Information processing device and information processing system

Abstract

To provide a technology capable of providing a purchase route based on congestion conditions.SOLUTION: An information processing device includes a first acquisition unit, a first identification unit, a second acquisition unit, a route creation unit, and an output unit. The first acquisition unit acquires information about at least one commodity to be purchased based on user input. The first identification unit identifies an area of the at least one commodity to be purchased based on the information about the at least one commodity to be purchased acquired by the first acquisition unit. The second acquisition unit acquires congestion information for each area within a shop. The route creation unit creates a route based on the area of the at least one commodity to be purchased identified by the first identification unit and the congestion information acquired by the second acquiring unit. The output unit outputs the route created by the route creation unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] An embodiment of the present invention relates to an information processing device and an information processing system. [Background technology]

[0002] In commercial facilities, customers may concentrate in a specific area depending on the time of day, etc., and it may become crowded. Various measures have been taken to avoid crowding in commercial facilities for the purpose of preventing the spread of infectious diseases caused by pathogens such as viruses. For example, a technology is known that displays the congestion status in a store or around a cash register to customers. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2007-133847 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, presenting the congestion status does not provide customers with a means to proactively avoid congestion.

[0005] The problem to be solved by the embodiments of the present invention is to provide a technology that enables the provision of a purchasing route based on the congestion situation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In one embodiment, the information processing device includes a first acquisition unit, a first identification unit, a second acquisition unit, a route creation unit, and an output unit. The first acquisition unit acquires information about at least one product to be purchased based on a user's input. The first identification unit identifies an area for the at least one product to be purchased based on the information about the at least one product to be purchased acquired by the first acquisition unit. The second acquisition unit acquires congestion information for each area in the store. The route creation unit creates a route based on the area for the at least one product to be purchased identified by the first identification unit and the congestion information acquired by the second acquisition unit. The output unit outputs the route created by the route creation unit. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an information processing system according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a route according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing another example of the route according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an information processing procedure by the server according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a route according to the second embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an information processing procedure by the server according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] [First embodiment] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals as much as possible, and duplicated explanations will be omitted. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an information processing system S according to the first embodiment. The information processing system S includes a server 1, a plurality of sensors 2, and a terminal 3. The server 1, the sensors 2, and the terminal 3 are communicatively connected to each other via a network. For example, the network is a LAN (Local Area Network). The network may include a wireless network or a wired network. The server 1, the sensors 2, and the terminal 3 are communicatively connected to each other via the network. For example, the network may include a wireless network or a wired network. The information processing system S may also refer to a system including at least two devices among the server 1, the sensors 2, and the terminal 3.

[0009] The server 1 is an electronic device that collects and processes data. The server 1 is connected to the sensor 2 and the terminal 3 via a network so as to be able to communicate freely. The sensor 2 and the terminal 3 are used, for example, in a commercial facility such as a store. The server 1 receives various data from the sensor 2 or the terminal 3, and outputs the data processing results to the terminal 3. The server 1 is an example of an information processing device. An example of the configuration of the server 1 will be described later.

[0010] The multiple sensors 2 detect the positions of multiple users who are in the store. The sensors 2 are attached to the ceiling of the store, for example. The sensors 2 may be provided along the customer passage in the store, for example. As the sensors 2, well-known camera sensors such as optical cameras, infrared cameras, TOF (Time of Flight) cameras, and stereo cameras may be used. In addition, beacon terminals that transmit beacon signals including IDs by radio waves may be placed in various places in the store, and the server 1 may detect the user's position in combination with the terminal 3 carried by the user. The position information of the user detected by the sensor 2 or the beacon signal may be accumulated in the server 1 in chronological order as position information data together with the detection date and time. The user may be interpreted as a customer, a purchaser, or a person.

[0011] The terminal 3 is an electronic device capable of communicating with other electronic devices. The terminal 3 is, for example, a device used by a user who is in the store. For example, the terminal 3 is a smartphone or a tablet terminal. The terminal 3 is an example of an information processing terminal. An example of the configuration of the terminal 3 will be described later.

[0012] An example of the configuration of the server 1 will be described. The server 1 is an electronic device including a processor 11, a main memory 12, an auxiliary storage device 13, and a communication interface 14. Each component of the server 1 is connected to each other so as to be able to input and output signals. In Fig. 1, the interface is written as "I / F".

[0013] The processor 11 corresponds to the central part of the server 1. For example, the processor 11 is a CPU (Central Processing Unit), but is not limited to this. The processor 11 may be composed of various circuits. The processor 11 loads a program that is pre-stored in the main memory 12 or the auxiliary storage device 13 into the main memory 12. The program is a program that causes the processor 11 of the server 1 to realize or execute each unit described below. The processor 11 executes the program loaded into the main memory 12 to perform various operations.

[0014] The main memory 12 corresponds to the main storage portion of the server 1. The main memory 12 includes a nonvolatile memory area and a volatile memory area. The main memory 12 stores an operating system or programs in the nonvolatile memory area. The main memory 12 uses the volatile memory area as a work area where data is appropriately rewritten by the processor 11. For example, the main memory 12 includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) as a nonvolatile memory area. For example, the main memory 12 includes a RAM (Random Access Memory) as a volatile memory area. The main memory 12 stores programs.

[0015] The auxiliary storage device 13 corresponds to the auxiliary storage portion of the server 1. The auxiliary storage device 13 is an EEPROM (registered trademark) (Electric Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), an HDD (Hard Disc Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), or the like. The auxiliary storage device 13 stores the above-mentioned programs, data used by the processor 11 in performing various processes, and data generated by the processes in the processor 11. The auxiliary storage device 13 stores the above-mentioned programs.

[0016] The auxiliary storage device 13 stores area information 131 , related product information 132 , and congestion information 133 . The area information 131 includes records constituting data associating product identification information, area identification information of the area in which each product is displayed, and display position information in which each product is displayed. Each record included in the area information 131 corresponds to area information. Product identification information is unique identification information assigned to each product in order to identify the product individually. Product identification information may be assigned to each individual product, or may be assigned to each product category or each product type. The area in which each product is displayed is a section including the position of the display shelf in which each product is displayed. The position of the display shelf in which each product is displayed is also called the product position. A section is a section obtained by dividing the floor area in a store by a certain area. The area in which products are displayed is also called the product area or area. An area is also called a section, block, or region. An example will be described in which each area is the same rectangle, but the shape and size of each area may be different. Area identification information is unique identification information assigned to each area in order to identify each area. The display position information is information that indicates the position of the display shelf on which each product is displayed. The display position information is also referred to as information that indicates the position of the product.

