arranged in a sorting machine constituting the sorting system 140 from a control device (not shown) that controls the sorting system 140. The distribution management unit 114 may obtain image data of images of the products 12 captured by a camera arranged in a sorting machine constituting the sorting system 140 from a control device (not shown) that controls the sorting system 140.

[0050] The distribution management unit 114 may acquire information indicating the measurement results of the products 12 by various sensors arranged in the logistics system 160 from the logistics system 160. For example, the distribution management unit 114 acquires information indicating the measurement results of an acceleration sensor arranged in a truck constituting the logistics system 160 from a control device (not shown) that controls the logistics system 160. The distribution management unit 114 may acquire image data of an image of the product 12 captured by a camera arranged in a warehouse management system constituting the logistics system 160 from the control device (not shown) that controls the logistics system 160.

[0051] In another embodiment, the distribution management unit 114 acquires information (sometimes referred to as distribution period information) indicating the length of the period (sometimes referred to as distribution period) between the production date or shipping date of the product 12 and the inspection date or evaluation date of the product 12 by the consumer 40. For example, the distribution management unit 114 acquires information (sometimes referred to as production information) indicating the production date or shipping date of the product 12. The distribution management unit 114 may acquire the production information from the communication terminal 22 or the production robot 120. In addition, the distribution management unit 114 acquires information (sometimes referred to as inspection information) indicating the inspection date or evaluation date of the product 12 by the consumer 44. The distribution management unit 114 may acquire the inspection information from the communication terminal 42. The distribution management unit 114 may determine the length of the distribution period based on the inspection date or evaluation date of the product 12 indicated by the inspection information and the production date or shipping date of the product 12 indicated by the production information. In this way, the distribution management unit 114 can acquire the distribution period information.

[0052] The distribution management unit 114 may store identification information for identifying each of one or more products in association with at least one of distribution status information and distribution period information of each product. For example, in response to a request from the transaction management unit 112, the distribution management unit 114 extracts distribution status information and / or distribution period information regarding products that match the request, and transmits the extracted information to the transaction management unit 112.

[0053] In this embodiment, the production robot 120 produces the products 12 and 14. The production robot 120 may have an autonomous movement function. The production robot 120 may have a communication function. For example, the production robot 120 transmits and receives information to and from the management server 110 via a communication network. The production robot 120 may transmit information indicating records of various tasks related to the products 12 and 14 to the management server 110 via the communication network. The production robot 120 may transmit information indicating various measurement results related to the state of the production environment described above to the management server 110 via the communication network. The production robot 120 and each part thereof will be described in detail later.

[0054] In this embodiment, the sorting system 140 classifies the products 12 and 14. For example, when the products 12 and 14 are agricultural products, the sorting system 140 classifies the products 12 and 14 according to quality, size, mass, etc. The sorting system 140 includes various sensors for measuring the quality, size, mass, etc. of the products 12 and 14. The above sensors may include imaging elements that capture images of the exteriors of the products 12 and 14. The sorting system 140 may transmit information indicating the measurement results of the various sensors to the management server 110 via a communication network.

[0055] In this embodiment, the logistics system 160 stores and transports the products 12 and 14. The logistics system 160 includes various sensors that measure at least one of the conditions of the products 12 and 14 and the conditions of the surrounding environments of the products 12 and 14 during storage and transportation of the products 12 and 14. The above sensors may include imaging elements that capture images of the exteriors of the products 12 and 14. The logistics system 160 may transmit information indicating the results of measurements by the various sensors to the management server 110 via a communication network.

[0056] In this embodiment, the sales support server 180 supports the sale of the product 12 or the product 14 by a supplier of the product 12 or the product 14. Examples of the supplier of the product 12 or the product 14 include a producer 20 and a distributor 30. The details of the sales support server 180 will be described later.

[0057] (Specific configuration of each part of the transaction management system 100) Each part of the transaction management system 100 may be realized by hardware, software, or hardware and software. Each part of the transaction management system 100 may be realized, at least in part, by a single server or by multiple servers. Each part of the transaction management system 100 may be realized, at least in part, on a virtual machine or a cloud system. Each part of the transaction management system 100 may be realized, at least in part, by a personal computer or a mobile terminal. Examples of the mobile terminal include a mobile phone, a smartphone, a PDA, a tablet, a notebook computer or a laptop computer, and a wearable computer. Each part of the transaction management system 100 may store information using a distributed ledger technology such as a blockchain or a distributed network.

[0058] When at least some of the components constituting the transaction management system 100 are realized by software, the components realized by the software may be realized by starting software or a program that defines the operation of the components in an information processing device of a general configuration. The information processing device of the general configuration may include (i) a data processing device having a processor such as a CPU or GPU, a ROM, a RAM, a communication interface, etc., (ii) input devices such as a keyboard, a pointing device, a touch panel, a camera, a voice input device, a gesture input device, various sensors, a GPS receiver, etc., (iii) output devices such as a display device, a voice output device, a vibration device, etc., and (iv) storage devices such as a memory, an HDD, an SSD, etc. (including external storage devices).

[0059] In the information processing device of the above general configuration, the above data processing device or storage device may store the above software or program. The above software or program, when executed by a processor, causes the above information processing device to perform the operations defined by the software or program. The above software or program may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium. The above software or program may be a program for causing a computer to function as the transaction management system 100 or a part thereof. The above software or program may be a program for causing a computer to execute information processing in the transaction management system 100 or a part thereof.

[0060] In one embodiment, the information processing may be a management method for managing evaluations of an item. The management method may, for example, include an evaluation information acquisition step of acquiring evaluation information indicating an evaluation result for at least one of P items (P is an integer equal to or greater than 2) related to the item. The management method may, for example, include a viewer information acquisition step of acquiring viewer information indicating behavioral characteristics, interests, or preferences of a viewer who views the evaluations of the item. The management method may, for example, include a first item determination step of determining Q items (Q is a positive integer equal to or less than P) to be presented to the viewer from among the P items based on the viewer information acquired in the viewer information acquisition step. An operating subject of each step of the management method may be a computer.

[0061] In another embodiment, the information processing may be a management method for managing evaluations of an item. The management method includes, for example, an evaluation information acquisition step of acquiring evaluation information indicating an evaluation result for at least one of P items (P is an integer equal to or greater than 2) related to the item. The management method includes, for example, a second item evaluation step of calculating an evaluation value for each of the P items based on one or more evaluation information related to the item acquired in the evaluation information acquisition step. The management method includes, for example, a second item determination step of determining Q items (Q is a positive integer equal to or less than P) used to determine the evaluation of the item from among the P items based on the evaluation value for each of the P items calculated in the second item evaluation step. The management method includes, for example, a receiver extraction step of extracting a receiver having behavioral characteristics, interests, or preferences related to the Q items determined in the second item determination step, by referring to a receiver information storage device that stores one or more receiver information indicating behavioral characteristics, interests, or preferences of one or more receivers capable of receiving information related to the item. The management method includes, for example, a generation step of determining an evaluation of the item using the Q items and generating information related to the item including information indicating the evaluation of the item. The above-mentioned management method includes, for example, a transmission step of transmitting information about the item to the communication terminal of the recipient extracted in the recipient extraction step. The subject of operation of each step of the above-mentioned management method may be a computer.

[0062] In yet another embodiment, the information processing may be a management method for managing evaluations of an item. The management method may, for example, include an assistance data transmission step of transmitting input assistance data to a communication terminal of a consumer who has received a first item traded in the past or who has used or consumed the first item, to assist the consumer in inputting an evaluation result for the first item. The management method may, for example, include an assistance data generation step of generating input assistance data. The management method may, for example, include a distribution information acquisition step of acquiring at least one of (i) distribution status information indicating the status of the first item in at least a part of the distribution process of the first item, and (ii) distribution period information indicating the length of the period between the time of production or shipping of the first item and the time of inspection or evaluation of the first item by the consumer. In the management method, for example, the assistance data generation unit includes a step of determining the type of one or more evaluation items for the consumer to evaluate the first item based on at least one of the status of the first item indicated by the distribution status information and the length of the period indicated by the distribution period information. The operating subject of each step of the management method may be a computer.

[0063] In yet another embodiment, the information processing may be a management method for managing evaluations of an item. The management method includes, for example, an evaluation storage step of storing evaluation information indicating an evaluation of the item. The management method includes, for example, a first evaluation information acquisition step of acquiring first evaluation information indicating an evaluation result of the first item by a consumer who has received the first item traded in the past or who has used or consumed the first item. The management method includes, for example, a distribution information acquisition step of acquiring at least one of (i) distribution status information indicating the status of the first item in at least a part of the distribution process of the first item, and (ii) distribution period information indicating the length of the period between the time of production or shipping of the first item and the time of inspection or evaluation of the first item by the consumer. In the management method, the first evaluation information acquisition step includes, for example, (a) a step of determining to store the first evaluation information in the evaluation storage unit when at least one of the status of the first item indicated by the distribution status information and the length of the period indicated by the distribution period information meets a predetermined condition. In the above management method, the first evaluation information acquisition step includes, for example, a step of determining, when at least one of the state of the first item indicated by the distribution state information and the length of the period indicated by the distribution period information does not meet a predetermined condition, (i) not storing at least a part of the evaluation results indicated by the first evaluation information in the evaluation storage device, (ii) correcting at least a part of the evaluation results indicated by the first evaluation information, or (iii) storing the first evaluation information in the evaluation storage device in association with information indicating that at least a part of the evaluation results indicated by the first evaluation information may be invalid. The operating subject of each step of the above management method may be a computer.

[0064] In still another embodiment, the information processing may be an information generating method for generating information used in advertising or sales promotion of a product. The information generating method may, for example, include an evaluation information acquisition step of acquiring evaluation information indicating the result of a product evaluation by a product supplier for each of one or more evaluation items. The information generating method may, for example, include an evaluation item determination step of determining an evaluation item to be used for advertising or sales promotion from among one or more evaluation items based on the evaluation information acquired in the evaluation information acquisition step. The information generating method may, for example, include a wording extraction step of extracting at least one wording associated with the evaluation item determined in the evaluation item determination step by referring to a first wording storage device that stores one or more evaluation items in association with one or more words to be used for advertising or sales promotion. The subject of operation of each step of the management method may be a computer.

[0065] In yet another embodiment, the information processing may be a method for determining specifications of a comparator. In the method, the comparator is delivered, for example, together with packaging materials for packaging an item, and is used to determine the condition of the item. The method includes, for example, a specification determination step of determining specifications of each of one or more comparators. In the method, the specification determination step includes, for example, a step of determining specifications of each of one or more comparators based on (i) the type of item, (ii) the distance the item is delivered, (iii) the time required for the delivery of the item, (iv) the weather at the delivery destination of the item, (v) the attributes of the sender of the item, (vi) the attributes of the recipient of the item, (vii) the attributes of the deliverer of the item, and (viii) at least one of the pattern and color of the surface of the packaging materials, and a combination thereof.

[0066] The time required for delivery of the item may be a typical value for that time or a predicted value. The weather at the delivery destination of the item may be a typical weather at the time of delivery or a predicted value.

[0067] Product 12 may be an example of an item or a first item. Product 14 may be an example of an item or a second item. The second item may be the same or similar type of item as the first item, or may be an item supplied by the same supplier as the first item. Producer 20 may be an example of a supplier. Some of distributors 30 may be an example of a supplier. Some of distributors 30 may be an example of a demander, viewer, or recipient. Consumer 40 may be an example of a demander, viewer, or recipient. Consumer 44 may be an example of a demander. Consumer 46 may be an example of a viewer or recipient.

[0068] The transaction management system 100 may be an example of a management device. The management server 110 may be an example of a management device. The transaction management unit 112 may be an example of a management device. The distribution management unit 114 may be an example of a distribution information acquisition unit, a production information acquisition unit, or an inspection information acquisition unit. The production date may be an example of the production time. The shipping date may be an example of the shipping time. The inspection date may be an example of the inspection time. The evaluation date may be an example of the evaluation time. The inspection information and production information may be examples of distribution period information.

[0069] The transaction management system 100 may be an example of an information generating device or a decision making device. The sales support server 180 may be an example of an information generating device or a decision making device. The supplier of the product 12 or the product 14 may be an example of a sender of the product. The producer 20 may be an example of a sender of the product. The distributor 30 may be an example of a sender of the product or a recipient of the product. The consumer 40 may be an example of a recipient of the product. The owner or operator of the logistics system 160 may be an example of a deliverer of the product.

[0070] (An example of another embodiment) In this embodiment, an example of the transaction management system 100 has been described using an example in which the transaction management system 100 acquires information indicating various measurement results related to the state of the production environment of the products 12 and / or 14 from the production robot 120. However, the transaction management system 100 is not limited to this embodiment. In another embodiment, the transaction management system 100 acquires information indicating the measurement results of a fixed sensor arranged in the above-mentioned production environment from the sensor.

[0071] In this embodiment, an example of the transaction management system 100 has been described using an example in which the producer 20 ships the product and the consumer 40 receives the product. In this case, the distributor 30, the sorting system 140, and the logistics system 160 are involved in the distribution process. However, the usage environment of the transaction management system 100 is not limited to this embodiment. As described above, examples of the distributor 30 include a producer group, a transport company, a warehouse company, a wholesaler, and a retailer. In other embodiments, the transaction management system 100 can be used, for example, when a producer group ships the product and a wholesaler or retailer receives the product. In this case, the producer group may use the sorting system 140 to transmit various information regarding the shipped product to the management server 110. The group that ships the product may have a similar configuration to the producer 20. The wholesaler or retailer that receives the product may have a similar configuration to the consumer 40.

[0072] Fig. 2 shows a schematic example of the internal configuration of the production robot 120. As described in relation to Fig. 1, in this embodiment, the production robot 120 includes a base unit 130, a moving unit 132, an imaging unit 134, a sensor unit 136, and an operation unit 138. As shown in Fig. 2, in this embodiment, the production robot 120 further includes a control unit 220, one or more power supply units 230, one or more vibration control units 250, and one or more balance adjustment units 280.

[0073] In this embodiment, the production robot 120 may be a work machine that performs any task. The production robot 120 performs, for example, various agricultural tasks, monitoring tasks, and the like. The production robot 120 may be a fixed type or a mobile type. The production robot 120 may have an autonomous driving function or an autonomous navigation function, and may be operated by remote control, or may be operated by a worker who gets on board the production robot 120. The production robot 120 is preferably an unmanned work machine that has an autonomous driving function or an autonomous navigation function.

[0074] The production robot 120 may be a small robot. For example, the volume of each production robot 120 is about 2 m 3 may be less than 1m 3 may be less than 0.5m 3 may be less than 0.25m 3 This allows the production robot 120 to move freely around the production site. As a result, for example, the production robot 120 can observe products being produced from angles that would be difficult for a human to observe.

[0075] In this embodiment, the base unit 130 holds the moving unit 132, the imaging unit 134, the sensor unit 136, the operational unit 138, the control unit 220, the power supply unit 230, the vibration suppression unit 250, and the balance adjustment unit 280. In this embodiment, the base unit 130 detachably holds at least one of the moving unit 132, the imaging unit 134, the sensor unit 136, the operational unit 138, the vibration suppression unit 250, and the balance adjustment unit 280. This allows the production robot 120 to handle a plurality of different types of tasks.

[0076] In this embodiment, the base unit 130 includes a control unit 220 and a power supply unit 230. The control unit 220 and the power supply unit 230 may be built into the base unit 130. At least one of the control unit 220 and the power supply unit 230 may be removably disposed in the base unit 130. In one embodiment, at least one of the control unit 220 and the power supply unit 230 is removably disposed inside the base unit 130. In another embodiment, at least one of the control unit 220 and the power supply unit 230 is removably disposed outside the base unit 130.

[0077] In this embodiment, the moving unit 132 moves the production robot 120. The power source of the moving unit 132 may be electricity, an internal combustion engine, or a steam engine. For example, the moving unit 132 converts the electricity supplied from the power supply unit 230 into power to move the production robot 120. In this embodiment, the moving unit 132 may have a built-in power source that generates power using the electricity supplied from the power supply unit 230. Examples of the power source include a motor and an actuator.

[0078] In one embodiment, the mobile unit 132 includes wheels for moving on land and a power source for driving the wheels. In another embodiment, the mobile unit 132 includes tracks for moving on land and a power source for driving the tracks. In yet another embodiment, the mobile unit 132 may include a screw for moving on or underwater and a power source for driving the screw. The mobile unit 132 may further include a buoyancy material for obtaining buoyancy. In yet another embodiment, the mobile unit 132 may include a propeller for moving in the air and a power source for driving the propeller. The mobile unit 132 may further include a balloon or air bag for floating in the air.

[0079] In this embodiment, the imaging unit 134 captures images of various subjects. For example, the imaging unit 134 captures images of at least one of (i) the product 12 and / or the product 14, (iv) the surrounding environment of the product 12 and / or the product 14, (iii) the producer 20, and (iv) the production robot 120. The surrounding environment of the product 12 and / or the product 14 is exemplified by the inside or surroundings of a production site. In the case where the product 12 and / or the product 14 is an agricultural product, the imaging unit 134 may capture an image of the soil or medium in the location where the product 12 and / or the product 14 is growing as the surrounding environment of the product 12 and / or the product 14.

[0080] In one embodiment, the imaging unit 134 is detachably disposed outside the base unit 130. In another embodiment, the imaging unit 134 is disposed in another unit. For example, the imaging unit 134 is incorporated in the working unit 138. The imaging unit 134 may be incorporated in the control unit 220.

[0081] The imaging unit 134 may be disposed in front of the base unit 130 in the traveling direction, or may be disposed behind the base unit 130 in the traveling direction. The imaging unit 134 may be disposed on a side of the production robot 120. The imaging unit 134 may be disposed on the upper surface of the base unit 130, or may be disposed on the lower surface of the base unit 130. The imaging unit 134 may have an illumination unit that emits illumination light. An example of the illumination unit is a light.

[0082] In this embodiment, the imaging unit 134 captures at least one of a still image and a moving image. The imaging unit 134 is preferably capable of capturing a moving image. The imaging unit 134 may be a visible light camera or an infrared camera. The imaging unit 134 may include a manipulator and an imaging device attached to the tip of the manipulator. The manipulator can use power supplied from the power supply unit 230 to orient the imaging device in any direction.

[0083] The data of the image captured by the imaging unit 134 may be stored in a storage device of the production robot 120, or may be transmitted to the management server 110. The production robot 120 may analyze the data of the image captured by the imaging unit 134, and transmit the analysis results to the management server 110.

