Recommendation device, system, method and program

Abstract

A recommendation device (100) is provided with: a biometric information acquisition unit (112) that acquires biometric information included in a photographic image captured by a prescribed imaging device; an authentication request unit (114) that uses an authentication device (200) in which biometric information for a plurality of users is stored to carry out an individual authentication with respect to the acquired biometric information; a purchase history acquisition unit (115) that, when the individual authentication is successful, acquires a purchase history of a user for whom the individual authentication was successful, with regard to a prescribed sales outlet; an estimation unit (116) that estimates a purchase tendency on the basis of the purchase history; a determination unit (117) that determines recommendation information on the basis of the purchase tendency; and an output unit (118) that outputs the determined recommendation information to a prescribed display terminal.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a recommendation device, a system, a method, and a non-transitory computer-readable medium having a program stored thereon, and more particularly to a recommendation device, a system, a method, and a non-transitory computer-readable medium having a program stored thereon for providing recommendation information to a user. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that uses facial recognition to detect the visit of a customer (user) to a store, and when there is a need to serve the customer, outputting bonus information derived from the customer's purchase history information to an information terminal carried by the customer. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-045430 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the appropriate benefit information varies depending on the timing when the user visits the store. Therefore, the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a problem in that the accuracy of recommendations is insufficient.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve such problems, and aims to provide a recommendation device, system, method, and non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a program for providing appropriate recommendation information to a user. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The recommendation device according to the present disclosure includes a biometric information acquisition means for acquiring biometric information contained in an image captured by a specified imaging device, an authentication request means for performing personal authentication on the acquired biometric information using an authentication device that stores biometric information of multiple users, a purchase history acquisition means for acquiring, if the personal authentication is successful, the purchase history of the user whose personal authentication was successful at a specified retail store, an estimation means for estimating a purchasing tendency based on the purchase history, a determination means for determining recommendation information based on the purchasing tendency, and an output means for outputting the determined recommendation information to a specified display terminal.

[0007] The recommendation system according to the present disclosure comprises an imaging device that captures an image including biometric information of a specific user, a recommendation device capable of communicating with the imaging device, and an authentication device that stores the biometric information of the user and is capable of communicating with the recommendation device, wherein the recommendation device comprises a biometric information acquisition means that acquires the biometric information contained in the image captured by the imaging device, an authentication request means that causes personal authentication to be performed using the authentication device for the acquired biometric information, a purchase history acquisition means that, if the personal authentication is successful, acquires a purchase history at a specific retail store of the user whose personal authentication has been successful, an estimation means that estimates a purchasing tendency based on the purchase history, a determination means that determines recommendation information based on the purchasing tendency, and an output means that outputs the determined recommendation information to a specific display terminal.

[0008] The recommendation method according to the present disclosure includes a step of, by a computer, acquiring biometric information contained in an image captured by a specified photographing device, performing personal authentication on the acquired biometric information using an authentication device that stores biometric information of a plurality of users, and, if the personal authentication is successful, acquiring a purchase history at a specified retail store of the user whose personal authentication was successful, estimating a purchasing tendency based on the purchasing tendency, determining recommendation information based on the purchasing tendency, and outputting the determined recommendation information to a specified display terminal.

[0009] A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to the present disclosure has recorded thereon a program that executes the steps of acquiring biometric information contained in an image captured by a specified photographing device, performing personal authentication on the acquired biometric information using an authentication device that stores biometric information of a plurality of users, and, if the personal authentication is successful, acquiring a purchase history of the user whose personal authentication was successful at a specified retail store, estimating a purchasing tendency based on the purchase history, determining recommendation information based on the purchasing tendency, and outputting the determined recommendation information to a specified display terminal.

[0010] The recommendation device according to the present disclosure includes a biometric information acquisition means for acquiring biometric information contained in an image captured by a specified imaging device, a personal authentication means for performing personal authentication on the acquired biometric information using pre-stored biometric information of a plurality of users, a purchase history acquisition means for acquiring, if the personal authentication is successful, the purchase history of the user whose personal authentication has been successful at a specified retail store, an estimation means for estimating a purchasing tendency based on the purchase history, a determination means for determining recommendation information based on the purchasing tendency, and an output means for outputting the determined recommendation information to a specified display terminal.

[0011] The recommendation method according to the present disclosure includes a step of a computer acquiring biometric information contained in an image captured by a specified imaging device, performing personal authentication on the acquired biometric information using pre-stored biometric information of a plurality of users, and, if the personal authentication is successful, acquiring a purchase history of the user whose personal authentication was successful at a specified retail store, estimating a purchasing tendency based on the purchasing tendency, determining recommendation information based on the purchasing tendency, and outputting the determined recommendation information to a specified display terminal.

[0012] A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to the present disclosure has recorded thereon a program that executes the steps of acquiring biometric information contained in an image captured by a specified imaging device, performing personal authentication on the acquired biometric information using pre-stored biometric information of a plurality of users, and, if the personal authentication is successful, acquiring a purchase history of the user whose personal authentication was successful at a specified retail store, estimating a purchasing tendency based on the purchase history, determining recommendation information based on the purchasing tendency, and outputting the determined recommendation information to a specified display terminal. Effect of the Invention

[0013] The present disclosure can provide a recommendation device, a system, a method, and a non-transitory computer-readable medium having a program stored thereon for providing appropriate recommendation information to a user. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a recommendation device according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of a recommendation method according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a recommendation device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of a recommendation method according to a second embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a recommendation system according to a third embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an authentication device. [Figure 7] 13 is a flowchart showing the flow of a biometric information registration process. [Figure 8] 13 is a flowchart showing the flow of personal authentication processing. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a service terminal. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a user terminal. [Figure 11]FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a service providing device. [Figure 12] 13 is a flowchart showing the flow of a user registration process. [Figure 13] 13 is a flowchart showing the flow of a service user ID generation process. [Figure 14] 11 is a sequence chart showing the flow of a recommendation process. [Figure 15] FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a recommendation system according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a service providing device. [Figure 17] 13 is a flowchart showing the flow of personal information registration processing. [Figure 18] 11 is a sequence chart showing the flow of a recommendation process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

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

[0016] <Embodiment 1> 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a recommendation device 100 according to the first embodiment. The recommendation device 100 includes a biometric information acquisition unit 112, an authentication request unit 114, a purchase history acquisition unit 115, an estimation unit 116, a determination unit 117, and an output unit 118. The recommendation device 100 is connected to a network 500 (not shown). The network 500 may be wired or wireless. An authentication device 200, a service terminal 300, a user terminal 400, and the like (not shown) are connected to the network 500.