[0017] The related product information 132 includes records constituting data associating product identification information with information on related products. Each record included in the related product information 132 corresponds to related product information. The related products are products related to each product. The related products are, for example, products recommended for purchase by customers who purchase each product. The related products are also called recommended products. For example, the related products may be seasonings used for each product, products cooked at the same time as each product, products often purchased at the same time as each product, etc. For example, products related to bread may be butter, cheese, jam, eggs, ham, coffee, etc. Products related to chicken may be flour, salt, pepper, seasonings for chicken dishes, etc. At least one related product may be assigned to each product, and a common related product may be assigned to multiple products. The information on related products includes product identification information of the related products, recommendation information of the related products, etc. The recommendation information may include product features, discount information, review information, etc. The information on related products corresponds to information related to the related products.

[0018] The congestion information 133 includes records constituting data associating area identification information with congestion information for each area. Each record included in the congestion information 133 corresponds to congestion information. The congestion information is information indicating the degree of congestion of customers for each area. The degree of congestion is, for example, a value calculated by calculating the density of customers for each area. The density of customers is calculated, for example, by counting the number of customers in each area. The number of customers may be counted based on location information of customers detected using the sensor 2 or a beacon signal. The degree of congestion may be determined based on a predefined threshold value regarding the number of customers in an area. For example, the degree of congestion is determined by classifying a value calculated based on data detected using the sensor 2 or a beacon signal into a plurality of levels, such as three levels. For example, if the number of people per square meter is 0 to 0.4 people, it is determined as "Level 1", if it is 0.5 to 0.7 people, it is determined as "Level 2", and if it is 0.8 people or more, it is determined as "Level 3". For example, "Level 1" indicates a low degree of congestion, and "Level 3" indicates a high degree of congestion. The degree of congestion may be the density of customers itself. The congestion degree is an example of congestion information. The congestion degree may be the current congestion degree or may be a degree predicted from the current congestion degree. The congestion degree may be determined by a known determination method. The congestion information 133 may be updated every time the congestion degree is determined. The congestion information 133 may be updated every time location information of a customer is detected. The congestion information 133 may be updated at a constant time interval set in advance. The congestion information 133 is based on the processing of the processor 11, as exemplified below. The processor 11 acquires location information of a plurality of customers in the store detected by using the sensor 2 or a beacon signal via a network. The processor 11 may acquire location information of a plurality of customers at a preset fixed time interval. The processor 11 counts the number of customers in each area based on the acquired location information of the plurality of customers and the location information of each area identified by the area identification information. The processor 11 calculates the density of customers in each area based on the counted number of customers in each area. The processor 11 determines the degree of congestion in each area based on the calculated density of customers in each area. The processor 11 may compare the calculated density of customers in each area with a threshold value associated with each of the above-mentioned levels. The processor 11 may determine the degree of congestion in each area by a level based on the comparison result. The processor 11 stores the congestion information 133 in which information indicating the determined degree of congestion in each area is associated with the area identification information in the auxiliary storage device 13. The processor 11 updates the information indicating the degree of congestion in each area, among the congestion information 133 stored in the auxiliary storage device 13, based on the above process each time the position information of multiple customers is obtained.

[0019] The communication interface 14 includes various interfaces that communicably connect the server 1 to other electronic devices via a network in accordance with a predetermined communication protocol.

[0020] The hardware configuration of the server 1 is not limited to the above-mentioned configuration. The server 1 allows the above-mentioned components to be omitted or changed and new components to be added as appropriate.

[0021] Each unit implemented in the above-mentioned processor 11 will be described. The processor 11 implements a first acquisition unit 110, a second acquisition unit 111, a third acquisition unit 112, a first identification unit 113, a second identification unit 114, a determination unit 115, a route creation unit 116, and an output unit 117. Each unit implemented in the processor 11 can also be referred to as each function. Each unit implemented in the processor 11 can also be referred to as being implemented in a control unit including the processor 11 and the main memory 12.

[0022] The first acquisition unit 110 acquires information about a product to be purchased based on an input from the user through the communication interface 14 from the terminal 3. The product to be purchased is a product that the user plans to purchase in the store. The product to be purchased is a product that can be identified by product identification information. The product to be purchased is input by the user through the input device 35 of the terminal 3 prior to purchase at the store. The user starts a dedicated application program in advance on the terminal 3 and registers as a member. After completing the member registration, the user inputs the product to be purchased through the input device 35 in accordance with the application program. Note that a user who has previously registered as a member may log in to a dedicated application program and input the product to be purchased through the input device 35. The product to be purchased is also referred to as a product on a shopping list. The product to be purchased does not include products that the user actually acquires in the store. The acquisition of a product by the user includes the meanings of "registering a product," "picking up a product," and "putting a product in a shopping cart."

[0023] The second acquisition unit 111 acquires the degree of congestion for each area in the store from the congestion information 133.

[0024] The third acquiring unit 112 acquires information on related products from the related product information 132.

[0025] The first specifying unit 113 specifies the area of ​​the product to be purchased by referring to the area information 131, based on the information on the product to be purchased acquired by the first acquiring unit 110. The first specifying unit 113 specifies the area of ​​the product to be purchased, based on the area identification information associated with the product to be purchased.

[0026] The second identification unit 114 identifies the area of ​​the related products by referring to the area information 131, based on the information on the related products acquired by the third acquisition unit 112. The second identification unit 114 identifies the area of ​​the related products, based on area identification information associated with the related products.

[0027] The determination unit 115 determines a recommended product from among the related products based on the area of ​​the related products identified by the second identification unit 114 and the congestion degree acquired by the second acquisition unit 111. The recommended product is a related product selected from the related products and presented to a customer. For example, the recommended product is a related product displayed in an area with a low congestion degree. The area with a low congestion degree may be an area with a congestion degree below a threshold value.

[0028] The route creation unit 116 creates a route based on the area of ​​the product to be purchased identified by the first identification unit 113 and the congestion degree acquired by the second acquisition unit 111. The route is a route or a path along which a customer moves in the store to acquire the product. The route has a store entrance as a starting point and a cash register as a finishing point. The route may have the customer's current location as a starting point. The route may be a route for acquiring the product to be purchased, or may be a route for acquiring recommended products in addition to the product to be purchased. The route creation unit 116 may update the route by a user's operation. The user's operation may include an input by the user via the input device 35 and a reading operation by the user via the reading device 37. Creating a route includes updating the route.

[0029] The output unit 117 outputs the route created by the route creation unit 116 to the terminal 3 via the communication interface 14. The output unit 117 outputs information about the recommended products determined by the determination unit 115 to the terminal 3 via the communication interface 14. The output unit 117 may output at least one of the route and information about the recommended products. The output unit 117 may change the output mode of the recommended products depending on whether the area of ​​the recommended products is close to the route. The proximity of the product area to the route corresponds to the product area being within a predetermined range from the route. In the following description, "output" may be read as "transmit".

[0030] An example of the configuration of the terminal 3 will be described. The terminal 3 is an electronic device including a processor 31, a main memory 32, an auxiliary storage device 33, a communication interface 34, an input device 35, a display device 36, and a reading device 37. Each part constituting the terminal 3 is connected to each other so as to be able to input and output signals.