[0084] In this embodiment, the sensor unit 136 measures various physical quantities. For example, the sensor unit 136 measures at least one of a physical quantity related to the producer 20, a physical quantity related to the production robot 120, a physical quantity related to the product 12 and / or the product 14, and a physical quantity related to the surrounding environment of the product 12 and / or the product 14. This allows information about the growing environment of the product 12 and / or the product 14 to be acquired.

[0085] Examples of physical quantities related to the product 12 and / or the product 14 include the color, luster, shape, pattern, size, weight or mass, composition, content of a specific component, hardness, elasticity, etc. of each product. Examples of physical quantities related to the surrounding environment of the product 12 and / or the product 14 include information about the culture medium, information about the atmosphere, and information about light intensity, etc. Examples of information about the culture medium include pH, temperature, moisture content, particle size distribution, hardness, as well as components contained in the culture medium, bacteria, and viruses, etc. Examples of components contained in the culture medium include organic matter (carbon), nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, calcium, sulfur, iron, manganese, boron, zinc, molybdenum, copper, and chlorine, etc. Examples of information about the atmosphere include temperature, air pressure, humidity, carbon dioxide concentration, nitrogen concentration, oxygen concentration, ethylene concentration, wind direction, and wind volume, etc.

[0086] In one embodiment, the sensor unit 136 is detachably disposed outside the base unit 130. In another embodiment, the sensor unit 136 is disposed in another unit. For example, the sensor unit 136 is incorporated in the working unit 138. The sensor unit 136 may be incorporated in the control unit 220.

[0087] The measurement results of the sensor unit 136 may be stored in a storage device of the production robot 120, or may be transmitted to the management server 110. The production robot 120 may analyze the measurement results of the sensor unit 136 and transmit the analysis results to the management server 110.

[0088] In this embodiment, the operational unit 138 may be an attachment specialized for a particular task. According to this embodiment, the operational unit 138 according to the application is attached to the base unit 130. This allows the production robot 120 to perform a plurality of different types of tasks.

[0089] In the case where the product 12 and the product 14 are agricultural products, the working unit 138 may be an attachment for agricultural work. In this embodiment, the working unit 138 may be a unit specialized for one or more agricultural works. Examples of the working unit 138 include a chemical solution spraying device for pest control, a fertilizer spraying device for spraying fertilizer, a gas spraying device for spraying gas, a ridge making device, a seedling dropping device, a seed sowing device, a tilling device, a manipulator having a jig for harvesting unnecessary branches and leaves, a manipulator having a jig for thinning agricultural products, a grass cutting device (for example, a grass cutting device for abandoned fields), a watering device, a bird and animal scare device (for example, a device for scaring birds and animals by sound and light), a thinning device, a flower picking device, a fruit tree picking device, and a bagging device (for example, a bagging device for fruit trees).

[0090] In this embodiment, the working unit 138 is detachably held by the base unit 130. The working unit 138 may incorporate a power source that uses power supplied from the power supply unit 230 to generate power for driving the working unit 138. Examples of the power source include a motor and an actuator.

[0091] In this embodiment, the operation unit 138 includes an information processing device that executes firmware 294 and controls the operation unit 138. The information processing device may be a processor such as a CPU or a GPU. The information processing device may include (i) a data processing device having a processor such as a CPU or a GPU, a ROM, a RAM, a communication interface, etc., (ii) input devices such as a keyboard, a pointing device, a touch panel, a camera, a voice input device, a gesture input device, various sensors, a GPS receiver, etc., (iii) output devices such as a display device, a voice output device, a vibration device, etc., and (iv) a storage device (including an external storage device) such as a memory, an HDD, an SSD, etc.

[0092] The latest version of the firmware 294 is managed by, for example, the management server 110. For example, in response to a request from the operational unit 138 or the control unit 220, the management server 110 transmits the latest version of the firmware 294 to the operational unit 138 or the control unit 220. This allows the operational unit 138 or the control unit 220 to update the firmware 294.

[0093] In this embodiment, the control unit 220 controls the production robot 120. In one embodiment, the control unit 220 communicates with each unit and controls the operation of the unit depending on the type of the unit. The control unit 220 may control the operation of one or more units depending on a combination of multiple units.

[0094] For example, the control unit 220 communicates with at least one of the mobile unit 132, the working unit 138, and the balance adjustment unit 280. The communication method may be wired communication or wireless communication. When the communication method between the control unit 220 and the other units is wired communication, the base unit 130 may have a communication path (sometimes referred to as a bus) for transmitting information between the control unit 220 and the other units. The above communication path may be an example of a communication section.

[0095] In another embodiment, the control unit 220 communicates with the management server 110 and transmits information about the production robot 120 to the management server 110. For example, the control unit 220 acquires position information of the production robot 120 and transmits the position information to the management server 110. According to another example, the control unit 220 associates the position information of the production robot 120 with information acquired by the sensor unit 136 at the position indicated by the position information, and transmits the information to the management server 110.

[0096] In this embodiment, the control unit 220 includes an information processing device that executes the control program 222 and controls the production robot 120. The information processing device may be a processor such as a CPU or a GPU. The information processing device may include (i) a data processing device having a processor such as a CPU or a GPU, a ROM, a RAM, a communication interface, etc., (ii) input devices such as a keyboard, a pointing device, a touch panel, a camera, a voice input device, a gesture input device, various sensors, a GPS receiver, etc., (iii) output devices such as a display device, a voice output device, a vibration device, etc., and (iv) storage devices (including external storage devices) such as a memory, an HDD, an SSD, etc.

[0097] In this embodiment, the control program 222 may run on the OS 224. One or more control programs 222 may run on one or more OSs 224. The OS 224 controls the production robot 120 via one or more drivers 226 for controlling various hardware included in the production robot 120. For example, the OS 224 recognizes a specific unit (e.g., the mobile unit 132, the working unit 138, etc.) via a specific driver 226 and controls the operation of the unit. By updating at least one of the control program 222, the OS 224, and the driver 226, for example, the production robot 120 can use a new unit or the production robot 120 can use the unit efficiently.

[0098] The latest versions of the control program 222, the OS 224, and the driver 226 are managed by, for example, the management server 110. For example, in response to a request from the control unit 220, the management server 110 transmits at least one of the latest versions of the control program 222, the OS 224, and the driver 226 to the control unit 220. This enables the control unit 220 to update at least one of the control program 222, the OS 224, and the driver 226.

[0099] The location information may be information indicating the location of the production robot 120, and the content and acquisition method of the location information are not particularly limited. The control unit 220 may identify the location of the production robot 120 by any self-location estimation method. The control unit 220 may receive a GPS signal and identify the location of the production robot 120 based on the GPS signal. The control unit 220 may receive a beacon signal from a beacon transmitter installed in the vicinity of a production site (e.g., a farm, a ranch, a livestock shed, a fish farm, a fishing ground, or a hunting ground) and identify the location of the production robot 120 based on the beacon signal. The location of the production robot 120 may be determined based on the radio wave intensity. The control unit 220 may analyze an image of the surroundings of the production robot 120 captured by the imaging unit 134 and identify the location of the production robot 120 from the angle formed between the production robot 120 and multiple landmarks whose positions are known.

[0100] The control unit 220 may obtain information for controlling the production robot 120 from the management server 110. The information for controlling the production robot 120 may be information related to the work that the production robot 120 is about to perform. The information for controlling the production robot 120 may be control data uploaded to the management server 110 by a know-how provider. The information for controlling the production robot 120 may be data indicating the output result of the control data uploaded to the management server 110 by a know-how provider. The control unit 220 may control the operation of a unit related to the information obtained from the management server 110, based on the information.

[0101] In this embodiment, the power supply unit 230 supplies power to at least one of the moving unit 132, the working unit 138, and the balance adjustment unit 280 for driving the units. The power supply unit 230 may also supply power to at least one of the vibration control unit 250, the imaging unit 134, and the sensor unit 136.

[0102] In this embodiment, the vibration suppression unit 250 controls vibration. For example, the vibration suppression unit 250 controls the vibration of at least one of the imaging unit 134, the sensor unit 136, and the working unit 138. The vibration suppression unit 250 may control the vibration according to a command from the control unit 220. The vibration suppression unit 250 may have a power source that generates power for driving the vibration suppression unit 250 by using the power supplied from the power supply unit 230. Examples of the power source include a motor and an actuator.

[0103] In this embodiment, the balance adjustment unit 280 has a weight. The balance adjustment unit 280 is detachably held on the base unit 130. Depending on the weight of the unit attached to the base unit 130 and the position of its center of gravity, the weight balance of the production robot 120 may become poor, making the production robot 120 unstable. Therefore, by attaching the balance adjustment unit 280 to an appropriate position on the base unit 130, the weight balance of the production robot 120 can be adjusted.

[0104] The balance adjustment unit 280 may be a manipulator having a weight at its tip. The manipulator can change the position of the center of gravity of the production robot 120 by changing the relative position between the weight and the base unit 130.

[0105] Fig. 3 shows an outline of an example of information collection processing in the management server 110. As shown in Fig. 3, the transaction management unit 112 of the management server 110 acquires various pieces of information regarding evaluations of the product 12 at multiple points in time during the transaction process of the product 12. As described above, examples of evaluations of the product 12 include (i) subjective evaluations based on the results of sensory tests on the product 12, and (ii) objective evaluations based on the results of measurements of the product 12 using various sensors.

[0106] In this embodiment, the transaction management unit 112 acquires information regarding evaluation during the production process (sometimes referred to as supply-side evaluation information). For example, the transaction management unit 112 acquires, as the supply-side evaluation information, information regarding the characteristics of the product 12 during the production process of the product 12 and / or information regarding the production environment of the product 12. The transaction management unit 112 may acquire production information indicating the production date or shipping date of the product 12.

[0107] In one embodiment, the transaction management unit 112 acquires supply-side evaluation information from the communication terminal 22 used by the producer 20. For example, the producer 20 inputs an evaluation for each of one or more evaluation items displayed on the evaluation input screen, following the guidance of the evaluation input screen displayed on the display device of the communication terminal 22. The producer 20 may input a subjective evaluation for each evaluation item related to the product 12 being produced or the product 12 to be shipped. The producer 20 may operate the communication terminal 22 to transmit information indicating the above evaluation results to the management server 110. This allows the transaction management unit 112 to acquire information indicating the evaluation results of the product 12 by the producer 20.

[0108] The producer 20 may operate the communication terminal 22 in a similar procedure to transmit information regarding the production environment of the product 12 to the management server 110. The producer 20 may also transmit production information to the management server 110 in a similar procedure. Note that the method of acquiring the supply side evaluation information and / or production information by the transaction management unit 112 is not limited to this embodiment.

[0109] In another embodiment, the transaction management unit 112 acquires supply-side evaluation information from the production robot 120 used by the producer 20. For example, the production robot 120 measures various characteristics of the product 12 using various sensors arranged on the production robot 120. The production robot 120 may transmit information indicating the measurement results to the management server 110. This allows the transaction management unit 112 to acquire information regarding the characteristics of the product 12 during the production process (for example, at the time of production or at the time of shipping).

[0110] The production robot 120 may use a similar procedure to transmit information about the production environment of the product 12 to the management server 110. The production robot 120 may also use a similar procedure to transmit production information of the product 12 to the management server 110. Note that the method of acquiring supplier evaluation information and / or production information by the transaction management unit 112 is not limited to this embodiment.

[0111] In this embodiment, the transaction management unit 112 acquires the above-mentioned distribution status information. For example, the transaction management unit 112 acquires, as the distribution status information, information on the characteristics of the product 12 in the distribution process and / or information on the distribution environment of the product 12.

[0112] In one embodiment, the transaction management unit 112 acquires distribution status information from the communication terminal 32 used by the distributor 30. The distributor 30 may input and transmit a subjective evaluation for each evaluation item related to the product 12 in the distribution process in a similar procedure to that in which the producer 20 inputs and transmits the supply side evaluation information. As described above, in the management server 110, the distribution status information is managed by the distribution management unit 114. In this case, the transaction management unit 112 can acquire information indicating the evaluation result of the product 12 by the distributor 30 and / or information related to the distribution environment of the product 12 by accessing the distribution management unit 114 as necessary. Note that the method of acquiring distribution status information by the transaction management unit 112 is not limited to this embodiment.

[0113] In another embodiment, the transaction management unit 112 acquires the distribution status information from at least one of the fruit sorting system 140 and the logistics system 160. The fruit sorting system 140 and / or the logistics system 160 may acquire and transmit the distribution status information in a similar procedure to that in which the production robot 120 acquires and transmits the supply side evaluation information. As described above, in the management server 110, the distribution status information is managed by the distribution management unit 114. In this case, the transaction management unit 112 can access the distribution management unit 114 as necessary to acquire information on the characteristics of the product in the distribution process and / or information on the distribution environment of the product 12. Note that the method of acquiring the distribution status information is not limited to this embodiment.

[0114] In this embodiment, the transaction management unit 112 acquires information regarding evaluations by consumers 44 who have received the product 12 (sometimes referred to as demand-side evaluation information). For example, the transaction management unit 112 acquires, as the demand-side evaluation information, information regarding the characteristics of the product 12 on the inspection date or evaluation date of the product 12. The transaction management unit 112 may acquire inspection information indicating the inspection date or evaluation date of the product 12.

[0115] The inspection date and / or evaluation date may be the same as the date of receipt of the product 12, or may be a date after the date of receipt of the product 12. The inspection date may be the date that the consumer 44 receives the product 12, or may be the date that the consumer 44 uses or consumes the product 12. The evaluation date may be the date that the consumer 44 uses or consumes the product 12, or may be the date that the consumer 44 enters an evaluation of the product 12 into the transaction management system 100.

[0116] The transaction management unit 112 may acquire supply-side evaluation information from the communication terminal 42 used by the consumer 44. For example, the consumer 44 inputs an evaluation for each of one or more evaluation items displayed on the evaluation input screen according to the guidance of the evaluation input screen displayed on the display device of the communication terminal 42. The consumer 44 may input a subjective evaluation for each evaluation item related to the product 12 to be evaluated. The consumer 44 may operate the communication terminal 42 to transmit information indicating the above evaluation result to the management server 110. This allows the transaction management unit 112 to acquire information indicating the evaluation result of the product 12 by the consumer 44. The consumer 44 may also transmit inspection information to the management server 110 by a similar procedure. Note that the method of acquiring the demand-side evaluation information and / or inspection information by the transaction management unit 112 is not limited to this embodiment.

[0117] The transaction management unit 112 may output the production information and the inspection information to the distribution management unit 114. The distribution management unit 114 may determine the length of the distribution period based on the inspection date or evaluation date of the product 12 indicated by the inspection information and the production date or shipping date of the product 12 indicated by the production information. The distribution management unit 114 may store distribution period information indicating the length of the distribution period. The transaction management unit 112 may access the distribution management unit 114 to obtain the distribution period information of the product 12.

[0118] (An example of another embodiment) As described above, the transaction management system 100 may also be used, for example, when a group of producers ships products and a wholesaler or retailer receives the products. In this case, the transaction management unit 112 may obtain supply-side evaluation information, for example, from a fruit sorting system 140 used by the group of producers. The transaction management unit 112 may also obtain demand-side evaluation information, for example, from a communication terminal 32 used by a wholesaler or retailer.

[0119] The supply-side evaluation information may be an example of the evaluation information or the second evaluation information, and the demand-side evaluation information may be an example of the evaluation information or the first evaluation information.

[0120] 4 shows an example of the internal configuration of the transaction management unit 112. In this embodiment, the transaction management unit 112 includes a sales management unit 420, a customer management unit 440, and an evaluation management unit 460. In this embodiment, the sales management unit 420 includes an EC site management unit 422, an input unit 424, an order management unit 426, and a product management unit 428. In this embodiment, the customer management unit 440 includes a user information acquisition unit 442 and a user information storage unit 444. In this embodiment, the evaluation management unit 460 includes an evaluation acquisition unit 462, an evaluation correction unit 464, and an evaluation information storage unit 466.

[0121] In this embodiment, the sales management unit 420 manages the sales of one or more products. The sales management unit 420 may sell the products through various sales channels. Examples of sales channels include stores, mail order sales, and electronic commerce sites (sometimes referred to as EC sites).

[0122] In this embodiment, the EC site management unit 422 manages an electronic commerce site (sometimes referred to as an EC site) for mediating transactions of one or more products. The EC site management unit 422 may manage information regarding images, specifications, prices, and the like of each of the one or more products. The EC site management unit 422 may manage screen data of product description screens for each of the one or more products. Details of the EC site management unit 422 will be described later.

[0123] In this embodiment, the input unit 424 accepts the input of orders from sales channels other than the EC site. For example, a mail order operator accepts an order from a person who wishes to purchase a product, and inputs information indicating the contents of the order into the input unit 424 via an input device such as a keyboard, a touch panel, or a microphone. In this way, the input of the order is accepted.

[0124] In this embodiment, the order management unit 426 manages orders for each of the one or more products handled by the sales management unit 420. In one embodiment, the order management unit 426 manages orders accepted by the EC site management unit 422. In another embodiment, the order management unit 426 manages orders accepted by the input unit 424.

[0125] In this embodiment, the product management unit 428 manages the inventory of one or more products. The product management unit 428 may manage payments for products for which orders have been accepted. The product management unit 428 may manage the shipment of products for which orders have been accepted. The product management unit 428 may manage the delivery of shipped products.

[0126] In this embodiment, customer management unit 440 manages various information related to users of transaction management system 100. Examples of users of transaction management system 100 include producers 20, distributors 30, consumers 40, and the like.

[0127] In one embodiment, the producer 20 who produced the product 12 traded in the past, the distributor 30 who mediated the trade of the product 12, and / or the consumer 44 who purchased the product 12 input an evaluation of the product 12 using the transaction management system 100. In another embodiment, a consumer 46 who is considering purchasing the product 14 uses the transaction management system 100 to view a product description screen of the product 14. For example, the consumer 46 views the evaluation of the product 14 included in the above product description screen and considers purchasing the product 14. In yet another embodiment, a consumer 40 who is a potential customer of the product 14 receives various notifications from the transaction management system 100. For example, the consumer 40 obtains information about the product 14 through the above notification. The information about the product 14 includes, for example, information about the evaluation of the product 14. The consumer 40 considers purchasing the product 14, for example, by referring to the evaluation of the product 14.