[0017] The biometric information acquisition unit 112 acquires biometric information included in an image captured by a predetermined imaging device. The imaging device is, for example, a service terminal 300, a user terminal 400, or a camera. The service terminal 300 is, for example, a communication terminal such as a tablet. The user terminal 400 is, for example, a communication terminal such as a smartphone carried by a user. The authentication request unit 114 performs personal authentication on the acquired biometric information using the authentication device 200 that stores the biometric information of multiple users. If the personal authentication is successful, the purchase history acquisition unit 115 acquires the purchase history of the user who has been successful in the personal authentication at a predetermined store. The estimation unit 116 estimates a purchase tendency based on the purchase history. The determination unit 117 determines recommended information based on the purchase tendency. The output unit 118 outputs the determined recommended information to a predetermined display terminal. The display terminal is, for example, the service terminal 300 or the user terminal 400.

[0018] FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a flow of the recommendation method according to the first embodiment. First, the biometric information acquisition unit 112 acquires biometric information included in a captured image captured by a predetermined image capture device (step S101). Next, the authentication request unit 114 causes the authentication device 200, which stores biometric information of multiple users, to perform personal authentication for the acquired biometric information (step S102). The authentication device 200 stores the user IDs of multiple users in advance in association with the biometric information of each user. When the authentication device 200 receives a request for personal authentication from the recommendation device 100, the authentication device 200 performs personal authentication by collating the biometric information included in the captured image with the biometric information stored in the authentication device 200 and determining whether the personal authentication has been successful or not depending on the presence or absence of a match. When the authentication device 200 has succeeded in personal authentication, it returns the successful user ID to the recommendation device 100 together with the determination result.

[0019] If the personal authentication is successful, the purchase history acquisition unit 115 acquires the purchase history of the user who has been successfully authenticated at a specified store (step S103). Next, the estimation unit 116 estimates the purchasing tendency of the user based on the acquired purchase history (step S104). Next, the determination unit 117 determines recommended information based on the purchasing tendency (step S105). Next, the output unit 118 outputs the determined recommended information to a specified display terminal (step S106). In this way, the recommendation method according to this embodiment can present recommended information based on the user's purchasing tendency, and therefore can provide appropriate recommended information to the user.

[0020] The recommendation device 100 includes a processor, a memory, and a storage device, which are not shown in the figure. The storage device stores a computer program that implements the processing of the recommendation method according to this embodiment. The processor then loads the computer program from the storage device into the memory and executes the computer program. As a result, the processor realizes the functions of a biometric information acquisition unit 112, an authentication request unit 114, a purchase history acquisition unit 115, an estimation unit 116, a determination unit 117, and an output unit 118.

[0021] Alternatively, the biometric information acquisition unit 112, the authentication request unit 114, the purchase history acquisition unit 115, the estimation unit 116, the determination unit 117, and the output unit 118 may each be realized by dedicated hardware. Also, a part or all of the components of each device may be realized by a general-purpose or dedicated circuit, processor, or a combination of these. These may be configured by a single chip, or may be configured by multiple chips connected via a bus. A part or all of the components of each device may be realized by a combination of the above-mentioned circuits, etc., and a program. Also, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), an FPGA (field-programmable gate array), etc. may be used as the processor.

[0022] In addition, when a part or all of the components of the recommendation device 100 are realized by a plurality of information processing devices, circuits, etc., the plurality of information processing devices, circuits, etc. may be centrally arranged or distributed. For example, the information processing devices, circuits, etc. may be realized as a client-server system, a cloud computing system, etc., in a form in which each is connected via a communication network. In addition, the function of the recommendation device 100 may be provided in a SaaS (Software as a Service) format.

[0023] <Embodiment 2> The embodiment 2 is a modification of the above-mentioned embodiment 1. The recommendation device 100 according to the embodiment 1 performs personal authentication using an external authentication device 200. On the other hand, the recommendation device 600 according to the present embodiment performs personal authentication inside the device.

[0024] Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a recommendation device 600 according to the second embodiment. In comparison with the configuration of the recommendation device 100 shown in Fig. 1, the recommendation device 600 has the authentication request unit 114 replaced with a personal authentication unit 121 and an authentication DB (Database) (not shown) added. The authentication DB is information that associates a user's biometric information with the user ID of the user. Regarding each component of the recommendation device 600, the description that overlaps with that of the first embodiment will be omitted as appropriate.

[0025] The personal authentication unit 121 performs personal authentication on the acquired biometric information using biometric information of multiple users stored in advance. In the personal authentication, the personal authentication unit 121 compares the biometric information included in the captured image with the biometric information stored in the authentication DB, and determines whether the personal authentication has been successful or not depending on whether there is a match. The authentication DB stores the biometric information of multiple registered users. The personal authentication unit 121 transmits the success or failure of the personal authentication to the purchase history acquisition unit 115.

[0026] 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of the recommendation method according to the second embodiment. First, the biometric information acquisition unit 112 acquires biometric information contained in an image captured by a predetermined image capture device (step S201). Next, the personal authentication unit 121 performs personal authentication on the acquired biometric information by using biometric information of multiple users stored in advance (step S202). The authentication DB stores in advance the user IDs of multiple users and the biometric information of each user in association with each other.

[0027] If the personal authentication is successful, the purchase history acquisition unit 115 acquires the purchase history of the user who has been successfully authenticated at a specified store (step S203). Next, the estimation unit 116 estimates the purchasing tendency of the user based on the acquired purchase history (step S204). Next, the determination unit 117 determines recommended information based on the purchasing tendency (step S205). Next, the output unit 118 outputs the determined recommended information to a specified display terminal (step S206). The recommendation device according to this embodiment can achieve the same effects as those described in the first embodiment.

[0028] <Embodiment 3> The third embodiment is a specific example of the first embodiment. Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a recommendation system 700 according to the third embodiment. The recommendation system 700 includes a service providing device 100a, an authentication device 200, a service terminal 300, and a user terminal 400. The service providing device 100a, the authentication device 200, the service terminal 300, and the user terminal 400 are each connected via a network 500. Note that descriptions that overlap with the first embodiment will be omitted as appropriate.