[0031] The processor 31 corresponds to the central part of the terminal 3. The processor 31 has the same hardware configuration as the above-mentioned processor 11. The processor 31 executes a program stored in advance in the main memory 32 or the auxiliary storage device 33, thereby performing various operations.

[0032] The main memory 32 corresponds to a main storage portion of the terminal 3. The main memory 32 has the same hardware configuration as the above-mentioned main memory 12. The main memory 32 stores programs.

[0033] The auxiliary storage device 33 corresponds to the auxiliary storage portion of the terminal 3. The auxiliary storage device 33 has the same hardware configuration as the above-mentioned auxiliary storage device 13. The auxiliary storage device 33 stores the above-mentioned programs.

[0034] The communication interface 34 includes various interfaces that connect the terminal 3 to other devices so that they can communicate with each other via a network in accordance with a predetermined communication protocol.

[0035] The input device 35 is a device capable of inputting data or instructions to the terminal 3. For example, the input device 35 is a keyboard or a touch panel, etc. The input device 35 may include a microphone that enables voice input.

[0036] The display device 36 is a device capable of displaying various screens under the control of the processor 31. For example, the display device 36 is a liquid crystal display or an EL (Electroluminescence) display.

[0037] The reading device 37 is a device capable of reading various data. For example, the reading device 37 includes a scanner capable of reading data from a code symbol. The code symbol is a two-dimensional code symbol such as a barcode symbol and a QR code (registered trademark). The reading device 37 includes an imaging device such as a camera capable of reading data from a code symbol. The camera may be a type that reads a code symbol by scanning with a laser beam, or a type that reads a code symbol from an image captured by an imaging device. For example, the reading device 37 reads a code symbol attached to a product and registers the purchased product.

[0038] The audio output device 38 is a device capable of outputting sound under the control of the terminal 3 .

[0039] The hardware configuration of the terminal 3 is not limited to the above-mentioned configuration. The terminal 3 allows the omission or modification of the above-mentioned components and the addition of new components as appropriate.

[0040] The route displayed on the display device 36 will now be described. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a route according to the first embodiment.

[0041] 2 shows an example of a route displayed on the display device 36 of the terminal 3. The route displayed on the display device 36 is a route output by the output unit 117. The output unit 117 outputs a schematic diagram of the inside of the store including the route to the display device 36. The output unit 117 outputs the degree of congestion for each area to the display device 36 in a form that allows the degree of congestion to be identified.

[0042] FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of the inside of a store. As shown in FIG. 2, the inside of the store is divided into areas obtained by dividing the floor area of ​​the store by a certain area. For example, areas with a high degree of congestion in the store are indicated in an identifiable manner. In the example of FIG. 2, the areas with a high degree of congestion are indicated by diagonal lines. In FIG. 2, black circles indicate products that the user of the terminal 3 plans to purchase. For example, the route creation unit 116 creates a route for acquiring the products that the user plans to purchase. In one example, the route creation unit 116 creates a route that avoids areas with a high degree of congestion. In FIG. 2, the route created by the route creation unit 116 is indicated by an arrow. Stars indicate recommended products. For example, the determination unit 115 determines, from among products related to the product to be purchased, a related product that is displayed in an area with a low degree of congestion as a recommended product. The process of determining recommended products will be described later. In FIG. 2, recommended products determined by the determination unit 115 are indicated by stars. In one example, the determination unit 115 determines the recommended product without comparing the route and the position of the area of ​​the recommended product. The recommended product corresponds to the recommended product to be output. As shown in FIG. 2, the recommended products displayed in the area within a predetermined range from the route and the recommended products displayed in the area other than the area within the predetermined range from the route are displayed. The predetermined range is, for example, within a radius of 2 meters or within a radius of 5 meters from each position on the route. The predetermined range may be the range of each area through which the route passes. The predetermined range may be the range of each area through which the route passes and each area adjacent to each area through which the route passes that is not through which the route passes. The predetermined range may be the range from each area through which the route passes to each area sandwiching one or more areas through which the route does not pass. The predetermined range may be set in advance or may be updated as appropriate by a store manager or the like.

[0043] As a specific example, a case will be described where the products to be purchased by the user of the terminal 3 are "bread", "ham", and "cheese". The route creation unit 116 creates a route to acquire "bread", "ham", and "cheese". The route creation unit 116 creates a route that avoids highly congested areas. The route creation unit 116 first determines "bread" that is displayed in an area that is not highly congested and is closest to the store entrance, which is the user's current location, as a first point. Next, the route creation unit 116 passes through a route that avoids highly congested areas and determines "cheese" that is displayed in an area close to the first point "bread" as a second point. Here, the route creation unit 116 creates a route that does not pass through areas C-14 and C-15 in order to avoid areas C-14 and C-15 that are highly congested. Next, the route creation unit 116 creates a route that connects the second point "cheese" to the final point "ham" through a route that avoids highly congested areas. The route creation unit 116 creates a route from the final point "ham" to the cash register, avoiding highly congested areas. Here, the route creation unit 116 creates a route that does not pass through areas G-5, G-6, and G-7 in order to avoid highly congested areas G-5, G-6, and G-7. As described above, the route creation unit 116 creates a route that connects the points "bread," "ham," and "cheese," avoiding highly congested areas. The route created by the route creation unit 116 may be a route different from the shortest route connecting each point.

[0044] In this example, the third acquisition unit 112 acquires information about related products of "bread," "ham," and "cheese," which are products that the user of the terminal 3 plans to purchase. The determination unit 115 determines, from among the related products, related products that are displayed in areas that are not highly crowded, as recommended products. In this example, the determination unit 115 determines "tomato," "coffee," and "egg" as recommended products. In FIG. 2, "tomato," "coffee," and "egg" are displayed as recommended products. In this example, "tomato" and "coffee" displayed in an area off the route and "egg" displayed in an area close to the route are both displayed.

[0045] According to this example, the display device 36 can display a route for acquiring the product that the user plans to purchase while avoiding highly congested areas. Therefore, the user can acquire the product while avoiding highly congested areas by moving along the route. In addition, the display device 36 can display information on recommended products that are related to the product that the user plans to purchase and are displayed in less crowded areas. Therefore, if the user is interested in a recommended product, the user will deviate from the route to acquire the recommended product, but will be able to avoid highly congested areas.

[0046] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing another example of the route according to the first embodiment.

[0047] 3 shows another example of a route displayed on the display device 36 of the terminal 3. The route displayed on the display device 36 is the route output by the output unit 117.