[0128] In this embodiment, the user information acquisition unit 442 acquires various information related to users of the transaction management system 100. For example, the user information acquisition unit 442 acquires information indicating the behavioral characteristics (sometimes referred to as competencies), interests, or preferences (sometimes referred to as user information) of each of one or more users. The behavioral characteristics indicate, for example, patterns of behavior, thoughts, attitudes, and the like (sometimes referred to as behavioral patterns) that each user has characteristically. The behavioral characteristics may be information indicating what behavior, thoughts, or attitudes each user will exhibit in what situations. The behavioral characteristics may be information that associates a situation in which the user is placed with the user's behavior, thoughts, or attitude in that situation.

[0129] In one embodiment, the user information acquisition unit 442, with the consent of each user, acquires, as user information, the usage history of the EC site operated by the EC site management unit 422. Examples of the usage history of the EC site include a search history, a browsing history, and a purchase history. In another embodiment, the user information acquisition unit 442, with the consent of each user, acquires, as user information, (i) a website browsing history and / or (ii) a website or keyword search history recorded in a communication terminal used by each user.

[0130] The user information may include various information other than the information indicating the behavioral characteristics, interests, or preferences of each user. For example, the user information may include information regarding the location of the place where each user produces products (sometimes referred to as a production site), the region to which the production site belongs, and the like.

[0131] The user information acquiring unit 442 may estimate the behavioral characteristics, interests, and / or preferences of each user by analyzing the usage history of an EC site, the browsing history of a website, the search history of a website or a keyword, etc. The user information acquiring unit 442 may acquire information indicating the estimation result of the behavioral characteristics, interests, and / or preferences as the user information.

[0132] In this embodiment, the user information storage unit 444 stores the user information acquired by the user information acquisition unit 442. For example, the user information storage unit 444 stores, for each of one or more users, identification information for identifying the user and the user information of the user in association with each other. In response to a request from the sales management unit 420 and / or the evaluation management unit 460, the user information storage unit 444 may extract user information of a user that matches the request. The user information storage unit 444 may output the extracted user information to the sales management unit 420 and / or the evaluation management unit 460.

[0133] In this embodiment, the review management unit 460 manages reviews for each of one or more products. The review management unit 460 manages acquisition of reviews for each of one or more products. The review management unit 460 manages use of reviews for each of one or more products.

[0134] In this embodiment, the evaluation acquisition unit 462 manages information regarding evaluations of one or more products. In one embodiment, the evaluation acquisition unit 462 acquires information regarding evaluations of one or more products. In another embodiment, the evaluation acquisition unit 462 generates various information using information regarding evaluations of one or more products. Details of the evaluation acquisition unit 462 will be described later.

[0135] In this embodiment, the evaluation correction unit 464 corrects the evaluation of each of the one or more products acquired by the evaluation acquisition unit 462. For example, if the condition of the product at the time of production or shipping is significantly different from the condition of the product at the time of inspection or evaluation, the evaluation by the consumer 40 may not accurately represent the condition of the product.

[0136] Therefore, in this embodiment, the evaluation correction unit 464 corrects the evaluation by the consumer 40. For example, when the consumer 44 evaluates a product 12 that was traded in the past, the evaluation acquisition unit 462 acquires demand-side evaluation information indicating the evaluation of the product 12 by the consumer 44. The evaluation correction unit 464 acquires, for example, the demand-side evaluation information from the evaluation acquisition unit 462. As described above, the demand-side evaluation information includes information indicating the results of evaluation of one or more evaluation items related to the product 12.

[0137] Furthermore, the evaluation correction unit 464 acquires distribution status information and distribution period information from the distribution management unit 114. As described above, examples of distribution status information include information indicating the characteristics of the product 12 in the distribution process and information indicating the state of the distribution environment of the product 12. The evaluation correction unit 464 may acquire production information and / or inspection information. The evaluation correction unit 464 may calculate the length of the distribution period based on the production information and the inspection information.

[0138] The evaluation correction unit 464 corrects the evaluation result for at least one of one or more evaluation items (e.g., P evaluation items) for the product 12 indicated by the demand-side evaluation information acquired by the evaluation acquisition unit 462. The evaluation correction unit 464 may correct the evaluation result for at least one of the one or more evaluation items for the product 12 based on the inspection date or evaluation date of the product 12 indicated by the inspection information. The evaluation correction unit 464 may correct the evaluation result for at least one of the one or more evaluation items for the product 12 based on the length of the distribution period.

[0139] For example, when at least one of the state of the product 12 in the distribution process indicated by the distribution state information described above and the length of the distribution period indicated by the distribution period information does not match a predetermined condition, the evaluation correction unit 464 corrects the evaluation result for at least one of the one or more evaluation items related to the product 12 indicated by the demand-side evaluation information acquired by the evaluation acquisition unit 462. Examples of the predetermined condition include a condition that the state of the product 12 in the distribution process is worse than a predetermined state, a condition that the length of the distribution period is longer than a predetermined value, etc.

[0140] The evaluation correction unit 464 corrects the evaluation result for at least one of the one or more evaluation items related to the product 12 indicated by the demand-side evaluation information acquired by the evaluation acquisition unit 462, based on at least one selected from the group consisting of (i) at least one of the place of origin and item of the product 12, (ii) the condition of the product 12 in at least a part of the distribution process of the product 12, and (iii) the length of the period indicated by the distribution period information. The evaluation correction unit 464 may correct the evaluation result for at least one of the one or more evaluation items related to the product 12 indicated by the demand-side evaluation information acquired by the evaluation acquisition unit 462, based on (a) at least one of the place of origin and item of the product 12, and (b) at least one of the condition of the product 12 in at least a part of the distribution process of the product 12 and the length of the period indicated by the distribution period information.

[0141] For example, if the product 12 is fresh food, agricultural products, marine products, or livestock products, depending on the place of origin and / or item of the product 12, the quality may be more likely to deteriorate compared to products from other places of origin and / or products of other items. Therefore, if the place of origin of the product 12 is a predetermined place of origin, the evaluation correction unit 464 may correct the evaluation result so that the evaluation for the predetermined evaluation items is better than the evaluation by the consumer 44. If the item of the product 12 is a predetermined item, the evaluation correction unit 464 may correct the evaluation result so that the evaluation for a specific evaluation item is better than the evaluation by the consumer 44.

[0142] The specific evaluation item may be determined based on the place of origin or the item of the product 12. The correspondence between the place of origin or the item of the product 12 and the evaluation item to be corrected may be determined in advance.

[0143] For example, if the condition of the product 12 is poor at least in part of the distribution process of the product 12, the quality of the product 12 is likely to deteriorate. In particular, depending on the place of origin or type of the product 12, if the condition of the product 12 is poor at least in part of the distribution process of the product 12, the quality of the product 12 will deteriorate significantly. Furthermore, it is expected that the deterioration of the quality of the product 12 will be greater the worse the condition of the product 12 during the distribution process. Therefore, the evaluation correction unit 464 may correct the evaluation result so that the evaluation for a specific evaluation item will be better than the evaluation by the consumer 44 the worse the condition of the product 12 during the distribution process.

[0144] The specific evaluation items may be determined based on the place of origin or item of the product 12. A correspondence relationship between the place of origin or item of the product 12 and the evaluation items to be corrected may be determined in advance. The specific evaluation items may be determined based on items among the conditions of the product 12 that were poor during the distribution process. A correspondence relationship between items representing the condition of the product 12 and the evaluation items to be corrected may be determined in advance.

[0145] For example, if the product 12 has been in distribution for a long time, the quality of the product 12 is likely to deteriorate. In particular, depending on the place of origin or type of the product 12, the quality of the product 12 will deteriorate significantly if the product 12 has been in distribution for a long time. In addition, it is expected that the degree of deterioration of the quality of the product 12 will increase as the distribution period of the product 12 increases. Therefore, the evaluation correction unit 464 may correct the evaluation result so that the evaluation for a specific evaluation item becomes more favorable than the evaluation by the consumer 44 as the distribution period of the product 12 increases.

[0146] The specific evaluation items may be determined based on the place of origin or item of the product 12. A correspondence relationship between the place of origin or item of the product 12 and the evaluation items to be corrected may be determined in advance. The specific evaluation items may be determined based on the length of the distribution period of the product 12. A correspondence relationship between the length of the distribution period and the evaluation items to be corrected may be determined in advance.

[0147] The evaluation correction unit 464 may store information indicating the corrected evaluation result in the evaluation information storage unit 466 as an evaluation of the product 12. If the state of the product 12 in the distribution process or the length of the distribution period meets the above-mentioned predetermined conditions, the evaluation acquisition unit 462 may store demand-side evaluation information indicating the evaluation of the product 12 by the consumer 44 in the evaluation information storage unit 466 as an evaluation of the product 12.

[0148] The sales management unit 420 may be an example of a management device. The EC site management unit 422 may be an example of a management device. The user information acquisition unit 442 may be an example of a viewer information acquisition unit or a recipient information acquisition unit. The user information storage unit 444 may be an example of a viewer information storage unit or a recipient information storage unit. The user information may be an example of viewer information or recipient information. The evaluation management unit 460 may be an example of a management device or a support unit. The evaluation acquisition unit 462 may be an example of a management device or a support unit. The evaluation correction unit 464 may be an example of a correction unit. The evaluation information storage unit 466 may be an example of an evaluation storage unit.

[0149] Fig. 5 shows an example of a product description screen for a product on sale. An example of a process for generating a product description screen by the EC site management unit 422 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. In this embodiment, the EC site management unit 422 adjusts the content displayed on the product description screen according to the behavioral characteristics, interests, or preferences of the viewer. For example, the EC site management unit 422 determines evaluation items used for evaluating the product on the product description screen according to the behavioral characteristics, interests, or preferences of the viewer.

[0150] As described above, the evaluation items used for evaluating products can be classified into a plurality of evaluation categories. The EC site management unit 422 may determine the above evaluation items by determining the evaluation category used for evaluating products on the product description screen according to the behavioral characteristics, interests, or preferences of the viewer. The EC site management unit 422 may determine the evaluation category and the evaluation items according to the behavioral characteristics, interests, or preferences of the viewer.

[0151] 5, a product description screen 540 shows an example of a product description screen for the product 14 when a first consumer 40 browses the EC site. Similarly, a product description screen 560 shows an example of a product description screen for the product 14 when a second consumer 40 browses the EC site. In this embodiment, the second consumer 40 is a consumer 40 who has different behavioral characteristics, interests, or preferences from the first consumer 40.

[0152] 5, product description screen 540 includes product description text 542, a product image 544, and a product evaluation image 546. Also, product description screen 560 includes product description text 542, a product image 544, and a product evaluation image 566.

[0153] In this embodiment, the product description text 542 may be text for describing the features, specifications, price, etc. of the product 14. The product image 544 may be a photograph or illustration of the product 14.

[0154] In this embodiment, the product evaluation image 546 includes a graph showing the characteristics of the product 14 when the product 14 is evaluated using, for example, evaluation categories A, B, C, D, E, and F. The graph shows, for example, the evaluation value of the product 14 in each evaluation category. The product evaluation image 546 includes, for example, the evaluation value (sometimes referred to as an overall score) of the product 14 when the product 14 is comprehensively evaluated using evaluation categories A, B, C, D, E, and F.

[0155] On the other hand, the product evaluation image 566 includes a graph showing the characteristics of the product 14 when the product 14 is evaluated using, for example, evaluation categories H, B, J, K, D, and F. The graph shows, for example, the evaluation value of the product 14 in each evaluation category. The product evaluation image 546 includes, for example, the evaluation value (sometimes referred to as an overall score) of the product 14 when the product 14 is comprehensively evaluated using evaluation categories H, B, J, K, D, and F.

[0156] In the product evaluation image 546 and the product evaluation image 566, the evaluation items for deriving the evaluation value of each evaluation category may be calculated based on the evaluation values ​​of all the evaluation items constituting each evaluation category, or may be calculated based on the evaluation values ​​of some of the evaluation items constituting each evaluation category. The some of the evaluation items may be determined based on at least one of the behavioral characteristics, interests, and preferences of the consumer 40 viewing the product description screen.

[0157] In the product evaluation image 546 and the product evaluation image 566, the arrangement of each evaluation category in the graph showing the characteristics of the product 14 may be determined (i) based on a predetermined rule, or (ii) based on at least one of the behavioral characteristics, interests, and preferences of the consumer 40 viewing the product description screen. Examples of the predetermined rule include the order of the names of each evaluation category, the magnitude of the evaluation value of each evaluation category, etc. The arrangement of each evaluation category in the graph showing the characteristics of the product 14 is determined, for example, based on the correspondence between the degree of match with the behavioral characteristics, interests, and preferences of the consumer 40 viewing the product description screen, or the order of the degrees, and the arrangement in the graph.

[0158] According to this embodiment, the evaluation items used to evaluate products on the product description screen are adjusted according to the behavioral characteristics, interests, or preferences of the user viewing the product description screen. This allows the user to quickly obtain the information he or she needs. As a result, the efficiency of product transactions is improved.

[0159] The evaluation items for deriving the evaluation value for each evaluation category in the graph showing the characteristics of the product 14 may be an example of the items Q. The overall score may be an example of the evaluation value of the item.

[0160] FIG. 6 shows an example of an evaluation input screen for a product after delivery is completed. An example of a generation process of the evaluation input screen by the evaluation acquisition unit 462 will be described with reference to FIG. 6. In this embodiment, the evaluation acquisition unit 462 determines the type of evaluation items to be displayed on the evaluation input screen based on at least one of the state of the product in the distribution process and the length of the distribution period. The evaluation acquisition unit 462 may determine the type of evaluation items to be displayed on the evaluation input screen based on a predetermined setting and / or the item of the product, and the state of the product in the distribution process and / or the length of the distribution period.

[0161] 6, an evaluation input screen 620 shows an example of an evaluation input screen presented to a consumer 44 who is inputting an evaluation of the product 12 when the condition of the product 12 during the distribution process is good. Similarly, an evaluation input screen 640 shows an example of an evaluation input screen presented to a consumer 44 who is inputting an evaluation of the product 12 when the condition of the product 12 during the distribution process is not good.

[0162] 6, the evaluation input screen 620 includes an input form 622 for inputting an evaluation regarding evaluation category A, and an input form 624 for inputting an evaluation regarding evaluation category B. In the evaluation input screen 620, the input form 622 has input fields for inputting evaluation items Aa, Ab, and Ac. Similarly, the input form 624 has input fields for inputting evaluation items Ba, Bb, and Bc. Examples of input fields include a text field, a text area, a check box, a radio button, and a pull-down box.

[0163] Meanwhile, the evaluation input screen 640 includes an input form 642 for inputting an evaluation regarding evaluation category A, and an input form 644 for inputting an evaluation regarding evaluation category C. In the evaluation input screen 640, the input form 642 has input fields for inputting evaluation items Aa, Ad, and Af. Similarly, the input form 644 has input fields for inputting evaluation items Ca, Cb, and Cc. Examples of input fields include text fields, text areas, check boxes, radio buttons, and pull-down boxes.

[0164] In this embodiment, the evaluation input screen 640 differs from the evaluation input screen 620 in that it does not include an input form for inputting an evaluation regarding evaluation category B. Also, an input form 642 for inputting an evaluation regarding evaluation category A on the evaluation input screen 640 differs from the input form 622 for inputting an evaluation regarding evaluation category A on the evaluation input screen 620 in that input fields for inputting evaluation items Ad and Af are provided instead of input fields for inputting evaluation items Ab and Ac.

[0165] According to this embodiment, the evaluation items displayed on the evaluation input screen are adjusted according to the state of the product to be evaluated in the distribution process or the length of the distribution period. This reduces the input burden on the user. In addition, input and output of unnecessary data is suppressed, thereby reducing the load on the management server 110.

[0166] Fig. 7 shows an example of an evaluation input screen for inputting an evaluation of a product after delivery is completed. In Fig. 7, an evaluation input screen 740 shows an example of an evaluation input screen presented to a consumer 44 who is inputting an evaluation of the product 12 when the condition of the product 12 during the distribution process is not good.

[0167] In this embodiment, evaluation input screen 740 differs from evaluation input screen 640 in that it includes an input form 744 for inputting an evaluation regarding evaluation category B. In this embodiment, input form 744 displays message 750 indicating that it is not necessary to input an evaluation regarding evaluation category B. Input form 744 may also display message 750 indicating the reason why it is not necessary to input an evaluation regarding evaluation category B.

[0168] 8 shows an example of the internal configuration of the EC site management unit 422. As described above, in this embodiment, an example of the EC site management unit 422 is described using an example in which the EC site management unit 422 uses various data collected in the transaction of the product 12 in the transaction of the product 14. Note that, in this embodiment, for the purpose of simplifying the explanation, the details of each part of the EC site management unit 422 are described using an example in which the item and producer of the product 12 are the same as the item and producer of the product 14. As described above, the relationship between the product 12 and the product 14 is not limited to this embodiment.

[0169] In this embodiment, the EC site management unit 422 includes a transaction support unit 820, a matching support unit 840, and a data transmission unit 860. In this embodiment, the transaction support unit 820 includes an evaluation information extraction unit 822, a user information extraction unit 824, a first item determination unit 826, a first item evaluation unit 828, a product evaluation unit 830, and a transaction screen generation unit 832. In this embodiment, the matching support unit 840 includes a second item evaluation unit 842, a second item determination unit 844, a recipient extraction unit 846, and a notification generation unit 848.

[0170] The transaction support unit 820 supports product transactions on the EC site. For example, the transaction support unit 820 generates screen data for various screens (sometimes referred to as transaction screens) used in product transactions. Examples of transaction screens include a product search screen, a product description screen, a product purchase screen, and a payment screen. The transaction support unit 820 may support product transactions by managing product evaluations. For example, the transaction support unit 820 generates screen data for a product description screen for presenting product evaluations to viewers.

[0171] In this embodiment, the evaluation information extraction unit 822 acquires evaluation information related to the product 12. For example, the evaluation information extraction unit 822 accesses the evaluation information storage unit 466 to extract one or more pieces of evaluation information related to one or more products 12 that have been traded in the past. As described above, the evaluation information related to the product 12 indicates an evaluation result for at least one of P evaluation items (P is an integer of 2 or more) related to the product 12. Furthermore, in the transaction management system 100, the P evaluation items are classified into a plurality of evaluation categories.