[0029] The service providing device 100a is an example of a recommendation device. The service providing device 100a is an information processing device that performs personal authentication on biometric information included in a captured image, and when the personal authentication is successful, determines and outputs recommendation information based on the purchasing tendency of the user who has succeeded in the personal authentication. The service providing device 100a is, for example, a server device realized by a computer. The authentication device 200 is a device that performs biometric authentication. The biometric authentication is personal authentication using biometric information. The authentication device 200 includes an authentication DB 210. The authentication DB 210 is a database that stores biometric information and the like for each user.

[0030] The service terminal 300 is an information processing device that takes an image including biometric information of a user who is about to purchase a product in store A, transmits a personal authentication request including the biometric information to the service providing device 100a, and receives and displays recommended information if the personal authentication is successful. The service terminal 300 is installed in store A. The user terminal 400 is an information processing device operated by a specific user. The user terminal 400 is, for example, a communication terminal such as a smartphone, tablet, or PC. The user terminal 400 may perform the same process as the service terminal 300 or a part of it. In the following, it is assumed that a user U1 is visiting store A as shown in FIG. 5.

[0031] The service providing device 100a and the service terminal 300 are devices constituting a system for a service provider to provide a service such as selling a product to a user. Therefore, the authentication device 200 can be said to be a server that operates as an authentication authority for the service provider. In this embodiment, the authentication device 200 operates as an authentication authority for multiple service providers.

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

[0033] The authentication DB 210 is information in which a user ID 211 is associated with a service user ID 213 of the user and biometric information 214 of the user. The authentication DB 210 further stores a service ID 212. Therefore, the authentication DB 210 can be said to be a database that stores the user ID 211, the service ID 212, the service user ID 213, and the biometric information 214 in association with each other. Here, the service ID 212 is an ID for identifying a service provider. The service user ID 213 is an ID for identifying a user who uses the service. The biometric information 214 is information for identifying a user. The biometric information 214 is, for example, facial feature information or a fingerprint. The facial feature information is a collection of feature points extracted from a captured image of a face area.

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

[0035] The service providing device 100a transmits a user registration request including a user ID and a service ID to the authentication device 200. The service registration unit 230 registers the service ID 212 included in the received user registration request in the authentication DB 210. Furthermore, when the service registration unit 230 receives the user registration request from the service providing device 100a, it issues a new service user ID 213. The service registration unit 230 registers the issued service user ID 213 in the authentication DB 210 in association with the user ID 211 included in the user registration request.

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

[0037] The operation of the authentication device 200 when registering a user ID and biometric information in the authentication DB 210 will be described with reference to Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of the biometric information registration process.

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

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

[0040] With reference to FIG. 8, the operation of the authentication device 200 when performing personal authentication will be described. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of personal authentication processing. When performing personal authentication, the service terminal 300 takes a photographed image including biometric information of the user, and makes a personal authentication request to the service providing device 100a via the network 500. The personal authentication request includes the photographed image. First, the service providing device 100a transmits the photographed image or biometric information extracted from the photographed image to the authentication device 200. The authentication unit 240 acquires the biometric information by extracting the biometric information from the received photographed image or by receiving the biometric information (step S401).

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

[0042] Next, the configuration of the service terminal 300 will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 9. The service terminal 300 includes, as a hardware configuration, a photographing device such as a camera, a display terminal, and a computer. The service terminal 300 is a device that requests personal authentication by biometric authentication. Examples of the service terminal 300 include, but are not limited to, a terminal that performs settlement by biometric authentication, and a digital signage that presents information according to biometric authentication.

[0043] 9 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the service terminal 300. The service terminal 300 includes a camera 310, a storage unit 320, a communication unit 330, a display unit 340, and a control unit 350. The camera 310 is an image capturing device that captures images. The storage unit 320 is a storage device that stores programs for implementing each function of the service terminal 300. The communication unit 330 is a communication interface with the network 500. The display unit 340 is a display terminal that displays personal authentication results, recommended information, and the like to the user. The control unit 350 controls the hardware included in the service terminal 300. The control unit 350 includes an image acquisition unit 352.

[0044] The image acquiring unit 352 requests the camera 310 to capture an image. The camera 310 captures an image including a face area or a fingerprint of a user. The image captured by the camera 310 is used for personal authentication or the like. The image acquiring unit 352 transmits a personal authentication request including the captured image to the service providing device 100a.

[0045] Next, the configuration of the user terminal 400 will be described with reference to Fig. 10. The user terminal 400 includes, as hardware components, an image capturing device such as a camera, a display terminal, and a computer. The user terminal 400 is a device that issues a personal authentication request using biometric authentication. Fig. 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the user terminal 400. The user terminal 400 includes a camera 410, a storage unit 420, a communication unit 430, a display unit 440, and a control unit 450. The control unit 450 includes an image acquisition unit 452. The functions of each component included in the user terminal 400 are similar to those of each component included in the service terminal 300, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

[0046] The service terminal 300 and the user terminal 400 may operate as information registration terminals. In this case, the service terminal 300 and the user terminal 400 further include a biometric information registration unit (not shown) and have a function of making a biometric information registration request. The flow of the biometric information registration process will be described below. Note that, although the case where the service terminal 300 performs the biometric information registration process will be described, the user terminal 400 may perform the same process.

[0047] When making a biometric information registration request, first, the image acquisition unit 352 controls the camera 310 to capture an image including the user's biometric information. Next, the biometric information registration unit transmits a biometric information registration request including the captured image to the authentication device 200 via the network 500. Finally, the biometric information registration unit receives a registration result from the authentication device 200. The biometric information registration unit may transmit a biometric information registration request including the biometric information extracted from the captured image to the authentication device 200.

[0048] The service terminal 300 and the user terminal 400 may operate as a payment terminal (not shown). The payment terminal is a terminal that performs payment for a product at the request of a user and transmits the payment information to the service providing device 100a as the purchase history of the user. In this case, the service terminal 300 and the user terminal 400 further include a payment section and a purchase history registration request section (not shown), and have a function of making a purchase history registration request. The payment terminal may perform payment by biometric authentication, or may perform payment by other methods. The flow of the purchase history registration request process when making a payment by biometric authentication will be described below. Note that, although a case will be described in which the service terminal 300 operates as a payment terminal and performs the purchase history registration request process, the service terminal 300 may perform a similar process.