[0048] FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of the inside of a store, similar to FIG. 2, and highly crowded areas are shown in an identifiable manner. In FIG. 3, black circles indicate products that the user of the terminal 3 plans to purchase. The route creation process by the route creation unit 116 is similar to the process in the example of FIG. 2. Stars indicate recommended products. For example, the determination unit 115 determines related products displayed in areas with low congestion levels as recommended candidate products from among related products of the product to be purchased. In this example, the determination unit 115 performs a comparison between the route and the positions of the areas of the recommended candidate products. The determination unit 115 determines the recommended candidate products displayed in areas within a predetermined range from the route as recommended products. The determination process of the recommended products will be described later. The recommended products correspond to the recommended products to be output. The recommended candidate products correspond to the recommended products in the example of FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 3, only recommended products displayed in areas within a predetermined range from the route are displayed.

[0049] As a specific example, a case will be described in which the products to be purchased by the user of terminal 3 are "bread", "ham", and "cheese", similar to the example of Fig. 2. The route creation unit 116 creates a route to acquire "bread", "ham", and "cheese", similar to the example of Fig. 2.

[0050] The third acquisition unit 112 acquires information on related products of "bread", "ham", and "cheese" which are products that the user of the terminal 3 plans to purchase. The determination unit 115 determines, from among the related products, related products that are displayed in areas that are not highly crowded, as recommended candidate products. In this example, the determination unit 115 determines "tomato", "coffee", and "egg" as recommended candidate products. Furthermore, the determination unit 115 determines, from among "tomato", "coffee", and "egg", a recommended product that is displayed in an area within a predetermined range from the route. In this example, the determination unit 115 determines "egg" as a recommended product. In FIG. 3, only "egg" displayed in an area within a predetermined range from the route is displayed as a recommended product.

[0051] According to this example, the display device 36 can display the route for acquiring the product that the user plans to purchase, and information on recommended products that are displayed in areas that are within a predetermined range from the route and are not highly crowded. Therefore, if the user is interested in a recommended product, the user can acquire the recommended product without straying from the route that avoids highly crowded areas.

[0052] The processing procedure by the information processing system S will be described. In the following description mainly focusing on the server 1, the server 1 may be read as the processor 11. Similarly, in the following description mainly focusing on the terminal 3, the terminal 3 may be read as the processor 31. Note that the processing procedure described below is merely an example, and each process may be changed as much as possible. Also, in the processing procedure described below, steps may be omitted, replaced, or added as appropriate depending on the embodiment.

[0053] Here, it is assumed that the user of the terminal 3 plans to purchase "bread," "ham," and "cheese" at store A, which handles fresh foods such as a supermarket. The user is assumed to have completed membership registration in a dedicated application program. When the user registers as a member, a unique member ID is issued to the user. The member ID is set, for example, in the terminal 3 owned by the user. Prior to making a purchase at store A, the user inputs the products to be purchased, "bread," "ham," and "cheese," via the input device 35 in the terminal 3. The products to be purchased may be product categories such as bread and chicken, or product items, or product names such as "XX bread." The products to be purchased may be products arbitrarily input by the user, or may be products selected by the user from a plurality of products presented by the application program.

[0054] The user checks in via a check-in device installed at the entrance of store A. For example, when the user starts a dedicated application program on terminal 3, a barcode or two-dimensional code representing the member ID is displayed on display device 36. The user reads the member ID via the check-in device and checks in. The member ID may be recorded on an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), an IC card, a magnetic card, or the like. Check-in using the member ID may be performed by a known process.

[0055] When a user checks in, the sensor 2 detects the user's location. The sensor 2 is assumed to be installed in store A. The user reads the code symbols attached to the products displayed in store A using the reading device 37, and registers the purchased products.

[0056] The server 1 performs the following information processing in response to the user's check-in. In the following description, "in response" may be read as "based on".

[0057] The procedure of information processing by the server 1 will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an information processing procedure by the server 1 according to the first embodiment. The first acquisition unit 110 acquires information on at least one product to be purchased based on a user's input from the terminal 3 via the communication interface 14 (ACT101). In ACT101, for example, the first acquisition unit 110 acquires product identification information associated with at least one product to be purchased. The first acquisition unit 110 may acquire product identification information associated with each product to be purchased. The first acquisition unit 110 may acquire product identification information associated with the category of each product to be purchased or the item type of the product.

[0058] The first identifying unit 113 identifies an area for at least one of the products to be purchased based on information about the at least one product to be purchased acquired by the first acquiring unit 110 (ACT102). In ACT102, for example, the first identifying unit 113 refers to the area information 131 and acquires display position information and area identification information based on product identification information associated with the product to be purchased. The first identifying unit 113 identifies the area for the product to be purchased based on the area identification information.

[0059] The second acquisition unit 111 refers to the congestion information 133 and acquires the degree of congestion for each area in the store (ACT 103).

[0060] The route creation unit 116 creates a route based on the area of ​​at least one of the products to be purchased identified by the first identification unit 113 and the congestion degree acquired by the second acquisition unit 111 (ACT104). In ACT104, for example, the route creation unit 116 compares the congestion degree of the area of ​​at least one of the products to be purchased with a threshold value. The route creation unit 116 determines the order of acquiring the products to be purchased from among the products to be purchased displayed in an area where the congestion degree is less than the threshold value, based on the current location of the user detected using the sensor 2 or a beacon signal. The route creation unit 116 determines the location of the product to be purchased closest to the current location of the user from among the products to be purchased displayed in an area where the congestion degree is less than the threshold value, as the first point. The route creation unit 116 creates a route that connects the current location of the user and the first point, avoiding areas where the congestion degree is equal to or greater than the threshold value. Next, the route creation unit 116 determines the location of the product that is closest to the first location among the products that are displayed in an area where the degree of congestion is less than the threshold as the second location. The route creation unit 116 creates a route that connects the first location and the second location and avoids areas where the degree of congestion is equal to or greater than the threshold. The route creation unit 116 performs the same process for the remaining products that are displayed.

[0061] The route creation unit 116 may create a route by placing the order of the products to be purchased displayed in an area where the degree of congestion is equal to or greater than a threshold behind the products to be purchased displayed in an area where the degree of congestion is less than the threshold. The route creation unit 116 may determine the order of acquiring the products to be purchased displayed in an area where the degree of congestion is equal to or greater than a threshold in ascending order of the degree of congestion, according to the degree of congestion.

[0062] The route creation unit 116 may create routes in sequence according to the order in which the products to be purchased are acquired, avoiding areas where the degree of congestion is equal to or higher than a threshold.