[0172] The user information extraction unit 824 acquires user information of a user who accesses the EC site. For example, the user information extraction unit 824 accesses the user information storage unit 444 to extract user information related to the user who accesses the EC site. As described above, the user information includes information indicating the behavioral characteristics, interests, or preferences of the user.

[0173] In this embodiment, the first item determination unit 826 determines Q evaluation items (Q is a positive integer equal to or less than P) to be used for generating a product description screen from among P evaluation items related to the product 12, based on the user information acquired by the user information extraction unit 824. For example, a correspondence relationship between at least one of the user's behavioral characteristics, interests, and preferences and the evaluation items to be used for generating a product description screen is determined in advance. The first item determination unit 826 determines the Q evaluation items to be used for generating a product description screen, based on the above-mentioned correspondence relationship and at least one of the behavioral characteristics, interests, and preferences indicated by the user information acquired by the user information extraction unit 824.

[0174] The Q evaluation items are used, for example, to derive an evaluation value for the product 14 in generating a product description screen. The evaluation value for the product 14 indicates the degree of evaluation of the product 14. The evaluation value for the product 14 may be expressed by a continuous numerical value or by a graduated division. The evaluation value for the product 14 is used, for example, to generate a graph to be displayed in the product evaluation image 546 on the product description screen 540 described in relation to FIG. 5 and / or to calculate an overall score to be displayed in the product evaluation image 546.

[0175] The first item determination unit 826 determines one or more evaluation categories to be used for generating a product explanation screen from among a plurality of evaluation categories based on at least one of the user's behavioral characteristics, interests, and preferences indicated by the user information. For example, a correspondence relationship between at least one of the user's behavioral characteristics, interests, and preferences and the evaluation categories to be used for generating a product explanation screen is determined in advance. The first item determination unit 826 determines one or more evaluation categories to be used for generating a product explanation screen based on at least one of the behavioral characteristics, interests, and preferences indicated by the user information acquired by the user information extraction unit 824 and the above correspondence relationship. As a result, the evaluation category to be used for presenting an evaluation to the user is determined.

[0176] Similarly, the first item determination unit 826 may determine one or more evaluation categories to be used for generating a product explanation screen from among a plurality of evaluation categories based on at least one selected from the group consisting of (i) the type of product 14, (ii) the user's instruction, and (iii) the behavioral characteristics, interests, and preferences of the viewer indicated by the user information. This determines the evaluation category to be used for presenting the evaluation to the user.

[0177] The first item determination unit 826 may determine Q evaluation items by determining evaluation items to be used in generating the product description screen from among one or more evaluation items included in each evaluation category for each of the one or more evaluation categories used in generating the product description screen. The first item determination unit 826 may determine Q evaluation items including one or more evaluation items included in one or more evaluation categories based on at least one of the user's behavioral characteristics, interests, and preferences indicated by the user information.

[0178] In this embodiment, the first item evaluation unit 828 calculates an evaluation value for each of the Q evaluation items based on one or more pieces of evaluation information regarding the product 12 acquired by the evaluation information extraction unit 822. For example, the first item evaluation unit 828 calculates an evaluation value for each evaluation item by calculating a statistical value of the evaluation value for each evaluation item included in the one or more pieces of evaluation information. Examples of the statistical value include an average value and a median value. When the evaluation value for a specific evaluation item is expressed in a graded range in the one or more pieces of evaluation information, the first item evaluation unit 828 may calculate the statistical value by replacing each range with a numerical value.

[0179] The first item evaluation unit 828 may calculate an evaluation value for each of the one or more evaluation categories determined by the first item evaluation unit 828. For example, the first item evaluation unit 828 calculates an evaluation value for each evaluation category by calculating a statistical value of one or more evaluation items included in each evaluation category. Examples of the statistical value include an average value and a median value. When the evaluation value of a specific evaluation item is expressed by a graded category in one or more evaluation categories, the first item evaluation unit 828 may calculate the above statistical value by replacing each category with a numerical value.

[0180] In this embodiment, the product evaluation unit 830 calculates an overall evaluation value of the product 12 based on the evaluation values ​​for each of the Q evaluation items calculated by the first item evaluation unit 828 and the weights assigned to each of the Q evaluation items. The overall score described in relation to FIG. 5 may be an example of the overall evaluation value of the product 12.

[0181] The product evaluation unit 830 may determine a weight value to be assigned to each of the Q items based on at least one of the user's behavioral characteristics, interests, and preferences indicated by the user information. For example, the product evaluation unit 830 determines the value of each weight such that the value of the weight assigned to at least one of the one or more items related to the user's behavioral characteristics, interests, and / or preferences is greater than the value of the weight assigned to at least one of the one or more items not related to the user's behavioral characteristics, interests, and / or preferences.

[0182] The product evaluation unit 830 may determine the value of each weight such that the greater the degree of the user's interest and / or preference, the greater the weight value assigned to the item related to the interest and / or preference. The product evaluation unit 830 may determine the value of each weight such that the greater the tendency of the user to have a particular behavior, thought, or attitude, the greater the weight value assigned to the item related to the particular behavior, thought, or attitude.

[0183] For example, if the product 12 is an agricultural product, the balance of tastes such as sourness and sweetness, texture, etc. differ depending on the variety. Therefore, the product evaluation unit 830 determines a weighting value to be assigned to each of the Q items according to the user's preference for taste and / or texture. For example, the product evaluation unit 830 determines a weighting value to be assigned to each of the Q items such that the weighting value is larger for an item that matches the user's preference for taste and / or texture.

[0184] More specifically, the product evaluation unit 830 determines a weighting value to be assigned to each of the Q items based on the user's evaluation of the taste and / or texture of agricultural products that the user has traded in the past and that are of the same or similar variety as the product 12. The product evaluation unit 830 may determine a weighting value to be assigned to at least one of the Q items such that an item that has received a higher rating in the user's past evaluations is given a higher weighting.

[0185] The product evaluation unit 830 may estimate the user's evaluation of the taste and / or texture of an agricultural product of the same or similar variety as the product 12, and determine a weighting value to be assigned to each of the Q items based on the estimated evaluation. For example, the product evaluation unit 830 determines a standard value of evaluation for each variety based on evaluations from a plurality of users for variety A and variety B. The product evaluation unit 830 also obtains user X's evaluation of variety A. The product evaluation unit 830 estimates user X's evaluation of variety B based on user X's evaluation of variety A, the standard value of the evaluation for variety A, and the standard value of the evaluation for variety B.

[0186] For example, in the case where the product 12 is strawberry variety B, and the evaluation of the sweetness of strawberries variety A and variety B is expressed on a 10-point scale from 0 to 9, if user X evaluates the sweetness of variety A as 3 and the standard value for the evaluation of the sweetness of variety A is 5, the product evaluation unit 830 estimates that user X tends to evaluate the sweetness of strawberries as low. Therefore, if the standard value for the evaluation of the sweetness of strawberries variety B is 8, the product evaluation unit 830 outputs a value smaller than 8 (e.g., 5 to 6) as the estimated value of user X's evaluation of the sweetness of variety A. In the same manner, the product evaluation unit 830 estimates user X's evaluation of each item related to taste and / or texture.

[0187] The product evaluation unit 830 determines the weighting value to be assigned to each of the Q items such that, for example, the greater the estimated value of user X's evaluation for each item related to taste and / or texture, the greater the weighting value to be assigned to that item. The product evaluation unit 830 may determine the weighting value to be assigned to each of the Q items such that, the greater the deviation between the estimated value of user X's evaluation for each item related to taste and / or texture and a predetermined value, the greater the weighting value to be assigned to that item. In this way, the product evaluation unit 830 can assign a value according to the preference of the user as the weight of each item based on, for example, the evaluation history of agricultural products that the user has eaten or purchased in the past.

[0188] Similarly, the product evaluation unit 830 may determine the weighting value to be assigned to each of the Q items based on the characteristics of the production process of agricultural products previously purchased by the user. For example, if the frequency with which the user purchases organic agricultural products is greater than a predetermined value, the product evaluation unit 830 determines the weighting value to be assigned to each of the Q items such that a greater weight is assigned to an item related to the presence or absence or amount of use of chemical fertilizers and / or pesticides in the production process.

[0189] The product evaluation unit 830 may determine the weighting value to be assigned to each of the Q items based on the use of the product 12. For example, strawberries to be eaten raw and strawberries to be used in jam have different required qualities. For strawberries to be eaten raw, emphasis is placed on good appearance and freshness. On the other hand, emphasis is placed on low price for strawberries to be used in jam. Thus, the product evaluation unit 830 determines the weighting value to be assigned to each of the Q items such that the weighting value increases as the item is given more importance in the use of the product 12.

[0190] In this embodiment, the transaction screen generating unit 832 generates screen data of various transaction screens. The transaction screen generating unit 832 may generate data (sometimes referred to as screen data) for displaying a product explanation screen for explaining the product 14 on the communication terminal 42 of the consumer 46. For example, the transaction screen generating unit 832 generates a product explanation screen 540 and a product explanation screen 560.

[0191] More specifically, the transaction screen generation unit 832 generates data for causing the communication terminal 42 to draw a graph showing the characteristics of the product 14 (i.e., the product 12) based on one or more evaluation categories determined by the first item determination unit 826 and the evaluation values ​​of each evaluation category regarding the product 12 determined by the first item evaluation unit 828. In addition, the transaction screen generation unit 832 generates data for causing the communication terminal 42 to draw an overall score of the product 14 (i.e., the product 12) based on the overall evaluation value of the product 12 determined by the product evaluation unit 830. As described above, each evaluation category regarding the product 12 is information related to Q evaluation items regarding the product 12, and the evaluation value of each evaluation category is information related to the evaluation value for each of the Q evaluation items.

[0192] In this embodiment, the matching support unit 840 supports trading of the product 14 by matching the product 14 or the producer 20 with one or more users. For example, the matching support unit 840 extracts potential customers who match the characteristics of the product 14 or the producer 20 from among one or more users based on demand-side evaluation information regarding the product 12 and / or supply-side evaluation information regarding the product 14. The matching support unit 840 notifies the extracted users of information regarding the product 14. The information regarding the product 14 may include information regarding the evaluation of the product 14.

[0193] As described above, in this embodiment, an example of the matching support unit 840 will be described using as an example a case where the type and producer of the product 12 are the same as the type and producer of the product 14. Also, in this embodiment, for the purpose of simplifying the explanation, an example of the matching support unit 840 will be described using as an example a case where the matching support unit 840 extracts potential customers matching the characteristics of the product 14 or the producer 20 from one or more users based on demand-side evaluation information regarding the product 12. As described above, the matching support unit 840 is not limited to this embodiment.

[0194] In this embodiment, the second item evaluation unit 842 calculates an evaluation value for each of the P evaluation items related to the product 12, based on one or more pieces of evaluation information related to the product 12 acquired by the evaluation information extraction unit 822. The second item evaluation unit 842 may calculate an evaluation value for each of the P evaluation items related to the product 12 using a procedure similar to that of the first item evaluation unit 828.

[0195] In this embodiment, the second item determination unit 844 determines Q (Q is a positive integer equal to or less than P) evaluation items to be used for determining the evaluation of the product 12 from among the P evaluation items based on the evaluation values ​​for each of the P evaluation items calculated by the second item evaluation unit 842. The Q evaluation items are determined for the purpose of promoting sales of the product 14, for example.

[0196] In one embodiment, the second item determination unit 844 compares the evaluation values ​​of each of the P evaluation items and determines the Q evaluation items in descending order of evaluation value. In another embodiment, the second item determination unit 844 determines the Q evaluation items consisting of S evaluation items (S is a positive integer equal to or greater than 1 and less than P) of predetermined types and T evaluation items (T is a positive integer calculated as PS) selected based on the evaluation values ​​calculated by the second item evaluation unit 842. From among evaluation items other than the S evaluation items, the T evaluation items may be determined in descending order of evaluation value.

[0197] In this embodiment, the recipient extraction unit 846 extracts users who may become customers of the product 14 from one or more users who can receive information about the product 14. For example, the recipient extraction unit 846 refers to the user information storage unit 444 and extracts users who have behavioral characteristics, interests, or preferences related to the Q evaluation items determined by the second item determination unit 844. The recipient extraction unit 846 may refer to the user information storage unit 444 and extract users who do not have behavioral characteristics, interests, or preferences related to evaluation items other than the Q evaluation items determined by the second item determination unit 844. The recipient extraction unit 846 may refer to the user information storage unit 444 and extract users who (i) have behavioral characteristics, interests, or preferences related to the Q evaluation items determined by the second item determination unit 844 and (ii) do not have behavioral characteristics, interests, or preferences related to evaluation items other than the Q evaluation items determined by the second item determination unit 844.

[0198] For example, when comparing the product 14 with other products, if the appearance of the product 14 is rated low and the taste and texture of the product 14 are rated high, the second item evaluation unit 842 selects taste and texture as the Q evaluation items. The recipient extraction unit 846 extracts, from one or more users, users who are very particular about taste and texture and / or users who are not very particular about appearance as potential customers of the product 14.

[0199] In this embodiment, the notification generation unit 848 generates information (sometimes referred to as notification information) about the product 14 to be notified to the user extracted by the recipient extraction unit 846. For example, the notification generation unit 848 determines an evaluation of the product 14 using the Q evaluation items determined by the second item evaluation unit 842. The notification generation unit 848 may determine an evaluation of the product 14 by a procedure similar to that of the product evaluation unit 830. The notification generation unit 848 may also generate notification information including information indicating an evaluation of the product 14. The notification generation unit 848 may generate notification information by a procedure similar to that of the transaction screen generation unit 832. The notification information may include the URL of the EC site or the URL of a product description page of the product 14.

[0200] In this embodiment, the data transmission unit 860 transmits the notification information generated by the notification generation unit 848. The data transmission unit 860 transmits the notification information to, for example, a communication terminal used by a user extracted by the recipient extraction unit 846.

[0201] The transaction support unit 820 may be an example of a management device. The evaluation information extraction unit 822 may be an example of an evaluation information acquisition unit. The user information extraction unit 824 may be an example of a viewer information acquisition unit. The product evaluation unit 830 may be an example of an item evaluation unit. The notification generation unit 848 may be an example of a generation unit. The data transmission unit 860 may be an example of a transmission unit. A user who accesses the EC site may be an example of a viewer who views evaluations of items. The overall evaluation value of the item 12 may be an example of an item evaluation value.

[0202] 9 illustrates an example of the internal configuration of the evaluation acquisition unit 462. In this embodiment, the evaluation acquisition unit 462 includes a distribution state determination unit 912 and a distribution period determination unit 914. In this embodiment, the evaluation acquisition unit 462 includes an evaluation support unit 920. In this embodiment, the evaluation support unit 920 has an input item determination unit 922, an input screen generation unit 924, and an input screen transmission unit 926. In this embodiment, the evaluation acquisition unit 462 includes a supply side evaluation acquisition unit 932, a demand side evaluation acquisition unit 934, and an evaluation data control unit 936. In this embodiment, the evaluation acquisition unit 462 includes a deviation determination unit 942 and a deviation notification unit 944.

[0203] In this embodiment, the distribution status determination unit 912 acquires distribution status information for each of the one or more products 12 traded in the past. For example, the distribution status determination unit 912 accesses the distribution management unit 114 to acquire one or more pieces of distribution status information. The distribution status determination unit 912 determines the distribution status of the product 12 based on the status of the product 12 in the distribution process indicated by the distribution status information for each of the one or more products 12 traded in the past. For example, the distribution status determination unit 912 expresses the status of the product 12 in the distribution process by continuous numerical values ​​or gradual divisions. For example, the distribution status determination unit 912 calculates statistical values ​​of the status of the product 12 indicated by one or more pieces of distribution status information, and expresses the status of the product 12 in the distribution process by continuous numerical values ​​or gradual divisions based on the statistical values.

[0204] In this embodiment, the distribution period determination unit 914 acquires distribution period information of each of one or more products 12 traded in the past. For example, the distribution status determination unit 912 accesses the distribution management unit 114 to acquire one or more pieces of distribution period information. The distribution period determination unit 914 may acquire production information and inspection information as the distribution period information. The distribution period determination unit 914 determines the length of the distribution period of the product 12 based on the length of the distribution period indicated by the distribution period information of each of one or more products 12 traded in the past. For example, the distribution period determination unit 914 expresses the length of the distribution period of the product 12 by continuous numerical values ​​or gradual divisions. For example, the distribution period determination unit 914 calculates a statistical value of the length of the distribution period of the product 12 indicated by one or more pieces of distribution period information, and expresses the length of the distribution period of the product 12 by continuous numerical values ​​or gradual divisions based on the statistical value.

[0205] In this embodiment, the evaluation support unit 920 supports the consumer 44 in inputting an evaluation result for the product 12. For example, the evaluation support unit 920 generates screen data for the evaluation input screen described in relation to Figs. 6 and 7. The evaluation support unit 920 transmits the screen data of the evaluation input screen to the communication terminal 42 of the consumer 44. The screen data of the evaluation input screen may be data for displaying, on the communication terminal 42 of the consumer 44, an evaluation input screen for inputting an evaluation for the product 12.

[0206] In this embodiment, the input item determination unit 922 determines evaluation items for which the consumer 44 is requested to input an evaluation on the evaluation input screen. For example, the input item determination unit 922 determines the type of one or more evaluation items for the consumer 44 to evaluate the product 12 based on at least one of the state of the product 12 indicated by the distribution state information and the length of the distribution period of the product 12 indicated by the distribution period information.

[0207] In one embodiment, the input item determination unit 922 determines the type of one or more evaluation items such that when the condition of the product 12 is worse than a predetermined standard, the number of evaluation items for the consumer 44 to evaluate the product 12 is reduced compared to when the condition of the product 12 is better than a predetermined standard. In another embodiment, the input item determination unit 922 determines the type of one or more evaluation items such that when the length of the distribution period of the product 12 is longer than a predetermined value, the number of evaluation items for the consumer 44 to evaluate the product 12 is reduced compared to when the length of the distribution period of the product 12 is shorter than a predetermined value. This reduces the input burden on the consumer 44.

[0208] The input item determination unit 922 may determine the type of one or more evaluation items for the consumer 44 to evaluate the product 12 based on at least one of the state of the product 12 indicated by the distribution state information and the length of the distribution period of the product 12 indicated by the distribution period information, and at least one of the place of origin and item of the product 12. For example, if the place of origin of the product 12 matches or is included in a predetermined region, the input item determination unit 922 determines the type of one or more evaluation items by a procedure similar to the procedure described above. For example, if the item of the product 12 matches or is included in a predetermined item, the input item determination unit 922 determines the type of one or more evaluation items by a procedure similar to the procedure described above.