[0049] When making a payment by biometric authentication, the image acquisition unit 352 included in the service terminal 300 acquires an image including the user's biometric information and transmits a personal authentication request to the service providing device 100a. If the personal authentication is successful, the payment unit 355 executes the payment process. Next, the purchase history registration request unit transmits a purchase history registration request including the user's service user ID and purchase history to the service providing device 100a.

[0050] Next, the configuration of the service providing device 100a will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 11. Fig. 11 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the service providing device 100a. The service providing device 100a includes a control unit 110, a storage unit 120, a memory 130, and a communication unit 140.

[0051] The storage unit 120 is a storage device that stores a user DB 123 and a program 124. The user DB 123 is information that associates a user's purchase history with a service user ID. The service user IDs 123b and 123c are identification information that can identify a user who uses a service provided by a service provider, and are, for example, a name, a telephone number, an email address, or an arbitrary identification number. The service user IDs 123b and 123c are associated with purchase histories 123d and 123e. The purchase histories 123d and 123e are histories of products purchased by each user at a specified store. The purchase history includes at least the type of product purchased by the user, and may further include the date on which the user purchased the product and the price of the product. The specified store may be, for example, a physical store such as a supermarket or a convenience store, or may be an online shop that sells products on the Internet. The program 124 is a computer program in which the recommendation process according to this embodiment is implemented.

[0052] The memory 130 is a storage area for temporarily storing the processing contents of the control unit 110, and is, for example, a volatile storage device such as a RAM (Random Access Memory). The communication unit 140 is an interface for communicating with the outside of the service providing device 100a.

[0053] The control unit 110 includes a registration unit 111, a biometric information acquisition unit 112, an authentication request unit 114, a purchase history acquisition unit 115, an estimation unit 116, a determination unit 117, and an output unit 118. The control unit 110 is a control device that controls the operation of the service providing device 100a, and is, for example, a processor such as a CPU. The control unit 110 loads the program 124 from the storage unit 120 into the memory 130 and executes it. As a result, the control unit 110 realizes the functions of the registration unit 111, the biometric information acquisition unit 112, the authentication request unit 114, the purchase history acquisition unit 115, the estimation unit 116, the determination unit 117, and the output unit 118.

[0054] The registration unit 111 receives a purchase history registration request from the payment terminal via the network 500. The purchase history registration request includes a service user ID and the purchase history of the user. The registration unit 111 associates the received purchase history with the service user ID included in the received purchase history registration request, and registers the received purchase history in the user DB 123. Note that the purchase history registration process is not limited to this. The payment terminal is, for example, the service terminal 300 or the user terminal 400.

[0055] The biometric information acquisition unit 112 receives a captured image from a photographing device such as the service terminal 300, and extracts biometric information from the captured image. The biometric information acquisition unit 112 may receive biometric information extracted from the captured image. The photographing device such as the service terminal 300 is installed, for example, in a predetermined store A. When a user U1 visits store A, the photographing device photographs an image including biometric information of the user U1, and transmits the image or the extracted biometric information to the biometric information acquisition unit 112. In this way, the biometric information acquisition unit 112 acquires biometric information of the user when the user visits a predetermined store.

[0056] When the biometric information is acquired, the authentication request unit 114 causes the authentication device 200 to perform personal authentication on the acquired biometric information. When the personal authentication is successful, the purchase history acquisition unit 115 acquires the purchase history corresponding to the service user ID of the user from the user DB.

[0057] The estimation unit 116 estimates the purchasing tendency of the user based on the acquired purchase history. The purchasing tendency is information indicating a pattern of intervals or periods at which the user purchases a specific product. For example, if the user has purchased a specific product multiple times, the purchasing tendency includes the time when the user will next purchase the product. Alternatively, the purchasing tendency may be information indicating a combination of multiple types of products that the user purchases together. The estimation unit 116 extracts the purchase history of a specific product included in the acquired purchase history, and estimates the time when the user will next purchase the product. The estimation unit 116 may estimate the purchasing tendency for one type of product included in the purchase history, or may estimate the purchasing tendency for multiple products included in the purchase history.

[0058] The determination unit 117 determines recommendation information to be presented to the user based on the estimated purchasing tendency. The recommendation information is, for example, a discount coupon that the user U1 can use when purchasing the product whose purchasing tendency is estimated at the store A. Alternatively, the recommendation information may be the product itself whose purchasing tendency is estimated. The output unit 118 outputs the determined recommendation information to a predetermined display terminal such as the service terminal 300 or the user terminal 400.

[0059] Next, the operation of the service providing device 100a when registering a user will be described with reference to Fig. 12. Fig. 12 is a flowchart showing the flow of the user registration process. The operation of the service providing device 100a when registering the user U1 in the storage unit 120 will be described.

[0060] The user U1 performs user registration for each service provider. During user registration, the user U1 inputs a user ID into an information registration terminal such as the service terminal 300 and the user terminal 400. Upon receiving the input, the information registration terminal makes a user registration request to the service providing device 100a via the network 500. The user registration request includes the user ID. The registration unit 111 receives the user registration request to obtain the user ID of the user U1 (step S501). Next, the communication unit 140 transmits the user ID and the service ID of the service providing device 100a to the authentication device 200 via the network 500 (step S502). In response to receiving the user ID and the service ID, the authentication device 200 transmits the service user ID. The registration unit 111 receives the service user ID (step S503) and registers the service user ID in the user DB 123 (step S504).

[0061] With reference to Fig. 13, the operation of the authentication device 200 when the user ID and the service ID are received in step S502 will be described. Fig. 13 is a flowchart showing the flow of the service user ID generation process. When the authentication device 200 receives the user ID and the service ID (step S601), it issues a new service user ID 213 and registers the service user ID 213 in the authentication DB 210 in association with the received user ID 211 (step S602). The service registration unit 230 returns the issued service user ID 213 to the service providing device 100a (step S603).

[0062] Next, the operation of the recommendation system 700 during recommendation processing will be described with reference to FIG. 14. FIG. 14 is a sequence chart showing the flow of the recommendation processing. It is assumed that the user has previously registered with the service providing device 100a when performing the recommendation processing. First, the service terminal 300 acquires the biometric information by extracting the biometric information from a captured image including the biometric information of the user (step S701). Next, the service terminal 300 transmits the acquired biometric information to the service providing device 100a (step S702). Next, the service providing device 100a makes a personal authentication request including the received biometric information to the authentication device 200 (step S703).