[0063] A case where the congestion degree of the area where the products "bread", "ham", and "cheese" to be purchased by the user are displayed is "1" for the "bread" area, "2" for the "ham" area, and "1" for the "cheese" area will be described with reference to FIG. 2. The threshold of the congestion degree is "3". For example, the route creation unit 116 compares the congestion degree of each of "bread", "ham", and "cheese" with the threshold. The route creation unit 116 determines that the congestion degree of "bread", "ham", and "cheese" is less than the threshold. The route creation unit 116 determines that "bread", which is displayed in the area closest to the entrance, which is the user's current location, is the first location, out of "bread", "ham", and "cheese". The route creation unit 116 creates a route that connects the user's current location and the first location, avoiding areas with a congestion degree equal to or greater than the threshold. Next, the route creation unit 116 determines that "cheese", which is displayed in an area close to the first location "bread", is the second location. The route creation unit 116 creates a route connecting the first location and the second location, avoiding areas where the degree of congestion is equal to or greater than a threshold. In the example of FIG. 2, the route creation unit 116 creates a route that avoids areas C-14 and C-15 where the degree of congestion is equal to or greater than a threshold. Next, the route creation unit 116 creates a route connecting the second location and the final location "Ham" that avoids areas where the degree of congestion is equal to or greater than a threshold. Next, the route creation unit 116 creates a route connecting the final location and the cash register, avoiding areas where the degree of congestion is equal to or greater than a threshold. In the example of FIG. 2, the route creation unit 116 creates a route that avoids areas G-5, G-6, and G-7 where the degree of congestion is equal to or greater than a threshold.

[0064] According to this example, the route creation unit 116 can create a route based on the area of ​​the product to be purchased and the congestion level of each area in the store. This allows the route creation unit 116 to create a route to acquire the product to be purchased while avoiding highly crowded areas. Therefore, the server 1 can provide a product purchase route based on the congestion level in the store. The user of the terminal 3 can acquire the product to be purchased along a route that avoids highly crowded areas.

[0065] In the above example, the route creation unit 116 determines the order of acquiring the products to be purchased first, and then determines the route, but this is not limited to the above. The route creation unit 116 may comprehensively determine the route based on the user's current location, the location of the products to be purchased, and the congestion level.

[0066] The third acquisition unit 112 refers to the related product information 132 to acquire information on related products related to at least one of the products to be purchased (ACT105). In ACT105, for example, the third acquisition unit 112 acquires information on related products for each of the at least one product to be purchased. The third acquisition unit 112 acquires product identification information of related products for each product to be purchased. The third acquisition unit 112 may acquire recommendation information on related products for each product to be purchased.

[0067] The second identification unit 114 identifies the area of ​​the related product from the area information 131 based on the information on the related product acquired by the third acquisition unit 112 (ACT106). In ACT106, for example, the second identification unit 114 refers to the area information 131 and acquires display position information and area identification information based on product identification information associated with the related product. The second identification unit 114 identifies the area of ​​the product to be purchased based on the area identification information.

[0068] The determination unit 115 determines a recommended product from among the related products based on the area of ​​the related products identified by the second identification unit 114 and the congestion degree acquired by the second acquisition unit 111 (ACT107). In ACT107, for example, the determination unit 115 determines a recommended product based on the congestion degree associated with the area of ​​the related products.

[0069] In one example, the determination unit 115 compares the congestion degree of the area of ​​the related product with a threshold. The determination unit 115 determines the recommended product based on the result of comparing the congestion degree of the area of ​​the related product with the threshold. In response to the congestion degree of the area of ​​the related product being less than the threshold, the determination unit 115 determines the related product as a recommended product. On the other hand, in response to the congestion degree of the area of ​​the related product being equal to or greater than the threshold, the determination unit 115 determines the related product as not a recommended product.

[0070] According to this example, the determination unit 115 can determine a recommended product from among related products based on the area of ​​the related products and the congestion level of each area in the store. This allows the determination unit 115 to determine a related product displayed in an area with a low congestion level as a recommended product. Therefore, the server 1 can provide the recommended product displayed in an area with a low congestion level to the user of the terminal 3. The user of the terminal 3 can obtain the recommended product along a route that avoids areas with a high congestion level. Furthermore, if the product to be purchased is in an area with a high congestion level, the user of the terminal 3 can avoid the area with a high congestion level by moving to the position of the recommended product.

[0071] In another example, the determination unit 115 determines a recommended product depending on whether the area of ​​the related product identified by the second identification unit 114 is within a predetermined range from the route. The determination unit 115 compares the congestion degree of the area of ​​the related product with a threshold. The determination unit 115 determines a recommended candidate product based on a comparison result between the congestion degree of the area of ​​the related product and the threshold. In response to the congestion degree of the area of ​​the related product being less than the threshold, the determination unit 115 determines the related product as a recommended candidate product. On the other hand, in response to the congestion degree of the area of ​​the related product being equal to or greater than the threshold, the determination unit 115 determines the related product as not being a recommended candidate product. Based on the display position information of the recommended candidate product, the determination unit 115 determines a recommended candidate product displayed in an area within a predetermined range from the route as a recommended product. The determination unit 115 determines a recommended candidate product displayed in an area not within a predetermined range from the route as not being a recommended product.

[0072] According to this example, the determination unit 115 can determine the recommended product depending on whether the area of ​​the related product is within a predetermined range from the route for acquiring the planned purchase product. In this way, the determination unit 115 can determine the related product displayed in an area close to the route as the recommended product. Therefore, the server 1 can provide the user of the terminal 3 with the recommended product displayed in an area close to the route that avoids highly congested areas. The user of the terminal 3 can acquire the recommended product along the route without passing through highly congested areas.

[0073] The output unit 117 outputs the route created by the route creation unit 116 and information about the recommended product determined by the determination unit 115 to the terminal 3 via the communication interface 14 (ACT108). In ACT108, for example, the output unit 117 outputs at least one of the route created by the route creation unit 116 and information about the recommended product determined by the determination unit 115 to the terminal 3. The output unit 117 outputs the position of the recommended product as information about the recommended product. The output unit 117 may output recommendation information about the recommended product in addition to or instead of the position of the recommended product. The processor 31 displays at least one of the route and information about the recommended product on the display device 36.

[0074] The output unit 117 may output, as information about the recommended product, a message indicating that the area of ​​the recommended product is less crowded. For example, when the congestion degree of the area of ​​the product to be purchased is equal to or higher than a threshold, the output unit 117 may output, as information about the recommended product, a message indicating that the highly crowded area can be avoided by stopping by the area of ​​the recommended product.

[0075] The output unit 117 may output information about the recommended product in any format, such as a symbol, an icon, text, audio, or video.

[0076] In addition, when outputting the route, the output unit 117 may change whether or not to output information about the recommended product depending on the degree of congestion of at least one area of ​​the product to be purchased. In one example, when the route creation unit 116 determines that the degree of congestion of the areas of all the products to be purchased is less than a threshold, the output unit 117 may display only the route created by the route creation unit 116. In this case, the processes of ACT105 to ACT107 may be omitted. In this way, the server 1 can urge the user of the terminal 3 to acquire the product to be purchased without making a detour while the degree of congestion of the area of ​​the product to be purchased is low.