[0209] In this embodiment, the input screen generating unit 924 generates screen data of the evaluation input screen. In this embodiment, the input screen sending unit 926 sends the screen data of the evaluation input screen to the communication terminal 42 of the consumer 44. As described above, the evaluation input screen is a screen for the consumer 44 to input an evaluation result for the product 12, and is a screen for supporting the input of the evaluation result for each of the one or more items determined by the input item determining unit 922.

[0210] In this embodiment, the supply-side evaluation acquisition unit 932 acquires supply-side evaluation information. As described in relation to Fig. 3, the supply-side evaluation acquisition unit 932 acquires the supply-side evaluation information, for example, from the communication terminal 22 or the product 12. As described above, the supply-side evaluation information includes, for example, information indicating the evaluation result of the product 12 by the producer 20.

[0211] In this embodiment, the demand-side evaluation acquisition unit 934 acquires demand-side evaluation information. As described in relation to Fig. 3, the demand-side evaluation acquisition unit 934 acquires the demand-side evaluation information, for example, from the communication terminal 42. As described above, the demand-side evaluation information includes, for example, information indicating the evaluation result of the product 12 by the consumer 44.

[0212] In this embodiment, the evaluation data control unit 936 controls the output destination of the data of the supply side evaluation information and the demand side evaluation information. For example, the evaluation data control unit 936 acquires the supply side evaluation information from the supply side evaluation acquisition unit 932, and stores the supply side evaluation information in the evaluation information storage unit 466. For example, the evaluation data control unit 936 acquires the demand side evaluation information from the demand side evaluation acquisition unit 934, and outputs the demand side evaluation information to the evaluation correction unit 464 or the evaluation information storage unit 466.

[0213] For example, (a) when at least one of the condition of the product 12 indicated by the distribution state information and the length of the distribution period of the product 12 indicated by the distribution period information matches a predetermined condition, the evaluation data control unit 936 decides to store the demand-side evaluation information in the evaluation information storage unit 466. In this case, the evaluation data control unit 936 outputs the demand-side evaluation information to the evaluation information storage unit 466. Examples of the above-mentioned predetermined condition include a condition that the condition of the product 12 in the distribution process is worse than a predetermined condition, a condition that the length of the distribution period is longer than a predetermined value, etc.

[0214] On the other hand, (b) if at least one of the state of the product 12 indicated by the distribution state information and the length of the distribution period of the product 12 indicated by the distribution period information does not match the above-mentioned predetermined condition, at least a part of the evaluation results indicated by the demand-side evaluation information may not be valid. Therefore, the evaluation data control unit 936 decides to (i) not store at least a part of the evaluation results indicated by the demand-side evaluation information in the evaluation information storage unit 466, (ii) correct at least a part of the evaluation results indicated by the demand-side evaluation information, or (iii) store the demand-side evaluation information and information indicating that at least a part of the evaluation results indicated by the demand-side evaluation information may not be valid in the evaluation information storage unit 466 in association with each other.

[0215] When it is determined not to store at least a part of the evaluation result indicated by the demand-side evaluation information in the evaluation information storage unit 466, the evaluation data control unit 936 deletes a part of the demand-side evaluation information and outputs the demand-side evaluation information to the evaluation information storage unit 466. As a result, the demand-side evaluation information from which a part of the evaluation result has been deleted is stored in the evaluation information storage unit 466. The evaluation data control unit 936 does not have to output the demand-side evaluation information to the evaluation information storage unit 466.

[0216] When it is decided to correct at least a part of the evaluation result indicated by the demand-side evaluation information, the evaluation data control unit 936 outputs the demand-side evaluation information to the evaluation correction unit 464. In this case, the evaluation correction unit 464 corrects at least a part of the evaluation result indicated by the demand-side evaluation information, and stores information indicating the corrected evaluation result in the evaluation information storage unit 466.

[0217] When it is decided to store the demand-side evaluation information and the information indicating that at least a part of the evaluation result indicated by the demand-side evaluation information may be invalid in the evaluation information storage unit 466 in association with each other, the evaluation data control unit 936 outputs the demand-side evaluation information to the evaluation information storage unit 466. In addition, the evaluation data control unit 936 stores the demand-side evaluation information and the information indicating that at least a part of the evaluation result indicated by the demand-side evaluation information may be invalid in the evaluation information storage unit 466 in association with each other.

[0218] In this embodiment, the deviation determination unit 942 determines whether or not the degree of deviation between the evaluation result based on the supply-side evaluation information and the evaluation result based on the demand-side evaluation information exceeds a predetermined degree for each of one or more items for evaluating the product 12. Furthermore, if the deviation determination unit 942 determines that the degree of deviation exceeds a predetermined degree, the deviation notification unit 944 notifies at least one of the producer 20 and the consumer 44 of information indicating at least one of the state of the product 12 indicated by the distribution state information and the length of the distribution period of the product 12 indicated by the distribution period information.

[0219] The distribution state determination unit 912 may be an example of a distribution information acquisition unit. The distribution period determination unit 914 may be an example of a distribution information acquisition unit. The evaluation support unit 920 may be an example of a support unit. The input item determination unit 922 may be an example of an evaluation item determination unit. The input screen generation unit 924 may be an example of an assistance data generation unit or a screen generation unit. The input screen transmission unit 926 may be an example of an assistance data transmission unit. The supply side evaluation acquisition unit 932 may be an example of a second evaluation information acquisition unit. The demand side evaluation acquisition unit 934 may be an example of a first evaluation information acquisition unit. The evaluation data control unit 936 may be an example of a first evaluation information acquisition unit. The deviation determination unit 942 may be an example of a deviation degree determination unit. The deviation notification unit 944 may be an example of a notification unit. The evaluation input screen may be an example of an input screen. The screen data of the evaluation input screen may be an example of input assistance data or input screen data.

[0220] 10 shows an example of the internal configuration of the sales support server 180. In this embodiment, the sales support server 180 includes a sales promotion support section 1020 and a packaging support section 1040.

[0221] In this embodiment, the details of the sales support process by the sales support server 180 will be described using as an example a case where a seller 50 sells a product 12. Examples of the seller 50 of the product 12 include a producer 20, a distributor 30, and the like.

[0222] (Support for creating advertising materials or sales promotion materials) In one embodiment, the seller 50 of the product 12 creates or produces (sometimes simply referred to as producing) advertising materials or sales promotion materials for the product 12 for the purpose of advertising or promoting the product 12. The advertising materials or sales promotion materials may be POP (Point of purchase advertising). The POP may be a tangible object such as a poster, or an intangible object such as video data.

[0223] In this case, the sales promotion support unit 1020 supports the creation of advertising materials or sales promotion materials by generating information used for advertising or promoting the product 12. For example, the sales promotion support unit 1020 supports the design of the advertising materials or sales promotion materials, and outputs data of the advertising materials or sales promotion materials (sometimes referred to as advertising data). The seller 50 can create an in-store advertisement 1022 using the advertising data output from the sales promotion support unit 1020. Details of the sales promotion support unit 1020 will be described later.

[0224] (Packing support process) In another embodiment, when the consumer 44 purchases the product 12, the seller 50 of the product 12 packages the product 12 in a box 1052 and ships the packaged product 12 to the consumer 44. The product 12 is delivered using, for example, a logistics system 160.

[0225] At this time, the seller 50 delivers one or more evaluation samples 1054 to the consumer 44 together with the product 12. The seller 50 may deliver to the consumer 44, together with the product 12 and the one or more evaluation samples 1054, a simple measurement kit for the various physical properties described above.

[0226] The evaluation sample 1054 is used to judge the condition of the product 12. The evaluation sample 1054 may be a tangible object separate from the product 12. The evaluation sample 1054 may be printed or attached to the surface of the box 1052, or may be contained inside the box 1052.

[0227] The condition of the product 12 may be, for example, at least one of the appearance condition of the product 12 and the delivery condition of the product 12. In this embodiment, the appearance condition of the product 12 refers to various conditions related to the surface of the product 12.

[0228] Examples of the appearance of the product 12 include at least one of the size, curvature, pattern, and color of the product. For example, as in the case of commercial vegetables or fruits, the grade of the product 12 may be determined by the size, curvature, pattern, and / or color of the product 12. A purchaser of the product 12 can use the evaluation sample 1054 to evaluate at least one of the size, curvature, pattern, and color of the product 12, and determine the grade of the product 12 based on the evaluation result.

[0229] Another example of the appearance state of the product 12 includes the hardness of the product 12. The hardness of the product 12 may be the hardness of the surface of the product 12. The hardness may be expressed by the elastic modulus. In particular, when the product 12 is a food product, the hardness of the product 12 is preferably expressed by the elastic modulus of the product 12.

[0230] For example, if the product 12 is a fresh food, there is a certain degree of correlation between the freshness of the product 12 and the hardness of the product 12. For example, if the product 12 is seafood, vegetables, fruits, meat, or the like, the elasticity of the product 12 may decrease and become soft as the freshness of the product 12 decreases or as the product 12 ripens. A purchaser of the product 12 can use the evaluation sample 1054 to evaluate the hardness of the product 12 and determine the freshness of the product 12 based on the evaluation result. For example, if the product 12 is a vegetable or fruit, the product 12 may become soft as the product 12 ripens. A purchaser of the product 12 can use the evaluation sample 1054 to evaluate the hardness of the product 12 and determine the ripeness of the product 12 based on the evaluation result.

[0231] The delivery state of the product 12 may be, for example, at least one of the temperature and humidity during the delivery period of the product 12. The delivery state of the product 12 may be at least one of the maximum and minimum temperature values ​​during the delivery of the product 12, or at least one of the maximum and minimum humidity values ​​during the delivery of the product 12.

[0232] Examples of the evaluation sample 1054 for judging the appearance of the product 12 include (i) a linear scale or a grid scale with one or more graduations, (ii) a curvature scale with one or more curves each having a unique curvature, (iii) a color chart with one or more color samples or pattern samples, and (iv) a hardness scale with one or more resins or gels each having a unique hardness or softness. The hardness or softness of the resin or gel may be expressed by hardness or elasticity modulus. Multiple types of evaluation samples 1054 may be prepared according to the standards of the product 12.

[0233] The linear scale and the grid scale are used, for example, to determine the size, shape, or curvature of the product 12. The curvature scale is used, for example, to determine the shape or curvature of the product 12. The hardness scale is used, for example, to determine the hardness or elasticity of the product 12. The color chart is used, for example, to determine the pattern or color of the product 12.

[0234] In the evaluation sample 1054, at least one of the linear scale, the square scale, the curvature scale, and the hardness scale may be a colored scale. This allows the transaction management unit 112 to, for example, determine from a single image, (i) at least one of the color and pattern of the product 12, and (ii) at least one of the size, shape, and hardness of the product 12, by analyzing an image of the product 12 placed near the colored scale.

[0235] A single color may be assigned to a single scale, or multiple colors may be assigned to a single scale. The colors of the colored scale may be determined based on the type of product 12. The colors of the colored scale may be determined based on the color of the product 12 when the product 12 is in good condition or the color of the product 12 when the product 12 is in bad condition.

[0236] Examples of the evaluation sample 1054 for determining the delivery status of the product 12 include a material whose color changes depending on temperature, a material whose color changes depending on humidity, and the like. The material whose color changes depending on temperature may be an irreversible temperature indicating material. The evaluation sample 1054 may have a plurality of irreversible temperature indicating materials with different temperature indicating regions. The material whose color changes depending on humidity may be an irreversible humidity indicating material. The evaluation sample 1054 may have a plurality of irreversible humidity indicating materials with different humidity indicating regions.

[0237] Depending on the situation at the time of shipping or packaging, multiple types of evaluation samples 1054 may be shipped to the consumer 44. For example, if the product 12 is a product that easily discolors, such as a banana, multiple types of color charts are shipped. For example, a color chart with a wide variety of green-based color samples, a color chart with a wide variety of yellow-based color samples, and a color chart with a wide variety of brown-based color samples are shipped.

[0238] The condition of the product 12 is determined, for example, based on a comparison result between the product 12 and at least one of the size, shape, pattern, color, and hardness of each of the one or more evaluation samples 1054. When the condition of the product 12 is determined based on a comparison result between the product 12 and at least one of the size, shape, pattern, and color of each of the one or more evaluation samples 1054, the condition of the product 12 is determined, for example, by the computer or the consumer 44 analyzing an image of the product 12 placed near each of the one or more evaluation samples 1054.

[0239] According to one embodiment, when the consumer 44 receives the box 1052, the consumer 44 opens the box 1052 and removes the product 12. For example, the consumer 44 places the product 12 near the evaluation sample 1054 and takes an image of the product 12 and the evaluation sample 1054 using the camera function of the communication terminal 42. The consumer 44 uses, for example, the communication terminal 42 to transmit image data (which may be referred to as image data) of the captured image of the product 12 and the evaluation sample 1054 to the management server 110.

[0240] When the management server 110 acquires the image data, for example, the evaluation management unit 460 of the transaction management unit 112 analyzes the image data to evaluate at least one of the size, shape, pattern, color, and hardness of the product 12. This allows the size of the product 12, the degree of curvature of the product 12, and the color, luster, or discoloration of the product 12 to be evaluated.

[0241] According to another embodiment, when the consumer 44 receives the box 1052, the consumer 44 opens the box 1052 and takes out the product 12. The consumer 44 compares the product 12 with the evaluation sample 1054, and transmits data indicating the comparison result between the product 12 and the evaluation sample 1054 (which may be referred to as evaluation data) to the management server 110, for example, using the communication terminal 42. When the management server 110 acquires the image data, for example, the evaluation management unit 460 of the transaction management unit 112 stores the evaluation data in the evaluation information storage unit 466. The evaluation management unit 460 may analyze the evaluation data as necessary, and store the analysis result in the evaluation information storage unit 466.

[0242] In this case, the packing support unit 1040 supports the selection, creation and / or packing of the evaluation sample 1054. For example, the packing support unit 1040 determines the specifications of the evaluation sample 1054. Examples of the specifications of the evaluation sample 1054 include at least one of (i) the type of evaluation sample 1054 to be judged, (ii) the size, shape, pattern and color of the evaluation sample 1054, and (iii) the hardness of the evaluation sample 1054.

[0243] Furthermore, the packing support unit 1040 determines the position or range (sometimes referred to as the position or range of the evaluation sample 1054 in the box 1052) in which the evaluation sample 1054 is placed when packing the product 12 and the evaluation sample 1054. Examples of the position or range in which the evaluation sample 1054 is placed include (i) a part of the surface of the box 1052, and (ii) at least a part of the items (sometimes referred to as contents) contained inside the box 1052. Examples of contents include guide documents, letters, message cards, delivery documents, and the like.

[0244] In one embodiment, the evaluation sample 1054 is disposed on the surface of the outer surface of the box 1052. In another embodiment, the evaluation sample 1054 is disposed on the surface of the inner surface of the box 1052. In yet another embodiment, the evaluation sample 1054 is disposed on the surface of a portion where members constituting the box 1052 overlap. For example, when a lid and a flap (sometimes referred to as a top flap) are disposed on the upper part of the box 1052, the evaluation sample 1054 is disposed on the surface of the outer surface of the top flap or the surface of the inner surface of the lid. The outer surface of the lid may be an example of the outer surface of the box 1052. The inner surface of the top flap may be an example of the inner surface of the box 1052.

[0245] The packing support unit 1040 outputs data (sometimes referred to as instruction data) indicating specifications of the evaluation sample 1054 and / or the position or range in which the evaluation sample 1054 is to be placed. Using the advertisement data output from the packing support unit 1040, the seller 50 can pack the product 12 using a box 1052 in which an appropriate evaluation sample 1054 is placed in an appropriate position or range. Details of the packing support unit 1040 will be described later.

[0246] The product 12 may be an example of an item. The seller 50 may be an example of a sender. The consumer 44 may be an example of a recipient. The box 1052 may be an example of packaging material. The evaluation sample 1054 may be an example of one or more comparators. The advertising data of the in-store advertisement 1022 may be an example of information used to advertise or promote a product.

[0247] (An example of another embodiment) In the present embodiment, an example of the sales support server 180 or the evaluation sample 1054 has been described, taking as an example a case where the box 1052 is used as an example of a packaging material. However, the sales support server 180 or the evaluation sample 1054 is not limited to the present embodiment. In other embodiments, at least one of a partition member, a packaging material, and a cushioning material may be used as a packaging material instead of or together with the box 1052. In this case, the evaluation sample 1054 may be disposed on at least one of the partition member, the packaging material, and the cushioning material.

[0248] 11 shows an example of an internal configuration of the sales promotion support unit 1020. In this embodiment, the details of the sales promotion support unit 1020 will be described using as an example a case in which the sales promotion support unit 1020 generates advertising data for an in-store advertisement 1022, which is an example of advertising materials or sales promotion materials for the product 12.

[0249] In this embodiment, the sales promotion support unit 1020 includes a user information acquisition unit 1122, a target attribute determination unit 1124, an evaluation information acquisition unit 1132, an evaluation item determination unit 1134, an advertisement data generation unit 1140, and a storage unit 1160. In this embodiment, the advertisement data generation unit 1140 includes an appeal mode determination unit 1142, a wording extraction unit 1144, a layout extraction unit 1146, an image extraction unit 1148, a candidate presentation unit 1152, and an advertisement determination unit 1154. In this embodiment, the storage unit 1160 includes a wording template database 1162, a layout template database 1164, an item image database 1166, and a background image database 1168.

[0250] In this embodiment, the user information acquisition unit 1122 collects various information related to the target of the in-store advertisement 1022 of the product 12. For example, the user information acquisition unit 1122 collects various information related to users related to the product 12 or the in-store advertisement 1022. Examples of users related to the product 12 or the in-store advertisement 1022 include (i) users who have previously purchased the product 12 or a product of the same or similar type as the product 12 (sometimes referred to as a product of the same type), (ii) users who are customers of a store or the like where the in-store advertisement 1022 is posted, and (iii) users who are relatively likely to stop by a store or the like where the in-store advertisement 1022 is posted.