[0063] The authentication device 200 performs personal authentication on the received biometric information and identifies the service user ID of the user who has been successfully authenticated (step S704). Next, the authentication device 200 returns a message indicating that the personal authentication has been successful and the identified service user ID to the service providing device 100a (step S705). The service providing device 100a identifies the purchase history associated with the received service user ID (step S706).

[0064] Next, the service providing device 100a estimates the user's purchasing tendency based on the acquired purchase history (step S707). Next, the service providing device 100a determines recommended information based on the user's purchasing tendency (step S708). Next, the service providing device 100a outputs the recommended information to the service terminal 300 (step S709). The service terminal 300 presents the received recommended information to the user. The timing for presenting the recommended information to the user is, for example, when the user U1 visits store A.

[0065] The service terminal 300 is, for example, a digital signage installed at the entrance of a store. In this case, the determination unit 117 determines the recommendation information (for example, a coupon for a discount on a specific product, etc.) based on the service user ID of a user who is standing in front of the digital signage and whose face is detected. The output unit 118 presents the recommendation information to the user by, for example, displaying a recommendation information sheet and a two-dimensional code such as a QR code (registered trademark) for reading the recommendation information on the digital signage. The user can obtain the recommendation information by reading the two-dimensional code with a smartphone or the like. In addition, a print button may be further displayed on the digital signage, and the user may obtain the recommendation information by pressing the print button to print the recommendation information sheet.

[0066] The digital signage may be linked to face recognition payment. In this case, an acquisition button may be displayed on the digital signage, and when the acquisition button is pressed, recommended information (e.g., a coupon) may be automatically applied at the time of face recognition payment. Also, the recommended information displayed on the digital signage may be displayed again at the time of face recognition payment, and if selected by the user, payment may be made with the recommended information applied.

[0067] The output unit 118 may display the recommendation information on the digital signage and may also transmit the recommendation information to an information terminal such as a smartphone of a user who has been successfully authenticated. In this case, the recommendation information may be transmitted to an application in the smartphone or may be transmitted by e-mail or the like.

[0068] A specific example of recommendation information presented to a user by a service provider in this embodiment will be described below. A specific example of recommendation information presented to a user by a service provider is, for example, "a coupon that can be used at the next purchase time of a product purchased periodically." In this case, the estimation unit 116 extracts the purchase history of a specific product (e.g., daily necessities such as toilet paper) that has been purchased multiple times from the user's purchase history, and estimates the next time that the product will be purchased. If the user visits the store at the time of the next purchase of the product, the output unit 118 outputs a discount coupon for the product.

[0069] Another specific example of recommendation information that the service provider presents to the user is, for example, "a coupon that can be used when the user's cumulative purchase amount at the store is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount." In this case, the purchase history stored in the user DB 123 includes the user's purchase amount at the store. The estimation unit 116 calculates the user's cumulative purchase amount at the store from the user's purchase history. The determination unit 117 determines the type of coupon, the discount amount, etc. according to the calculated cumulative purchase amount.

[0070] <Embodiment 4> The fourth embodiment is a modification of the third embodiment. In the recommendation system 700 according to the third embodiment, the recommended information is determined based on the purchasing tendency of the user. On the other hand, in the fourth embodiment, the recommended information is determined in consideration of the personal information of the user.

[0071] FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a recommendation system 900 according to a fourth embodiment. The recommendation system 900 is a system in which the service providing device 100a is replaced with a service providing device 800a as compared with the configuration of the recommendation system 700 shown in FIG. 5. Descriptions of components of the recommendation system 900 that overlap with those of the third embodiment will be omitted as appropriate. FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a service providing device 800a according to a fourth embodiment. The service providing device 800a is different from the service providing device 100a in that personal information is associated with a service user ID and stored in the user DB 123, the control unit 110 includes a personal information acquisition unit 119, and the determination unit 117 determines recommendation information in consideration of personal information. Other configurations are similar, and descriptions will be omitted as appropriate.

[0072] The personal information 123f, 123g is information about each user. The personal information is, for example, a commemorative day such as a user's birthday, or the date when the user registered with the service provider. Purchase history 123d, 123e and personal information 123f, 123g are associated with each service user ID 123b, 123c. The personal information acquisition unit 119 acquires personal information corresponding to the service user ID of a user who has been successfully authenticated from the user DB 123. The determination unit 117 determines recommended information to be presented to the user based on the user's purchasing tendency and the user's personal information.

[0073] Next, referring to FIG. 17, the operation of the service providing device 100a at the time of personal information registration will be described. FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing the flow of personal information registration processing. A user performs personal information registration with a service provider with which the user has previously performed user registration. When registering personal information, the user inputs a service user ID into an information registration terminal such as the service terminal 300 or the user terminal 400. Upon receiving the input, the information registration terminal makes a personal information registration request to the service providing device 100a via the network 500. The personal information registration request includes the service user ID and personal information. The registration unit 111 receives the personal information registration request to acquire the service user ID and personal information of the user (step S801). Next, the registration unit 111 associates the received personal information with the service user ID included in the received personal information registration request and registers the received personal information in the user DB 123 (step S802).

[0074] Next, the operation of the recommendation system 900 during recommendation processing will be described with reference to FIG. 18. FIG. 18 is a sequence chart showing the flow of the recommendation processing. It is assumed that the user has previously registered with the service providing device 800a when performing the recommendation processing. First, the service terminal 300 acquires the biometric information by extracting the biometric information from a captured image including the biometric information of the user (step S901). Next, the service terminal 300 transmits the acquired biometric information to the service providing device 800a (step S902). Next, the service providing device 800a makes a personal authentication request including the received biometric information to the authentication device 200 (step S903).

[0075] The authentication device 200 performs personal authentication on the received biometric information and identifies the service user ID of the user who has been successfully authenticated (step S904). Next, the authentication device 200 returns a message indicating that the personal authentication has been successful and the identified service user ID to the service providing device 800a (step S905). The service providing device 800a identifies the purchase history associated with the received service user ID (step S906).

[0076] Next, the service providing device 100a estimates the purchasing tendency of the user based on the acquired purchasing history (step S907). Next, the service providing device 100a identifies personal information associated with the received service user ID (step S908). Note that step S908 may be performed in parallel with steps S906 to S907. Next, the service providing device 100a determines recommended information based on the purchasing tendency and personal information of the user (step S909). Next, the service providing device 100a outputs the recommended information to the service terminal 300 (step S910). The service terminal 300 presents the received recommended information to the user.