[0077] In another example, when the route creation unit 116 determines that the congestion level of the area of ​​the next product to be purchased along the route from the user's current location is equal to or higher than a threshold value, the output unit 117 may output information about the recommended product. In this example, the output unit 117 may output information about the recommended product displayed in an area close to the route, at least between the user's current location and the area of ​​the next product to be purchased along the route. This allows the server 1 to encourage the user of the terminal 3 to make a detour before reaching the location of the product to be purchased in an area with a high congestion level. The congestion level of the area of ​​the product to be purchased may decrease over time by the time the user of the terminal 3 reaches the location of the product to be purchased.

[0078] If the route creation unit 116 determines that the congestion levels of all areas of the products to be purchased are equal to or higher than a threshold, a route may be created with the position of the recommended product as the first point. In this example, the server 1 can provide a route that actively avoids highly congested areas by guiding the user to the position of the recommended product before the user moves to the position of the product to be purchased in the highly congested area.

[0079] The route creation unit 116 may create the shortest route based on the user's current location and the display position information of the product to be purchased. In this case, the output unit 117 displays the shortest route or a route that avoids highly congested areas according to the selection of the user of the terminal 3. In this example, the server 1 can provide a route according to the user's selection.

[0080] The route creation unit 116 may update the route when the user's current location is detected using the sensor 2 or a beacon signal, or when the user acquires a product to be purchased. The update process is the same as the process of the flowchart shown in FIG. 4. In this example, when a route connecting the user's current location and the position of the product to be purchased on the route updated by the route creation unit 116 passes through an area with a congestion degree equal to or higher than a threshold, the determination unit 115 may determine, as a recommended product, a related product displayed on the route that avoids the area with a congestion degree equal to or higher than a threshold. The route creation unit 116 may create a route connecting the user's current location and the recommended product as a first point. In this example, the server 1 can provide a route that avoids highly crowded areas updated according to the user's current location.

[0081] [Second embodiment] The second embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. The same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. In the second embodiment, the differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

[0082] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a route according to the second embodiment.

[0083] 5 shows an example of a route displayed on the display device 36 of the terminal 3. The route displayed on the display device 36 is a route output by the output unit 117. The output unit 117 outputs a schematic diagram of the inside of the store including the route to the display device 36. The output unit 117 outputs the degree of congestion for each area to the display device 36 in a distinguishable manner.

[0084] FIG. 5, like FIG. 2, shows a schematic diagram of the inside of a store, with highly congested areas clearly indicated. In FIG. 5, black circles indicate products that the user of terminal 3 plans to purchase. Stars indicate recommended products determined by the determination unit 115. The recommended products correspond to the recommended products to be output. For example, the route creation unit 116 creates a route for acquiring the products that the user plans to purchase and the recommended products. In one example, the route creation unit 116 creates a route that avoids highly congested areas connecting the points of the products that the user plans to purchase and the recommended products. In FIG. 5, the route created by the route creation unit 116 is indicated by an arrow.

[0085] As a specific example, a case will be described where the products to be purchased by the user of terminal 3 are "bread", "ham", and "cheese". The third acquisition unit 112 acquires information on related products of the products to be purchased, "bread", "ham", and "cheese". The determination unit 115 determines, from among the related products, related products that are displayed in areas with low congestion as recommended products. In this example, the determination unit 115 determines "tomato", "coffee", and "egg" as recommended products. The route creation unit 116 creates a route to acquire the products to be purchased, "bread", "ham", and "cheese", and the recommended products, "tomato", "coffee", and "egg". The route creation unit 116 creates a route that avoids areas with high congestion.

[0086] First, the route creation unit 116 determines, from among the products to be purchased and related products, "bread," which is a product that is closest to the store entrance, which is the user's current location, and is displayed in an area with a low degree of congestion, as the first point. Next, the route creation unit 116 passes through a route that avoids highly crowded areas, and determines "tomatoes," which are displayed in an area close to the first point "bread," as the second point. Here, in order to avoid the highly crowded areas C-14 and C-15, the route creation unit 116 does not set "coffee" as the second point, but creates a route with "tomatoes" as the second point that does not pass through areas C-14 and C-15. Next, the route creation unit 116 passes through a route that avoids highly crowded areas, and determines "coffee," which is displayed in an area close to the second point "tomatoes," as the third point. The route creation unit 116 passes through a route that avoids highly crowded areas, and creates a route that connects the second point "tomatoes" to the third point "coffee." Next, the route creation unit 116 determines that "cheese" displayed in an area close to the third point "coffee" is the fourth point by passing through a route that avoids highly congested areas. The route creation unit 116 creates a route that connects the third point "coffee" to the fourth point "cheese" by passing through a route that avoids highly congested areas. Next, the route creation unit 116 determines that "eggs" displayed in an area close to the fourth point "cheese" is the fifth point by passing through a route that avoids highly congested areas. The route creation unit 116 creates a route that connects the fourth point "cheese" to the fifth point "eggs" by passing through a route that avoids highly congested areas. Next, the route creation unit 116 determines that "ham" displayed in an area close to the fifth point "eggs" is the sixth point by passing through a route that avoids highly congested areas. The route creation unit 116 creates a route that connects the fifth point "eggs" to the final point "ham" by passing through a route that avoids highly congested areas. The route creation unit 116 creates a route from the final point "ham" to the cash register, avoiding highly congested areas. Here, the route creation unit 116 creates a route that does not pass through areas G-5, G-6, and G-7 in order to avoid highly congested areas G-5, G-6, and G-7. As described above, the route creation unit 116 creates a route that connects the points of the products to be purchased "bread," "ham," and "cheese," and the recommended products "tomato," "coffee," and "egg," avoiding highly congested areas.The route created by the route creation unit 116 may be a route different from the shortest route connecting each point.

[0087] According to this example, the display device 36 can display a route for acquiring the product to be purchased by the user and the recommended product while avoiding areas with high congestion. Therefore, the user can acquire the product along a route that avoids areas with high congestion. Furthermore, the display device 36 can display a recommended product that is related to the product to be purchased by the user and is displayed in an area with low congestion as a point on the route. Therefore, even if the user is interested in a recommended product, the user can acquire the recommended product by following a route that avoids areas with high congestion. Furthermore, the route creation unit 116 can create a route based on the areas of the product to be purchased and the recommended product and the congestion information. Therefore, when the product to be purchased by the user is displayed in an area with high congestion, the route creation unit 116 can create a route that guides the user to the point of the recommended product.

[0088] The processing procedure by the information processing system S will be described. In the following description mainly focusing on the server 1, the server 1 may be read as the processor 11. Similarly, in the following description mainly focusing on the terminal 3, the terminal 3 may be read as the processor 31. Note that the processing procedure described below is merely an example, and each process may be changed as much as possible. Also, in the processing procedure described below, steps may be omitted, replaced, or added as appropriate depending on the embodiment.

[0089] As in the first embodiment, it is assumed here that the user of the terminal 3 plans to purchase "bread," "ham," and "cheese" at store A, such as a supermarket, which handles fresh food.