[0251] Examples of users who are relatively likely to stop by a store or the like where the in-store advertisement 1022 is posted include (i) a user whose home is closer to the store or the like where the in-store advertisement 1022 is posted than a predetermined value, and (ii) a user whose home is closer to the store or the like where the in-store advertisement 1022 is posted than a predetermined value. Examples of facilities that the user stops by regularly or frequently include (i) a facility of an organization to which the user belongs, and (ii) a facility located on a route between the user's home and a facility of an organization to which the user belongs. Examples of organizations to which the user belongs include a company, a school, and a company that provides a service of which the user is a member. Examples of facilities located on the above-mentioned route include a station and a commercial facility located near a station. For example, this information is acquired in advance by the user information acquisition unit 442 and stored in the user information storage unit 444.

[0252] For example, the user information acquisition unit 1122 refers to the user information storage unit 444 of the customer management unit 440 to acquire user information of a user related to the product 12 or the in-store advertisement 1022. As described above, the user information includes (i) information indicating each user's behavioral characteristics, interests, or preferences, (ii) each user's EC site usage history, and (iii) each user's website browsing history and / or search history. For example, the user information acquisition unit 1122 refers to the evaluation information storage unit 466 of the evaluation management unit 460 to acquire the above-mentioned user's past evaluation history. The user information acquisition unit 1122 outputs the information acquired from each unit to, for example, the target attribute determination unit 1124.

[0253] In this embodiment, the target attribute determination unit 1124 determines the attributes of a target of an advertisement or sales promotion. For example, the target attribute determination unit 1124 first extracts at least a portion of users related to the above-described product 12 or the in-store advertisement 1022 as targets of the product 12. Next, the target attribute determination unit 1124 determines characteristics (sometimes referred to as target attributes) common to the users extracted as targets.

[0254] In one embodiment, the target attribute determination unit 1124 determines common characteristics of the target users by analyzing information acquired by the user information acquisition unit 1122, with the users related to the above-mentioned product 12 or in-store advertisement 1022 as the above-mentioned targets. In another embodiment, the target attribute determination unit 1124 may determine to target some users having common characteristics among the users related to the above-mentioned product 12 or in-store advertisement 1022. In this case, the target attribute determination unit 1124 determines the common characteristics as the attributes of the target.

[0255] The target attribute determination unit 1124 may extract one or some of the one or more evaluation items described above as the attributes of the target. For example, the target attribute determination unit 1124 extracts evaluation items that match the characteristics of the target from among the one or more evaluation items described above as the attributes of the target. This makes it easier to match the characteristics of the target user with the characteristics of the product 12.

[0256] The target attribute determination unit 1124 outputs information indicating the determined attributes of the target to, for example, the evaluation item determination unit 1134. The target attribute determination unit 1124 may output information indicating the determined attributes of the target to the advertisement data generation unit 1140.

[0257] In this embodiment, the evaluation information acquisition unit 1132 collects various information related to the advertised product 12. For example, the evaluation information acquisition unit 1132 refers to the evaluation information storage unit 466 of the evaluation management unit 460 to acquire evaluation information indicating the results of evaluation of the product 12 by the supplier of the product 12 (the producer 20 or the distributor 30) for each of the one or more evaluation items described above. The evaluation information acquisition unit 1132 outputs the acquired evaluation information to the evaluation item determination unit 1134.

[0258] In this embodiment, the evaluation item determination unit 1134 determines a feature expected to have a high appealing effect among the features of the product 12. The evaluation item determination unit 1134 may determine the above feature by extracting at least one evaluation item expected to have a high appealing effect from the one or more evaluation items described above. For example, the evaluation item determination unit 1134 determines at least one evaluation item characteristic of the product based on the evaluation information acquired by the evaluation information acquisition unit 1132. For example, the evaluation item determination unit 1134 determines at least one evaluation item expected to have an appealing effect on the target based on the attributes of the target determined by the target attribute determination unit 1124.

[0259] In one embodiment, the evaluation item determination unit 1134 determines evaluation items to be used for advertising or sales promotion from among the one or more evaluation items based on the evaluation information acquired by the evaluation information acquisition unit 1132. For example, the evaluation item determination unit 1134 extracts evaluation items that have been evaluated more positively than a predetermined standard from among the one or more evaluation items related to the product 12 as evaluation items that are expected to have a high appealing effect. The evaluation item determination unit 1134 may also extract evaluation items that have been evaluated more negatively than a predetermined standard from among the one or more evaluation items related to the product 12 as evaluation items that supplementarily improve the appealing effect.

[0260] In another embodiment, the evaluation item determination unit 1134 determines evaluation items to be used for advertising or sales promotion based on the attributes of the target determined by the target attribute determination unit 1124. For example, the evaluation item determination unit 1134 extracts, from among one or more evaluation items, evaluation items in which the target shows an interest to a degree greater than a predetermined standard, as evaluation items expected to have a high appealing effect.

[0261] In still another embodiment, the evaluation item determination unit 1134 determines evaluation items to be used for advertisement or sales promotion based on the evaluation information acquired by the evaluation information acquisition unit 1132 and the attributes of the target determined by the target attribute determination unit 1124. For example, the evaluation item determination unit 1134 extracts, as evaluation items expected to have a high appealing effect, (i) evaluation items that have been evaluated more positively than a predetermined standard among one or more evaluation items related to the product 12 and (ii) evaluation items in which the target shows an interest to a degree greater than a predetermined standard. As a result, evaluation items that are characteristic of the product and are expected to have an appealing effect on the target among the one or more evaluation items can be determined as evaluation items to be used for advertisement or sales promotion.

[0262] The evaluation item determination unit 1134 outputs information indicating at least one evaluation item determined as an evaluation item to be used for advertising or sales promotion among the one or more evaluation items described above (for example, P evaluation items), to the advertisement data generation unit 1140. The number of at least one evaluation item may be less than P. An upper limit may be set for the number of evaluation items to be output. When an upper limit is set for the number of evaluation items to be output, the evaluation item determination unit 1134 may adjust a threshold for extracting evaluation items so as to satisfy the condition regarding the upper limit of the evaluation item.

[0263] (Overview of the advertisement data generation unit 1140) In this embodiment, the advertising data generation unit 1140 generates advertising data for the in-store advertisement 1022. The advertising data generation unit 1140 determines appealing expressions for the in-store advertisement 1022 based on the evaluation items determined by the evaluation item determination unit 1134. Examples of the appealing expressions include wording and / or design.

[0264] Examples of the design include (i) at least one of the size, shape, pattern, and color of the wording, (ii) a photograph or illustration corresponding to the wording, and (iii) the layout of the wording and the photograph or illustration, etc. Examples of the photograph or illustration corresponding to the wording include a photograph or illustration that matches the impression of the wording, a photograph or illustration that emphasizes the impression of the wording, and a photograph or illustration that recalls an event related to the wording.

[0265] In this embodiment, the advertising data generation unit 1140 determines the appeal expression of the in-store advertisement 1022, for example, based on (i) the content that the provider of the product 12 (e.g., the producer 20, the distributor 30, the seller 50, etc.) wants to appeal to the purchaser of the product 12 (e.g., the distributor 30, the seller 50, the consumer 40), and (ii) the sensitivity or degree of interest of the purchaser of the product 12 to various types of information.

[0266] For example, consider a case where tomato producer A wants to promote tomato purchasers that their tomatoes have high sugar content and are grown without any pesticides. On the other hand, it is considered that the sensitivity or interest level to various types of information differs depending on the customer base of the store. For the purpose of making it easier to understand the procedure for generating advertisement data in the advertisement data generating unit 1140, the details of the procedure for generating advertisement data used for sales promotion in store B will be described using an example where many customers of store B are interested in the size, color, and taste of tomatoes.

[0267] As described above, the transaction management unit 112 acquires information indicating various evaluations of the tomatoes produced by producer A at the time of production or shipping of the tomatoes, or at a specific time during the distribution process of the tomatoes. In this case, the tomatoes produced by producer A are likely to have been given a higher evaluation in the evaluation item related to "sugar content" included in the evaluation category of "flavor" compared to tomatoes produced by other producers. Similarly, the tomatoes produced by producer A are likely to have been given a higher evaluation in the evaluation item related to "whether or not at least one of chemical fertilizers and chemical pesticides is used" included in the evaluation category of "environmental impact" compared to tomatoes produced by other producers.

[0268] The advertisement data generation unit 1140 first accesses the transaction management unit 112 and analyzes various evaluations of the tomatoes produced by producer A to determine the selling points of the tomatoes. For example, the advertisement data generation unit 1140 determines that the selling points of the tomatoes produced by producer A are the characteristics of "high sugar content" and "cultivated completely without pesticides."

[0269] Next, since customers of store B are interested in the size, color, and taste of tomatoes, the advertisement data generation unit 1140 decides to create an advertisement in which the characteristic "high sugar content", which is related to taste, is most prominent among the characteristics "high sugar content" and "grown completely without pesticides". The advertisement data generation unit 1140 also decides to create an advertisement in which the characteristic "grown completely without pesticides" is explained in association with the size and / or color of tomatoes.

[0270] For example, the advertisement data generating unit 1140 creates a POP advertisement in which the content about the sugar content is displayed prominently in the most prominent part, and a story is displayed to convey how difficult it is to produce a vivid red color while maintaining the size and being pesticide-free, and how the difficulty was overcome. The advertisement data generating unit 1140 may create a POP advertisement further displaying a message informing consumers how to use tomatoes. The advertisement data generating unit 1140 may create the above POP advertisement by adopting keywords according to the season, keywords related to trends in the world, etc.

[0271] (Overview of each part of the advertisement data generation unit 1140) 11, in this embodiment, the advertisement data generation unit 1140 has an appeal mode determination unit 1142, a wording extraction unit 1144, a layout extraction unit 1146, an image extraction unit 1148, a candidate presentation unit 1152, and an advertisement determination unit 1154. The above-mentioned advertisement data is created by information processing in each unit of the advertisement data generation unit 1140.

[0272] In this embodiment, the appeal mode determination unit 1142 determines the appeal mode (sometimes referred to as an appeal pattern) of the in-store advertisement 1022. The appeal mode determination unit 1142 determines the appeal mode based on at least one of the evaluation information acquired by the evaluation information acquisition unit 1132 and information indicating the attributes of the target determined by the target attribute determination unit 1124. For example, the appeal mode determination unit 1142 determines the appeal mode based on at least one evaluation item output by the evaluation item determination unit 1134. As described above, the evaluation item determination unit 1134 outputs at least one evaluation item based on at least one of the evaluation information acquired by the evaluation information acquisition unit 1132 and information indicating the attributes of the target determined by the target attribute determination unit 1124.

[0273] Examples of the appeal mode include (i) an appeal mode based on an image associated with the wording of the evaluation item determined by the evaluation item determination unit 1134 (sometimes referred to as an image appeal mode), and (ii) an appeal mode based on the meaning of the wording of the evaluation item determined by the evaluation item determination unit 1134 (sometimes referred to as an impact appeal mode). Note that the appeal mode is not limited to the above modes.

[0274] For example, when evaluation items related to "season" or "freshness" are input from the evaluation item determination unit 1134, the appeal mode determination unit 1142 determines to create an image-appealing in-store advertisement 1022. Examples of images associated with the wording of the above evaluation items include events related to the current season or the season in which the product 12 is in season, dishes related to the current season or the season in which the product 12 is in season, representative dishes using the product 12, and the like.

[0275] For example, when evaluation items related to "taste," "texture," or "cost performance" are input from the evaluation item determination unit 1134, the appeal mode determination unit 1142 decides to create an impact appeal type in-store advertisement 1022. Examples of the meaning of the wording of the evaluation items themselves include "sweet," "chewy," etc.

[0276] The appeal mode determination unit 1142 outputs information indicating the determined appeal mode, for example, to the wording extraction unit 1144. The appeal mode determination unit 1142 may output information indicating the determined appeal mode to the layout extraction unit 1146. The appeal mode determination unit 1142 may output information indicating the determined appeal mode to the image extraction unit 1148.

[0277] In this embodiment, the wording extraction unit 1144 determines appealing words (which may be referred to as catchphrases, catchy copy, etc.) to be used in the in-store advertisement 1022. The wording extraction unit 1144 determines the appealing words to be used in the in-store advertisement 1022 based on, for example, the evaluation items determined by the evaluation item determination unit 1134.

[0278] In one embodiment, the wording extraction unit 1144 refers to the wording template database 1162 and extracts at least one wording associated with the evaluation item determined by the evaluation item determination unit 1134 as a candidate appeal wording (which may be simply referred to as an appeal wording). As will be described later, the wording template database 1162 stores one or more evaluation items and one or more words used in advertising or sales promotion in association with each other.

[0279] In another embodiment, the wording extraction unit 1144 refers to the wording template database 1162 and extracts at least one wording associated with the product type of the product 12 as an appeal wording. As described later, the wording template database 1162 stores one or more product types and one or more words used for advertising or sales promotion in association with each other.

[0280] In still another embodiment, the statement extraction unit 1144 refers to the statement template database 1162 and extracts, as appeal statements, at least one statement associated with the evaluation item determined by the evaluation item determination unit 1134 and at least one statement associated with the product type of the product 12. In this case, a plurality of statements are extracted as appeal statements. At least one of the plurality of statements may be a statement associated with the evaluation item determined by the evaluation item determination unit 1134.

[0281] In this embodiment, the word extraction unit 1144 may extract at least one word based on the appeal mode determined by the appeal mode determination unit 1142. This allows the word extraction unit 1144 to narrow down the number of words to be extracted. For example, when an image-appeal type appeal mode is determined, the word extraction unit 1144 preferentially extracts emotional words. For example, when an impact-appeal type appeal mode is determined, the word extraction unit 1144 preferentially extracts words that call attention.

[0282] In this embodiment, the layout extraction unit 1146 determines the layout of the in-store advertisement 1022. The layout extraction unit 1146 determines the layout of the in-store advertisement 1022 based on the evaluation items determined by the evaluation item determination unit 1134, for example.

[0283] For example, the layout extraction unit 1146 refers to the layout template database 1164 and extracts at least one layout associated with the evaluation items determined by the evaluation item determination unit 1134 as a candidate layout (sometimes simply referred to as a layout) for the in-store advertisement 1022. As described later, the layout template database 1164 stores one or more evaluation items in association with one or more layouts related to advertising materials or sales promotion materials.

[0284] In this embodiment, the layout extraction unit 1146 may extract at least one layout based on the appeal mode determined by the appeal mode determination unit 1142. This allows the layout extraction unit 1146 to narrow down the number of layouts to be extracted.

[0285] In this embodiment, the image extraction unit 1148 determines an image to be used in the in-store advertisement 1022. The image extraction unit 1148 determines an image to be used in the in-store advertisement 1022 based on, for example, the evaluation items determined by the evaluation item determination unit 1134. The image may be a moving image or a still image. The still image may be a photograph or an illustration.

[0286] For example, the image extraction unit 1148 refers to at least one of the item image database 1166 and the background image database 1168, and extracts at least one image associated with the evaluation item determined by the evaluation item determination unit 1134 as a candidate image (sometimes simply referred to as an image) to be used in the in-store advertisement 1022. As described later, the item image database 1166 and the background image database 1168 store one or more evaluation items in association with one or more images used for advertisement or sales promotion.

[0287] In this embodiment, the image extraction unit 1148 may extract at least one image based on the appeal mode determined by the appeal mode determination unit 1142. This allows the image extraction unit 1148 to narrow down the number of images to be extracted.

[0288] In this embodiment, the candidate presentation unit 1152 generates candidates for the in-store advertisement 1022. The candidate presentation unit 1152 may present the candidates to the seller 50. For example, the candidate presentation unit 1152 presents the candidates to the seller 50 by transmitting data of the candidates for the in-store advertisement 1022 to a communication terminal used by the seller 50.

[0289] The candidate presentation unit 1152 generates one or more candidates for the in-store advertisement 1022 based on at least one appeal statement extracted by the statement extraction unit 1144 and at least one layout extracted by the layout extraction unit 1146. The candidate presentation unit 1152 may generate one or more candidates for the in-store advertisement 1022 based on at least one appeal statement extracted by the statement extraction unit 1144, at least one layout extracted by the layout extraction unit 1146, and at least one image extracted by the image extraction unit 1148.

[0290] In this embodiment, the advertisement determination unit 1154 determines the in-store advertisement 1022 based on one of the one or more candidates generated by the candidate presentation unit 1152. For example, based on an instruction from the seller 50 to which the one or more candidates have been presented, the advertisement determination unit 1154 determines one of the one or more candidates generated by the candidate presentation unit 1152 as a draft of the in-store advertisement 1022. For example, based on an instruction from the seller 50, the advertisement determination unit 1154 modifies the draft of the in-store advertisement 1022 to complete the in-store advertisement 1022. The advertisement determination unit 1154 may output data of the completed in-store advertisement 1022 to an information processing terminal used by the seller 50.

[0291] In this embodiment, the storage unit 1160 stores various types of information. In one embodiment, the storage unit 1160 stores various types of information used in information processing in the sales promotion support unit 1020. In another embodiment, the storage unit 1160 stores various types of information generated by information processing in the sales promotion support unit 1020.

[0292] In this embodiment, the wording template database 1162 stores, for example, one or more evaluation items and one or more wordings used in advertising or sales promotion in association with each other. The wording template database 1162 stores, for example, one or more product types and one or more wordings used in advertising or sales promotion in association with each other.

[0293] In this embodiment, the layout template database 1164 stores, for example, one or more evaluation items and one or more layouts related to advertising materials or sales promotion materials in association with each other. In this embodiment, the item image database 1166 stores, for example, one or more products, images of the products. The item image database 1166 may store, for example, one or more evaluation items and one or more images of the products in association with each other for one or more products. In this embodiment, the background image database 1168 stores, for example, one or more evaluation items and one or more background images used for advertising or sales promotion in association with each other.

[0294] The wording template database 1162 may be an example of a first wording storage unit or a second wording storage unit. A user associated with the product 12 or the in-store advertisement 1022 may be an example of a target of the advertisement or the sales promotion. The in-store advertisement 1022 may be an example of advertising materials or sales promotion materials for the product. The appeal wording may be an example of a wording.

[0295] (An example of another embodiment) In this embodiment, an example of the sales promotion support unit 1020 has been described, taking as an example a case where the wording extraction unit 1144 determines a catch copy or catch phrase based on the appeal mode determined by the appeal mode determination unit 1142, and the layout extraction unit 1146 determines a layout based on the appeal mode determined by the appeal mode determination unit 1142. However, the sales promotion support unit 1020 is not limited to this embodiment. In other embodiments, the sales promotion support unit 1020 may not include the appeal mode determination unit 1142.