[0077] A specific example of recommendation information presented to a user by a service provider in this embodiment will be described below. An example of recommendation information is "coupons usable on the user's birthday." In this case, the personal information stored in the user DB 123 includes the user's birthday. The determination unit 117 determines the coupon based on the user's purchasing tendency and the user's birthday. The determination unit 117 may also determine the coupon based only on the user's birthday. The output unit 118 outputs the determined coupon if the user visits the store within one week before or after the birthday.

[0078] <Other embodiments, etc.> In the above-described embodiments, when personal authentication is successful, the purchase history of the user who has been successfully authenticated is acquired, and a purchase tendency is estimated based on the purchase history. However, the purchase tendency of each user may be estimated in advance, and when personal authentication is successful, recommended information may be determined based on the previously estimated purchase tendency. In this case, the purchase history acquisition unit 115 acquires the purchase history of each user from the user DB 123 before personal authentication is performed. Next, the estimation unit 116 estimates the purchase tendency of each user based on the acquired purchase history. When personal authentication is successful, the determination unit 117 determines recommended information to be presented to the user who has been successfully authenticated based on the estimated purchase tendency.

[0079] Further, the user DB 123 may be information in which group information is associated with the service user ID in addition to the purchase history of the user. The group information includes information on the group (for example, family) to which the user belongs and the purchase history of each person belonging to the group. In this case, the purchase history acquisition unit 115 acquires the purchase history and group information of the user who has been successfully authenticated from the user DB 123. The estimation unit 116 may extract the purchase history of each person belonging to the group from the acquired group information and estimate the purchase tendency based on the purchase history. For example, when a husband visits a store, the estimation unit 116 estimates the purchase tendency based on the purchase history of the wife linked to the husband (who regularly purchases the same brand of milk). The determination unit 117 sets the milk that the wife regularly purchases as recommendation information. When the husband purchases the recommended milk, the determination unit 117 may not recommend the milk when the wife visits the store in the near future. In this case, the service user ID may be a service group ID assigned to each group. The service group ID is identification information capable of identifying a group to which users who use a service provided by a service provider belong, and is used when each person belonging to the group uses the service.

[0080] A specific product (e.g., masks) may be purchased only by users who have a coupon or a voucher, and the decision unit 117 may not issue a coupon or a voucher for the product when a purchase tendency of a large amount of the product is observed recently. This makes it possible to prevent hoarding of a specific product. In this case, the decision unit 117 issues a coupon or a voucher for purchasing the product at a store to a user who has not purchased the product for a predetermined period of time. The user can feel secure knowing that the product can be purchased or redeemed at the store at predetermined intervals (e.g., when the stock of masks runs out).

[0081] In the above embodiment, the present disclosure has been described as a hardware configuration, but is not limited to this. Any process of the present disclosure can be realized by causing a CPU to execute a computer program.

[0082] In the above example, the program can be stored and provided to the computer using various types of non-transitory computer readable media. The non-transitory computer readable media includes various types of tangible storage media. Examples of the non-transitory computer readable media include magnetic recording media (e.g., flexible disks, magnetic tapes, hard disk drives), magneto-optical recording media (e.g., magneto-optical disks), CD-ROM (Read Only Memory), CD-R, CD-R / W, DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), and semiconductor memory (e.g., mask ROM, PROM (Programmable ROM), EPROM (Erasable PROM), flash ROM, RAM (Random Access Memory)). The program may also be provided to the computer by various types of transitory computer readable media. Examples of the transitory computer readable media include electric signals, optical signals, and electromagnetic waves. The transitory computer readable media can provide the program to the computer via a wired communication path such as an electric wire and an optical fiber, or via a wireless communication path.

[0083] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and may be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. In addition, the present disclosure may be implemented by appropriately combining the respective embodiments.

[0084] A part or all of the above-described embodiments may be described as, but is not limited to, the following supplementary notes.

[0085] (Appendix A1) a biometric information acquisition unit that acquires biometric information included in an image captured by a predetermined imaging device; an authentication request unit that performs personal authentication on the acquired biometric information using an authentication device that stores biometric information of a plurality of users; a purchase history acquisition unit that acquires a purchase history of the user who has been successfully authenticated at a predetermined store if the user has been successfully authenticated; An estimation unit that estimates a purchasing tendency based on the purchase history; A decision unit that decides recommendation information based on the purchasing tendency; an output unit that outputs the determined recommendation information to a predetermined display terminal; A recommendation device comprising:

[0086] (Appendix A2) The estimation unit extracts a purchase history of at least one type of product included in the purchase history and estimates a purchasing tendency of the product. 2. The recommendation device according to claim 1 .

[0087] (Appendix A3) The estimation unit estimates, as the purchase tendency, a time when the user will next purchase a specific product based on the purchase history; The output unit outputs the determined recommendation information at the time of the next purchase. Recommendation device according to appended claim A1 or A2.

[0088] (Appendix A4) the output unit outputs the determined recommendation information when the user's visit to the predetermined store is the time for the next purchase. 2. The recommendation device according to claim 1 ,

[0089] (Appendix A5) the recommendation information is a coupon that can be used when the cumulative purchase amount of the user at the specified retail store is equal to or greater than a specified amount; The recommendation device according to any one of Appendix A1 to A4.

[0090] (Appendix A6) the predetermined photographing device is installed at the predetermined store, the biometric information acquisition unit acquires the biometric information when the user visits the predetermined store; The recommendation device according to any one of Appendix A1 to A5.

[0091] (Appendix A7) the output unit outputs the determined recommendation information when the user visits the predetermined store. The recommendation device according to any one of Appendix A1 to A6.

[0092] (Appendix A8) The recommendation information is a coupon that can be used at the specified store. The recommendation device according to any one of Appendix A1 to A7.

[0093] (Appendix A9) The purchase history includes purchase amounts of the user at the specified retail store, The discount amount of the coupon is determined according to the cumulative purchase amount of the user. 2. The recommendation device according to claim 1 ,

[0094] (Appendix A10) The system further includes a personal information acquisition unit for acquiring personal information of the user, The determining means determines the recommendation information based on the personal information and the purchasing tendency. The recommendation device according to any one of Appendix A1 to A9.

[0095] (Appendix A11) The personal information includes the user's birth date. 2. The recommendation device according to claim 10.