[0090] In response to the check-in by the user, the server 1 performs the following information processing.

[0091] The procedure of information processing by the server 1 will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an information processing procedure by the server 1 according to the second embodiment.

[0092] Similar to ACT101, the first acquisition unit 110 acquires information on at least one product to be purchased based on an input from the terminal 3 via the communication interface 14 (ACT201).

[0093] Similar to ACT 102, the first identifying unit 113 identifies an area for at least one product to be purchased based on the information on the at least one product to be purchased acquired by the first acquiring unit 110 (ACT 202).

[0094] The third acquiring unit 112, similarly to ACT 105, refers to the related product information 132 and acquires information on related products related to at least one product to be purchased (ACT 203).

[0095] Similar to ACT 106, the second identifying unit 114 identifies the area of ​​the related product from the area information 131 based on the information on the related product acquired by the third acquiring unit 112 (ACT 204).

[0096] The second acquisition unit 111, similar to ACT 103, refers to the congestion information 133 and acquires the congestion degree for each area in the store (ACT 205).

[0097] The determination unit 115 determines a recommended product from among the related products based on the area of ​​the related products identified by the second identification unit 114 and the congestion degree acquired by the second acquisition unit 111 (ACT206). In ACT206, for example, the determination unit 115 determines a recommended product based on the congestion degree associated with the area of ​​the related products. The determination unit 115 compares the congestion degree of the area of ​​the related products with a threshold. The determination unit 115 determines a recommended product based on the comparison result between the congestion degree of the area of ​​the related products and the threshold. In response to the congestion degree of the area of ​​the related products being less than the threshold, the determination unit 115 determines the related product as a recommended product. On the other hand, in response to the congestion degree of the area of ​​the related products being equal to or greater than the threshold, the determination unit 115 determines that the related product is not a recommended product.

[0098] The route creation unit 116 creates a route based on the area of ​​at least one of the products to be purchased identified by the first identification unit 113, the area of ​​the recommended product determined by the determination unit 115, and the congestion degree acquired by the second acquisition unit 111 (ACT207). In ACT207, for example, the route creation unit 116 compares the congestion degree of the area of ​​at least one of the products to be purchased with a threshold value. The route creation unit 116 determines the order of passing through the positions of the products to be purchased and the recommended products from among the products to be purchased and the recommended products displayed in an area where the congestion degree is less than the threshold value, based on the current location of the user detected using the sensor 2 or a beacon signal. The route creation unit 116 determines the position of the product closest to the current location of the user from among the products to be purchased and the recommended products displayed in an area where the congestion degree is less than the threshold value, as the first point. The route creation unit 116 creates a route that connects the current location of the user and the first point and avoids areas where the congestion degree is equal to or greater than the threshold value. Next, the route creation unit 116 determines the location of the product to be purchased that is closest to the first location among the products to be purchased and the recommended products that are displayed in an area where the degree of congestion is less than the threshold as the second location. The route creation unit 116 creates a route that connects the first location and the second location and avoids areas where the degree of congestion is equal to or greater than the threshold. The route creation unit 116 performs the same process for the remaining products to be purchased and the recommended products.

[0099] The route creation unit 116 may create a route by placing the order of the products to be purchased displayed in an area where the degree of congestion is equal to or greater than a threshold behind the products to be purchased and recommended products displayed in an area where the degree of congestion is less than a threshold. The route creation unit 116 may determine the order of acquiring the products to be purchased displayed in an area where the degree of congestion is equal to or greater than a threshold in ascending order of the degree of congestion, according to the degree of congestion.

[0100] The route creation unit 116 may create a route in sequence that avoids areas with a congestion degree equal to or higher than a threshold, according to the order in which the products to be purchased and the recommended products are acquired.

[0101] A case will be described with reference to Fig. 5 where the congestion levels of the areas displaying the products "bread", "ham", and "cheese" that the user plans to purchase are "1" for the "bread" area, "2" for the "ham" area, and "1" for the "cheese" area. The threshold for the congestion level is assumed to be "3". The recommended products determined by the determination unit 115 are assumed to be "tomato", "coffee", and "egg".

[0102] For example, the route creation unit 116 compares the congestion degree of each of "bread", "ham", and "cheese" with a threshold value. The route creation unit 116 determines that the congestion degree of "bread", "ham", and "cheese" is less than the threshold value. The route creation unit 116 determines that "bread" displayed in an area closest to the entrance, which is the user's current location, is the first location from among "bread", "ham", and "cheese" and the recommended products "tomato", "coffee", and "egg". The route creation unit 116 creates a route that connects the user's current location and the first location, avoiding areas with a congestion degree equal to or greater than the threshold value. Next, the route creation unit 116 determines that "tomato" displayed in an area close to the first location "bread" is the second location. The route creation unit 116 creates a route that connects the first location and the second location, avoiding areas with a congestion degree equal to or greater than the threshold value. In the example of FIG. 5, the route creation unit 116 creates a route that avoids areas C-14 and C-15 with a congestion degree equal to or greater than the threshold value. Similarly, the route creation unit 116 sequentially creates routes connecting the second point and the third point, the third point and the fourth point, the fourth point and the fifth point, and the fifth point and the final point, avoiding areas where the degree of congestion is equal to or greater than the threshold. Next, the route creation unit 116 creates a route connecting the final point and the cash register, avoiding areas where the degree of congestion is equal to or greater than the threshold. In the example of FIG. 5, the route creation unit 116 creates a route that avoids areas G-5, G-6, and G-7 where the degree of congestion is equal to or greater than the threshold.

[0103] According to this example, the route creation unit 116 can create a route based on the area of ​​the product to be purchased, the area of ​​the recommended product, and the congestion level of each area in the store. As a result, the route creation unit 116 can create a route to acquire the product to be purchased and the recommended product while avoiding highly crowded areas. Therefore, the server 1 can provide a product purchase route based on the crowded state in the store. In addition, the server 1 can add the recommended product based on the crowded state in the store to the purchase route. The user of the terminal 3 can acquire the product to be purchased and the recommended product while avoiding highly crowded areas. Furthermore, the route creation unit 116 can add the recommended product displayed in an area with a low congestion level to the route. As a result, when the product to be purchased is displayed in an area with a high congestion level or when the route connecting the positions of the products to be purchased cannot avoid the highly crowded areas, the route creation unit 116 can create a route that avoids congestion by setting the recommended product as a stopover position. Therefore, the server 1 can provide a product purchase route that can actively avoid highly crowded areas. The user of terminal 3 can obtain the products he or she wishes to purchase and the recommended products by following the provided route and avoiding highly congested areas.

[0104] In the above example, the route creation unit 116 determines the order of acquiring the products to be purchased first, and then determines the route, but this is not limited to the above. The route creation unit 116 may comprehensively determine the route based on the user's current location, the location of the products to be purchased, and the congestion level.