[0296] In the present embodiment, an example of the sales promotion support unit 1020 has been described in which the phrase extraction unit 1144 extracts one or more appeal phrases by referring to data stored in the phrase template database 1162. However, the sales promotion support unit 1020 is not limited to the present embodiment.

[0297] In another embodiment, the wording extraction unit 1144 may input the evaluation items determined by the evaluation item determination unit 1134 to the trained estimation model, and set at least one wording output by the estimation model as a candidate for the appeal wording described above. The wording extraction unit 1144 may input the evaluation items indicated by the evaluation information acquired by the evaluation information acquisition unit 1132 and / or the evaluation items indicating the attributes of the target determined by the target attribute determination unit 1124 to the trained estimation model, and set at least one wording output by the estimation model as a candidate for the appeal wording described above.

[0298] The estimation model is created by performing machine learning using training data in which, for example, appealing statements used in in-store advertisements created in the past are associated with evaluations by the suppliers of the products in the in-store advertisements and / or evaluation items indicating the attributes of the targets of the in-store advertisements. The learning method of the estimation model is not limited to the above-mentioned method.

[0299] In the present embodiment, an example of the sales promotion support unit 1020 has been described, taking as an example a case where the layout extraction unit 1146 extracts one or more layouts by referring to data stored in the layout template database 1164. However, the sales promotion support unit 1020 is not limited to the present embodiment.

[0300] In another embodiment, the layout extraction unit 1146 may input the evaluation items determined by the evaluation item determination unit 1134 to the trained estimation model, and set at least one layout output by the estimation model as a candidate for the above-described layout. The layout extraction unit 1146 may input the evaluation items indicated by the evaluation information acquired by the evaluation information acquisition unit 1132 and / or the evaluation items indicating the attributes of the target determined by the target attribute determination unit 1124 to the trained estimation model, and set at least one layout output by the estimation model as a candidate for the above-described layout.

[0301] The estimation model is created by performing machine learning using training data in which, for example, a layout used in a previously created in-store advertisement is associated with an evaluation by a supplier of the product in the in-store advertisement, and / or an evaluation item indicating the attributes of the target of the in-store advertisement. The learning method of the estimation model is not limited to the above-mentioned method.

[0302] In the present embodiment, an example of the sales promotion support unit 1020 has been described in which the image extraction unit 1148 extracts one or more images by referring to data stored in the item image database 1166 and the background image database 1168. However, the sales promotion support unit 1020 is not limited to the present embodiment.

[0303] In another embodiment, the image extraction unit 1148 may input the evaluation items determined by the evaluation item determination unit 1134 to the trained estimation model, and set at least one image output by the estimation model as a candidate for the above-mentioned image. The image extraction unit 1148 may input the evaluation items indicated by the evaluation information acquired by the evaluation information acquisition unit 1132 and / or the evaluation items indicating the attributes of the target determined by the target attribute determination unit 1124 to the trained estimation model, and set at least one image output by the estimation model as a candidate for the above-mentioned image.

[0304] The estimation model is created by performing machine learning using training data in which images used in previously created in-store advertisements are associated with evaluations by product suppliers of the products in the in-store advertisements and / or evaluation items indicating the attributes of the targets of the in-store advertisements. The learning method of the estimation model is not limited to the above-mentioned method.

[0305] Fig. 12 shows an example of the contents of instructions indicated by the instruction data. As described in relation to Fig. 10, the instruction data indicates the specifications of the evaluation sample 1054 and / or the position or range in which the evaluation sample 1054 is arranged. Fig. 12 shows an example of the position or range in which the evaluation sample 1054 is arranged (sometimes referred to as a presentation mode) indicated by the instruction data.

[0306] According to one embodiment, the instructional data indicates that the evaluation sample 1054 should be printed or affixed to the box 1052 in the manner shown in presentation 1222. Presentation 1222 places the evaluation sample 1054 on the outer surface of the top flap of the box 1052. In this case, the lid of the box 1052 protects the evaluation sample 1054, thereby preventing the evaluation sample 1054 from being soiled. Also, the evaluation sample 1054 is prevented from being soiled by the product 12 or dirt or mud adhering to the product 12.

[0307] According to another embodiment, the instruction data indicates that the evaluation sample 1054 should be printed or affixed to the box 1052 in the manner shown in the presentation aspect 1224. According to the presentation aspect 1224, the evaluation sample 1054 is placed on the surface of the inner surface of the top flap of the box 1052. In this case, the evaluation sample 1054 is protected by the lid of the box 1052, so that the evaluation sample 1054 is prevented from being soiled. Also, when the evaluation sample 1054 is placed as part of the simplified measurement kit, the simplified measurement kit can more accurately measure the condition inside the box 1052.

[0308] According to yet another embodiment, the instructional data indicates that the evaluation sample 1054 should be printed or affixed to the box 1052 in the manner shown in presentation aspect 1226. According to presentation aspect 1226, the evaluation sample 1054 is disposed on the outer surface of the box 1052. In this case, the consumer 44 can easily place the product 12 in proximity to the evaluation sample 1054.

[0309] 13 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the contents of instructions indicated by the instruction data. According to this embodiment, the instruction data indicates that the first evaluation sample 1054 should be enclosed with the product 12 inside the box 1052. In this embodiment, the evaluation sample 1054 is printed or attached to a part of the enclosed document 1320, which is a document enclosed with the product 12 inside the box 1052, for example. The instruction data also indicates that the simplified temperature measurement kit 1330 in which the second evaluation sample 1054 is arranged should be enclosed with the product 12 inside the box 1052. In this case, the simplified temperature measurement kit 1330 is enclosed with the product 12 inside the box 1052 together with the enclosed document 1320 in which the evaluation sample 1054 is arranged.

[0310] 12 and 13 , the seller 50 can place an appropriate evaluation sample 1054 in an appropriate position in the box 1052 by performing the packing work of the product 12 in accordance with instructions from the packing support unit 1040. In this manner, the packing support unit 1040 can support the packing work of the product 12.

[0311] 14 illustrates an example of an internal configuration of the packing support unit 1040. In this embodiment, the packing support unit 1040 includes an order information acquisition unit 1422, a user information acquisition unit 1424, an evaluation information acquisition unit 1426, a specification determination unit 1442, an arrangement determination unit 1444, and a determination criterion storage unit 1446.

[0312] In this embodiment, the order information acquisition unit 1422, for example, accesses the order management unit 426 of the sales management unit 420 to acquire various information related to the product 12 to be shipped. For example, the order information acquisition unit 1422 acquires information such as the type of product 12, the producer 20 who produced the product 12, the distributor 30 who distributed the product 12, the operator of the logistics system 160 that delivers the product 12 (sometimes referred to as a deliverer), the sender of the product 12, and the delivery destination of the product 12.

[0313] In this embodiment, the user information acquisition unit 1424, for example, refers to the user information storage unit 444 of the customer management unit 440 to acquire various information on users related to the product 12. Examples of users related to the product 12 include the producer 20 who produced the product 12, the distributor 30 who distributed the product 12, the operator of the logistics system 160 that delivers the product 12, and the consumer 44 who purchased the product 12.

[0314] In this embodiment, the evaluation information acquisition unit 1426, for example, refers to the evaluation information storage unit 466 of the evaluation management unit 460 to acquire various information related to users related to the product 12. Examples of users related to the product 12 include the producer 20 who produced the product 12, the distributor 30 who distributed the product 12, the operator of the logistics system 160 that delivers the product 12, and the consumer 44 who purchased the product 12.

[0315] In this embodiment, the specification determination unit 1442 determines the specifications of each of the one or more evaluation samples 1054 to be delivered to the consumer 44 together with the product 12. The specification determination unit 1442 determines the specifications of each of the one or more evaluation samples 1054 based on, for example, the decision criteria stored in the decision criteria storage unit 1446.

[0316] As described above, one or more evaluation samples 1054 are delivered with the box 1052 and are used to determine the condition of the product 12. Therefore, by delivering an evaluation sample 1054 of appropriate specifications with the box 1052, the condition of the product 12 can be properly determined.

[0317] For example, the specification determination unit 1442 determines the specifications of each of the one or more evaluation samples 1054 based on (i) the type of product 12, (ii) the distance the product 12 is delivered to, (iii) the time required to deliver the product 12, (iv) the weather at the destination of the delivery destination of the product 12, (v) the attributes of the seller 50 who ships the product 12, (vi) the attributes of the consumer 44 who receives the product 12, (vii) the attributes of the delivery person who delivers the product 12, and (viii) at least one of the pattern and color of the surface of the box 1052, and combinations thereof.

[0318] The time required for delivery of the product 12 may be a typical value for that time or a predicted value. The time required for delivery of the product 12 may be determined based on the delivery means of the product 12. The weather at the delivery destination of the product 12 may be a typical weather at the time when the product 12 is delivered or a predicted value. Examples of the weather include weather, temperature, and humidity. Examples of the attributes of the deliverer include the care with which the item is handled, and the delivery record of items that are easily damaged.

[0319] Examples of the specifications of each of the one or more evaluation samples 1054 include (i) the type of evaluation object of each of the one or more evaluation samples 1054, (ii) at least one of the size, shape, pattern, and color of each of the one or more evaluation samples 1054, and (iii) at least one of the hardness of each of the one or more evaluation samples 1054.

[0320] The specification determination unit 1442 determines the attributes of the seller 50, for example, based on evaluations by recipients of other items previously shipped by the seller 50, of the other items or the seller 50. The specification determination unit 1442 determines the attributes of the consumer 44, for example, based on evaluations by the consumer 44 of other items previously received by the consumer 44. The specification determination unit 1442 determines the attributes of the deliverer, for example, based on evaluations by sellers or consumers of other items previously delivered by the deliverer, of other items or deliverers.

[0321] In this embodiment, the placement determination unit 1444 determines the location or range in the box 1052 for each of the one or more evaluation samples 1054 that are delivered to the consumer 44 together with the product 12. The placement determination unit 1444 determines the location or range in the box 1052 for each of the one or more evaluation samples 1054 based on, for example, the determination criteria stored in the determination criteria storage unit 1446.

[0322] As described above, in one embodiment, the evaluation sample 1054 is disposed on a portion of the surface of the box 1052. In another embodiment, the evaluation sample 1054 is disposed on at least a portion of the contents contained within the box 1052.

[0323] In this embodiment, the determination criteria storage unit 1446 stores information indicating criteria used by the specification determination unit 1442 to determine the specifications of each of the one or more evaluation samples 1054 delivered to the consumer 44 together with the product 12. In one embodiment, the determination criteria storage unit 1446 stores information indicating criteria used by the specification determination unit 1442 to determine the specifications of each of the one or more evaluation samples 1054 delivered to the consumer 44 together with the product 12. In another embodiment, the placement determination unit 1444 stores information indicating criteria used to determine the position or range in the box 1052 for each of the one or more evaluation samples 1054 delivered to the consumer 44 together with the product 12.

[0324] The determination criterion storage unit 1446 stores, for example, the type of product 12 and the type of specifications of one or more evaluation samples 1054 to be delivered to the consumer 44 together with the product 12 in association with each other. This allows the specification determination unit 1442 to determine one or more evaluation samples 1054 to be delivered to the consumer 44 together with the product 12 based on the type of product 12 as a criterion.

[0325] For example, if the product 12 is an item that is prone to discoloration due to time or external forces, the determination criterion storage unit 1446 stores information indicating the type of product 12 and information indicating a color sample that can determine the degree of discoloration of the product 12 in association with each other. The color sample that can determine the degree of discoloration of the product 12 may be a combination of multiple color samples. For example, the determination criterion storage unit 1446 stores information indicating the type of product 12, identification information of a color sample related to the original color or preferred color of the product 12, and identification information of a color sample related to the color of the product 12 after discoloration in association with each other.

[0326] The determination criterion storage unit 1446 stores, for example, the type of packaging material and the respective positions of the one or more evaluation samples 1054 on the packaging material in association with each other. The determination criterion storage unit 1446 may store, for example, the type of packaging material and the positions at which the evaluation sample 1054 can be placed on the packaging material in association with each other. This allows the specification determination unit 1442 to determine the respective positions of the one or more evaluation samples 1054 on the packaging material based on the type of packaging material.

[0327] 15 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a data configuration of a data table 1500. The data table 1500 may be an example of a decision criterion stored in the decision criterion storage unit 1446. In one embodiment, the data table 1500 is used to determine the type of the evaluation sample 1054. In another embodiment, the data table 1500 is used to determine the placement of the evaluation sample 1054 in the box 1052.

[0328] In this embodiment, the data table 1500 stores in association with each other the product type 1520, the evaluation sample type 1540, and the arrangement 1560 of the evaluation sample 1054. Examples of the arrangement 1560 include the position of the evaluation sample 1054 in the box 1052 (sometimes referred to as the presentation position), and a means for arranging the evaluation sample 1054 at the presentation position (sometimes referred to as the arrangement mode).

[0329] Examples of arrangement modes of the evaluation sample 1054 include a method of printing the specified evaluation sample 1054 on the box 1052, or a method of preparing a box 1052 with the specified evaluation sample 1054 printed on it, a method of affixing the specified evaluation sample 1054 to the box 1052, or a method of preparing a box 1052 with the specified evaluation sample 1054 affixed on it, and a method of enclosing the specified evaluation sample 1054 in the box 1052.

[0330] The position where the evaluation sample 1054 is presented may be, for example, a part of the surface of the box 1052, or at least a part of the enclosed material, etc. The enclosed material may be, for example, various documents, various simple measurement kits, etc.

[0331] FIG. 16 shows an example of a computer 3000 in which multiple aspects of the present invention may be embodied in whole or in part. At least a part of the transaction management system 100 may be realized by the computer 3000. For example, the management server 110 is realized by the computer 3000. For example, the control unit 220 of the production robot 120 is realized by the computer 3000. For example, the sales support server 180 is realized by the computer 3000. For example, the control device of the fruit sorting system 140 is realized by the computer 3000. For example, the control device of the logistics system 160 is realized by the computer 3000. In addition, at least a part of the communication terminal 22, the communication terminal 32, and the communication terminal 42 may be realized by the computer 3000.

[0332] A program installed on the computer 3000 may cause the computer 3000 to function as or perform operations associated with an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention or one or more "parts" of the apparatus, and / or to perform a process or steps of the process according to an embodiment of the present invention. Such a program may be executed by the CPU 3012 to cause the computer 3000 to perform certain operations associated with some or all of the blocks of the flowcharts and block diagrams described herein.

[0333] The computer 3000 according to this embodiment includes a CPU 3012, a RAM 3014, a GPU 3016, and a display device 3018, which are connected to each other by a host controller 3010. The computer 3000 also includes input / output units such as a communication interface 3022, a hard disk drive 3024, a DVD-ROM drive 3026, and an IC card drive, which are connected to the host controller 3010 via an input / output controller 3020. The computer also includes legacy input / output units such as a ROM 3030 and a keyboard 3042, which are connected to the input / output controller 3020 via an input / output chip 3040.

[0334] The CPU 3012 operates according to a program stored in the ROM 3030 and the RAM 3014, thereby controlling each unit. The GPU 3016 acquires image data generated by the CPU 3012 into a frame buffer or the like provided in the RAM 3014 or into the GPU 3016 itself, and causes the image data to be displayed on the display device 3018.

[0335] The communications interface 3022 communicates with other electronic devices via a network. The hard disk drive 3024 stores programs and data used by the CPU 3012 in the computer 3000. The DVD-ROM drive 3026 reads programs or data from the DVD-ROM 3001 and provides the programs or data to the hard disk drive 3024 via the RAM 3014. The IC card drive reads programs and data from an IC card and / or writes programs and data to an IC card.

[0336] The ROM 3030 stores therein a boot program or the like executed by the computer 3000 upon activation, and / or a program that depends on the hardware of the computer 3000. The input / output chip 3040 may also connect various input / output units to the input / output controller 3020 via a parallel port, a serial port, a keyboard port, a mouse port, etc.

[0337] The programs are provided by a computer-readable storage medium such as a DVD-ROM 3001 or an IC card. The programs are read from the computer-readable storage medium, installed in the hard disk drive 3024, the RAM 3014, or the ROM 3030, which are also examples of computer-readable storage media, and executed by the CPU 3012. Information processing described in these programs is read by the computer 3000, and brings about cooperation between the programs and the various types of hardware resources described above. An apparatus or method may be constructed by realizing an operation or processing of information according to the use of the computer 3000.

[0338] For example, when communication is performed between computer 3000 and an external device, CPU 3012 may execute a communication program loaded in RAM 3014 and instruct communication interface 3022 to perform communication processing based on the processing described in the communication program. Under the control of CPU 3012, communication interface 3022 reads transmission data stored in a transmission buffer area provided in RAM 3014, hard disk drive 3024, DVD-ROM 3001, or a recording medium such as an IC card, and transmits the read transmission data to the network, or writes reception data received from the network to a reception buffer area or the like provided on the recording medium.

[0339] Furthermore, CPU 3012 may cause all or a necessary portion of a file or database stored in an external recording medium such as hard disk drive 3024, DVD-ROM drive 3026 (DVD-ROM 3001), an IC card, etc. to be read into RAM 3014, and perform various types of processing on the data on RAM 3014. CPU 3012 may then write back the processed data to the external recording medium.

[0340] Various types of information, such as various types of programs, data, tables, and databases, may be stored in the recording medium and undergo information processing. The CPU 3012 may perform various types of processing on the data read from the RAM 3014, including various types of operations, information processing, conditional judgment, conditional branching, unconditional branching, information search / replacement, etc., as described throughout this disclosure and specified by the instruction sequence of the program, and writes back the results to the RAM 3014. The CPU 3012 may also search for information in a file, database, etc. in the recording medium. For example, when a plurality of entries each having an attribute value of a first attribute associated with an attribute value of a second attribute are stored in the recording medium, the CPU 3012 may search for an entry whose attribute value of the first attribute matches a specified condition from among the plurality of entries, read the attribute value of the second attribute stored in the entry, and thereby obtain the attribute value of the second attribute associated with the first attribute that satisfies a predetermined condition.

[0341] The above-described programs or software modules may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium on the computer 3000 or in the vicinity of the computer 3000. In addition, a recording medium such as a hard disk or a RAM provided in a server system connected to a dedicated communication network or the Internet can be used as a computer-readable storage medium, thereby providing the above-described programs to the computer 3000 via the network.