[0096] (Appendix B1) An image capturing device that captures an image including biometric information of a predetermined user; a recommendation device capable of communicating with the photographing device; an authentication device that stores biometric information of the user and is capable of communicating with the recommendation device; The recommendation device includes: a biometric information acquisition unit that acquires biometric information included in an image captured by the imaging device; an authentication request unit that performs personal authentication using the authentication device based on the acquired biometric information; a purchase history acquisition unit that acquires a purchase history of the user who has been successfully authenticated at a predetermined store if the user has been successfully authenticated; An estimation unit that estimates a purchasing tendency based on the purchase history; A decision unit that decides recommendation information based on the purchasing tendency; an output unit that outputs the determined recommendation information to a predetermined display terminal; A recommendation system comprising:

[0097] (Appendix B2) The estimation unit extracts a purchase history of at least one type of product included in the purchase history and estimates a purchasing tendency of the product. A recommendation system as described in Appendix B1.

[0098] (Appendix C1) The computer A step of acquiring biometric information contained in an image captured by a predetermined imaging device; performing personal authentication on the acquired biometric information using an authentication device that stores biometric information of a plurality of users; If the personal authentication is successful, acquiring a purchase history of the user who has been successfully authenticated at a predetermined store; A step of estimating a purchasing tendency based on the purchasing history; determining recommendation information based on the purchasing tendency; outputting the determined recommendation information on a predetermined display terminal; A recommendation method comprising:

[0099] (Appendix D1) acquiring biometric information contained in an image captured by a predetermined imaging device; performing personal authentication on the acquired biometric information using an authentication device that stores biometric information of a plurality of users; If the personal authentication is successful, acquiring a purchase history of the user who has been successfully authenticated at a predetermined store; A step of estimating a purchasing tendency based on the purchasing history; determining recommendation information based on the purchasing tendency; outputting the determined recommendation information on a predetermined display terminal; A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a recommendation program for causing a computer to execute the above.

[0100] (Appendix E1) a biometric information acquisition unit that acquires biometric information included in an image captured by a predetermined imaging device; a personal authentication unit that performs personal authentication using the acquired biometric information of a plurality of users stored in advance; a purchase history acquisition unit that acquires a purchase history of the user who has been successfully authenticated at a predetermined store if the user has been successfully authenticated; An estimation unit that estimates a purchasing tendency based on the purchase history; A decision unit that decides recommendation information based on the purchasing tendency; an output unit that outputs the determined recommendation information to a predetermined display terminal; A recommendation device comprising:

[0101] (Appendix E2) The estimation unit extracts a purchase history of at least one type of product included in the purchase history and estimates a purchasing tendency of the product. 2. The recommendation device according to claim 1 .

[0102] (Appendix F1) The computer acquiring biometric information contained in an image captured by a predetermined imaging device; performing personal authentication on the acquired biometric information by using biometric information of a plurality of users stored in advance; If the personal authentication is successful, acquiring a purchase history of the user who has been successfully authenticated at a predetermined store; A step of estimating a purchasing tendency based on the purchasing history; determining recommendation information based on the purchasing tendency; outputting the determined recommendation information on a predetermined display terminal; A recommendation method comprising:

[0103] (Appendix G1) acquiring biometric information contained in an image captured by a predetermined imaging device; performing personal authentication on the acquired biometric information by using biometric information of a plurality of users stored in advance; If the personal authentication is successful, acquiring a purchase history of the user who has been successfully authenticated at a predetermined store; A step of estimating a purchasing tendency based on the purchasing history; determining recommendation information based on the purchasing tendency; outputting the determined recommendation information on a predetermined display terminal; A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a recommendation program for causing a computer to execute the above.

[0104] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments (and examples), the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments (and examples). Various modifications that can be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the present invention within the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0105] 100, 600 recommended devices 100a, 800a service providing equipment 110 Control section 111 Registration Department 112 Biometric information acquisition unit 114 Authentication Request Section 115 Purchase History Acquisition Department 116 Estimation Department 117 Decision Section 118 Output section 119 Personal Information Acquisition Department 120 Storage section 121 Personal authentication section 123 User DB 123b, 123c Service user ID 123d, 123e purchase history 123f, 123g Personal Information 124 Programs 130 Memory 140 Communications Department 200 Authentication Device 210 Authentication DB 211 User ID 212 Service ID 213 Service User ID 214 Biometric Information 220 User Registration Department 230 Service Registration Department 240 Authentication Department 300 Service Terminals 310 Camera 320 Storage section 330 Communications Department 340 Display section 350 Control section 352 Image Acquisition Unit 355 Payment Department 400 User terminals 410 Camera 420 Storage section 430 Communications Department 440 Display section 450 Control Unit 452 Image Acquisition Unit 500 Network 700, 900 Recommendation System

Claims

1. a first biometric information acquisition means for acquiring first biometric information of a user when the user enters a predetermined store; a second biometric information acquiring means for acquiring second biometric information of the user when the user purchases a product at the predetermined store; an authentication request means for requesting personal authentication to be performed using an authentication device that stores biometric information of a plurality of users, based on the acquired first and second biometric information; an estimation means for acquiring a purchasing tendency of the user who has been successfully authenticated using the first biometric information, the purchasing tendency being estimated based on the user's purchase history at the predetermined store, when the user has been successfully authenticated using the first biometric information; A determination means for determining recommendation information based on the acquired purchasing tendency; an output means for outputting the determined recommendation information on a predetermined display terminal; an acquisition means for acquiring, when the personal authentication using the second biometric information is successful, information regarding whether or not the recommendation information needs to be applied based on a selection of the user who has succeeded in the personal authentication; an application means for applying the recommendation information to the purchase of the product when information regarding the user's selection that the recommendation information should be applied is acquired; A recommendation device comprising:

2. The estimation means extracts a purchase history of at least one type of product included in the purchase history and estimates a purchasing tendency of the product. The recommendation device according to claim 1 .

3. The estimation means estimates, as the purchase tendency, a time when the user will next purchase a specific product based on the purchase history; the output means outputs the determined recommendation information at the time of the next purchase. The recommendation device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. the output means outputs the determined recommendation information when the user visits the predetermined store at the time of the next purchase. The recommendation device according to claim 3 .