[0105] The output unit 117 outputs the route created by the route creation unit 116 to the terminal 3 via the communication interface 14 (ACT208). In ACT208, for example, the output unit 117 may output recommendation information of the recommended product in addition to the position of the recommended product. The processor 31 displays the route on the display device 36.

[0106] The output unit 117 may output, as information about the recommended product, a message indicating that the area of ​​the recommended product is less crowded. For example, when the congestion degree of the area of ​​the product to be purchased is equal to or higher than a threshold, the output unit 117 may output, as information about the recommended product, a message indicating that the highly crowded area can be avoided by stopping by the area of ​​the recommended product.

[0107] The output unit 117 may output information about the recommended product in any format, such as a symbol, an icon, text, audio, or video.

[0108] The route creation unit 116 may create the shortest route based on the user's current location, the display position information of the product to be purchased, and the display position information of the recommended product. In this case, the output unit 117 displays the shortest route or a route that avoids highly congested areas according to the selection of the user of the terminal 3. In this example, the server 1 can provide a route according to the user's selection.

[0109] The route creation unit 116 may update the route when the sensor 2 detects the user's current location or when the user acquires a product to be purchased. The update process is the same as the process of the flowchart shown in FIG. 6. In this example, when the route connecting the user's current location and the position of the product to be purchased on the route updated by the route creation unit 116 passes through an area with a congestion degree equal to or higher than a threshold, the determination unit 115 may determine, as a recommended product, a related product displayed on the route that avoids the area with a congestion degree equal to or higher than a threshold. The route creation unit 116 may create a route connecting the user's current location and the recommended product as a first point. In this example, the server 1 can provide a route that avoids highly crowded areas updated according to the user's current location. In addition, if the status of a recommended product that has been notified to the user is changed, for example, when the route is updated and the congestion level of the recommended product changes to above a threshold, or the recommended product moves off the updated route, the recommended product may remain displayed without being removed from the schematic diagram of the store displayed by the display device 36.

[0110] The information processing device may be realized by one device as described above using the server 1 as an example, or may be realized by a system in which functions are distributed among a plurality of devices.

[0111] All or part of the units described as being implemented in the processor 11 of the server 1 may be implemented in the processor 31 of the terminal 3. When the processor 31 implements an output unit similar to the output unit 117, the output unit includes causing the display device 36 to display the route.

[0112] The program may be transferred in a state where it is stored in an electronic device, or in a state where it is not stored in an electronic device. In the latter case, the program may be transferred via a network, or in a state where it is recorded on a recording medium. The recording medium is a non-transitory tangible medium. The recording medium is an electronic device-readable medium. The recording medium may be in any form, such as a CD-ROM or a memory card, as long as it is capable of storing the program and is readable by an electronic device.

[0113] Although several other embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0114] 1...server, 2...sensor, 3...terminal, 11...processor, 12...main memory, 13...auxiliary storage device, 14...communication interface, 31...processor, 32...main memory, 33...auxiliary storage device, 34...communication interface, 35...input device, 36...display device, 37...reading device, 38...audio output device, 110...first acquisition unit, 111...second acquisition unit, 112...third acquisition unit, 113...first identification unit, 114...second identification unit, 115...determination unit, 116...route creation unit, 117...output unit, 131...area information, 132...related product information, 133...congestion information, S...information processing system.

Claims

1. A first acquisition unit that acquires information regarding at least one product to be purchased based on an input from a user; a first identification unit that identifies an area of ​​the at least one product to be purchased based on information related to the at least one product to be purchased acquired by the first acquisition unit; A second acquisition unit that acquires congestion information for each area in the store; a route creation unit that creates a route to acquire the at least one product desired to be purchased from a location of the product desired to be purchased that is closest to a current location of the user among the at least one product desired to be purchased that is displayed in an area where the congestion degree is less than a threshold, based on an area of ​​the at least one product desired to be purchased identified by the first identification unit and congestion information acquired by the second acquisition unit; an output unit that outputs the route created by the route creation unit; a third acquisition unit that acquires information about a related product that is related to the at least one product to be purchased; a second identification unit that identifies an area of ​​the related product based on the information on the related product acquired by the third acquisition unit; a determination unit that determines, from among the related products, a recommended product whose area congestion degree of the related products is less than a threshold value, based on the area of ​​the related products identified by the second identification unit and the congestion information acquired by the second acquisition unit; Equipped with The output unit outputs information regarding the recommended product determined by the determination unit. An information processing device comprising:

2. the determination unit determines a recommended product depending on whether an area of ​​the related product identified by the second identification unit is within a predetermined range from the route; The information processing device according to claim 1 .

3. A first acquisition unit that acquires information regarding at least one product to be purchased based on an input from a user; a first identification unit that identifies an area of ​​the at least one product to be purchased based on information related to the at least one product to be purchased acquired by the first acquisition unit; A second acquisition unit that acquires congestion information for each area in the store; a third acquisition unit that acquires information about a related product that is related to the at least one product to be purchased; a second identification unit that identifies an area of ​​the related product based on the information on the related product acquired by the third acquisition unit; a determination unit that determines, from among the related products, a recommended product whose area congestion degree of the related products is less than a threshold value, based on the area of ​​the related products identified by the second identification unit and the congestion information acquired by the second acquisition unit; a route creation unit that creates a route to acquire the at least one product intended to be purchased from a location of a product that is closest to a current location of the user among the at least one product intended to be purchased and the recommended product that are displayed in an area where the degree of congestion is less than a threshold, based on an area of ​​the at least one product intended to be purchased identified by the first identification unit, an area of ​​a recommended product determined by the determination unit, and congestion information acquired by the second acquisition unit; an output unit that outputs the route created by the route creation unit; Equipped with The output unit outputs information regarding the recommended product determined by the determination unit. Information processing device.

4. A first acquisition unit that acquires information regarding at least one product to be purchased based on an input from a user; a first identification unit that identifies an area of ​​the at least one product to be purchased based on information related to the at least one product to be purchased acquired by the first acquisition unit; A second acquisition unit that acquires congestion information for each area in the store; a route creation unit that creates a route to acquire the at least one product desired to be purchased from a location of the product desired to be purchased that is closest to a current location of the user among the at least one product desired to be purchased that is displayed in an area where the congestion degree is less than a threshold, based on an area of ​​the at least one product desired to be purchased identified by the first identification unit and congestion information acquired by the second acquisition unit; an output unit that outputs the route created by the route creation unit; a third acquisition unit that acquires information about a related product that is related to the at least one product to be purchased; a second identification unit that identifies an area of ​​the related product based on the information on the related product acquired by the third acquisition unit; a determination unit that determines, from among the related products, a recommended product whose area congestion degree of the related products is less than a threshold value, based on the area of ​​the related products identified by the second identification unit and the congestion information acquired by the second acquisition unit; Equipped with The output unit outputs information regarding the recommended product determined by the determination unit. Information processing system.

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