[0342] Although the present invention has been described above using the embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. It is clear to those skilled in the art that various modifications or improvements can be made to the above embodiments. In addition, the matters described for a specific embodiment can be applied to other embodiments to the extent that they are not technically inconsistent. It is clear from the claims that such modified or improved forms can also be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

[0343] It should be noted that the order of execution of each process, such as operations, procedures, steps, and stages, in the devices, systems, programs, and methods shown in the claims, specifications, and drawings is not specifically stated as "before," "prior to," etc., and may be realized in any order unless the output of a previous process is used in a later process. Even if the operational flow in the claims, specifications, and drawings is explained using "first," "next," etc. for convenience, it does not mean that it is essential to perform the process in this order.

[0344] For example, the present specification discloses the following: Note that each step of the control method described below may be executed by a computer. (Item A-1) A management device for managing evaluations of an item, an evaluation information acquisition unit that acquires evaluation information indicating an evaluation result for at least one of P items (P is an integer of 2 or more) related to the product; a viewer information acquisition unit that acquires viewer information indicating behavioral characteristics, interests, or preferences of a viewer who views the evaluation of the item; a first item determination unit that determines, based on the viewer information acquired by the viewer information acquisition unit, Q items (Q is a positive integer equal to or less than P) from among the P items to be used in deriving an evaluation value of the item indicating a degree of evaluation of the item; A management device comprising: (Item A-2) The P items of goods are classified into multiple categories, The first item determination unit determines, from among the plurality of categories, one or more categories to be used for presenting the evaluation to the viewer, based on at least one of the behavioral characteristics, interests, and preferences of the viewer indicated by the viewer information. The management device described in item A-1. (Item A-3) The P items of goods are classified into multiple categories, The first item determination unit is determining one or more categories to be used for presenting the evaluation to the viewer from among the plurality of categories based on at least one selected from the group consisting of the type of the article, an instruction from the viewer, and behavioral characteristics, interests, and preferences of the viewer indicated by the viewer information; determining the Q items, the Q items including one or more items included in the one or more categories, based on at least one of behavioral characteristics, interests, and preferences of the viewer as indicated by the viewer information; The management device described in item A-1. (Item A-4) a first item evaluation unit that calculates an evaluation value for each of the Q items based on the one or more pieces of evaluation information related to the item acquired by the evaluation information acquisition unit; an item evaluation unit that calculates an evaluation value of the item based on the evaluation value for each of the Q items calculated by the first item evaluation unit and a weight assigned to each of the Q items; Further comprising: The management device according to any one of items A-1 to A-3. (Item A-5) The product evaluation unit determines the weight value to be assigned to each of the Q items based on at least one of the behavioral characteristics, interests, and preferences of the viewer indicated by the viewer information. The management device described in item A-4. (Item A-6) The evaluation information acquisition unit a first evaluation information acquisition unit that acquires first evaluation information indicating the results of evaluations of at least one of the P items related to the first item by consumers who have received a first item that has been traded in the past or who have used or consumed the first item; a distribution information acquisition unit that acquires distribution status information indicating a status of the first item in at least a portion of a distribution process of the first item; a correction unit that corrects an evaluation result for at least one of the P items related to the first item indicated by the first evaluation information based on the state of the first item indicated by the distribution state information; Further comprising: The management device according to any one of items A-1 to A-5. (Item A-7) The evaluation information acquisition unit a first evaluation information acquisition unit that acquires first evaluation information indicating the results of evaluations of at least one of the P items related to the first item by consumers who have received a first item that has been traded in the past or who have used or consumed the first item; an inspection information acquisition unit that acquires inspection information indicating a time point at which the first item is inspected or evaluated by the consumer; a correction unit that corrects an evaluation result for at least one of the P items regarding the first item indicated by the first evaluation information based on an inspection time or evaluation time of the first item indicated by the inspection information; Further comprising: The management device according to any one of items A-1 to A-5. (Item A-8) A production information acquisition unit that acquires production information indicating a time point of production or a time point of shipment of the first item, The correction unit corrects a result of the evaluation of at least one of the P items related to the first item indicated by the first evaluation information based on a length of a period between a production time or a shipping time of the first item indicated by the production information and an inspection time or an evaluation time of the first item indicated by the inspection information. A management device as described in item A-7. (Item A-9) The first item is fresh food, or agricultural, marine or livestock products; The correction unit corrects a result of evaluation of at least one of the P items regarding the first item indicated by the first evaluation information, further based on at least one of a place of origin and a category of the first item. The management device according to any one of items A-6 to A-8. (Item A-10) A management device for managing evaluations of an item, an evaluation information acquisition unit that acquires evaluation information indicating a result of evaluation of at least one of P items (P is an integer of 2 or more) related to the product; a second item evaluation unit that calculates an evaluation value for each of the P items based on the one or more pieces of evaluation information related to the item acquired by the evaluation information acquisition unit; a second item determination unit that determines, from among the P items, Q items (Q is a positive integer equal to or less than P) to be used in determining an evaluation of the product based on the evaluation values ​​for each of the P items calculated by the second item evaluation unit; a receiver extraction unit that refers to a receiver information storage unit that stores one or more receiver information indicating respective behavioral characteristics, interests, or preferences of one or more receivers capable of receiving information related to the item, and extracts receivers having behavioral characteristics, interests, or preferences related to the Q items determined by the second item determination unit; A generating unit that determines an evaluation of the item using the Q items and generates information about the item including information indicating the evaluation of the item; a transmission unit that transmits information about the item to a communication terminal of the recipient extracted by the recipient extraction unit; A management device comprising: (Item A-11) A program for causing a computer to function as the management device according to any one of items A-1 to A-10. (Item A-12) A method for managing evaluations of an item, comprising: An evaluation information acquisition step of acquiring evaluation information indicating an evaluation result for at least one of P items (P is an integer of 2 or more) related to the product; A viewer information acquisition step of acquiring viewer information indicating behavioral characteristics, interests, or preferences of a viewer who views the evaluation of the item; a first item determination step of determining Q items (Q is a positive integer equal to or less than P) to be presented to the viewer from among the P items based on the viewer information acquired in the viewer information acquisition step; A management method comprising:

[0345] For example, the present specification discloses the following: Note that each step of the control method described below may be executed by a computer. (Item B-1) A management device for managing evaluations of an item, a support unit that supports input of an evaluation result of the first product by a consumer who has received the first product traded in the past or who has used or consumed the first product; Equipped with The above support department: a distribution information acquisition unit that acquires at least one of (i) distribution status information indicating a status of the first item in at least a portion of the distribution process of the first item, and (ii) distribution period information indicating the length of the period between the time of production or shipping of the first item and the time of inspection or evaluation of the first item by the consumer; an evaluation item determination unit that determines the type of one or more items for the consumer to evaluate the first item based on at least one of the state of the first item indicated by the distribution state information and the length of the period indicated by the distribution period information; an input support data generating unit that generates input support data for supporting the consumer in inputting an evaluation result for each of the one or more items determined by the evaluation item determining unit; an assistance data transmission unit that transmits the input assistance data to the communication terminal of the consumer; having Management device. (Item B-2) the evaluation item determination unit determines the type of one or more items for the consumer to evaluate the first item based on at least one of the state of the first item indicated by the distribution state information and the length of the period indicated by the distribution period information, and at least one of the place of origin and item of the first item; The management device according to item B-1. (Item B-3) The evaluation item determination unit is If the condition of the first item indicated by the distribution status information is worse than a predetermined standard, or if the length of the period indicated by the distribution period information is greater than a predetermined value, so that the number of the one or more evaluation items is smaller than when the condition of the first item indicated by the distribution condition information is better than a predetermined standard, or when the length of the period indicated by the distribution period information is shorter than a predetermined value; Determine the type of evaluation item(s) listed above; The management device according to item B-1 or B-2. (Item B-4) The above support department: a screen generating unit for generating input screen data for generating an input screen for the consumer to input an evaluation result for the first product; having The management device according to any one of items B-1 to B-3. (Item B-5) A management device for managing evaluations of an item, an evaluation storage unit for storing evaluation information indicating the evaluation of the item; a first evaluation information acquisition unit that acquires first evaluation information indicating evaluation results of the first product by consumers who have received the first product that was traded in the past or who have used or consumed the first product; a distribution information acquisition unit that acquires at least one of (i) distribution status information indicating a status of the first item in at least a portion of the distribution process of the first item, and (ii) distribution period information indicating the length of the period between the time of production or shipping of the first item and the time of inspection or evaluation of the first item by the consumer; Equipped with The first evaluation information acquisition unit is (a) determining to store the first evaluation information in the evaluation storage unit when at least one of the state of the first item indicated by the distribution state information and the length of the period indicated by the distribution period information meets a predetermined condition; (b) if at least one of the state of the first item indicated by the distribution state information and the length of the period indicated by the distribution period information does not match the predetermined condition, (i) decide not to store at least a portion of the evaluation result indicated by the first evaluation information in the evaluation storage unit, (ii) correct at least a portion of the evaluation result indicated by the first evaluation information, or (iii) decide to associate the first evaluation information with information indicating that at least a portion of the evaluation result indicated by the first evaluation information may be invalid and store it in the evaluation storage unit. Management device. (Item B-6) When at least one of the state of the first item indicated by the distribution state information and the length of the period indicated by the distribution period information does not match the predetermined condition, a correction unit that corrects an evaluation result for at least one of one or more evaluation items related to the first item, which is indicated by the first evaluation information, based on at least one selected from the group consisting of (i) at least one of the place of origin and the item of the first item, (ii) the condition of the first item in at least a part of the distribution process of the first item, and (iii) the length of a period indicated by the distribution period information; Further comprising: The management device described in item B-5. (Item B-7) The state of the first article includes at least one selected from the group consisting of an acceleration applied to the first article, a temperature and illuminance of the surrounding environment of the first article, and a concentration of a specific substance in the surrounding environment of the first article. The management device according to any one of items B-1 to B-6. (Item B-8) The specific substance is one or more substances selected from the group consisting of water, oxygen, carbon dioxide and ethylene. The management device according to item B-7. (Item B-9) a second evaluation information acquisition unit that acquires second evaluation information indicating an evaluation result of the first item by a supplier that produced or transferred the first item; a deviation determination unit that determines whether or not a deviation between an evaluation result based on the second evaluation information and an evaluation result based on the first evaluation information exceeds a predetermined level for each of the one or more items for evaluating the first article; Further comprising: The management device according to any one of items B-1 to B-8. (Item B-10) a notification unit that notifies at least one of the supplier and the consumer of information indicating at least one of the state of the first item indicated by the distribution state information and the length of the period indicated by the distribution period information when the deviation degree determination unit determines that the deviation degree exceeds a predetermined degree; Further comprising: The management device according to any one of items B-1 to B-9. (Item B-11) A program for causing a computer to function as the information processing device according to any one of items B-1 to B-10. (Item B-12) A method for managing evaluations of an item, comprising: a data input assistance step of transmitting input assistance data to a communication terminal of a consumer who has received a first product traded in the past or who has used or consumed the first product, for assisting the consumer in inputting an evaluation result for the first product; an input assistance data generating step of generating the input assistance data; a distribution information acquisition step of acquiring at least one of (i) distribution status information indicating the status of the first item in at least a part of the distribution process of the first item, and (ii) distribution period information indicating the length of the period between the time of production or shipping of the first item and the time of inspection or evaluation of the first item by the consumer; having The assistance data generation step includes: determining the type of one or more evaluation items for the consumer to evaluate the first item based on at least one of the state of the first item indicated by the distribution state information and the length of the period indicated by the distribution period information; Including, Management method. [Explanation of symbols]

[0346] 12 items 14 items 20 Producers 22 Communication terminals 30 Distributors 32 Communication terminals 40 Consumer 42 Communication terminals 44 Consumer 46 Consumers 50 Sellers 100 Trade Management System 110 Management Server 112 Transaction Management Department 114 Distribution Management Department 120 Production Robot 130 Base Unit 132 Mobile Unit 134 Imaging unit 136 Sensor Unit 138 Work Units 140 Fruit sorting system 160 Logistics System 180 Sales support server 220 Control Unit 222 Control Program 224 OS 226 Driver 230 Power Supply Unit 250 Vibration Control Unit 280 Balance Adjustment Unit 294 Firmware 420 Sales Management Department 422 EC Site Management Department 424 Input section 426 Order Management Department 428 Product Management Department 440 Customer Management Department 442 User information acquisition unit 444 User information storage section 460 Evaluation Management Department 462 Evaluation Department 464 Evaluation and Correction Department 466 Evaluation Information Storage Unit 540 Product Description Screen 542 Product description text 544 Product Images 546 Product Evaluation Images 560 Product Description Screen 566 Product Evaluation Images 620 Rating input screen 622 Input Form 624 Input Form 640 Rating input screen 642 Input Form 644 Input Form 740 Rating input screen 744 Input Form 750 Messages 820 Trade Support Department 822 Evaluation information extraction unit 824 User Information Extraction Unit 826 1st item determination section 828 Item 1 Evaluation Section 830 Product Evaluation Department 832 Transaction screen generation unit 840 Matching Support Department 842 Item 2 Evaluation Section 844 2nd item determination section 846 Recipient Extraction Unit 848 Notification generator 860 Data Transmission Unit 912 Distribution Status Determination Department 914 Distribution Period Determination Department 920 Evaluation Support Department 922 Input item determination section 924 Input screen generation unit 926 Input screen transmission unit 932 Supply Side Evaluation Acquisition Department 934 Demand Side Assessment and Acquisition Department 936 Evaluation Data Control Section 942 Deviation Judgment Unit 944 Deviation Notification Department 1020 Sales Promotion Support Department 1022 In-store advertising 1040 Packaging Support Department 1052 boxes 1054 Evaluation Sample 1122 User information acquisition unit 1124 Target Attribute Determination Unit 1132 Evaluation Information Acquisition Unit 1134 Evaluation Item Decision Department 1140 Advertising data generation unit 1142 Appeal Mode Determination Division 1144 Word extraction section 1146 Layout Extraction Unit 1148 Image Extraction Unit 1152 Candidate presentation section 1154 Advertising Decision Department 1160 Storage Unit 1162 Wording template database 1164 Layout template database 1166 Item Image Database 1168 Background Image Database 1222 Presentation mode 1224 Presentation mode 1226 Presentation style 1320 Enclosed Documents 1330 Simple Temperature Measurement Kit 1422 Order Information Acquisition Department 1424 User information acquisition unit 1426 Evaluation Information Acquisition Unit 1442 Specification Decision Department 1444 Placement determination section 1446 Decision Criteria Storage Unit 1500 Data Table 1520 Product Type 1540 Evaluation sample type 1560 placement 3000 Computers 3001 DVD-ROM 3010 Host Controller 3012 CPU 3014 RAM 3016 GPU 3018 Display Device 3020 I / O Controller 3022 Communication Interface 3024 Hard Disk Drive 3026 DVD-ROM drive 3030 ROM 3040 I / O chip 3042 Keyboard

Claims

1. An information generating device that generates information used for advertising or promoting a product, an evaluation information acquisition unit that acquires evaluation information indicating a result of an evaluation of the product by a supplier of the product for each of one or more evaluation items; an evaluation item determination unit that determines an evaluation item to be used for the advertisement or the sales promotion from among the one or more evaluation items based on the evaluation information acquired by the evaluation information acquisition unit; a word extraction unit that refers to a first word storage unit that stores the one or more evaluation items in association with one or more words used in advertising or sales promotion, and extracts at least one word associated with the evaluation item determined by the evaluation item determination unit; An information generating device comprising:

2. a layout extraction unit that refers to a layout storage unit that stores one or more layouts related to advertising materials or sales promotion materials in association with each of the one or more evaluation items, and extracts at least one layout associated with the evaluation item determined by the evaluation item determination unit; a candidate generation unit that generates one or more candidates for advertising materials or sales promotion materials for the product based on the at least one word extracted by the word extraction unit and the at least one layout extracted by the layout extraction unit; Further comprising: The information generating device according to claim 1 .

3. the wording extraction unit extracts a plurality of words associated with the evaluation items determined by the evaluation item determination unit by referring to at least one of (i) the first wording storage unit and (ii) a second wording storage unit that stores one or more product types in association with one or more words used in advertising or sales promotion; the word extraction unit extracts at least one of the plurality of words by referring to the first word storage unit; 3. The information generating device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. A target attribute determination unit that determines attributes of a target of the advertisement or the sales promotion, The evaluation item determination unit determines evaluation items to be used for the advertisement or the sales promotion further based on the attributes of the target determined by the target attribute determination unit. The information generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The evaluation item determination unit, Based on the evaluation information acquired by the evaluation information acquisition unit and information indicating the attributes of the target determined by the target attribute determination unit, Among the one or more evaluation items, an evaluation item that is characteristic of the product and is expected to have an appealing effect on the target is determined as an evaluation item to be used in the advertisement or the sales promotion. The information generating device according to claim 4.

6. The evaluation item determination unit, determining at least one evaluation item characteristic of the product based on the evaluation information acquired by the evaluation information acquisition unit; determining at least one evaluation item that is expected to have an appealing effect on the target based on the attributes of the target determined by the target attribute determination unit; The information generating device according to claim 5 .

7. An appeal mode determination unit that determines an appeal mode of the advertisement or the sales promotion based on at least one of the evaluation information acquired by the evaluation information acquisition unit and information indicating the attributes of the target determined by the target attribute determination unit, The phrase extraction unit extracts the at least one phrase based on the aspect of the appeal determined by the appeal aspect determination unit. The information generating device according to any one of claims 4 to 6.

8. An appeal mode determination unit that determines an appeal mode of the advertisement or the sales promotion based on the evaluation information acquired by the evaluation information acquisition unit, The phrase extraction unit extracts the at least one phrase based on the aspect of the appeal determined by the appeal aspect determination unit. The information generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

9. A program for causing a computer to function as the information generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. An information generation method for generating information to be used for advertising or promoting a product, using a computer, comprising: an evaluation information acquisition step in which the computer acquires evaluation information indicating a result of an evaluation of the product by a supplier of the product for each of one or more evaluation items; an evaluation item determination step in which the computer determines an evaluation item to be used for the advertisement or the sales promotion from among the one or more evaluation items based on the evaluation information acquired in the evaluation information acquisition step; a word extraction step in which the computer refers to a first word storage device that stores the one or more evaluation items in association with one or more words used in advertising or sales promotion, and extracts at least one word associated with the evaluation item determined in the evaluation item determination step; An information generating method comprising:

Images