5. the recommendation information is a coupon that can be used when the cumulative purchase amount of the user at the specified retail store is equal to or greater than a specified amount; The recommendation device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. the predetermined photographing device is installed at the predetermined store, the first biometric information acquisition means acquires the biometric information when the user visits the predetermined store; The recommendation device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. the output means outputs the determined recommendation information when the user visits the predetermined store. The recommendation device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. The recommendation information is a coupon that can be used at the specified store. The recommendation device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. The purchase history includes purchase amounts of the user at the specified retail store, The discount amount of the coupon is determined according to the cumulative purchase amount of the user. The recommendation device according to claim 8.

10. The system further includes a personal information acquisition unit for acquiring personal information of the user, The determining means determines the recommendation information based on the personal information and the purchasing tendency. The recommendation device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. The personal information includes the user's birth date. The recommendation device according to claim 10.

12. An image capturing device that captures an image including biometric information of a predetermined user; a recommendation device capable of communicating with the photographing device; an authentication device that stores biometric information of the user and is capable of communicating with the recommendation device; The recommendation device includes: a first biometric information acquisition means for acquiring first biometric information of the user included in a captured image captured by the image capturing device when the user enters a predetermined store; a second biometric information acquisition means for acquiring second biometric information of the user included in a captured image captured by the photographing device when the user purchases a product at the predetermined store; an authentication request means for causing the authentication device to perform personal authentication on the acquired first and second biometric information; an estimation means for acquiring a purchasing tendency of the user who has been successfully authenticated using the first biometric information, the purchasing tendency being estimated based on the user's purchase history at the predetermined store, when the user has been successfully authenticated using the first biometric information; A determination means for determining recommendation information based on the acquired purchasing tendency; an output means for outputting the determined recommendation information on a predetermined display terminal; an acquisition means for acquiring, when the personal authentication using the second biometric information is successful, information regarding whether or not the recommendation information needs to be applied based on a selection of the user who has succeeded in the personal authentication; an application means for applying the recommendation information to the purchase of the product when information regarding the user's selection that the recommendation information should be applied is acquired; A recommendation system comprising:

13. The estimation means extracts a purchase history of at least one type of product included in the purchase history and estimates a purchasing tendency of the product. The recommendation system of claim 12.

14. The computer acquiring first biometric information of a user when the user enters a predetermined store; acquiring second biometric information of the user when the user purchases a product at the predetermined store; performing personal authentication using an authentication device that stores biometric information of a plurality of users based on the acquired first and second biometric information; acquiring, when the personal authentication using the first biometric information is successful, a purchasing tendency of the user who has been successfully authenticated, estimated based on a purchasing history at the predetermined store; determining recommendation information based on the acquired purchasing trends; outputting the determined recommendation information on a predetermined display terminal; acquiring information on whether or not the recommendation information needs to be applied based on a selection of the user who has been successfully authenticated, when the personal authentication using the second biometric information has been successful; applying the recommendation information to the purchase of the product when information regarding the user's selection that the recommendation information should be applied is obtained; A recommendation method comprising:

15. acquiring first biometric information of a user when the user enters a predetermined store; acquiring second biometric information of the user when the user purchases a product at the predetermined store; performing personal authentication using an authentication device that stores biometric information of a plurality of users based on the acquired first and second biometric information; acquiring, when the personal authentication using the first biometric information is successful, a purchasing tendency of the user who has been successfully authenticated, estimated based on a purchasing history at the predetermined store; determining recommendation information based on the acquired purchasing trends; outputting the determined recommendation information on a predetermined display terminal; acquiring information on whether or not the recommendation information needs to be applied based on a selection of the user who has been successfully authenticated, when the personal authentication using the second biometric information has been successful; applying the recommendation information to the purchase of the product when information regarding the user's selection that the recommendation information should be applied is obtained; A recommendation program that causes a computer to execute the above.

16. a first biometric information acquisition means for acquiring first biometric information of a user when the user enters a predetermined store; a second biometric information acquiring means for acquiring second biometric information of the user when the user purchases a product at the predetermined store; a personal authentication unit that performs personal authentication using pre-stored biometric information of a plurality of users based on the acquired first and second biometric information; an estimation means for acquiring a purchasing tendency of the user who has been successfully authenticated using the first biometric information, the purchasing tendency being estimated based on the user's purchase history at the predetermined store, when the user has been successfully authenticated using the first biometric information; A determination means for determining recommendation information based on the acquired purchasing tendency; an output means for outputting the determined recommendation information on a predetermined display terminal; an acquisition means for acquiring, when the personal authentication using the second biometric information is successful, information regarding whether or not the recommendation information needs to be applied based on a selection of the user who has succeeded in the personal authentication; an application means for applying the recommendation information to the purchase of the product when information regarding the user's selection that the recommendation information should be applied is acquired; A recommendation device comprising:

17. The estimation means extracts a purchase history of at least one type of product included in the purchase history and estimates a purchasing tendency of the product. The recommendation device according to claim 16.

18. The computer acquiring first biometric information of a user when the user enters a predetermined store; acquiring second biometric information of the user when the user purchases a product at the predetermined store; performing personal authentication on the acquired first and second biometric information using biometric information of a plurality of users stored in advance; acquiring, when the personal authentication using the first biometric information is successful, a purchasing tendency of the user who has been successfully authenticated, estimated based on a purchasing history at the predetermined store; determining recommendation information based on the acquired purchasing trends; outputting the determined recommendation information on a predetermined display terminal; acquiring information on whether or not the recommendation information needs to be applied based on a selection of the user who has been successfully authenticated, when the personal authentication using the second biometric information has been successful; applying the recommendation information to the purchase of the product when information regarding the user's selection that the recommendation information should be applied is obtained; A recommendation method comprising:

19. acquiring first biometric information of a user when the user enters a predetermined store; acquiring second biometric information of the user when the user purchases a product at the predetermined store; performing personal authentication on the acquired first and second biometric information using biometric information of a plurality of users stored in advance; acquiring, when the personal authentication using the first biometric information is successful, a purchasing tendency of the user who has been successfully authenticated, estimated based on a purchasing history at the predetermined store; determining recommendation information based on the purchasing tendency; outputting the determined recommendation information on a predetermined display terminal; acquiring information on whether or not the recommendation information needs to be applied based on a selection of the user who has been successfully authenticated, when the personal authentication using the second biometric information has been successful; applying the recommendation information to the purchase of the product when information regarding the user's selection that the recommendation information should be applied is obtained; A recommendation program that causes a computer to execute the above.

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